You can find better in this part of town. I had a nice meal but nothing about the experience was good enough to lure me back... by Austin standards it was pretty mediocre. The decor is pretty standard for this area, characterless and modern. There's not a lot ot seating, but we were lucky enough to get a seat during brunch hour. We sat outside on a narrow patio that has fans and misters (thank you, Counter Cafe). The menu... I barely remember it, although I know there were pancakes. Prices were pretty good, though we went expensive and ordered the crab cakes benedict. Food itself... my eggs didn't bleed out and were closer to strongly soft-boiled than poached (I don't really care, but it did take away from the benedict experience), the crab cake added little, and my side of potatoes was at best crunchy, at worst burnt. Service also changed partway through... I was with my aunt who is not always kind to servers, but she was pleasant as was I. Our server started off friendly and present with us, then he was over it... did not thank us when he gave us the check or say anything at all, and kind of just threw it at us. We were there partway through service so maybe the food had sat a little too long and the server had gone just a minute too long without a cigarette, buuuut all that considered, it's not worth coming back for despite these considerations. I feel like a baby boomer writing this, but tbh I was kinda let down. read more

If you like pancakes, this is the place to go. They are huge! They have original or blueberry options. it was our first time here and my husband ordered 2 of the original and I ordered the porridge. I was disappointed with my option, but the best item on the menu for anyone looking for a vegan/vegetarian/healthy option. As for the pancakes, my husband was only able to eat most of one pancake. I tried them, as well and they were so delicious. The pancake itself had a sweetness to it that would make eating it without syrup or just some powdered sugar a healthier way to go. As we were finishing, I noticed the table next to us had actually ordered one pancake to share. Smart idea. As for the service, it was okay. Waiter wasn't super attentive as we had to wave him down if we wanted something and he hardly made eye contact while standing at our table. The parking is very limited, we lucked out and got a spot, but keep this in mind if you don't know the area or better parking alternative. read more

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

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Wow. The experience was actually laughable Was told 20 minutes but the paper waiting list is a tricky system- we awaited an hour and after people that arrived after us began to get seated we chose to ask. The response was "oop-" and prompted frantic search for a seat. Chicken was flavorless... a little seasoning wouldn't hurt. Went to pay for the bill and the waiter wouldn't take our card!! We were forced to wait... he just put his hand up and walked away. We are visiting the Austin area and this place came heavily recommended with good reviews... wish we would've stopped by Wendy's instead. Food was commendable but after the service I had very little appetite. Choose somewhere else. Recommendation to the owners- get an electronic system. read more

Definitely a great spot to get brunch at. Now, I just want to start by pointing out why I'm giving this review a 4/5 star rating. The food was superb and I will not discredit that at all by any means. Reason being is that the wait time to be seated was about 15 minutes and about another 20-25 minutes and I get that it was a busy weekend so I don't want to discourage people to come here and get their brunch on! I'm sure on any other weekend this waiting would be cut shorter but ACL fest was going on so I completely understand the wait. Other than that everything else was amazing! I had the quail and eggs plate and my buddy had the joes special plate. I do apologize in advance for not getting to snap pics of the menu since I was in a rush to put my order in due to starvation but man the options they had were just amazing! I definitely recommend the quail but the steak and eggs looked great as well as I saw the plate being taken to another table near us. Out waitress was very friendly and quick to attend our every need. The chocolate chip granola pancake and the blueberry pancakes are to die for BUT i do recommend you order it only if you're really really hungry and don't plan on eating anything else because they are massive! read more

Counter Cafe East - Quail and eggs lol I was hungry so I took a bite first before the pic oops - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

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My friend and I arrived right before 1pm on a Monday. We were greeted immediately and got seated immediately. Got the fresh oj and crab cake benny. The orange juice was divine, freshly squeezed from the little machines. The crab cake benny wasn't that great honestly. The crab cake flavor was alright but it fell apart. The egg was just a little bit overcooked, the yolks not as "egg-porn" runny and the whites more solid than typical benedicts. The hollandaise sauce was also very runny, thin, and more tart than I like. The biscuit was also pretty hard on the bottom, maybe just too toasted? The best part of the dish were the potatoes! They were small little cubes and smelled amazing and were super crispy! Potatoes also had some onion and bell peppers in it too. It was the absolute best part of the dish and definitely the redeeming factor! read more

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Tried the crab cake which is supposed to be their specialties but honestly nothing that impressed me at all.

Excellent bustling brunch spot in East Austin. After about half of the 20 minute wait my brothers and I were quoted, we sat down and ordered the veggie burger with sweet potato fries, porridge, and a chocolate chip hot cake. My chocolate chip pancake was cake-like, fresh, and one of the best pancakes I've had in a while. I also sampled my brother's veggie burger and fries, which were great--especially the veggie burger patty (black bean with a beet edge). Portions are large for the the price (e.g. my massive thick pancake was only $8 and enough for a full meal and sharing). read more

Basic, no frills breakfast. I had a gluten allergy and the server seemed informed about what would be safe and could answer the questions I had about how things were prepared. read more

Counter Cafe is a cozy diner with reasonable prices. There's a server there named Andy that is especially friendly, warm, and attentive. He made my day! Check out the Hot Cakes or the Crab Cakes, they are my favorites. read more

Food was decent and very reasonably priced. Fried chicken biscuit was a little dry, it would've been better if they had like a chipotle mayo sauce or something. I'd recommend trying something else. read more

Up until now, Counter Cafe was a spot I only passed by everyday. I live across the street and had never gone in. Finally, today we decided to try CC. The dining space is not very large, but very cute and bright, inviting. There are indoor bar seats and outdoor bar seating. We got the outdoor patio seats, everything else was taken. The hostess was quite rude and made it very clear that she wasn't our server. It did take a minute for our server to come out but she was super friendly! The food was decent, not the best I've ever had but still good. Be sure not to ever ask for any type of condiment that you may see at other restaurants, they do not have ranch or steak sauce. They have aioli, vinaigrettes, etc. The hostess made it a point to let us know they don't have "that kind of stuff here". I ordered the fried chicken biscuit and subbed the collard greens for a side of fruit. The portion was a bit small, I didn't mind because I'm on a 'get healthy' kick right now. The price wasn't bad, $9 for what I ordered. We wanted our checks split and our server mentioned their system goes very slow when doing this. But she was very nice to do it and let us know it would be a minute. She offered to go drinks and all in all, a very great server. Overall the food is good. The service was a 50/50, hostess was rude, server made up for it. It's unfortunate but I probably won't come back, and it sucks because I live right across the street!!! Maybe I'll give it another chance, we shall see. read more

Counter Cafe East - Portion is a little small, not too bad for $9 but maybe more fruit would have been nice? - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

Perfect breakfast diner, casual atmosphere, super friendly staff and delicious food. Recommend the breakfast sandwich, counter Benedict and Joe's special with a mimosa of course. read more

Went here because I heard they had one of the best burgers in Austin. Was placed at a large table with another party which wasn't a big deal. We immediately ordered because we needed to make it back for work. We all ordered the burger medium rare expecting the food to be ready in a reasonable amount of time. 45 minutes later the food still wasn't out and we had to ask for it to go. I watched our patties sit on the grill for over 20 minutes and burn. When we finally got to eat the burgers the food was cold and all of our orders were wrong. Not only were toppings missing but they were all charred and past well done. Don't waste your time read more

Don't let the size of of Counter Cafe full ya as they are big on flavor! I had their version of eggs benedict and their hot cake. The eggs were really good with homemade hollandaise sauce and fresh cut breakfast taters. But the hot cake. OMG! It was awesome. It was big. It was fluffy and it was perfectly moist. I'll be back to sample more of their offerings for both breakfast and lunch. read more

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

We got to Counter Café East on a Sunday right around noon and they were packed. The hostess told us it would be a forty minute wait and she was pretty close because it was at least thirty minutes. We were a party of two and got sat at a large table with another party of 2 and a party of 3. It was fine. A little awkward but fine. I wasn't in the mood for breakfast so I ordered the Grilled Pimiento Cheese Sandwich (Eclectic blend of cheeses, tangy pimientos & homemade mayonnaise spread on a 9-grain bread & grilled. Topped with organic Bibb lettuce, local tomatoes, red onions & served with French Fries.) My brunch date ordered the Joe's Special (Breakfast potatoes topped with homemade all natural sausage, sautéed spinach, two farm fresh scrambled eggs, shaved Parmesan cheese, served with a side of 9-grain toast.) We both loved our dishes. The Pimiento cheese was a treat and not something I get a lot in the Midwest. I asked for the French Fries to be extra crispy and they were! I will definitely put this one on my list again for my next visit to Austin. I saw a lot of other dishes go out that looked amazing. One complaint: I'm not sure what brand of ketchup you're using but it's not good at all. Loved the selection of Yellowbird hot sauces but when you're eating French Fries you generally want ketchup. read more

Counter Cafe East - Grilled Pimiento Cheese Sandwich - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The food was pretty good, hence the two stars, but if you want to do curbside pick up, DON'T. We sat in the front of the restaurant, literally in front of their door, two people at the host stand, calling the "curbside" number for eighteen minutes with no one picking up. We finally had to be jerks and lightly beep the horn to get someone's attention and they brought over our already-sitting-there-for-nearly-20-mins food with no kindness or apology. Just ridiculous. read more

Very thoughtfully approached dining. Friendly and delicious. We had breakfast. My husband had the poached eggs, grits and collard greens. I had eggs, bacon and a biscuit. The poached eggs were PERFECT. My eggs were tasty and delightful. Our sever was very nice, attentive and our coffee was kept filled and hot the entire time. They are also voted #2 Burger in Texas by Texas Monthly! I'm having that or their shaved turkey sandwich next time. Restaurant is extremely clean. We sat at the counter and the cooking station is immaculate and extremely organized. read more

Counter Cafe East - Perfectly poached eggs! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Can I getta whoot whoot! Loved this place! Diner feel with counter service... what was even more impressive??? not only the food but the Cooks and Head Chef who worked together like a one, seamless unit. I don't think they even broke a sweat with a full house! Went with a girlfriend - got: Carafe of Mimosas ( fresh squeezed juice! ) Their version of Eggs Benedict with Bacon and Spinach - home fries were delicious and split Blueberry pancake ( they are HUGE ) Service was great and had an overall fun feel. Cant wait to take my husband there and see what he thinks! Keep it up guys and gals!! read more

The 2 star is for whoever made the food, it was good. However our waiter Andy was unnecessarily rude and racist. Seems he was looking for a reason to make certain remarks to his black customers. The atmosphere also seemed unwelcoming as a black person. read more

Came here w/a friend late one Sunday for brunch and the place was packed (very small seating area inside) and we were told it was going to be about a 30min wait. I absolutely HATE waiting for food, but my friend said that it was going to be that anywhere on this side of town. So we sucked it up and 30mins turned out to be closer to 15. We got sat at the counter (I'm guessing the origin of their namesake) and I perused their menu. It had all the basic Austin brunch fodder and fare. I love benedicts, so I decided to order the seared pastrami benedict since that was a first and I like to try and be food-venturous when I can. My friend ordered one of their blueberry pancakes and the thing was not only thick and ginormous, but the way they make it the blueberries basically melt into the batter. I had a few bites and, though I am not usually a pcake person, it was actually pretty damn delicious! I wish I could say the same for my benedict. It was ok, but maybe I had just set the bar too high. The seared pastrami was good, but again, nothing mind blowing. The potatoes were just ok too. Now the reason for the rating. First off, while I appreciate our waitress was busy (I was a waitress for hot minute, so I empathize with being SWAMPED, but when I was overwhelmed I either asked for help or made all kinds of notes when tables made requests, especially for refills); but the fact that she forgot my coffee refill multiple times and then ran out of carafes for our mimosa (which was not her fault) so she said she would bring us individual glasses that would be equivalent to 3 each, though I only got two even though I asked twice for my 3rd, (which was her fault) did not sit well with me. Second, again, I can appreciate the place is busy, but to run out of mimosa carafes on a brunch day is just bad management. Either have the stock or have someone washing them like crazy. I absolutely HATED having to sit there and wait to try and catch the waitress to request my next mimosa and then have to wait again for her to bring it. It may sound like a trivial first world gripe, but when the carafe costs $20, I should be able to drink my mimosas at my leisure and not have to stress about if and when I am getting my next fix of watermelon juice and champagne between bites. In any case, there was nothing special or good enough about this place to bring me back, especially for the inconvenience of the wait, service and price point. I'm glad I got to check it out, but it looks like it is doing just fine without my repeat business. read more

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Food was great and service was great. The outside seating area was nice even in the summer heat with the misters.

Although I liked the atmosphere, my food disappointed me. It was hard to enjoy the fried chicken biscuit sandwich when the biscuit was so dry but I think had I ordered something else, I'd have a different opinion. The chicken itself was fried perfectly and my side of bacon was great, the biscuit was just terrible. It seems as though the restaurant prides itself on the biscuit seeing as it's on every entree but it was not good. A positive ,however, is that the food was very hearty and I got full just off of the bacon and pieces of chicken. The restaurant is worth a go or two, just don't order the biscuit sandwich. read more

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

Counter Cafe is becoming my go to weekend breakfast spot. I've loved pretty much everything I've tried on the menu. My favs: - Joe's Special w/ poached eggs, spinach, potatoes, and sausage patties. Throw some Yellow Bird Habanero on top too...yes! -The french fries are classic but so good! - Great coffee and mimosas - Fresh ingredients - Crabcake benedict!! - And if we're really hungry like today, we will split a pancake on the side :) I love the skylights and enjoy sitting at the counter watching the folks cook up this stuff right in front of me! read more

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Came here Saturday morning around 11.. there was a 30 min wait for a table for 2. They have coffee outside while you wait which I really liked! We got the hot cakes (2), side of fruit, roasted vegetables sandwich with sweet potato fries. This was a lot of food for two people but since we didn't eat dinner the night before we somehow managed to finish most of it. The hot cakes are gigantic, we could've sufficed with one. They were extremely fluffy which I liked. One of them wasn't fully cooked but we were full anyway so it didn't matter. Wish they had an option to add chocolate chips though! Roasted veggie sandwich was good but had a lot more cheese than I like. Also freshly squeezed orange juice was . Overall good brunch spot with solid food. read more

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

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I came with a rather large group for Sunday brunch/brothers birthday. The venue is easy to find, with plenty of parking (they have their own lot! rare in east Austin), and they have a standing booth outside so you can have a cup of coffee or mimosa while waiting. The atmosphere is super quaint. They have blankets at every table to help with the morning chill, and flowers on every table. Dogs are allowed on the patio area, which is shaded against the heat for those hotter months of the year. The service was good, they seated us with an incomplete party (not a normal occurrence) in order to save two tables next to each other. The staff was friendly and prompt. We appreciated it as we showed up earlier to let them know of our large party. The food was good, but we had some issues. Both me and my husband ordered extra add-ons, and both of our meals arrived without them. We ordered avocado on a burger and avocado on my egg sandwich. They promptly brought me a side of avocado... which was an embarrassing serving to say the least. The add on is $2, and I was given less than 1/5 of a small sized avocado. It wasn't even enough to fill my sandwich with. They never brought my husbands, but in their defense we weren't charged for it either. My brother ordered a pancake, which they accidentally dropped. We had no issue waiting for another to be made, but something must have happened in the kitchen where someone forgot because BOTH tables received their food, finished their food, got boxes for leftovers, and his single pancake was no where to be seen. Not until I asked our waiter about it did the pancake come out for him. We weren't offered any apology or compensation for the wait. It was my brothers birthday and he didn't get to enjoy his brunch as much as he could have because everyone else was ready to leave by the time he started eating. read more

This used to be my go to breakfast place before COVID. I went there with friends on a Sunday at around 1:30pm for a late breakfast. So I will say there werent many patrons so the staff was relaxed therefore I don't know why my experience was so shitty. We got the Crab Cakes & Eggs and an order of Grilled Quail & Eggs. OMG, how things have changed over at this location. Crab Cakes were sent back bc they tasted old and very, very fishy- that was probably my favorite dish to order in the past but the quality has clearly gone down. The Quail was very okay. They definitely need a much better kitchen crew, the food had no effort or love in it like before. I mean if I'm paying $17 a plate, I expect it to be plated well and fresh. I ordered gravy on the side bc for some reason that doesnt come with the biscuits. The gravy was room temp- like I said, the food had no effort put into it. They have an open kitchen concept so you can clearly see the situation going on and the kitchen looked so unorganized - like a freshmen college dorm room where they happen to be cooking overpriced plated meals. Lastly the servers were on point and nice. I think they knew they had to make up for the subpar food somehow. My entire experience was significantly underwhelming. read more

Randomly decided to eat here because salt and time was closed. First thing I have to say because it was the biggest disappointment is the coffee was terrible. The oddest tasting coffee of all time. I love coffee and I'm obsessed so....Huge bummer because coffee is a make or break it for me. I had eggs bacon and fruit with a biscuit. Fruit was super fresh and loved it. Bacon was cold and eggs were meh, at this point was all around disappointed. HOWEVERRRRRRRR - my boyfriends salsa was AMAZING that he had with his breakfast tacos and they sat us right away even though it was busy. The service was also really good. Probably won't be back but worth the try. read more

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Counter cafe used to be one of our favorite places in Austin and our go-to brunch spot. But after today, we will not be returning due to their very inconsiderate treatment of a very pregnant woman. I am almost 9 months pregnant with twins in the insane Texas summer heat - and it's VERY obvious how pregnant and uncomfortable I am. They told us a 25-minute wait and unfortunately the only space to wait is outside. After it was well past 25 minutes, my husband went to check and they told us we were next. So we decided to wait inside because I was swelling up. Then we watched as an empty 2-top table sat vacant for 15+ minutes. They offered us the no-wait spots available at the counter, but I asked about the 2-top. They told us it was unavailable but we could keep waiting. Desperate, we went for the counter - a horrible situation for a very pregnant woman but again, we were desperate at this point. Everything took forever, and while we waited, we watched as they finally sat that empty 2-top table with a couple of women that were much further down the waitlist than we were. All of this was due to the host and seemingly manager. At this point, my swelling was so intense and I was so uncomfortable that we decided to get our food to go. And of course, they messed up our order in multiple ways so it took a while to even get it right. When we finally left, I was tearing up - the treatment of pregnant women in America and especially Texas is atrocious. I expected more from Counter Cafe and was so gravely disappointed. I was a host for 5 years in Austin so I also know how easy it is to treat a pregnant woman better - and what a difference it makes in their experience and lives! Had things gone differently, we would have become lifelong loyalists. Instead, there is truly no way we would return and I left feeling so defeated. If a manager or host sees this, this article provides some tips for accommodating a pregnant woman. And I can only hope that this will help future pregnant women that try to go to this restaurant. https://dinesurf.com/14-basic-tips-for-handling-pregnant-diners/#:~:text=Offer%20Healthy%20Options%3A%20Pregnant%20women,portions%20than%20the%20average%20person. read more

Today I had the great pleasure of meeting some friends way too early in the morning for breakfast at counter cafe East. After my fantastic experiences at the original counter cafe, I was awash in anticipation of an awesome breakfast. Same hot dude doing god's work behind the counter. This was going to be amazing. We were pleasantly surprised by the well-lit relatively spacious interior and the design that's cozy but not as cramped as the other. I was also really excited to see that they had the yellow bird flavors that I've been drooling over for the past week. We sat down, ordered a bottle of Prosecco for mimosas (natch) and then decided on our breakfast. Our biscuits and gravy, quail and eggs, crab benny and southern breakfast. Sadly two of the dishes were cursed with the worst grits I've ever seen. The consistency was much like lumpy maltomeal - watery and lumpy at the same time. I had crab cakes Benedict and while the eggs were perfect, the crab cake was super crabby. Also, it was served with the driest toast known to man... and a hard square of land o lakes. Step it up CC! All in all it is a good spot and you'll probably get a good breakfast here but I would stay away from our selections and maybe go with the classic pastrami Benedict and their famed burger. read more

Counter Cafe East - Driest toast evar. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

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We were really excited about trying the new Counter Cafe in our hood, but our excitement quickly fell into a downward spiral. The PROS: -All of the waitstaff was great. Friendly, accommodating, and not snobby at all. -The fresh-squeezed orange and grapefruit juice is BOMB. Worth the $4 splurge. -Community seating at counter and tables. This is actually not a pro for me, but I think most people like it and my pro list was pretty short. -Biscuits! These are on the pro list because even though they were ice cold, they were DELICIOUS. (Someone thought it was a brilliant idea to put the pan of biscuits on the counter directly in front of the front door so that every time a customer walked in, a gust of 34 degree misty wind blew right over them). Anyway, it is so hard to make a good biscuit (case in point: Sawyer & Co.), but Counter Cafe's is spot on. The CONS: -The blueberry pancake looked like a fourth degree burn victim (see pics). -After asking if we could get another biscuit instead, we soon heard the cooks talking smack about their "perfect" pancake about 16 inches from us. -As if loudly criticizing customers in front of their faces weren't bad enough, the manager came to reprimand them for talking about us, again, right in front of us. -Enough with the pancake and moving on to the eggs benedict. Their poached eggs are top notch and we know how good their biscuits are. Their hollandaise is atrociously bland, but the WORST part is that the whole plate was icy cold. I hate cold food. -When french fries have more potato in them than your breakfast potatoes, you know you've got problems (see pics). -The best tip I can give you is, despite the place's name, DON'T sit at the counter. You have to see the cook wipe his nose and then grab your french fries with the same hand. You have to watch as your pancake gets prodded by a cook who otherwise can't tell when it's done. And you have to gaze at your beautiful poached eggs sitting there freezing over until someone decides to serve them to you. We won't be going back, but if you decide to give it a try, go for the biscuits and fresh-squeezed OJ. Pass on everything else. read more

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Went to Austin for a concert a few weeks ago and I love eating in Austin. Old roomie and I decided that we needed some brunch after my trip in. So, we went to Counter Cafe. We sat, conveniently, at the counter. I liked their entire menu and would normally opt for something more "lunchy" during brunch. However, I wanted something more like breakfast for whatever reason. I decided on Joe's Special. Not a big egg fan but usually can deal with them if there are delicious things with the eggs. In this case, there were. I enjoyed some avocado, sausage, potatoes, cheese. Overall, very tasty. The service was fast. The coffee was good and hot and always on refill. Overall, good experience. I would definitely go back. Want to try their burger, which is supposedly pretty highly rated. read more

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

Very cute and quaint little place that serves very good breakfast! They were so accommodating for such a large party - I had a party of 9. The restaurant was fairly packed and out wait was under 15 minutes! The staff was very kind and attentive. Our server patiently answered all of our questions. I got the breakfast tacos, which came with three. They super good! I got mine on corn tortillas, as the server recommended. The salsa that they had for them was really good too - probably my favorite part of the dish. We got the mimosa carafe and that was fairly standard. I'd definitely come back for their breakfast and great service. read more

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

I'm fast and furiously in love with this place. A gem tucked into the corner of a post office building and it couldn't really be any more perfect if it tried. They sat our table of four nearly immediately which is pretty impressive on a busy Saturday afternoon. It's a smallish, narrow but charming place. Crisp decor and fresh paint with a down home feeling. Next time I'd definitely love to sit at the counter and watch the kitchen prepare all the delicious eats. The owners/partners oversaw each plate of food that went out while greeting customers and ensuring each table was happy with their meal. Some of the best customer service I've had the pleasure of witnessing. But not in the intrusive way, in the way that you feel like their friend. Just charming. The blueberry pancake was bigger than my daughters whole face and the biscuit was homemade like your grandpa would make! I was a huge fan of the egg sandwich I ordered. You can taste the organic and local sourced effort they put into their food. It's places like this that make Austin almost unbeatable as an eater city. An unassuming restaurant that has delicious food and the most welcoming Texas grace with a smidge of the Austin is weird and a little different vibe. Stroll on over to Cuvee for a coffee afterwards to round out a completely charming sure fire, never fail experience. read more

Counter Cafe East - Big as yo face pancakes. W organic blueberries - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I finally checked these guys out for breakfast this morning. They are part of the US Post Office building on E 6th street. I guess the post office, in addition to delivering the mail, Is a landlord to a diner. The space is larger and has more natural light than their Lamar location. They still have the diner counter, but they have much larger indoor seating and a patio to choose from. The parking lot was a little wonky, but I got the hang of the one way entrance after going in the wrong way (pretend you need to mail a letter from your car). About the food: Counter Cafe is know from their scratch made, locally sourced food. I absolutely love their Burger at the Lamar location. This was my first breakfast experience with them. We ordered the Biscuits & Gravy, and they were by far the star of the table. Their scratch made biscuits are enormous and fluffy. The gravy is made with buttermilk. Three of us shared this as a breakfast "appetizer" and there was not a morsel left. I was tempted to lick the plate, but I refrained. Their Biscuits & Gravy are the best comfort food IMHO. BTW - they went great with the Prosecco! I ordered the quail and eggs but had them sub out potatoes with their cheese grits. That quail was well seasoned and easy to eat as a finger food. That too came with a biscuit with butter and jam. So why 3 stars. The service was friendly but a little forgetful. That, I could have lived with. But it was the grits that left a bad taste. I will start by saying that I love grits. Their cheese grits were lumpy and mixed consistency like they had not been well mixed or cooked all the way. They did have cheese in them, but I am not sure what else they had, but they did not taste good. This surprised me. Counter Cafe does so many things well, and I would think it is hard to mess up grits. Maybe it was an off day. The only plus to not eating the grits, is that it likely offset my biscuit carb intake. Mmmmm biscuits! read more

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Quick and friendly service Casual attire, staff in jeans and T-shirt's Biscuits and gravy - sweet hint to the gravy, maybe this is common in Texas? Side scrambled eggs - fine Coffee - just okay basically typical diner coffee, not great but drinkable. Several coffee houses in walking distance, go there for coffee instead if you care about coffee. Table-mate had steak and eggs Very pleased with portion sizes Steak - medium well, came out exactly as ordered Eggs over easy - perfectly cooked Potatoes - the best item on the plate, she wishes she had more! OJ - $5 for 8 oz, delicious but seemed over priced compared to steak and eggs price $38.97 total Quite a bit of graffiti in the surrounding neighborhood. A little graffiti in the bathroom of the restaurant. read more

Pros: 1. Great music. 2. Hot Coffee while you wait outside in the cold weather. 3. Fresh squeezed orange juice. 4. Clean bathrooms 5. Good prices for breakfast. The steak and eggs is the most expensive item on the breakfast menu at 16 dollars. 6. Delicious food. 7. Organic blueberries in pancakes. 8. Shared tables. 9. Attentive waiters and waitresses. 10. Bar seating. 11. Breakfast all day. 12. Eggs Benedict has homemade Hollandaise sauce. 13. Newspapers to read while you wait. Cons 1. It's a little loud inside from all the people talking. 2. It takes a while to get your food. 3. You will have to wait to be seated, and you can expect to stand while you wait. 4. There are only four chairs inside right after walking in to sit while you wait. Comments: 10x more pros than cons. This place deserves 5 stars as one of the new and upcoming breakfast/brunch places of Austin. You should try it, and post another 5 star review so this place gets a ton more business. Thanks for the good service, awesome current techno style music, and delicious food at competitive prices. Robert read more

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A great spot when you want breakfast at 11:00 a.m. on a Thursday! This is a cute restaurant with an upscale diner vibe but, very welcoming and plenty of parking in their shared private lot. We ate at the counter top but, they do have booths and some outdoor seating as well. Our server was really nice and we chatted with a guy next to us as well so, I definitely have to say that this is a friendly place. I ordered the crab cake benedict and it came with home fries. Overall this dish was good but, could have been a little lighter on the lemon in the crab cake or hollandaise. It was very hearty with the crab cake and biscuit so be hungry when you order this item. Also no breakfast potatoes are complete without Yellowbird sauce and they serve up all the varieties. Their price is a little bit higher but, the location is great, the food is delicious and the portion sizes are great. Think greasy spoon without the heart attack! read more

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

Absolutely horrible. I'm a restaurant professional so the occasion that I have the opportunity to go to brunch is a very rare and special one, since I'm normally working that shift myself. Conversely, I know how a successful brunch service should be run, that is to say: not like Counter Cafe's. To begin, my group of four had to wait an hour and a half, three times longer than the length we were quoted by the host. Now, I know the wait time quote is only an estimate, but during our wait I observed an extremely lazy and amateur hosting technique: placing groups of a certain size in a queue with other parties of the same size waiting for a few large tables instead of strategically seating the restaurant with the goal of pushing smaller tables together to accommodate these parties in a timely manner. Executing the latter requires half a brain and enthusiasm for your job, things our hostess on Sunday was clearly lacking. Our party verbalized not only to the hostess but also to the server once we were seated our dissatisfaction with the wait time. This is the point at which one of the two of them should have gone into rescue mode: send out a surprise appetizer on the house, offer to comp a couple of drinks, or....apologize! Nothing. And finally, after all of this, the food came out and it was incredibly lackluster. My eggs were over poached. The lemon curd on the pancake tasted like saccharine nothingness. Everything was bland and under-seasoned, and not really very hot when it hit the table. Never again; don't make the same mistake I did. read more

This was a wonderful brunch restaurant! They helped our party of 8 and the food was fantastic! They had great vegan and vegetarian options for people in our party. The service was fantastic and it seemed like everyone in the restaurant was enjoying themselves! read more

I got a really good vibe from the hosts, servers and cooks. I liked them, a lot. Unfortunately I did not feel that way about the burger. It wasn't bad, just unremarkable in my opinion. Additionally, I have no idea why it's $13. The meat was very plain tasting and it's served with cheddar, a leaf of bibb lettuce, a slice of tomato and a slice of red onion. That's it. They offered a side of mayo which I got but also didn't have much to it. Plus the bun to meat ratio was way way way off. I've had a lot of burgers in my day and for me, $6-$8 tops seems a much more appropriate price for this type of burger. It came with a choice of side. I got their regular fries which were ok. Probably important to note that the times I've driven by, had coffee next door, or on this first dining experience, I see people waiting for a table so plan accordingly. I came solo so only waited about 5 minutes tops. For inside they have seating at the bar and table service. They also have an outside seating area as well. Again, the vibe of the whole crew and the place would bring me back here and I'd try some of their other stuff. Their collard greens, cheesy grits and poached eggs look great. As did their curried chicken taco with feta (this was on the special's menu the day I was there). I just know I will not be getting their burger again. read more

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

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