Service was off. Took a looong time to get our drinks and the bottle of wine. When the check was dropped, there was no mention of gratuity already added. Also, we found over $100 of drinks that were not ours and not much of an apology given when we discovered it. Our deserts were forgotten or delivered to someone else. But, however, they did comp us the sorbet. Loved the food and the setting. read more

We were there yesterday, April 18, 2023 arround 7:45-8pm. We've bean there a while ago but today it was horible ...we were so sad. We took a couple friends from the east city to the restaurant ... the food we had a complete special supposedly very nice - unfortunatly ... it was supposedly we should be happy with the food at the end also the dessert ... Dessert was so bad ... none of us like it at all, the last food was pork and korean hot spice kimchi, really ... i do not eat pork and too spicy ... most of the worker is not nice, specially I am handycap ... non of them would make sure that thet can help me ... unfortunatly it will be just 1, meaning it happened but nothing is worth ... if food is just ok but the worker are nice ... I will put 4 for sure ... read more

This place is killing it. We are outside on a perfect fall evening. All the dishes were superb but the spaghetti definitely stands out along with the chicken thighs. Simple concepts but there have an amazing twist to them. Would definitely recommend for a romantic evening out. read more

Emmer & Rye - Menu - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Austin, Texas

The new chef is turning this restaurant back to former glory. Had a delicious meal about three weeks ago.

Dinner for four please - had reservations. Only having been open for 1.5 weeks, there were a few missteps last night while dining at Emmer & Rye; however, I have the greatest faith in the manager Chris and Chef/Owner Kevin's abilities getting the front of the house, bar, and kitchen running like a well-oiled machine in no time. I won't even bother to mention any specifics, as I don't anticipate experiencing any problems on future visits - and trust me, I will be back. Basically, they had reservations for about half of what turned out to be a max capacity house; so much so they ran out of menus. Busiest day since opening; great for them! Very innovative restaurant located in a new space on the south end of Rainey, E&R is a great addition to the neighborhood and Austin food scene as a whole. Farm to table, locally sourced, seasonal, regional, always changing menu served up in a streamlined modern yet a bit rustic feeling environment. One fun thing (in addition to devouring fantastic cuisine) about dining at E&R is actually how you order. You can order off printed menu (currently offers about 6 small plates, 3 pastas, 3 mains, and a handful of desserts) and/or you can order directly from the dim sum (not Chinese) style carts and trays right at your table. E&R's entrées are larger; however, when they state "small plates" (including from dim sum) they mean it. Lots of petite servings perfect for sharing...so go with good friends that you don't mind digging into together with. We tried to order the Wagyu Beef Short Rib to only be informed by our waiter after some time that they had run out. :'( Next time for sure (if they have it on menu and available)! No worries, plenty of other amazing dishes to choose from; both amazing in presentation and taste: From Small Plate Menu: Lamb Tartare served with puffed Sonoran wheat crackers - typically don't care for raw much, but amazing flavors and the crackers just made it all work. Smoked Snapper and mustard greens served on large Red Fife Toast - arguably one of the favorite dishes of the night. Highly recommend! Polenta with thinly sliced shitake mushroom and marigold spuma - Super creamy polenta and the spuma added a fantastic flavor and fluff. From Pasta Menu: Buckwheat Mafalda pasta with Lamb Shoulder; Emmer Strozzapretti pasta served with Dewberry Chicken and sweet chilis - both pastas cooked to perfection and creamy...just wish there was a little more protein in each. From Dim Sum Cart/Tray: Watermelon radish with butter - So simple it was almost laughable, but really good flavor combo. Johnny Cakes with fermented pork - A-OK. Cauliflower cooked in black butter - if you're going to eat your veggies this is the way to do it! Pork Belly with fried kale and radish - I already said Pork Belly, right? Brioche bun filled with cheese and other heavenly yumminess - I lost track by this point. From Dessert Menu: Tres Leches with Berry Glaze - Fresh and light. Goat's Milk Panna Cotta with Pecan Granola - set a little less firm than I'm used to, but fantastic flavor. Not too sweet. Emmer & Chestnut Chocolate Cookie Sandwich with Orange Buttermilk Ice Cream - adorbs preso and fantastic ice cream! Bottom line: I think a group of four is perfect for this style of dining. Perhaps start with one large entrée and then just keep going until your heart is content. Don't worry, the prices, especially for some of the super tiny portions, might frighten you a little; however, when you receive the check with a very full belly to boot, you will be extremely impressed at just how reasonable the "experience" was - and it is - at least in my opinion. Under $200 for four with a few drinks. TIPS: * Make reservations. I have a feeling there will be a long wait to get into E&R once the word really gets out. *The plates are small, some tiny (pics can be very deceiving), so be prepared to be adventurous. *Don't be shy about their very interesting (never seen before) restroom setup. There is a communal basin station (that can be seen from one side of the bar) and four individual water closets with full doors; 2 for Ladies, 1 for Gentlemen, and 1 for Dames & Dudes. *They have a large patio and bike parking. *Street parking is free Sunday through Wednesday (other days metered). Or, there is a convenient parking garage adjacent to E&R for a small fee. Valet is also available on Thursday through Saturday for $7. *Enjoy! ;) [180 in 2015] read more

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Everything from the menu, ambiance, & customer service is perfection. I visit this place every time I come to Austin and it never disappoints read more

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Emmer & Rye has been a restaurant that we've been wanting to try for a loooong time! But I have to admit that for some reason we always end up not going. Perhaps you've experienced the same "where should we go for dinner tonight" discussion where you and your partner scour Yelp, find a place, look at the menu, the pictures, read the reviews and end up going to somewhere else you've been before. That's been the case with Emmer & Rye but finally, my partner made reservations for 4 and she invited another couple. The evening started with a few bar drinks. While the variety of hard liquor at the bar could use some improvement, the wine list was great and we enjoyed a couple of bottles with dinner. We decided to go with a chef selection of what was on the menu. The food was amazing and the wait staff was even better! They were able to cater to each persons dietary preferences and still present a selection that we all enjoyed. A curated variety of veggies, meat and fish. We topped the meal off with a couple of desserts. My partner is celiac and was able to enjoy a great GF selection. The best part however was that one of the dishes was made with fresh purslane. This is a wild and forged herb that is rare to find in meals in the US. I grew up eating it regularly as my mother used it frequently- you can read all about the health benefits! The meal made me miss my moms cooking. On hearing this the staff wrapped up a few bunches of purslane in a vacuum sealed bag and gave it to me to take home and cook with! How thoughtful was that! Overall a great dining experience with great food, amazing service leaving you with a feeling of being cared for! read more

Booked a reservation for 9:30pm on a Friday night for indoor/standard seating. Just a note. The reservation portal is a little confusing online as they offer outdoor seating bookings for time slots late into the night, (10:30pm, 11pm, etc.) although the hours show the restaurant closes at 10pm. Arrived early around 9pm to grab a drink. After waiting several minutes without service, left to get a quick cocktail down Rainey. Came back for the reservation and was told the party ahead of us was still wrapping up. We wait 15-20 minutes before the hostess tells us it will be a bit longer. She offers a table outside instead. We agree, as it's nearly 10pm now. But since it is the middle of August, the summer heat is in full swing. That is my only complaint for the reservation management. I would've booked an earlier dinner for an outdoor table if we were going to end up outside anyway. Regardless, the evening went smoothly after that. Everyone from the busboy to the wait staff were quick, diligent, and super helpful. Great recommendations and the food came out quickly. I don't remember all the dishes we tried, but we had a total of 5 dishes. The 3 I remember: Purple tomatoes: 3.5/5 Beef tartare: 4.5/5 Cacio e pepe: 4/5 read more

Love the food, however, was totally misled by the waiter that we would be satisfied after having the concourse mail for two. I was very specific and asking if I would for sure be satisfied. Walked out $300 later and went and ate a pizza down the street. read more

There are many who would tell you that a place like this is "too expensive unless it's a special occasion" or that "you'll leave hungry". Those statements might be true. IMHO, however, if you leave thinking either of those things, I do not believe you were in the correct mindset when you sat down. The idea here is to experience, learn and grow. Each bite is a journey and should be savored. It's not a "get full" kind of place. You eat the food with the same type of respect that it's shown while being prepared and plated. It's the type of place you can enjoy even when you aren't necessarily hungry if you are thinking of it this way. That being said - it was a a special occasion. ;) We were in Austin for a week just after our 6th wedding anniversary so I chose Emmer & Rye after much research. This is our favorite way to dine and we love to support restaurants that source locally and give a great feel of the neighborhood/community they are a part of. E&R nailed it! We picked 5 plates from the menu and selected 2-3 items from dim sum carts. We were totally satisfied with the amount of food. We ordered 2 cocktails and made them last throughout the meal. If you haven't ever tried Monkey 47 gin, stop what you're doing and find it. I legit loved everything we tried, but the Tomato / Mozz / Basil sorbet really stood out to me. It tasted like bruschetta ice cream. Not just any bruschetta, like the BEST you ever had kind. You just don't expect that combo of flavors while eating sorbet. That's some Alinea shit right there. I am happy to say that Emmer & Rye served me some of the most beautifully executed food i've had the pleasure of sampling in my life. Bravo! read more

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This dining experience was the first place I had eaten out since the pandemic shelter in place orders started over 6 months ago. Maybe that's part of the reason I felt so disappointed. I was sooo looking forward to it. Perhaps it was a combination of my expectations being too high and others hyping this place too much. We easily made reservations online and were seated promptly. We felt adequately secluded on the patio outside which I was pleased with, and the service was good. The wine and the appetizers were both fine, but ultimately unmemorable. The dinner entrees is where the restaurant really fell down on the job IMO. They only had three options, so when there is that limited of a menu, I expect each dish to be really good. I ordered the chicken and it was so spicy, I couldn't eat it. My friend orders the fish and left most of it because she didn't like her dish either. There was $50.00 in entrees down the drain. We left still feeling hungry and wishing we had chosen a different spot for our first foray into the COVID dining experience era. read more

Modern, trendy and cozy spot. Service was on point. Our waitress was very friendly, enthusiastic and great at explaining all the items on the menu. Food has a modern Italian twist. Gnocchi was okay, the baguette with cheese and honey was amazing. My absolute favorite dish was the cacio e Pepe, highly recommend. Wagyu beef was not impressive. This is definitely a different dining experience. read more

Emmer & Rye - Gnocchi - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Came to Austin to get away from the pretentious CA scene. I guess I should have stayed at the BBQ joints in Austin. The worst service I have received during my trip. I have been to some of the best restaurants in Austin and was looking forward to this one based on friends recommendations, I guess my friends think I like to be treated poorly. Bartender horrible, host, horrible, waitress fine. Probably a bad experience with the other two that made her just fine. read more

We sat at the chef's counter on a Thursday night. We opted out of the tasting menu and chose items ourselves. The food itself was hit or mild miss. Some things were delicious, some not well balanced enough for my palette. My partner and I also had varying opinions on the dishes, which is probably in line with some of the other reviews--some things might be for you and some things might not be. We really loved the wine menu. The service was a bit haphazard, and what I mean by that is in some instances it was perfectly attentive and in other instances it was overbearing. Our biggest pet peeve of the night was how rushed we felt. Our entire meal was an hour and fifteen minutes--for an upper scale dining experience, this is too short. Dishes were rushed to us, and what was truly poor service was multiple times someone tried to take dishes away from us while we were in the middle of eating them. This happened three times. They also brought our protein dish while we were still in the middle of another dish, therefore it sat to get cold. We also found a hair in one of our dishes, however it was taken quickly once I pointed it out and a round of drinks was taken off our bill, which I'm assuming was a gesture for the hair. As you can see I still rank this place a four. It really does hit the mark in many ways, and you can tell these folks are passionate about what they're doing. I think you'll have a good time and a good meal eating here, but there are quirks still, and it is not a five star restaurant at this time. read more

Went for the first time this week and lucked out that it was the first night of the TLV + Henbit takeover. We had the Hummus and Skordalia to start - both were fantastic and full of fresh flavor, and the accompanying pita was absolutely incredible. We also had the Kubbah Nayeh (beef tartare) which was insanely tasty, wasn't able to get a photo because we inhaled it. We also sprung for the Clams and so so thankful we did - by far my favorite dish of the night! I could drink the broth they came in. INCREDIBLE. I could've eaten them all night. For the mains we had the Chicken Kebab and Manti (beef stuffed pasta) since they ran out of the lamb. Both superb. The server felt we were light on food so also recommended the Cauliflower, which we had but was definitely overkill. We left so stuffed! Service was great, friendly, and they had a wonderful wine list that paired well with the menu - we opted for a bottle of the Sauv Blanc from Israel which was perfect. This takeover is a must try for sure! read more

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I went to Emmer & Rye for brunch with three friends yesterday - and we all enjoyed our meal! Pros: 1. THE FOOD, OF COURSE. I had the Sea Island Pea Shakshuka with Egg, Fennel, Turnips, Tomato, and Roti (on the side with ghee). Delicious! The Shakshuka was earthy and warm and delicious! I would definitely order it again! My friends tried the Egg Sandwich (with tomato, onion, shiitake aioli, half scramble, and English muffin), Creme Brulee toast (with whipped creme Fraiche and Steen's Cane Syrup), and the Pork Tamale (wrapped in cabbage with refried sea island peas, soft poached egg, and roti). Everyone liked what they ordered, but I would say that the Egg Sandwich left my friend a little underwhelmed! 2. For brunch, the dim sum cart becomes a pastry cart! We tried the cheddar, shrimp salt scone (really interesting, salty, and soft - more like a biscuit than a scone!) and the lemon tartlets! The tartlets were good, but I couldn't stop eating the scone! 3. Beverages - two of us had mimosas ($7 a piece), which were okay, but nothing too special. They had a gorgeous mescal guava cocktail when we were there, but at $14/piece, neither of us could justify upgrading from the mimosa. One of us got coffee. The coffee set was super cute, coffee was strong, and refills are free. 4. Amazing decor (definitely modern looking inside). Bathrooms were very nice (although - and I say that as a loyal NPR listener, the NPR in the bathroom stalls was weird and taking hipster a little TOO far). The bad? They were running a bit late on service - we had a reservation for 12:45 on Sunday, and we didn't get seated until closer to 1 - and there was no where to wait! The restaurant is VERY tight - we had to wait for our table outside (luckily it didn't start pouring until AFTER we got our table)! All in all, it was a great meal! Definitely a great spot for brunch with friends! read more

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The food here is good, but I don't know if it's worth coming to unless you're celebrating a special occasion. You get a couple of bites of food for $16-$20, so definitely not the right choice for people that are into value for their money's worth. I do like the concept of farm to table and the food definitely tastes fresh and is of high quality. They even have their own herb garden right outside the restaurant and we saw chefs going out, plucking some basil leaves, and then going back to the kitchen to continue cooking. They also have a dim sum style service, where they come around with carts of a la carte food that you can pick and choose from to enjoy with your meal. As there aren't a lot of sit down restaurants on Rainey Street, we decided to come to Emmer & Rye, but for a regular Wednesday night during the week, I think it would have been a better choice for us to grab a bite to eat at one of the many food trucks that are parked in the street. We would have paid a lot less and not left hungry. read more

I wish I could give Emmer & Rye a higher rating, I had such high expectations for this meal and had been looking forward to going here for so long. After looking through Yelp reviews, we opted to go for the tasting menu (which seemed like a great deal at $75/pp for 10 courses). The tasting menu included 5 items from the menu 5 items selected by the chef off-menu. 1. Mini Waffle snack with bay cream/tomato jam served with a cantalope amazake drink with chile. This was my favorite of the night. It was cute and tasty but not super creative 2. Red snapper crudo with onion, beet, and avocado: This dish was plated very nicely but not very flavorful 3. Fresh crab wrapped in leaf: I was really excited for this dish when it came out as it looked super unique. The waiter also told us a story about how fresh the crab is and how it comes from a very highlight acclaimed fisherman which really hyped up the dish for me but it did not live up to the expectations. Similar to the previous dish, not very flavorful. 4. Summer squash: This was another favorite. Nothing too unique or fancy, but it was tasty. 5. Sourdough snack with a side of spreads and pickles: nothing too special. Took the bread to-go so we wouldn't get too full. 6. Pasta with shiitake and pecorino: A tasty pasta, but nothing special or unique about it. 7. Chicken "nugget": In actuality, a small piece of fried chicken. A little too crispy and not very juicy/flavorful 8. Dry Aged Wagyu Sirloin with Potatoes: The wagyu was tasty but very very chewy. The potatoes lacked flavor and were a little dry. 9. Cereal Panna Cotta topped with Cereal Crispies and Blueberries: The taste of the panna cotta was good but my boyfriend and I both agreed that the crispies were wayyy too crispy. 10. Black garlic ice cream with chocolate syrup, topped with tomato powder: There were a lot of good reviews about this on yelp but I did not like this dessert. I guess I prefer to have sweet desserts but I just felt like I was eating really really cold hummus.. :/ I'm not sure if we just got unlucky with this tasting menu because none of the items really wow'd me. But when I look through Yelp/Instagram, some of the dishes I see look SO beautiful. We also ordered a glass of Pinot Noir and their Peaches & Cream cocktail. Both were good. They have a good selection of wines by the glass and unique cocktails. In terms of location, Emmer & Rye is located in the Rainey Historical District which is a really cool area of Austin! It's near downtown on a street where a bunch of old homes have been converted into restaurants and bars. Very cool to check out! Service was great as well. They were able to accommodate last minute reservation changes and let us sit inside even though our reservation was for outside. Last thing, it may be because of the humidity, but there are a lot of flies flying around our (indoor) table throughout the night. This might be a common occurrence because I noticed there's an instagram account called @emmerandfly which just shows flies on the dishes at emmer & rye lol TLDR; I would suggest looking through recent yelp reviews/Instagram to see which items look especially good to you and just order those. Tasting menu was disappointing. read more

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I had no idea what emmer was until I dined at Emmer and Rye! If you can appreciate milling your own flour, handmade pasta and local/garden produce, then this is your spot. Grab a few shareable bites from the menu and Dave room to order off the dim sum carts. You'll probably want to grab 2-3 dishes per person. I had the field pea hummus that is super creamy and will convert you to your non traditional hummus pretty quick. The grilled squash and zucchini salad with onion petals and roasted garlic was so fresh, colorful and fragrant. The strozzapretti it's confit chicken, chili, garlic, mushroom and basil was amazing (could have been lighter on the butter). But, I loved this dish and would get it again! Save room for dessert because you'll want to order the seasonal ice cream sandwich. When we went, it was the Rosemary ice cream sandwich with a Koji cookie and fig preserve. WOW! I wish I had my own and didn't have to share! The staff are so attentive and the ambience is chill, naturey and modern with a fresh vibe. read more

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I love the organic, locally sourced, farm to table concept. This place takes interesting risks here on the food. My favorites were the Cacio e Pepe pasta and the red shrimp appetizer. The caramelle pasta with mushrooms was quite good too. The wagyu was very good. The fish was a bit on the very salty side and the crudo appetizer was decent. The spiced apple cake dessert was fairly good. read more

I was excited to try this spot during a trip to Austin, but the food to price ratio wasn't worth it. I'm all for small portions, especially at nicer restaurants, but the expectation is the food should be perfectly spectacular, and this place wasn't. I ordered their version of cacio e pepe and it was alright. Little bit of a looser sauce for my taste, but wasn't bad. Then ordered their pork dish and was disappointed that the pork was totally dry. For the price and esteem this place held, I was expecting this dish to be amazing, and because it wasn't I decided against ordering anything else. read more

There are some restaurants that are great in concept but harder to execute. Service was great menu was interesting but almost interesting to be interesting. We liked the braised / charred cabbage the best. With so many amazing options in Austin we probably won't come back. read more

I had an anniversary date with my wife but my cousins joined us which was fine because dinner was great. We got to share food and had the chefs cook what ever they felt for us. My favorite was the dry aged tartare. read more

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Solid. Worth every penny - one of our favorites and on the regular . Highly suggest checking it out

This is our second time dining here. We had the chef's tasting menu our first time, which allowed us to really enjoy more dishes. This time around, we decided to order a-La-carte. We had reservations at the chef's counter and also had a chance to converse with the chef that evening. He mentioned that the current tasting menu has smaller portions, but more plates to allow you to enjoy even more menu items. They usually have different menu items daily. I would say if you're ordering a-La-carte, aim for at least 2 dishes per person. I really enjoyed the red snapper dish to start. The citrus and flavors remind me of ceviche. Their bread and accoutrements plate came with fresh sourdough made in house. One of our all time favorite dishes that is still on the menu is the 'Cacio e Pepe"; the flavors of this dish alone is mouth watering. We chose to finish our meal with the Texas Wagyu Denver. Again, excellent flavors on the meat and the French fingerlings. I did think the steak came out pretty red. I usually like my meat medium rare, but I think this is almost rare with a sear on the outside. We weren't asked what temp we'd like the meat, so I wasn't really expecting it to be this red. Otherwise, it was an excellent dining experience. Parking on Rainey street can be tricky, but there should be paid surface lots and garages in addition to limited street parking. read more

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Wow what an amazing experience!! The food here is so good and all from local Texas farms or the restaurant itself. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate which makes it so fun. Our waiter helped us curate the perfect dishes to go together and it was just awesome. The menu changes often due to changing ingredients so I'll have to come back to try some more. Definitely recommend getting the bread and a pasta and the steak. read more

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Hipster gourmet par excellence. The setting is really terrific - we sat at the bar and really enjoyed the atmosphere. The staff was really friendly and very helpful. The wine and cocktails were well recommended and very good. The food is all good, but it's not all great (and since they change the menu almost daily, these recommendations may not be all that helpful). The johnny cakes were quite good, and the glazed carrots pretty good as well. The angel hair pasta was fine, but not something I would order again. The spaghetti cacio e pepe was outstanding. Well made and perfectly cooked pasta in a really flavorful cheese sauce. The plates are small, and built to share, so order several and share with whomever you're with, and I'd bet you'll find something you love (and perhaps a thing or two you don't). It's a great restaurant and a scene worth checking out, but I'm not sure the quality quite merits the price, particularly given the small portions. None of the dishes are especially expensive, but you'll need 2-4 to feel at all full, and it can add up. read more

I am a fan of local ingredients and conscientious use of resources. I am also a fan of thoughtful food. What I cannot understand is when I don't also feel like a restaurant wants to feed or welcome me. We asked for bread prior to ordering everything else because one person in our party had to leave soonish, and we were informed that this would not be possible because they don't like to lead with the bread, as the service is so special. But, they would go ahead and get our drinks - what a counteroffer. Also, when we asked about putting the mushroom component on the side of the dessert, the server was really emphasizing that all ingredients are meant to go together even though we were really emphasizing that we would rather risk not fully appreciating the dessert (omigod) vs an actual allergic reaction based on a mushroom sensitivity. They did cave on that one. Cabbage and the pasta were so good, wine was good, the person who eventually brought the bread was actually really friendly, and the person explaining the choice of wine glasses was engaging. But, mostly I was just like ughh this server is so pretentious or scripted or something. Shame that I won't likely go back and very happy this was an expensed meal. read more

I think my favorite thing about the spot is the price. The food is amazing don't get me wrong, the drinks are pretty good although I'm not a huge fan of how acidic most of the wines are (after requesting on multiple occasions that the waitress or sommelier offer me a lower acid wine.) if you like higher alcohol wines or that strong climate-change-Ripened-too-quickly flavor that we're getting in our wines now. You might like their wine menu. Out of all the places in Austin that fit this price range, I would say that they salt their food the best. It's right on the edge of being too much, but it's perfect. Unlike Atx Cucina where they dump salt on everything ruining some of their amazing flavors. Their tasting menu is so affordable, and every time I've had it it's been amazing. The freshly baked breads are always a star, Pasta is perfectly cooked al dente and The desserts are always a nice light finish never too sweet and great subtle ending. I also never feel stuffed when I leave, but I'm perfectly full. Highly recommend this for a date night or special occasion. read more

Food: Most of the food was excellent. You could tell a lot of time went into preparing each dish. The sauces were amazing - full of so many flavors. Plating was beautiful. The bread (served from the carts) was outstanding and it was a great way to soak up any leftover sauces. Service: Our waitress was professional but not very personable. The staff (not always our waitress) did a good job of describing each plate. Ambiance: Bright, upscale-casual. Open kitchen. Other: We were seated close to the door leading to the outdoor seating. There was a lot of 'in and out' which was somewhat annoying especially since the door made a little clunking noise when it closed. read more

Emmer & Rye - Amazing carrots! - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Love this place. Always. Spot. On. Great job everyone there. Always is appreciated and delish.

Did my spouse and I dare to think that on the same gluttonous weekend in Austin, TX, we'd experience a meal that could compare with the one we had at Hestia the night before? Dare we did, and did we ever! Hestia is the brainchild of Chef Kevin Fink, who founded Emmer & Rye on Austin's Rainey Street, a street I don't even think existed when I was a student at UT in the 80's. His résumé stretches from The French Laundry to Noma and now, thank God, to Texas. The menu features fermentation, heirloom grains, local and foraged staples, Japanese flavors, explosions of umami. Whatever the hell it is, it works. WOW, does it work! Now, due to Covid, the restaurant is only open to patio diners (and even at 8 pm with power fans whirring, it was hot on that patio) and operates under the moniker "Emmeroni's." The menu features several E&R classics, as well as a 5 course menu. Our server Alexandre has been with E&R since it opened, and I doubt that even the chef himself could have guided us through a more exhilarating meal. I'm prone to exaggeration, but I'm dead serious when I say that this was one of the 3 best meals I've ever had in the Lone Star State. At Alexandre's suggestion, we went with the 5 course menu (a ridiculously worth it $50) intending to share each course and adding to it a few selections from the rest of the menu. After exquisitely crafted cocktails, 3 dishes appeared in rapid-fire succession (during normal service, carts of small dishes served dim sum-style are the norm): a snapper crudo soaked in green tomato, capers, and preserved kumquat; grilled cantaloupe with ricotta and habanada (a heatless habanero) perched on toasted bran amazake (a fermented rice drink); and one of the most stunning dishes I've ever eaten--fresh figs studded with tender chunks of guanciale, speckled with mint marigold and fennel. Each dish was a show-stopper. Next time, I'll ask that each arrive separately--they each deserve their moment of adulation. While we were eating these, I lost track of all the "Oh my God's" that we were breathlessly uttering at each other. But then things even got better. Alexandre suggested an orange wine from South Africa's Stellenbosch--a Craven Pinot Gris. Beautifully dry and acidic, the dry tannins really showed nuance as the meal progressed. Next up was a bread course of focaccia made from heritage grains. I didn't even bother with the butter and preserves--it was perfect on its own. The E&R cacio e pepe is legendary, and though Alexandre tried to sway us to try one of the other offerings, I couldn't pass it up. When we were last in Rome, we ate some of the most famous in the city, and I never thought I'd find any in the US that could compare. The E&R version goes way beyond the classic 3 ingredients--the spaghetti is Hayden Flour Mills Blue Bear Durum; the cheese is a Swiss-style Challerhocker from Austin's Antonelli's Cheese Shop; instead of water (and Rome's water is supposedly the only kind that can make this dish right!), the kitchen uses fermented tomato water. The glorious, simple-looking, peppery result is the best cacio e pepe outside of Lazio, Italia. With no shame, we licked the bowl clean. Then arrived the entrees--a dark-grilled snapper with shishito, Mexican plums, green tomato, and oregano, followed by gorgeous red strips of a wagyu Denver steak served with fingerling potatoes, black pearl mushrooms, and what can only be described as a decadent cream gravy flecked with horseradish. Dessert was more of those magnificent figs in a tart with toasted sunflower cream, emmer crust, and honey, and a gift from the kitchen--a bowl of cucumber lime sorbet with salted cream. I know that Emmer & Rye has won a lot of awards, all well-deserved. This may not rank up there with those others, but it comes from the heart--one of our 2 favorite restaurants in Texas. We're already planning a return trip. read more

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Short Version: Absolutely outstanding, easily in the top 10 dining experiences I've had Long Version: We arrived at 5:45 pm for the Chef's Counter experience. From the time we were seated until we finished, we probably interacted with 10-15 staff members, all of whom were amazing. Friendly, helpful, fun, experienced, etc all in one. We had the tasting menu, which was nothing short of exceptional. Also had help picking wines from the sommelier who was both knowledgeable and approachable/friendly/super fun at the same time. In short, the staff all made us feel incredibly welcome and accepted and it was amazing. As for the food, I love dinners that both challenge concepts of food and are of amazing quality all at once, which is exactly what we got. In total, I really love food experiences (and have had them across most continents) and would say this was in my top 10 of all time, an opinion with which my dinner partner agreed. Would rank 6 of 5 stars if possible! Special shout out to the main server/manager/etc, who really put the cherry on top of an amazing night. read more

Service is excellent. Love the ambient. Unfortunately, food did not meet out expectations.

Absolutely amazing experience! The Emmer & Rye team took great care of us from the moment we walked into the door until we finished our meal. Excellent cocktails to start and the tasting menu was a perfect was to experience the night. Each bite was not only perfectly timed, but also took us on a journey of taste. They did an excellent job of balancing sweet and savory throughout the entire meal. Snapper paired with melon. Classic pasta. 'Cereal' panna cotta with blueberries. Each dish was well balanced and an excellent reflection of what was fresh and locally available. Looking forward to our next visit!!! read more

Top 5. Top 5. Top 5. Always a solid meal. Thoughtful. Seasoned well. Not pretentious. Worth the hype. Always get the beef tartare that's on the menu. One of my favorite bites. Killer wine list. Perfect for catching up with a friend or going all out for a date night! read more

An amazing place for a celebration or if you're one of those foodies with a unique palate. Emmer & Rye takes farm to table concept to another level. The dress code is "smart" casual; (non business degree here) but jeans and shorts are allowed for the boyz. The server recommended 2-3 dishes for each person; tapas style. So naturally, we got the 6 dishes. 1st section or Appetizers: Steak tartar 3/5: read the reviews, was a must get item. Perhaps my expectations were too high but the steak was chewy and tough. The citrus flavor was delightful but I expected a better texture for a raw dish. Potatoes 5/5: might be the most surprising dish I had all night. Man! I still can't stop thinking about it. They smoked the potatoes and man did it absorb that smoke. I feel like I've had Texas bbq with less smoke than these POTATOES. 10/10 would recommend getting this dish. So much flavor and seasoned perfectly. You will not regret it; I swear it on my unborn child. 2nd section or Pastas: Peppered pasta 3/5: one of the signature dishes that they've had since day 1. Again, recommended highly on the internet. And again perhaps my expectations were too high. Was a bit on them heavy side and lacked flavor. I couldn't even taste the pepper :( and I love black pepper. However, noodles were done to PERFECTION. Pesto pasta 5/5: pecans, sourdough crumbs. The crunch was the surprise element in this dish! Amazing contrast to pasta. Again, gnocchi style noodles were done to perfection. 3rd section or "Meat forward" (their words not mine) Pork tenderloin: 4/5 my partner LOVED this dish. I probably would have too if I didn't stuff myself with the pastas. The flavors were balanced, reduction sauce was a beautiful purple-red and delicious, texture of the pork was amazing. Grouper: 5/5 how do they do it?? The smoke again! With the white, flakey tenderness of the fish. Wow. The fish was on a bed of black eyed peas and corn. Didn't feel like it did much but 10/10 would recommend getting it for the Smokey fish. Ugh so delicious. read more

Emmer & Rye - Potato dish - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Absolutely adored this place. It was packed at like 9:30 pm when we got a table... can understand why. Everything we got was lovely. The drinks - amazing. The bread dish - will blow your mind. Basically everything rocked. read more

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Come hungry...leave hungrier! Food is good but the portions are ridiculously small. You probably need 6 plates for 2 people to fill up. Order the bread service so you don't feel like you have to hit up a food truck on the way home. read more

Really tasty trendy brunch place. Went with the family for a birthday brunch the other day. I'm not crazy about Rainy Street or Downtown Austin much these days. Too congested and parking is a headache. We got a spot on the street though and walked two blocks over to a really bright and attractive restaurant. I'm happy we had brunch, because it was a different menu and I'd rather have a meal at that time than the usual small plates. I had a really tasty green corn griddle cake with ham and scrambled eggs (I chose this over a fried egg). The creamy sauce was delicious and all the items ended up mixing together just perfectly. The side kale salad was good too although kale is not my favorite. My companion had a delicious open Texas Toast sandwich with bacon, eggs and other tasty things on it as well. They have a nice dessert cart that comes around. I don't eat sugar, but had a tiny taste of the kolache and it was delicious. I would definitely go back! read more