I'm ngl my experience started out bad. We brought our six month old with us to enjoy brunch with us. They have one high chair in their whole big ass expensive restaurant. They explained it was because the brunch was new and so they weren't quite family friendly yet. I understand but your lack of preparedness shouldn't be affecting my experience. I assume they will remedy this issue soon. Thankfully the other family that was using the high chair finished and we were able to use it after. The food is divine though. Loved everything we got. Especially the steak and eggs. But what really turned our experience around was the fact that they recognized they were in the wrong and so they ended up taking some items off our check. The service was great, the food was great, I am glad we came to check them out. read more

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Delicious food. Friendly service. Slow wait time for food. Vibrant atmospheric with very fun music. We happened upon this place when we couldn't walk in to anyolace downtown and were pleasantly surprised. Definitely should try it if you haven't already. read more

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HANDS DOWN BEST RESTAURANT IN AUSTIN TEXAS. My boyfriend and I are big foodies- we rarely will ever repeat going to a restaurant (even if it is amazing,) but we left brunch and already scheduled a reservation to come back next Sunday to enjoy another meal. First off, the manager, Marissa, provided incredible service to us, and we have become huge fans of how well she is able to run the restaurant. She is very personable and made sure we were very well taken care of. Our servers - Presley & Marissa (different from the manager) were also incredible. They knew the menu, were aware of my food allergies, and made sure we were satisfied the entire time. She also offered a few of her personal favorites which made the meal even more enjoyable. The food could not have been better. The Josper chicken salad was huge, and every bite was bursting with flavor. I actually wanted to order a second one to take home- it was THAT good. My boyfriend is a huge chorizo fan, and is a very tough critic, he left saying the chorizo hash was the best he ever had. The service was incredible, the ambiance was perfect, we were able to get a table immediately, and the kitchen sent the food out VERY quickly. Hands down. Favorite restaurant in Austin Texas. read more

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If you are in the Austin area, I highly recommend Ember Kitchen for its exceptional cuisine and service, showcasing a Latin flair and ambiance. read more

Ember Kitchen - A selection of the desserts...the gelato with meringue was my favorite. - Latin American Near Me - Austin, Texas

AMAZINGGGG food, service and vibes! Will be back to try dinner menu items. Sitting at the chefs bar lets you see ALLL of the food coming out. read more

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I really enjoyed the diverse menu and the Smokey flavors from the Josper oven. The roasted fish was flavorful and cooked perfectly. My favorite dish was the Marita shrimp (I didn't get a pic). Our server was knowledgeable (Meghan) and the food came quickly. Nice casual atmosphere. read more

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Visited Ember Kitchen on a Tuesday night around 7:45 pm. I was about 3 minutes late to my reservation as it was my first time, and I had a bit of difficulty finding the restaurant. Once I arrived, I was promptly seated in their downstairs seating area. I'm going to start this review by talking about my experience before I get into my thoughts on the food. The Experience: I was out for a solo date night and was seated at a two-top that faced the bar. It was storming this night, and they had a little drip that was being caught by a bucket right in front of my table. In most cases, I probably wouldn't have the smell but as I sat for an hour waiting for food it stuck out a little bit. When I ordered the chicken, my server did let me know that the kitchen was behind and that it would take about 30-40 minutes to which I told him this was okay. This turned into almost an hour as my server forgot to initially put my order in. There was a table that was seated after me that received welcome shots and snacks and after my server noticed me looking at the table, he brought me the welcome snack (pork rinds with salt and pepper), I never received the welcome shot. As I was solo, not sure if this was the reason for me not receiving. My drink took about 15 minutes to arrive after ordering and the caviar bites took about 35 minutes. Because of the long wait on my entree, Marissa came over to me and let me know that my meal would be comped. I was really surprised by this as most places would just offer to buy you a drink for your wait. When my entree did finally arrive, I began to enjoy it (more details below) before finding a hair in my salad. My server did offer to replace the meal but as it was now after 9, I told him not to worry about it. Marissa came back and talked to me again, apologizing for all of the inconveniences and inviting me back so that they could make it right. I had also ordered another drink when my meal was dropped off but at this point it was still nowhere to be found so after making sure nothing was needed from my end, I ended up just leaving. While there were a series of unfortunate events throughout this meal, I do appreciate the customer service that was provided and the fact that they continuously tried to make things right. I don't know if it will be anytime soon, but I will definitely consider returning if for nothing more than the caviar bites (: The Meal: I ordered the caviar bites (sope, creama, huevo curada), josper 1/2 chicken (orange and guajillo brine, pollo ala brasa, achiote chimichurri), the crispy beef fat potatoes (Yukon gold, red bliss, garlic, shallot, beef tallow) and the lychee de tigre (flor de cana white rum, charanda, lychee, pineapple, lime, egg white). Let's break down the food. Caviar Bites: 10/10. They were absolutely amazing. Definitely just a bite but worth every penny. I could have had way more than 4. Josper 1/2 Chicken: I had very high hopes for this item as it had amazing reviews, but I wasn't really impressed. The char on the chicken was beautiful, it was nice and juicy and the chimichurri added a nice touch but even with all of this, it was still pretty flavorless in my opinion. Wasn't blown away by this at all. It is paired with a salad that was tossed in some sort of citrus vinaigrette and was very flavorful! Crispy Beef Fat Potatoes: The potatoes are baked three ways. They come out very crispy on top of an aioli. The flavors of the potato and aioli pair very well together. The manager also brought me a sauce that is not typically served with them, and I can't remember the name of it, but it was spicy and DELICIOUS. In my opinion, it might even have paired better than the aioli and if you like a little spice I would recommend asking for it (and hopefully they know what they're talking about since I can't remember the name). Highly recommend and would order again. Tigre de Lychee: I've been on a lychee martini kick lately and this drink did not disappoint. It was a bit on the stronger side, but the flavors balanced very well. read more

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The Service was excellent, our waiter Killian( sorry for the spelling) was AMAZING . His suggestions were top tier, and so was the food. I will most definitely be back soon. This was a great dinning experience. read more

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We had a wonderful time at Ember Kitchen! From the moment we were greeted at the host stand through the end of our meal the service was exceptional. Our server, Bernice, was extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and had the most enthusiastic and positive personality.Multiple people stopped by our table to bring food or drinks, and every single one was pleasant and helpful. We had the caviar bites, scallops, halibut, and side of carrots and loved everything. No complaints, at all! I look forward to coming back to try other items. I'm surprised by some of the reviews complaining about service as it was one of the best in Austin, as far as I'm concerned. Again, thank you Bernice for making our night out so lovely. read more

I loved this unique restaurant! The dishes feature throw unique oven that gives all the items a wood fire flavor which I love. The spices and options are flavorful and amazing!! Everything we got was terrific. Lots of windows that allow the light to pour in. I enjoyed the atmosphere and it's fun as they start with a free bite and shot to set the mood. It is a the pricy side making it great for a special occasion. The workers are very helpful and quick. I highly recommend!! read more

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Ember Kitchen is quite the experience. We were greeted with 'welcome shots.' We had a delicious dinner including charred broccolini, beef fat potatoes and morita shrimp. It's a beautiful restaurant - great for dinner with friends. read more

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This restaurant continues to be one of my favorites in Austin. Presley (not sure how she spells it) was an amazing waitress. Her excitement and passion for the food at Ember was incredible. Her level of service was just right! She knew exactly when to come over to us. My boyfriend and I really enjoyed our meal. We especially loved the carrot dish. It was so good. It was almost like a dessert! The fish dish I ordered was incredible. The fish was so perfectly cooked and tasty! We also got this dessert with some kind of cardamom ring. That was amazing! It was all different textures and different sweet flavors. My boyfriend ordered a drink. He thought his Old Fashioned was a bit too strong. I tried it and I agreed. They do validate parking in the garage for 2 hours which is great. We finished up in just under the allotted free time which was a win! $0 to park! Going to Ember is truly a treat. I can't wait to visit again soon. read more

Fantastic foodie haven! Everything we tried (and we tried what felt like half the menu) was superb! Quality ingredients, perfect cook and balance of flavor. Our favorites were: Blue corn tortilla with beef butter, yes - please! Ribeye - perfect medium rare and the seat was unbeatable. Rivals some of the next steakhouses in Austin! Scallops with smoked corn mouse and roasted corn. Would have never thought the 2 would complement each other and it was a clear winner! Yucca tots - not sure how they come out so airy and crispy. Overall perfection! read more

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Deja was an amazing server, she recommended the seafood tower, the chicken, yucca tots, and the skirt steak. We finished everything off and it was so amazing. the restaurant played great music and had a great vibe. She was attentive and kind and we can't wait to come back! read more

Ember Kitchen - Latin American Near Me - Austin, Texas

The food was delish and they give you a complimentary shot and chicharrones when you sit down! read more

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High level I would rate this place 3.5 stars: food is 3 stars, ambiance is 4 stars, and service is 5 very bright shiny stars. We ordered the filet skewers and market crudo - these were great starters and very solid starts to the meal. Then we did the special pork chop and wagyu beef from Land and Sea with broccolini and plantains sides. The beef was decent - some pieces were more tender than others. Some pieces were unfortunately a little dry and needed the salsa dona side to help. The pork chop was wayyy too dry, so much so that we asked our server Christina for some extra sauce from the broccolini on the side to deal with the pork chop (which was annoyingly, an extra charge). For the price and for a special, a pork chop should not be so sub-par that we need to slather it in extra sauce to help it. The ajo blanco sauce on the broccolini side was amazing but the plantains were pretty standard - again seemed pretty plain for how much you pay for it. We rounded it out with the chocolate cake + flan thing and two scoops of dulce de leche. The dessert was basically a brownie with flan on top - not very complex or innovative. The dulce de leche ice cream was decent but very very sweet (but in its defense, that makes sense and I'm not the one who ordered it). Overall, the theme of this place was pricey and for what? Just because it's decent enough food downtown? I think I could order almost all the dishes here at other restaurants in Austin and for cheaper. I might have to leave downtown to do it, but I'd rather do that. What I'd order again: filet skewers, crudo, broccolini What I'd skip: pork chop, wagyu beef, plantains, dessert The highlight of the whole dining experience and what brings this review up from 3 to 4 stars is lovely server Christina, who was friendly and outgoing and lovely to chat with. Thank you Christina! read more

Ember Kitchen - Filet skewers and crudo - Latin American Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Amazing food and great ambiance! We ordered the salmon and the scallops. They were both prepared perfectly. The service was outstanding. We sat at the counter and it was fun to watch how the food is prepared. Highly recommend Ember Kitchen! read more

Latin-inspired restaurant with delicious grilled meats and seafood. The whole chicken and halibut were excellent as were the sides - broccoli and potatoes. Everything was flavorful and cooked to perfection. Excellent service and ambiance. Highly recommend! read more

Excellent service from a well informed staff who are clearly into what they are offering. Inventive dishes featuring complex flavors and textures. Paced well, with a tapas, and family style flair. We were on pins and needles waiting for the next dish to come out, and kept talking about our meal for days. A keeper. read more

Outstanding, friendly and wonderful cuisine! There were 4 in our group and we tried a variety of their main dishes. The Lobstet tail, Chicken, Scallops, and the Skewer are all a must! The carrots and potatoes are mouth watering! Each of us had a different dessert and all were very pleasing to the palate! Manager, Michael is the best! Everyone should also have Damon wait on them!! Great service. read more

Ember Kitchen - Churros, Flourless Chocolate cake, Chaco Flan, Gelato with Meringue! - Latin American Near Me - Austin, Texas

Came in primed to give five stars. Couldn't. Ember stands out for the inventiveness of its cuisine and the excellence of its staff. Our main server, and everyone else we interacted with, was knowledgeable, fun, funny, and very warm and hospitable. A couple of standouts from our meal were: The house Old Fashioned. I'm not usually a fan of giant ice blocks in cocktails, but this one came with a star anise on top. Its positioning meant that we smelled the anise with every sip. Inspired! Cebiche small plate: a wonderful blend of sweet, sour and tangy sauce supporting sashimi-quality slices of tender fish--each with a tiny frond of seaweed placed on top. The cooked parts of the meal, however, disappointed at every turn. The most egregious was the Wagyu. The steak was very over-seasoned, making it near-impossible to taste the sweetness of the meat. Further, for some reason it was cut along the grain (not across), resulting in fibrous, tough slices. In all, regrettably not what we hoped for from such a premium piece of meat (and at a premium price). We also had high hopes for the well-reviewed Filet Skewers. Again, though, the meat was so over-seasoned that we couldn't really taste it. The peppers were worse--none of their natural flavor was discernible. A less problematic, but still not good, small plate was the Crispy Tamal. Great concept: masa wrapping luscious goat cheese. It came as a single large cake, though. Not crispy at all; instead, stodgy. The coating overwhelmed the filling and cooled quickly into a muddled and texture-less blob. If it had been the same serving size but, say, four smaller croquettes, maybe the outsides would have remained crispy, making for more compact, bite-sized morsels? Despite our server's explanation of its origin, I'm not able to relate how the special Josper oven (grill?) benefits the diner. I strongly recommend the kitchen get back to basics, cut down on coatings, and try to give the ingredients more room to be themselves. Again, though--I can't commend the serving staff highly enough. I hope the kitchen catches up with them. read more

Went over the weekend and was amazed at how delicious the food was!! Service was phenomenal, and drinks were pretty tasty as well. Such a cute place, I'll definitely be back! read more

Yummy food, great service, and fun atmosphere. Came here for sunday brunch around 11:00 with no wait, really filling portions. You definitely get what you pay for. read more

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Visiting Austin and went to check out Ember. It's part of a very cool re-development that looks like it used to be some sort of industrial park and is now retail with some office/residential. The place was pretty busy at 6:30 on a Friday and I ended up finding a seat at the bar. I had the charred octopus to start which was great and the fish of the day with the tomato butter and romesco which was delicious. I also had the old fashion which was great as well. Overall one of the best meals I've had in a very long time and the fish dish has been on my mind ever since I left. read more

Ember Kitchen - Josper Halibut - Latin American Near Me - Austin, Texas

Came for brunch and it was amazing. Great food, great drinks, great music and service. Definitely coming back. read more

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Came here with a couple of friends and had such a good time. I feel like for the service level that you get the price is worth it. And I understand that that can kind of sound snobbish. But let me explain why I think it's worth paying $35 for a fish. It's the service! They do such a good job of making you feel welcomed and part of the family. They have such a beautiful space and they do a good job of providing a great experience. read more

This place is very charming. We started off with some of their specialty cocktails which I really didn't prefer. To be honest, they tasted like perfume. But their food was very good. We started off with caviar bites and chicharrones. They were all very tasty. We then shared some small plates which included prime filet skewers (inc. grilled sweet peppers, black garlic vinaigrette and crema verde) fish crudo which was delicious and the morita shrimp (morita butter, garlic, white wine) accompanied by flatbread that you had to dip in the shrimp sauce. Our main course included wagyu steak, king trumpet mushrooms, roasted chicken and halibut. All were so amazing. The service was excellent and everyone was very nice. read more

I've been to many restaurants in Austin and this by far one of the best restaurants in the city. It is original, unique, and fairly priced for the quality of food you are getting. Definitely best for special occasions. Took my mom here for mother's day, and she loved it. Our server, Brian, did an incredible job at helping us choose our meal and gave off the menu recommendations. Some of the best cocktails and food I have had in Austin that I can 100% say was worth the price. Highly recommend! read more

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This restaurant is absolutely one of the best in Austin!!! Food, service and ambiance were all 5 star!!! Most of our meal came from the daily specials offered, not the menu. First off, they bring you complimentary in house made blue corn tortillas and butter. AND they also serve a complimentary "cocktail shot". I do not drink cocktails but decided to give it a try. It was made with Blanco tequila, watermelon juice, lime and chiles. This may not be 100% accurate, just what I can remember the server saying. Anyway, it was fantastic! If I wasn't drinking wine, I would have ordered one! For the small plate, we had the Ora king salmon ceviche special. It was superb. So fresh and flavorful. I can't remember what was in the preparation but it was delicious. For our "Land & Sea" entrees, we shared the stir fried filet beef. It has to be one of the best dishes I've ever put in my mouth! Full on flavor! The word umami was created for this dish. The sauce was made with had garlic, ginger, soy, oyster sauce, and fish sauce. Maybe more things. Sounds pretty standard Asian fare, but it tasted anything but standard. Also, in the stirfry, they were nice tomato wedges, green onions, and crispy potatoes. It was served with Bomba rice, which have a wonderful garlic flavor. We also shared the half chicken entree. Again, a very well seasoned flavor bomb. The chicken was very moist as well. For our side, we had the whole roasted carrots. These are not regular, roasted carrots, prepared again with full on flavor. For dessert we had pieces of chocolate cake topped with flan and drizzled with caramel. It too was amazing. Not overly sweet. All flavors of each layer came through. Our server, Kinsey, had to be the most pleasant, knowledgeable, top notch server that we have had in a very long time, anywhere. She embodies proper customer service and etiquette. Prices are on point for what you are getting and the quality. The only place I think they feel short were the prices for bottles of wine. We are very familiar with wine cost, retail, and at upscale and fine dining restaurants. Most of the wines were four times the retail price and that's not reasonable to us. This place is flavor, flavor, flavor! We can't wait to go back!!! It is most definitely one of our favorite restaurants in Austin now! If not our very favorite!! read more

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Food, service, and a great setting! In downtown setting filled with lots of activity! Parking available.

* 4.5 stars * Beautiful experience!! Nestled in the back corner on the Seaholm plaza/square, Ember is two stories and focused in latam cuisine. Watermelon mezcal welcome shots and tortillas. The plating was gorgeous. The lomo special was our favorite, the stir fry sauce was *chefs kiss*. Attentive service and Sarah described the menu perfectly and curated a great experience for us. The wagyu steak was yummy but not sure about the $48 price tag. We had a lovely time. If I had to pick one thing, it'd be that I wish there was more variety on the menu. Lots of fish/ceviche option and beef (filet mignon, steak, etc). Highly recommend! read more

Everything from start to finish was awesome - truly top-notch food and exemplary service. We had to wait a little while to get seated even though we had a reservation, but it was well worth the wait! Super cool ambience downstairs (little loud upstairs tho)...Tomahawk Steak was worth every penny and the desserts were out of this world! Still dreaming about the drool worthy caviar bites as well as the melt in your mouth scallops and crazy tasty Halibut - Can't wait to go back!! read more

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My friends and I came to Ember for a girls night and can't rave about this place enough! Our server Maddie was so knowledgeable and passionate about the dishes/cocktails, and everyone on their team was so accommodating to a gluten allergy in the group. The food was phenomenal. Here were some of our favs: The market fish crudo. This dish was ART. Aside from looking so beautiful on the plate, the buttery fish and berries were such a yummy combination. The caviar bites. Two of the girls in the group were new to caviar and a little nervous to try it for the first time, but these bites were the perfect introduction. The scallops. Drool-worthy. I've never craved scallops in my life before experiencing them here. The Josper-Roasted Market Fish. Our halibut had a beautiful golden brown crust and yellow tomato butter sauce that made us savor every bite. The Siente El Fuego cocktail. Spicy marg lovers - meet your new favorite. There are so many amazing restaurants in Austin, but we'll be telling everyone this is one spot you can't miss. It's perfect for every occasion (date nights, family dinners, or a girls night out). They truly curate such an amazing experience for guests - more people need to be talking about Ember! read more

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Ember may have taken La Piscina's spot as my favorite restaurant in Austin. There are three floors for dining (the basement started as a speakeasy but they repurposed it for extra tables) and you will notice relics from the old Seaholm power plant. As soon as you sit down, the staff greets you with a welcome drink (with or without alcohol). I called ahead to share that we'd be celebrating our anniversary and the staff left a thoughtful, hand-written card. We had Christina who was nothing short of wonderful. Ember is the only restaurant in all of Texas that owns a josper oven (google it). If you like sauce and spice, this is the place for you. The crudo was fresh but the winner was definitely the prime filet skewer. You can never go wrong with cooked filet paired with charred peppers and a jalapeño sauce. The shrimp was cooked perfectly but this dish was the only one that was on the heavier side with its use of cream. All in all, Ember Kitchen is a must try! read more

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Excellent food, excellent ambiance, excellent service. Brian can teach a master class at service! Thank you!

Bravo! This restaurant lived up to the hype! Everything we ate was flavorful and seasoned perfectly. We had a great start with the Salpicon de pulpo (cerviche) and their take on a tamal. Our main dishes were the Texas Wagyu skirt and the Red Snapper special. Both were outstanding! The drinks were super creative and strong. Our server Jalin was awesome and took the lead in advising us on the menu. The upstairs is the restaurant but be sure to save room for an after dinner cocktail downstairs. I cannot say enough about this place, just go! read more

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Came here for happy hour. We had a large group and were able to order several small plates and a few entrees for our group of about 20 people. Drinks were great and beautifully crafted. Everyone raved about how delicious the food tasted. Highlights included the steak skewers. We had two fantastic servers assigned to us-Thalia and Olivia -but the entire staff were helpful and attended to our requests seamlessly. read more

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This restaurant is one of my favorite restaurants to open in Austin over the past year. In summary, it's absolutely worth the hype! From the atmosphere to the service and the food, the experience is top tier. The decor is absolutely beautiful, the service is phenomenal and the food is just incredible. I thoroughly enjoyed the steak skewers, crispy beef fat potatoes, and the current pork tenderloin special. For parking, it's street parking only; there's no valet here. And all photos posted are my own. Can't wait to return soon! And please let me know when y'all start offering brunch! read more

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Amazing ambiance and great food! Really enjoyed girls night out. We were greeted with welcome shots and appetizers. All of our food were spectacular!! No complaints here. I do have to say the restaurant is a bit hidden. It's in the corner in the very back of the Trader Joe's plaza. read more

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One of the best meals I've had while visiting Austin! The explanations and presentations done by the staff were amazing and well delivered. Excellent craftsmanship by Chef Kang and Kameryn was a very attentive server, very personable, with great recommendations. The food looked so amazing, we forgot to even take pictures. The restaurant was gorgeous and lively, never a dull moment! Definitely would recommend to anyone who's never been. read more