Austin Italian Food

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BEVO_02

< 25 Posts
Ok, I am interested in finding a good, non-chain, Italian food restaurant here in Austin. Just moved here and I'm sick of Olive Garden. (Thats where the non-chain part comes in.) Any suggestions?
 
I hate to tell you this, but your search for Italian food in Austin is going to leave you severely disappointed. I am an Italian whose Mom was born there and is an excellent cook, and I could never really find a place in Austin that was worth a crap. If I really want Italian food when I am in Austin, the only place I go is to Carmelo's, but even that isn't all that great. I live in Houston, where the Italian food is excellent, so my 4 years in Austin were hard on me in that respect.
 
How high end is the high end? Like Bellagio, for instance. I have heard good things about it, but wasn't sure about location, dress, price range, etc.
 
Cafe Spiazzo, Mezzaluna (north, never been to downtown one) and Trattoria Grande are pretty good. I've been to Vespaio and loved it. I've also been to Carmelo's and was disappointed in it. I'll have to try some of the others y'all mentioned.

Anyone ever been to Asti or Girasole?

BEVO02, you can usually depend on restaurants in Austin to be casual or the ubiquitous dressy casual. You could just call and ask. As far as location and price range, Austin360 and Austin Citysearch both have all that info.
 
your problems with the waitstaff probably had to do with the fact the restaurant had just opened. That is not uncommon.

I enjoyed Girasole, but agree that it was overpriced. I have not been back in about a year, so I have no idea how it is now.
 
I know the mgmt and owner of Girasole. Used to work with and for them, respectively. It ain't even really 'italian' food. The problem is that the owner is so ******* tyrannical, turnover becomes a problem and the waitstaff is always training. It has been reported that the chef will serve you something that doesn't remotely fit what you ordered.
 
Buca di Beppo. you wont find better italian cuisine unless grandma mussolini made it herself. great place to take a date too.
 
good italian and good chinese are impossible to find in austin. if you want bbq and mexican food, austin's great, everything else is pretty much dogshit compared to anything you'll find in a true metropolitan city like Houston. ****. 6 years of living here, and i still haven't had one meal that i would consider to be better than anything i could get in Houston. that's friggin' sad.
 
rolleyes.gif
jealousy is a *****.
 
Avoid Bellagios. Went there for VDay and found it overpriced and pretentious. Food was mediocre (I will never return to a restaurant that doesn't offer anything besides field greens for salad. You pay $8 to eat gamey weeds). Its also in a strip mall, so there is virtually no ambience.
 
Went to Asti's last night. Appetizer, bottle of wine, salad for me and two entrees left me 75 bucks lighter. not bad, really. though my osso bucco tasted too much like a pot roast and not enough like a lamb shank. the calimari was the best i've ever had and the caesar dressing is from scratch and ******* delicious. the waiter was WAY too attentive but at least he made an effort. if you go, ask for Brendan. I used to work with him and he is flawless and he knows his wine.
 
Got to go with Vinny's on Barton Springs. Mama Mia's on Shoal Creek Blvd used to be my fave, but they up and moved to 29th and chenged their name to Piccolo's, haven't been there, yet.
 
threads like this one are one of the biggest reasons for living in nyc. if you like food or drink no where else can touch it.
 
Piccolo is pretty good, not too expensive either, but I did go there for lunch....I didn't think Treehouse was that High End and I am a cheap bastard, really good food there too. Is Brick Oven on Red River a chain, I used to go there a lot, but then I found better places. I would go for either Vinny's or Treehouse though.
 
and when I am in the mood for 3 hoodlums to jump me in a park, I also have to go to NYC. They just don't do it right here in Texas.
 
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