If I could give zero stars I would. I should've listened to the other reviews. Please Avoid at all costs. Worst service and people here. Really shocked at how they treated people and their quality of service. There's so many better businesses to support! read more

Nice local cafe with tasty food and reasonably quick service. BUT with politically opinionated staff that butts into tabletop conversations with patrons. Yeah, I won't be back. read more

PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU GO: My boyfriend, two friends, and I recently left this restaurant after getting brunch. Although the food was a strong 6/10, that is not why I am leaving this review. My boyfriend has been coming to this restaurant for years. ANDY served us and is the reason I am giving this one star review. He was extremely helpful during our time there which is why I am completely flabbergasted by his actions and attitude at the end. When we got the check and wrote the tip on the receipt, he came over before we were done and USED HIS PEN to SCRATCH OUT the tip my partner left, not knowing that we were leaving a cash tip in addition to it. This man interrupted our conversation and said "if that's all you are going to give me, don't give me anything at all. This is my living!" Additionally, he said we could not pay for our meals separate from our friends, which was not much of an issue, but it would have been nice to have a courtesy first. I have been a server before and understand the risk of not getting a tip, but coming to the table doing what he did is INSANE, RUDE, DISRESPECTFUL, and UNPROFESSIONAL! read more

Dear diary, today just went from good to great. The Nifty little Eggs were perfectly jiggly and they made me scream. I broke quarantine for this. probably come back every day for the rest of my life! Will was my server. #wankbett read more

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

Foods great but Katie the server has some issues. We're a friendly bunch, always polite and courteous but Katie is very passive aggressive, lied about being out of food that we ordered just to take the same order to the people right next to us while giving a mean mug to us. Not sure what crawled up her ass but she could learn some respect. read more

Pretty tasty breakfast for great prices!! The hot cakes are delicious and was definitely the star of what we ordered. We also got breakfast tacos that were good, and biscuits and gravy and a chicken biscuit that were both okay. Coffee and iced coffee are good too! We waited about 30 minutes on a Sunday morning, and service was good! I would definitely come here again for the prices and the hot cakes! read more

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

I think this was my favorite restaurant I went to in Austin. Came here after a nice run by the river. A great breakfast and good way to start the day. Servers were great. read more

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

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The pancakes are SO SO good!!!!!!!!! Best pancakes I've ever had. I've had their omelette and it was super delish too. I've never had to wait super long for a table at this place even if I go at prime brunch times. Highly recommend!! read more

Definitely a nice little spot for breakfast if you can find parking. I enjoyed a mimosa, which your only options are orange juice or grapefruit. I also enjoyed the crab cake Benedict. I wasn't a fan of the biscuit, something was off. The breakfast potatoes were great though! They were cut small enough to be cooked well through, had onions and extra seasoning for flavor. Service was fast and friendly. I'll be returning to try other items on their menu. read more

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Visiting from Houston and absolutely will make the 3 hour drive just to come eat here! I got the Sautéed spinach, eggs, sausage (little kick of spicy) , Parmesan cheese on top and the softest messy free biscuit was Besides the food being amazing, the wait wasn't long to get a seat, the chefs worked hard to get your food out promptly, the staff was kind and attentive. 12/10 recommend this spot!! read more

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

Excellent breakfast tacos. The fresh pico has just enough bite. I'm a wimp and it was just enough. Not too much. The service was quick and friendly. read more

Grabbed brunch here with some friends and boy was it yum! It's a great hip spot on 6th and has austin vibes for sure! The staff is extremely sweet and the food is delicious. I tried the vegetarian sandwich with mushrooms, bell peppers and Zucchini with a side of breakfast potatoes! I requested a side of their house aioli to go with my meal and it was the perfect addition. Keep in mind, they are very busy on weekends so expect a short wait.. but the food is most certainly worth it. read more

Counter Cafe East - people sitting at tables outside - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Austin, Texas

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OMG. Soooo good. I am a native southerner and know good biscuits and collard green. I ordered the southern poached eggs. Let me tell you those were some good biscuits and collard green. Both we're tender and flavorful. There was a perfect amount of hot sauce on the green. I ate until my stomach hurt and still wanted to eat more. I even ordered another biscuit. Definitely nanny approved. I left very full and so happy. read more

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

Yummy breakfast, nice folks work here, looked like just locals here, recommended for a very nice breakfast!

Food is really good. Had great service and it is a very pleasant place (ambiance) to dine.

It's just really yummy. The service is great- I just do their breakfast taco. It's perfect.. crispy bacon, yummy potatoes, an actual scrambled egg, and cheese. Super good :) read more

Food was pretty good. Server seemed like he was in a rush, spilling coffee all over me & cutting me off when I was speaking to him. The tables are too close & I can hear everyone else's conversation. read more

I have eaten here before and I am sure this doesn't reflect the company as a whole but today we were flat out discriminated against. We put our names on the list waited, a table of Caucasian people walked up and they sat them right down. I went up to the host and asked them what happened and she made some lame excuse and said "oh don't worry you all will be next." I have to say I left pretty upset and won't ever go back. There is no room for discrimination in my life and I just won't have it. read more

Average food for above average prices. Service is okay. $17 for small migas plate. Lol there are better places in Austin.

Great food, great service, enjoyed the coffee. We were seated quickly. Will def be back.

Great breakfast spot in Austin, friendly staff, quality food. Have gone there several times whenever I'm in town, and always leave satisfied. read more

A seriously delicious breakfast diner! Good coffee, good food, and attentive service. I enjoyed the two egg breakfast with bacon, my girlfriend had the Benedict, and we split a "baby cake." Everything was awesome! Their biscuits are to die for and a must-try. Their pancake was sweet, fluffy, and went perfectly with some syrup and butter. read more

Decent American diner breakfast if you want something simple. The staff is not the friendliest but if you're hankering for a pancake it will work. read more

Really cute location with counter, regular seating and outdoor. delicious food and attentive waitstaff.

Love love love this place. Have been here many times. As far as breakfast establishments go, this is one of my favorites. I have had most morning items on the menu and have yet to be disappointed. Their eggs are fluffy and flavorful. The pancakes are toasted and buttery. The poached eggs are probably the best around and cooked perfectly. The biscuits and gravy are wonderful and surprisingly not too filling. Cannot go wrong with any breakfast taco. I could go on. The staff is friendly and when they are slammed still do a great job. The only downside to this spot is the space. If you show up during a rush, you'll be waiting a bit and when you sit, you night be closer in proximity to someone you may not want to be. But i highly recommend this establishment. read more

This is a great casual little spot, very much like a low end diner. Just come and eat! They have some outdoor seating which is nice, good coffee, and a great breakfast. Everything tasted very fresh and good quality. Loved the potatoes. This is a solid breakfast place would recommend! read more

Service is great food is good price is good! Had French toast with bananas and strawberries with a delicious syrup .

Definitely one of my favorite brunch spots. They never disappoint! They have a great menu with lots of variety. The pancakes are a must try if you hit this spot up. The parking is a little crowded, but better than looking for street parking. Be prepared to stand in line because there is usually a wait, but I promise you it is well worth the wait. read more

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

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WHY I WENT Counter Cafe has legit vegetarian options and familiar breakfast/lunch items which came in clutch for me. My wife doesn't eat meat or fish and my brother (who was visiting) is a picky eater. So Counter Cafe East is a great place to go when you want to compromise on everything but taste and value. WHAT I GOT - 3.5 Stars I got the QUAIL AND EGGS, which comes with 2 eggs, biscuit & jam, roasted quail and hash browns. Each item tasted pretty good, especially in combination with each other. No one item stood out though; the roasted quail is very small and more crunchy than juicy. The eggs are not particularly creamy, the biscuit not very fluffy, and the hash browns tasted like it could've been an (expensive) frozen brand. I was hoping the quail and biscuit would be more memorable, but the meal was a solid 3 stars. HOW I WAS TREATED - 5 Stars The service here is impeccable with a classic diner vibe. There is a lot of seating so the hostess was able to set us up quickly. Our waiter kept our coffee mugs filled with the bottomless brew, and my brother (who ordered the chicken burger) got his second helping served quickly. IMHO - 4 stars This is a go to spot for anyone looking for something that tastes good, isn't too far out of left field, and has good value. Vegetarians should be fine here, there are a surprsing number of options for you, and most dishes can be made into vegetarian. The tables and counter seating turns over quickly, so I don't think the wait is too long either. This is a solid, go-to spot. read more

I was not aware of this spot on the EAST SIIIIDE, until I found it on Yelp - and so my daughter and I ordered 2 Burgers To-Go one rainy day - and the service was prompt and the food was terrific. Burger was done just right (med-rare) and so were the fries. I can't wait to try their other offerings. read more

My impressions of the Counter Cafe East: FRESH, FRESH, FRESH ingredients, outstanding staff and service, life-sustaining greens, both breakfast and lunch served anytime (every day 7am-3pm), locally-owned and sourced, concern for environmental impact evidenced by using paper-based takeout cartons, and how I wish I still had more of the soup that I took home with me--so delicious! This was my first visit, and my daughter and I were practically ecstatic to find this east side eatery actually open for lunch. What's happened to the practice of downtown workers heading to nearby, great, family-owned spots on the east side for lunch? Is it all about COVID, or is it just the distasteful gentrification and dissolution of the local mom-and-pops that used to be the hallmark of Austin's East Side? It's actually highly frustrating to me that there's hardly anywhere to eat out (or just pick up food) for lunch out east, and the majority of places don't choose to open until 5pm! I suppose it's yet another monstrous change (imo, as a 40-year resident) to my city that I'm very unhappy with. But I digress. We found a table outside and were immediately greeted by a friendly server with glasses of water and straws without us having to ask (which I appreciate), and he was prepared to take additional drink orders, knew what the soup of the day was, and could answer all of our menu questions without having to run off for the answers. He also seemed to genuinely love his job, and remained attentive throughout our stay. I was really impressed at the way he gave us first-class service at a mid-priced restaurant. Thank you! We decided to share some items between us, and ordered the Crab Cakes, the half-portion Counter Chopped Salad, and bowls of the Soup du Jour, chicken vegetable. The 3 generous Crab Cakes were served upon fresh spinach and spring greens, capers, and red onions, accompanied by 2 side dressings. We both preferred the orange-colored citronette, reminiscent of a citrus sesame ginger. The cakes were large, well-seared on the outside and moist on the inside, with discernible chunks of crab. In fact, the freshness was evidenced by my finding a couple of small pieces of shell inside, but that's no big deal to me and would never "mark down" for that, since I know how easily that can get by you when working with fresh crab meat. My daughter said she wished they were a little crispier, but l loved them as they were because it's difficult to sear nicely AND retain moistness. I've eaten many a dry crab cake where you have to search for the crab; not so these. Another fault avoided here was the oft-included bunch of red bell pepper "for color," which can actually overpower the taste of the cake, and is one of my pet peeves. I rank these cakes highly, and I'd like to try them next in their Crab Cake [Eggs] Benedict offered on the menu. Next, the Counter Chopped Salad, chock-full of fresh raw veggies: kale, shaved brussels, small bites of broccoli, red cabbage and carrot, topped with dried cranberries and sesame seeds. When you eat this combo of freshness you can practically feel your body wake up in appreciation of how good it is for it--but no worries, it is yummy! My only personal preference is that the dressing is very light and is easily soaked up by the kale, so I'd ask for a heavier hand with that. They offer the option of topping it with chicken, but you know what? I'd step a bit outside the box and recommend adding an a la carte crab cake instead, since we thought both dishes so complementary! Last but definitely not least was the Chicken Vegetable Soup. Outstanding! The broth had been layered with flavor, and I could taste the fresh herbs included, which made it much more special than the typical restaurant throw-the-leftovers-together soups. The vegetables and broth were the stars, with a smattering of shredded, fresh chicken. It was definitely my kind of soup, and I consider myself a "Soupaholic." As I indicated earlier, I wish I had a gallon of that here at home right now. I actually hated to finish it because I knew it would then be gone, haha. I look forward to trying all of their soups since they're obviously made with care, as we found with all of their dishes. You may think some of the prices are a bit higher than other places for similar dishes, but here you know that you're going to get fresh, local, beautiful, well-executed plates of deliciousness. I'll definitely be returning here, or head to their other location, because I haven't even tried their hamburgers, or their organic breakfasts, all of which they've been honored for and written about in local publications--oh, and don't forget their famous homemade buttermilk biscuits, too! All matter of varied breakfast and lunch offerings await me-- I look forward to working my way through a truly inviting menu. Thank you, Counter Cafe, for a great experience. read more

Super disappointing. We called both stores multiple times to try to find out the wait - both never answered. Eventually we decided to go to the other location. We got there and were informed that they only had 2 servers working (on a Sunday afternoon) and were not seating people. They suggested we go to East because they had more servers working. We called the East location a few times, no answer. We drove over. We asked how long the wait was, 20-30 minutes and put our name in. We waited and we're finally sat - outside. In nearly 100 degree heat. With a baby, which we informed them of prior. I have never been to a restaurant that doesn't ask if you're okay with sitting outside, especially in this extreme heat and we didn't even know this was a possibility! We asked how long to sit inside, they said "a long time" After sitting out there for about 10 minutes and ordering, we realized we couldn't stay. We asked to get our food to go instead. We then waited - no exaggeration, 30 minutes from the time of ordering to the food being brought out. We received a $5 orange juice that wasn't filled to the top. The burger patty was so small that it didn't even cover the bun. About half of the lettuce in the Cobb salad was so wilted or brown that it was inedible. They do not have ranch, and the "creamy avocado" dressing is some sort of mustard/avocado vinaigrette or something, not creamy in any way. Now that you know the bad, I will say what was good: the burger bun, French fries, and Caesar dressing. Very good. Overall though I cannot recommend this place. The good wasn't nearly enough to outweigh the bad... read more

1) told 25 min wait but seated 1 hour later. 2) once seated, it took 1/2 hour for our order to be taken. When it was finally taken, we were told it was because one person in our group (of 3 total) was talking to the musician and the server didn't want to "interrupt." 3) get our food an hour later with items missing. 4) several tables who were seated after us (2 people at those tables) got their food, paid and left before we even get our food. 5) despite not getting everything we ordered, we get charged for it when the bill arrives. 6) when speaking to the manager, only a 15% discount applied to our bill. 7) NOBODY APOLOGIZED FOR ANY OF IT. read more

New location has MUCH more seating than the original place, but food is just as delicious!

Fantastic service and good fresh food! I've only been to the other location, but the food quality and service are consistent at both places. I met a friend who I had not seen in a couple of decades. Our waiter was so patient while we caught up and visited. He never rushed us and made sure our drinks stayed filled the entire time. I will definitely eat at Counter Cafe East again. read more

Cannot express how much I loved this place. Tried it for the first time last Sunday and I will be coming back *hopefully* every week. I got the Joe's special and the fried egg and breakfast potatoes were the stars of this show. Plus our waitress was so kind. 11/10 read more

I stopped by here for lunch because I was working nearby. You have to wait outside to be seated, which was a little awkward because it to some time before someone came to seat me (and it was cold and rainy outside). The space inside is tight but I got there before the lunch rush and quickly got a table. I ordered the Counter Cafe Burger, I mean rated #2 by Texas Monthly?!?! How could I pass that up. Adding pickles and jalapeños was $1 extra for each, which seems a bit excessive but I went for them anyway. The food came out pretty quickly. The burger patty was thick but smaller in diameter than the bun, which is annoying. It was also a little dry. The burger and fries were yummy but not amazing. I do want to go back to try other items on the menu. Stroller status: not sure if they have high chairs, but the space is pretty tight and it would be tough to maneuver a stroller and tight to park it at a table. read more

This spot has great food, but their prices and the low quality of their curbside packaging loses them a star. Anyone who follows my reviews already knows about my strict medical diet, so I'm often left creating my own meal out of side options at cafes. I ordered 2 side orders of bacon for $3.75ea and a cup of their seasonal fruit for $4.75 expecting a filling breakfast for the reasonable price of $12.25, I only got 4 peices of bacon for $7.50 and a tiny cup of fruit. There are just options in this city where you get bang for your buck and who have options for everyone. This particular restaurant is just not very dietary restriction friendly in my experience. read more

This place is decent if you can get in. There is a line on weekends for brunch, breakfast, or whatever you wish you could have eaten but can't cause there is a long line to get in. Breakfast and tea or coffee are pretty good on the weekdays, early, when you can get in and enjoy your food. The post office is really close and you can have a meal before they open. read more

Me and my family went on a whim for my birthday this Monday! We got seated very quickly and it was an overall very nice and clean space. We laughed because the person who sat us down asked if we'd like a minute to look at the menu. We said yes then had a little discussion about something else as we got settles. It quite literally felt like 1 minute later he came back and asked if we knew what we wanted. Luckily, we did and we joked about how he literally meant one minute and was counting down the seconds in the back As for the food, I got the Joe's Special then later fruit and granola. Overall, it was pretty decent food. I didn't get entirely filled up with my plate that's why we order the fruit and granola after. It was rather bland. I expected more from the breakfast potatoes that went with my meal. Bland but not bad is my experience. Still, it was a nice and homey space that made me feel comfortable. Wasn't a bad experience at all! read more

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