Came in for my birthday brunch up from San Antonio. Let's start with the positives: Service was excellent. Server was attentive and my coffee stayed filled (with a small caveat I'll speak to below). Atmosphere was simple. "Modern" diner experience. Music was low and not obnoxious, bell ringing behind the counter, the low hum of conversations. Lighting was nice. Food for the most part was also excellent (one caveat to this will be listed below). I had the Counter Benedict, wife had the biscuits and gravy, son had the breakfast taco. Breakfast potatoes were very good. Crisp, pillowy, and properly seasoned. Pastrami on the Benedict was very good. Poached eggs were well cooked and silky as expected. Flour tortilla in the breakfast taco was also good. Sausage in the gravy was slightly spicy and delicious. Now, the negatives: Coffee was lukewarm after my first cup. Coffee needs to be hot. One of the biscuits in my Benedict was overcooked and dry as a bone. The gravy for the biscuits and gravy is sweet for some reason. Normally I want more gravy, but when my wife couldn't finish her breakfast, I had 0 desire to eat it. Not sure why it's sweet but it's weird. Overall we liked it so we will be back. The prices are very reasonable for Austin, and they have Valentina as a hot sauce option (which is excellent). read more

First visit to this location, used to go to the original on Lamar for post event breakfasts. Same quality food, same friendly and efficient service, and yes, there are counter seats where you can watch your food being prepared! Opted for the Southern Poached Eggs, with grits and greens, very tasty breakfast that will keep you going most of the day. Pretty good amount of parking, I was there by 0800, so can't say as to how packed it gets lunchtime on. Staff kept up on the coffee refills, and it was like some of the old timey diners back in the day. Only negative has nothing to do with the business, just this being Austin, there are LPGOs (Loud Professionals Gassing On), setting up the laptop and conducting business meetings LOUDLY while us country hicks are just trying to have a relaxing breakfast. Added points for them bringing in their outside beverages, despite the signage asking you NOT to bring them in. SMH. read more

Counter Cafe East - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I am totally totally in love. * * * Counter Cafe is a famous breakfast place. But they also do lunch. It has a young cooler-than-cool New East Side crowd. It has young cooler-than-cool New East Side architecture and decoration. If you needed a photo op for "I went to Austin Texas and did all the right things", Getting some selfies at Counter Cafe East would be a fine idea. Add a gig at Hotel Vegas one night and another gig at the Mohawk the next and you are made in the shade. Add some Mexican food or some barbecue if you insist. But the cool crowd will be at Counter Cafe East and at the non-Sixth-Street non-Rainey-Street clubs. (Yeah, Hotel Vegas is nominally on Sixth Street. Hotel Vegas is a thousand miles away from "Dirty Sixth Street" west of I-35 where the tourists and the fraternity boys go.) For cool-and-rich-combined, check out the high-tech-and-green-entrepreneur haute-cuisine places near the Counter Cafe. Canje next door would be a good choice. * * * Counter Cafe East claims that their burger is famous. Well, certainly their burger OUGHT to be famous. The burger and the stuff inside the bun is just normal. The bun is heroin on a stick. This may be the best hamburger bun I have had in a very very long time. They could have had a school lunch burger inside that bun, and it still would have been a five star hamburger. * * * That said, the star of the show were the French fries. French fries here are utterly insane. I never want to say that Place X or Place Y has the best French fries in Austin. There must be over 5,000 institutions that serve French Fries in the Central Texas area. That would be a lot of taste testing. Some of those would be $100 + a plate places that serve French fries next to incredibly expensive beef dishes and steaks. The fries in those places are generally worth the price. But I am prepared, even without the benefit of a plate-to-plate taste test, to attest that The Fries at Counter Cafe East can hold their own with what the best of the break-your-wallet upscale places offer. (Certainly, I would not mind repeated taste tests to find out.) * * * One other quick note. Meals at Counter Cafe East are definitely filling. This is the case even if what you ordered superficially looks small. My wife got a bowl of fancy oatmeal that looked microscopic. Both she and I were thinking "Rip Off City". We were wrong. Real wrong. The bowl was miniscule to be sure. She loved it. She could barely finish it. I think they invented a secret oatmeal concentrate which they keep in their kitchen. Every bite of their house oatmeal concentrate counts as four bites of regular oatmeal. * * * I had a parallel experience ordering a small salad on the side. A small salad here is a large salad anywhere else on the planet. I had a burger and fries to go with that "small" salad. I was more stuffed than I have been from a hamburger lunch in a long time. * * * Massive amounts of really good food and Samuel C go well with each other. I wonder how the breakfasts are. read more

Counter Cafe is a great breakfast/brunch spot on the east side. Last time I was there, they had a seasonal apple cinnamon hot cake that was delicious! I'm so glad I ordered it. Surprisingly, they don't have lattes on their menu. I would love if they added them to their offerings. Overall, nice staff, good food and cool atmosphere. I'll definitely be back. read more

Counter Cafe East - Seasonal hot cake - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

Food was good, nothing that stands out. Pretty basic. We had the peach pancake and bacon, egg and cheese biscuit. I did drizzle honey on the biscuit sandwich and that was tasty. The value for what you get is why I am giving them a 4 Star. With tip, our bill was $37. Friendly smiles from all the staff. Ambiance is good - pretty small place so I'm sure during busy times it's hard to get in. read more

Counter Cafe East - Peach pancake - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

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It's great it make a really good job making their food look good and its just as good as alit looks

This is a great neighborhood spot you can count on for a good diner type meal! It is usually pretty busy on the weekends so show up early or prepare to wait a little bit! I like their breakfast tacos and the salsa they come with. All of their ingredients taste really fresh. The menu really has something for everyone. They have some parking in the front and back of the building, then some street parking in the area. read more

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Good freshly prepared food and very tasty. Great service and the location is nice clean and cozy. read more

Counter Cafe East - Biscuits and gravy. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

Spicy Bloody Mary is the way to start a Saturday and they make a stellar one at this spot! We were staying close by so this spot was awesome to walk to for a great meal to start a busy day. They do seem to get busy and it is just a walk ups to get seated and since the restaurant is on the smaller side we did have to wait but only for 15 mins. The menu had some many great items it was hard to pick but we had to start with a biscuit and gravy to share. I decided to go with breakfast tacos which I really enjoyed! Service was pretty quick which is also a plus and the servers are very knowledgeable of the menu which is always a plus. read more

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The service was really friendly but the food was subpar. The crab cakes were good sized but I think they missed on the quality. Mine was grainy and the crab didn't shine through all the other ingredients. They gave us some sauces to pair with them for the eggs and I didn't think any of them blended very well. I think I'd come back to try their lunch options, I wish I would've gotten a burger instead. read more

Counter Cafe East - Crab Cake Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

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This place was jamming on a Sunday morning brunch. We waited for a little bit just to sit two of us, but that's Austin for you. The staff was very nice and management seemed to be doing a really great job with their staff and patrons. The inside had the hometown diner feel. We sat at barstools at the counter. I ordered the Counter Benedict and let me tell you that was some of the best hollandaise I've ever had. I'd probably order the same thing again because it was just so good. The eggs were cooked just right. We'll be back! read more

Counter Cafe East - Counter Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Wow! First of all, our server was AMAZING!! Super friendly and attentive. Genuine. Cute and updated version of a classic diner with a pleasant vibe. I love that everything is farm to counter. The chicken tortilla soup was some of the best I've ever had. It tasted like I was eating it in the kitchen of a grandma. Home style perfection. The boyfriend got the burger and he said he rivaled burgers that he's had at places that boast having the best. read more

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The wait here can be long during peak hours as the interior is kind of small. After a couple of attempts, I came here at 10am on a Saturday, and our group of four was seated in 10 minutes. I ordered the hot cake, which is a large pancake that comes with packaged butter and maple syrup. You can add whipped cream, blueberries, strawberries, pecans, or chocolate chips for an additional cost. It is large, but not enough for a meal unless you are child sized or on a caloric restriction. It was really good and fluffy. I also ordered the breakfast taco, which has eggs, bacon, cheese, potatoes, and a mild salsa. It was a good, very standard breakfast taco, albeit a little bit small for the price. I only ordered it so I wouldn't be hungry with the one pancake. My friends enjoyed their egg sandwich, breakfast potatoes, fruit and granola, and counter burger. The counter burger ranked the 2nd best burger out of 50 in Texas by Texas Monthly Magazine in 2009. This was quite a long time ago, and I haven't seen it in more recent rankings, but my friend who ordered it said it was a really solid burger. We agreed the fries were great too. The prices are reasonable with normal portion sizes as we all finished our meals and were satisfied. We were told at the end that they couldn't split the bill by item. This was surprising because this is a nice and modern restaurant in 2024. It was inconvenient, but I didn't think much of it until I read other reviews and found out that they can split the bill, but apparently the waiters don't like to do it because it takes a long time. Fair enough (although I suggest that they upgrade their antiquated system), but I felt very deceived that she told us that they "can't" split the bill. The service was friendly and relatively attentive. This isn't a restaurant to linger in when it's busy as there is limited seating with a long line. There is parking in front of and behind the restaurant. read more

Counter Cafe East - Hot Cake, Breakfast Taco - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

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We stayed the night close by and walked over to have some breakfast on a Friday morning. We had our dog with us so we went straight to the patio in the back and were greeted immediately by Dora. They had fans and dog bowls; special touches. My husband had a spicy Bloody Mary and the Counter Benedict's that he enjoyed. I wanted some huevos rancheros but it wasn't on the menú and Dora said, "not a problem". I'm not a fan with the tostada on the bottom of the dish but Dora said that I would not be disappointed and SHE WAS RIGHT! The tostada was so crispy that it never got soggy. The salsa and refried beans were seasoned perfectly. We ordered our precious Paloma some bacon. The service was great and the people were super friendly. read more

Counter Cafe East - Paloma, people watching - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Service was amazing. The food and presentation was excellent. We had a vegetarian with us that didn't eat eggs and they were able to to create a wonderful healthy meal for her. Absolutely will return . read more

For a decently long wait on a Saturday, Counter Cafe is a average choice for a brunch in Austin. My group of three was seated in the patio area of the restaurant. Typically, this seems like a nice environment, as the restaurant provides blankets on the chairs for the outdoor seating as well as heaters that placed every two tables. Being a chilly day, I asked our waiter if he could turn on our heater and he said "no, we're out of fuel for that heater, but the temperature is great out so I think you'll be fine." Not off to a good start. Later, I saw the next table try to turn on their heater as well to no success. The food was very average, and overall not very flavorful. The biscuits and gravy were okay, and the biscuits were slightly overdone. Will not be returning here. read more

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Turn down for what? This place was welllllll worth the excruciatingly 20 min wait in the Austin heat with 30 other folks!!? I had the Benedict ( sub whatever meat for spinach and avocado, chefs kiss) the hollandaise sauce was like a lemony sort of concoction which normally I would hate but it worked so well! But let me tell you about this vanilla spiced pancake with a dash of nutmeg and a sliver of love, that pancake was SOOOO yummy and not as big as I thought because it was definitely finished with no crumbles left, equally as good was the crab cake benny. We were seated outside in a small outdoor Patio that was equipped but really lovely plants AND water mists and fans going so it was a lovely no sweating while eating situation!! Service was fantastic and the gentlemen over the waitlist was just that, a very nice guy! read more

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Just went back to Counter Cafe with my boyfriend's parents, who were visiting us. A bit of a wait, but we went next door to Lazarus for a drink while we waited and kept walking over to check in. After about half an hour we were able to snag a table inside. It was really hot out and the AC wasn't blowing super well inside, but it was much better than sitting outside! We ordered some mimosas and then our brunch came. I ordered a baby cake with chocolate and pecans and the yogurt with fruit and granola. Delicious! read more

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Super cute, local spot to grab a yummy breakfast. I created my own little meal with a side of two scrambled eggs, a side of fruit (pear, strawberries and blueberries) and a giant blueberry pancake. I'm probably in the minority, but the pancake was just a tad too thick for me. Absolutely huge though and I do not regret eating it. My husband had the crabcakes and eggs and loved the spicy sauce that came on the side. I'd love to come back and try the tacos next! read more

Counter Cafe East - Blueberry pancake, eggs and fruit - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The food is very good. The prices are average for what you pay. They have a small seating area inside and some seats on the patio outside.

I have always wanted to try this place where every time swing by there is no parking left and figured I arrived too late. But this time around I was dedicated to dine here even if I had to wait a long time. When I pulled in to the parking lot once again it seemed like every spot was taken until I found one. It was the last one, but my luck was not over yet. When my wife and I walked inside it was very busy but there was two spots open at the chef's table which was bar-type seating. We could watch food getting prepared right in front of us. I was excited. The menu consisted of breakfast and lunch served until 3:00 PM. I decided to order a Top Chico and the Quail & Eggs. My wife ordered the Pork Chop & Fries. The place was packed and the attentive staff keeping up quite good with the customers. There was inside and outside seating but not a big place. I just felt lucky everything fell place to be able to park and seated so quickly. I watch my quail as it cooked on the grill and admired the plates of food ready to be served to customers. They all look marvelous and soon mine was ready to be placed in front of me. It was beautifully presentable with a whole piece of grilled quail, two sunny side up eggs, breakfast potatoes and homemade biscuit. My wife's pork chop looked and smelled good with fries and salad. My quail tasted excellent and was basically boneless except the legs and wings. It had great flavor and with soft meat. The eggs tasted farm fresh for it had dark yellow yolks. Along with the potatoes and biscuit I truly enjoyed it all. I cleaned my plate clean and headed to my wife's to taste the pork chop. It was a half inch cut pork chop cooked with nice seasonings and tasted really good. Perhaps next time will enjoy the blueberry hot cakes I saw get served to another customer. read more

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This was a great restaurant to eat at before making the trip back to Houston. The environment was comfortable and informal, and I felt that the ingredients were fresh and the atmosphere was relaxing. I will definitely be back and the reason I would mostly come here is that parking is very easy and accessible with food that doesn't compromise. There are plenty of options for vegetarians. And the bottomless coffee has real cream that comes with it! read more

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First time here with my partners. Absolutely enjoyed. Amazing blueberry hot cakes as well as the amazing migas, their salsa is to die for. read more

Counter Cafe East - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

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There was a wait about 20 minutes on a Saturday afternoon. The food was just okay. We had the pork chop & eggs and Joe's special (would've been great if sausage was crumbled instead of whole) Our waitress was very nice read more

Counter Cafe East - Joe's Special and Pork Chop and Eggs - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

Counter Cafe is well priced. This place has some of the lowest brunch prices I have seen, where entrees will run you from $9-$22, with most being around $12-$15. All that said, my group went when it was a weekend and we were seated in their supposed heated patio space. The heater by our table was not working so I asked if it were possible to get it turned on. The host said that he thought it was warm enough in the space. I wasn't entirely sure why I would have asked for it to be on if I thought it wasn't warm enough. That aside, the food was decent, the portion sizes are small, with none of us bringing home leftovers. We spent with coffees, right around $22 per person. Food is really average, nothing spectacular, but it is a nice little restaurant to have brunch with friends. read more

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Friendly smiles, great food, music to sing along to....and the biscuits! Appreciate the attention to cleanliness - no dust hanging from the fans or air returns. read more

Great diner. Stopped in for a quick bite and realized this was my third time in the space. When I come to Austin this is stop one. Right next to Cuvée coffee. I have tried to have breakfast somewhere else. It doesn't work. Food is always fresh hot and good, the cooks look to see if you are happy the answer is yes. The service is top NOTCH you really feel at home. Every time I come into the space the two owners are always so nice and the servers have w to be family cause they are just as fabulous. This is my favorite Austin Breakfast stop. See y'all soon! I'm the chick with the mini hot sauces in my bag (FYI) lmao read more

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Counter Cafe East is a great, casual place for breakfast. I had the counter benedict and my friend had the eggs any style with bacon and a biscuit. The benedict was really good. I have a couple places have substituted pastrami for ham--and I love it. It really is an improvement. The biscuit was also good. It came with breakfast potatoes, which were just perfect. My friend also ordered coffee, which she thought was good. She thought her meal was great also and particularly liked the bacon. The lunch menu also looked good. This is definitely worth a visit. read more

Cute little neighborhood cafe. I love how you can see them preparing the food like an old school diner. Also...the orange juice is fresh squeezed so I HIGHLY recommend. The coffee was also really good and I probably drank an entire pot to myself. Very worth it. read more

Counter Cafe East - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

I was pleasantly surprised. We needed a quick eatery near our hotel so we could catch our flight. We chose this place because it was across the street. It didn't look like much but it was delicious! The hot cakes and biscuit were so good I asked what flour they used. They said they used the corn flour from Milagro which was near by. I looked it up and it's stone ground corn flour. That's why it was so good! read more

Our server was superb, food was fresh, great ambience. The cafe was clean and the menu had a wonderful array of choices! read more

Counter Cafe East - Southern Poached Eggs - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

It's my new favorite breakfast/brunch joint! There will definitely be a long wait but well worth it! I got the pancakes as well as biscuits with gravy. HUGE pancake supporter. They're fast and have more than enough parking for their small little spot. read more

Went for brunch today. The wait was less than 10 minutes at about 1pm. We sat in the outdoor patio area which is a real comfortable space. The service was good. The food was above average. They took the time to make homemade Mayo when I requested it. Next time I will order ahead of time. I am so impatient that half my burger was gone before he came with Mayo. All in all it is a great place and we will be coming back. read more

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Been here twice in the past month. I'd say the overall experience was "OK", however, based on the most recent visit with the obtuse customer service experience it's been readjusted to 2-stars (Could've Been Better). I cannot say anything was phenomenal here that would make me a consistent repeat customer. Had their "award winning" burger here both times, I must say it has shrunk quite a bit since I last had it way before the pandemic. It's a really large slider now. Taste is good, quality maintained. The bun was good, condiments were good, but it's like $16 now. I had this burger several years ago when they were on S. Lamar near Whole Foods. Much larger and better back then. Then again - I'm finding that everything was better before the pandemic. The inconsistency at Counter Cafe East is in execution of the sides and the customer service. First visit the service was dry and to the point but professional - he did the job. The fries were luke warm to cold - they were not fresh. I sat at the bar - they made a huge batch (before I got there) and let them sit in the basket too long, and that's what I got - not good. I did not complain because TBH I really don't need anymore fries. Second time I got the burger during the special (M-F 2-3pm it's $12). Burger was consistently good, the waiter recommended to upgrade to sweet potato fries for $1 - - those were not good. They were soggy and greasy. The whole time I sat there - at the bar again - watched them cook - not once did they drop a new batch of sweet potato fries. Again used an older batch but they were soggy and greasy. I mentioned it to the server - he just said they are softer - and get this - he also tells me "well the other table had the same as you and they didn't complain....." WTF?? I told him that - regardless - fries are not supposed to be greasy and soggy. He did not apologize, he did not offer to take off the $1, he just gave me the bill. I was really turned off by the way he handled this situation. And the mayonaise - I don't know what happened here - but I got mayo on the side w/ both visits. The first visit the mayo was fine, looked and tasted like mayonaise, it was normal. On the 2nd visit - it had more of a yellowish color and looked like butter, it was thicker like cream cheese, and tasted bland and somewhat buttery? I thought he may have given me butter so I asked if this was mayo - he said "yes we make our own mayo, it's right". Oh well something is up here, it wasn't good. There are a lot of other places that serve burgers and fries, amongst other items offered here. You want to please the customer by delivering a quality product with great customer service. When the customer isn't happy, you don't respond by telling them that other people didn't complain about it - because not everyone complains (even though they may not be pleased), and maybe (just maybe) they like soggy and greasy fries. I left with a sour (and soggy / greasy) taste in my mouth. And even though some of the execution was mediocre and could have been better, great customer service could have made up for it. In this case - that failed too. read more

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Food is good, service a bit chattery. The turkey club was excellent with real roast turkey, not deli meat. The Joe's Special, however, does not even remotely resemble a Joe's Special, which does NOT contain potatoes or sausage or parmesan or toast! An actual Joe's Special comes combined, not with the ingredients next to each other, with eggs, spinach and minced ground beef--sometimes mushrooms. Please change the name so we know what we will actually get. read more

Counter Cafe is hands down one of the best brunch spots in Austin. There's usually a bit of a wait, but so immensely worth it.

Met with friends from Dallas at this cafe. It had great reviews, so we were excited to try it. The cocktails were great. I ordered a mimosa and it had just a splash of juice so.... Very good! Haha!!! My boyfriend got a Paloma which was also pretty good even though I don't like grapefruit. The staff were friendly. This seems like a small neighborhood cafe with regulars. I liked the vibe. That's where the compliments end. The food was very bland. I ordered the Benedict, my boyfriend ordered the biscuits and gravy. There was absolutely no flavor to either dish. Not seasoned at all. Our friends ordered the ceasar salad and they said the best part was the croutons. Their salads weren't good at all. Great drinks!!! Tasteless food!!! read more

Counter Cafe East - Biscuits and Gravy - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Counter Cafe East delivered a five-star experience thanks to the stellar service from our server and the bussing lady (whose name I unfortunately forgot), who went above and beyond to pamper our dog and take great care of us during brunch. Despite the toasty summer morning, the fans outside made the al fresco space quite comfortable. I enjoyed a Baby Cake--a smaller version of their Hot Cake--topped with bananas and homemade whipped cream, along with a refreshing cold brew with milk. Highly recommend for both the excellent service and delicious food! read more

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Quaint little restaurant at the end of a strip building. It was a gloomy morning when we came and there was still a line out of the door. There was an older couple playing music and singing right outside. A few people greeted them so it seemed like this was a regular thing. We had to wait about ten minutes, which wasn't a problem since we had time to look at the menu. We were going to be traveling again, so I got something that was affordable and pretty nutritious all around. I learned that the food here is sustainably sourced and they cook to order, so wait times were appropriate for how busy it was. Our server wasn't too enjoyable, but no other complaints about service. Pretty straightforward. Egg sandwich was light and flavorful. Breakfast potatoes were crispy on the outside fluffy on the inside, with seasoning on top. My sister got the pancakes. They were definitely organic blueberries, could have put a lot less because blueberries were rolling out of the pancakes with every bite. The batter of the mix was very thick, especially through the middle, but it tasted good. Lastly the fried chicken biscuit was tasty, but it was a small portion so my brother went through the food quick. Overall, if you're looking for good food with a laid back experience, this is it. Knowing the food is sustainably sourced made it better. read more

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Awesome place for breakfast, lunch or brunch with great service and great food. Stopped in for brunch on a Saturday. Only had to wait a minute and got seated inside right away. Our waiter was right there for drink orders and waters. We had the Counter Burger, 2 strawberry pancakes, and the Southern Poached Eggs. All three or orders were delicious. The pancakes are thick and take up a full dinner plate, so make sure you're hungry if you're going to order two. The Southern Poached Eggs were a big hit with creamy grits sitting on top of wonderfully prepared greens. The Counter Burger was ranked #2 burgers by the Texas Monthly, but I'm not sure how you rank burgers. It was really good, but it's a burger. The fries were good, but either needed a little more seasoning, or a little more crispiness to put them over the top. Good brunch and we'll be back. read more

Counter Cafe East - Breakfast menu - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

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