always always enjoy the food here but keep forgetting to take pics because I'm always too hungry and dive right in, and THATS when I remember that I meant to! I have the chicken or tofu with the Thai veggie mix, brown rice and either Szechuan garlic sauce, teriyaki sauce, fire sauce or lemon basil. they're all good I swear. and I always order the spring rolls for appetizers. the portions are huge and service is pretty quick! the place is clean and so are the restrooms. I did take a pic in the restroom though and it's a hoot! check it out! read more

Fire Bowl Cafe - I would never have guessed! thanx for the warning! - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

While being admitted to the hospital, my wife and daughter came to visit me after their work. So I wanted to make sure they have a good meal waiting for them. So, I used Yelp to place my order thru Grub Hub and Fire Bowl Cafe. The food was great and fresh. The delivery was earlier than expected. Using Yelp to make this all possible was easy. read more

Finally asian food i can confidently eat because you have your allergen menu on your website! (Although the sesame chicken says it dosn't have sesame...)I have a sesame allergy so that makes it very difficult to have asian food. The pork eggrolls were delicious and huge! Everything we ordered was great and still hot and fresh after delivery! Will be ordering here often! read more

This used to be one of my favorite lunch places but I am very sad to say the food and service have gone far down hill. The last two visits resulted in me 1) returning my food because it tasted so bad, and 2) never getting served at all. After 1/2 hour wait, I simply gave up and asked for my money back. The restaurant was not crowded but the kitchen looked completely disorganized and a woman next to me at the counter was already complaining and asking for her money back as well. I am hoping they get back into their groove but I won't be going back until I read a few reviews indicating better service and food. read more

I love fire bowl cafe for a quick lunch or dinner. They have all your quick Asian cuisine fixes but the taste amazing.

The food was fresh and delicious. Ordered the orange chicken with lo mein noodles and a side of 2 crab rangoons. The service was quick and staff were friendly. I love their water cups. The water cup saved me while walking back to the hotel. Filled it up with ice and had ice chips in this 98 degree weather. I'd recommend this restaurant. It was very convenient located in walking distance from the renaissance hotel down the road. Check it out! read more

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Great ambience and friendly service. I accidentally mixed up an order and double ordered. But management was gracious enough to adjust the order for me when I paid. I appreciate their customer service even though I messed up! The space is very clean and updated. I like it a lot. Great for a nice, casual meal. Parking is sufficient. read more

The Food I Ate at Fire Bowl Was Not Good I ate lunch at Fire Bowl today and was ordered three dishes - Hot and sour soup - Pineapple fried rice - Stir fry your way with chicken, spring veggie mix and sczehuan garlic sauce The the only flavor I tasted in the pineapple fried rice was the oil it was cooked in. The chopped peanuts aded a nice texture, but the dish was incredibly bland. The hot and sour soup and stir fry shared a common characteristic - too much corn starch or arrow root thickening agent. I salvaged the soup by adding vinegar, pepper and soy sauce but it remained "nothing to write home to mama about." The stir fry was in a league of its own in terms of low quality. First, as previously mentioned, there was too much thickening agent in the sauce. In fact, other than some sort of coloring, that was the primary sauce constituent. I tasted no garlic or hot peppers. The texture of the chicken "told" me that it had been cooked and frozen, then recooked in the stir fry - it was dry and tough in a way that is characterized of twice cooked and frozen chicken. The vegetables and white rice were ok, but were ruined by the gelatinous, flavorless sauce. I spent most of my meal picking vegetables out of the sauce, but the two cups of rice in the bottom of the bowl was saturated in the yucky goop! read more

I hate using the race card. I don't like saying things like, "You should eat here. Trust me, I'm asian." or "This doesn't taste like my grandmother's cooking." People should make up their own damn mind about what they like. But seriously. Stats show that I'm genetically predisposed to scoring way higher than you in standardized tests, especially ones based on logic. So take my advice. Firebowl is kinda gross. Trust me. read more

First off, let me say I LOVE the Asian Slaw and Hot & Sour Soup at Firebowl; if this stuff could be injected into my arm, I would be the first in line to shoot up. I only wish there was a different location next to my work. I used to frequent the Great Hills location quite often, but the service wore on my patience over the last year. One person in particular, the GM Cindy (her last name begins with a C... Command or something??). She bastardizes her staff and is sour to costumers, especially via phone conversation. **RANT**: I order food for my company quite often (I am in the accounting dept so all transactions come through us) and I recently ordered some take out for my boss and I. I called Firebowl to place an order for pick up; a very monotone and disgruntled voice answered the phone. The voice was not too thrilled with my bosses written questions (which I verbally told her) regarding the food they offered. I asked the voice what her name was and she said asked me why? WHAT IS UP WITH THAT? Eventually she said Cindy and I remembered her from previous encounters at the restaurant; she is the one who hates the world, her face says it all. **END OF RANT** To make a long story short, this lovely blossom of a lady (Cindy) received a piece of my enraged mind that day on the phone regarding her etiquette and customer service. That is the last time I am going to that location for my weekly dose of hot and sour soup and Asian slaw. I pray the other locations do not employ self loathing GM's like her. PS. Has anyone else noticed that this location has new employees like every week?? I go there (used to go) quite often and they go through employees like crazy!! read more

I had to try Firebowl after all the rave reviews and I have to say I was disappointed. The quality of meat was just ok and unfortunately all the tastes just kind of become mushed together. So every bite came together to form a circus of blandness, the only bites that broke up the monotony were those that included the spicy peppers that I've been told you're not supposed to eat. The price was realitivly cheap, but the overall the food was bland even though I ordered the spiciest thing on the menu. The have a number of vegetarian options which is good. However according to my wife, hers was just as bland as mine. read more

Options make the world go round and at firebowl things are a-spinnin. Recently, I ordered the "stir fry your way" ... 1. Choose one: Chicken, tofu, beef, shrimp or scallops 2. Choose a vegetable mix: spring veggie or thai veggie 3. Choose a sauce from 11 4. Choose rice or noodles from 7 Fried Tofu with Spring Veggie Mix, Thai Yellow Curry sauce and flat rice chow fun all for $6.95. Deal. It was good but not spectacular. I have also gotten the pad thai in the past and it was good and also $6.95. Firebowl Cafe has a great idea and they provide a clean, efficient establishment. While I have not been "wowed" by a meal here, I would like to be, so I will return. Oh, important, they do not add MSG, they cook with 0g trans fat veg oil, and they have a gluten-free menu available. Fast and Healthy and only $6.95... they will probably get a 5th star from me soon. read more

Take-out... After 3 weird experiences, I would only recommend "take-out" for several reasons: * the Asian female manager - the only Asian female manager there * avoid the bitter Asian female manager - call in your order * did I say avoid the Asian female manager - send in a friend or roommate to pick up the order - and avoid the... Catch my drift? I really wish I could say this place was amazing - the food and menu items warrant the simple reasonable prices. Some items are over priced. However, the bad, awkward, and odd experiences of facing the manager is priceless. Go for entertainment... Some of the dishes are hit or miss. When you discover that one meal that works for you - stick with it - brown rice - hint, hint, - but avoid... In the end...Take-out! read more

Let me say this first: This place is totally NOT IDENTICAL to Pei Wei.... I love this place for the options, and they never, ever give me grief for my crazy substitutions. I love the drinks they have available in the fridge there. I love to come here when I crave something spicy, because they will always come through on the spiciness! Got stuffed up sinuses? Get them cleared out here. LOL Seriously, give this place a try. Come with an open mind. My favorite is the flat rice noodles. And don't be afraid to ask for something substituted, left out, or added! They aim to please. :) Oh, and don't be freaked out if there's a long line when you get there. It moves fairly quick. read more

Possibly one of the worst "Asian" meals I've had as long as I can recall. I ordered the veggie-Tofu bowl with the signature Fire Bowl sauce (when in Rome, right?). I mean if they're saying that this is THE sauce to get, I have to take their word for it. But when it arrived, I simply could not eat, much less finish the dish. The tomato-based sauce literally tasted like they dumped a jar of marinara and a few tablespoons of chili peppers. Swished in a melange of chinesey veggies like water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, more bamboo shoots, and more bamboo shoots, slathered it onto a bed of overcooked brown rice and called it a day. I'm still so grossed out by the meal that I can't really comment on the other aspects of this dining experience that left a lot to be desired. This is NOT Asian. I don't care that it's in Texas. There's no excuse and people shouldn't accept it as Asian. End of story. read more

I was willing to overlook the whole chain aspect of this place aspect because the menu looked so good, but I was ultimately disappointed. I got the soft tofu with veggies in kung pao sauce over brown rice - and it was just a step above inedible. The kung pao sauce tasted nothing like kung pao. The tofu was basically falling apart and just plain gross. There weren't a lot of vegetables, and the vegetable mix relied pretty heavily on canned water chestnuts. Yuck! The amount of broccoli and carrots was stingy - and they were prepared poorly anyway. The portion was huge, and it mostly relied on the brown rice for bulk. The rice was fine, but it's hard to screw that up. It certainly isn't worth coming here for that alone. read more

Have eaten here twice. Loved the pot stickers, coconut soup and the variety of ingredients to create what your palate is looking for.

Sometimes in life, you don't want surprises. You want to walk into a budget "Chinese" fast food place and know exactly what you're getting. And what you're getting is gonna be pretty damn tasty. Let's start with the Summer Spring Rolls. They're big, they're delicious, and there's no shrimp surprises. It's smooth sailing all the way, with a delicious peanut sauce to float your boat. (Check out that double metaphor.) Then there's the Coconut soup. Great on a cold day, or great when the AC is blasting, which it always is. It comes in a huge bowl filled with chicken and rice and cilantro and lime. Cruise on down to the "Stir Fry Your Way". I like to get the fattiest thing possible, usually chicken with peanut sauce and spring veggie mix with noodles. Hotcha! You always have a ton of leftovers, and you didn't break the bank. Now you have money left over for drugs and diapers. And it's located right next to the Arbor Theater. A cheaper date doesn't get any better than this. The crowd is usually business peeps who hate their life, annoying children, and soccer moms--a great slice of life. read more

If you like really poor generic food, you'll think Fire Bowl is the best ever! Even if you are in a hurray, there and REALLY want some "Asian" food, it doesn't pay to go to Fire Bowl. I have had to eat there twice because of some other un-imaginative associates with no taste really wanted to go to Fire Bowl. I had a dish they call Pad Thai, which is usually very nice at most Thai restaurants, but tastes like nothing at fire bowl. It more or less tasted like starchy paste with some peanuts. I am impressed that they can ruin a normally good dish to the extent that they did. read more

So, I know that I'll be scoffed at for giving a chain restaurant a four star rating. Why four stars? Don't I know that this isn't authentic Chinese food? Don't I know that it isn't hip to give chain restaurants decent and fair reviews? Sure I do. But that's the thing: I don't come here expecting authentic Chinese food. Giving a restaurant a bad review for not being something that they don't even claim on being is just ridiculous. So, onward and upward to my reasons for why this place is on my short list of places to go when I decide to eat out for lunch. The restaurant is clean and the staff is friendly and efficient. The condiment bar/drinks area was spotless even during the middle of the weekday lunch rush. Tables are cleared almost immediately after a patron leaves the restaurant, which makes the atmosphere even more enjoyable. (There are few things less unappealing than eating lunch while surrounded by tables filled with half-eaten food and soiled, crumpled napkins. Yuck.) The food is freshly made, and pretty tasty for what it is. They have pictures of the different types of noddles offered for their "build your own stirfry" menu. That might seem trite to some, but I don't always know noodle shapes and thickness by name alone. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't pick Firebowl as dinner choice for a night out with my sweetie, but for a quick lunch in the middle of a workday, it fits the bill just fine. read more

Stranded with a friend in the middle of the Arboretum and gripped by hunger pains that only could be brought on by hours of reading at Barnes and Noble, there was only one place within walking distance I could take this out of towner to. The Firebowl Caf. Across the street from the Arboretum and packed with everyone from business men holding lunches to teenagers eating alone with a magazine, this place was always bustling. Service was quick, I ordered at the counter and within minutes, before I could even pick out my fortune cookie, it arrived. It was hard for me to put into words and explain to my friend, my serious obsession with the Firebowl Caf. To be fair, every time I go I get the same thing. It never disappoints. Firebowl is part of the "pick a protein, veggie mix and sauce" Chinese food string of restaurants, but with style. And for those of you budget conscious eaters, I got dinner there and a drink for 8 bucks. Yeah. And It's kinda healthy for you too! I highly recommend the hot and sour soup. And yeah, the egg rolls... Actually I'm getting a little hungry right now... read more

Fresh hot food which is oddly much better than PF Changs directly across the street. Just goes to show an inexpensive option can be the foodie's best option. All depends on the kitchen. Fire bowl north is also much better than fire bowl south. I drive across town for this one. read more

Meh. I've given this place a shot three times, hoping that maybe, just maybe, I had ordered a non-optimal dish. Nope, they're just so sub-par. Every dish I've gotten was either lacking in flavor, or, in the case of take-out, just completely wrong. I'm not saying the food is inedible, but there are plenty of better options. It's got the feeling of a Pei-Wei, but without the great tasting food. read more

I don't know what I was thinking going here. The original plan was Chuy's but the parking lot was so packed that my boyfriend couldn't find a spot so this was our backup. HUGE MISTAKE. I got there really hungry, so in my moment of weakness, I ordered a Pad Thai bowl. I usually don't get Pad Thai at any pace but legit Thai restaurants, but I was hungry. And it was seriously the worst Pad Thai ever. EVER. There was no sauce on it whatsoever except soy sauce--who puts soy sauce on Pad Thai?! *head desk* The whole thing was just really bad and very, very salty. The chicken was cooked well, but it was so salty that it didn't even matter. I wouldn't go back. Stay away! Do yourself a favor and if you're into bowls like this, drive a little bit further down the road and go to Zen Japanese Food Fast. read more

I have lived nearly two blocks from Fire Bowl Cafe for about 4 months now. Everytime I drive by I think "I really got to eat there sometime". Well, yesterday I finally stopped by and had a bowl full of deliciousness. In my old town there was a establishment that had "rice bowls", and everyone in the city seemed to go crazy about it. Not me, I thought it was overpriced for a bowl of rice and some sauce that I could make at home. That experience is why I was hesitant to try Fire Bowl, I was worried about paying 16 dollars for a crappy bowl of rice, but they completely changed my views on this "genre". Fire Bowl is awesome! I will be visiting there plenty in the future. Complaints? Sure, I always have room for complaining..... .they don't have any other diet drink choice besides Diet Coke. Yuck. Also, they are a little on the expensive side for a bowl of rice..... read more

This place is about identical to Pei Wei, which is fine - I like Pei Wei, but I was expecting something a little more...well, fiery from Fire Bowl. I got the fried rice, because I wasn't feeling adventurous enough to make my own bowl. It seemed a little pricey to me, but I haven't had Asian in a while so maybe I'm forgetting how much it usually costs (plus the portions are huge). I think they used brown rice (?), which I found a little odd. That made the texture crunchier than what I'm used to. The chicken was ok, but the beef was stringy and the shrimp was inedible. In general it lacked flavor aside from the chives thrown on top. On the other hand, it was plenty of food for two meals. I boxed up about half of it and delivered it directly to the fridge after lunch. However, when I reheated it the next day, it smelled like rotting meat. It was completely disgusting, and frustrating because I feel like I paid enough for two meals. read more

The place looks nice. Trendy. Very clean. Its sort of a trendy gathering of several types of asian food. The dishes are attractive and look like they oughta be great! But then they aren't. The pad thai was mysteriously tasteless. Like, tasted like bland noodles with a few peanuts on top. And it was almost entirely noodles with nothing else. Hubby got a build your own noodle bowl that was similarly insipid. His Hot and Sour soup was meh, but my miso was actually pretty good. Took home my leftovers in case I got hungry later. I popped open the carton, had a few bites, then heated up a poptart instead. read more

Why is it so difficult to find a place that actually serves veggies? I got the General Tso's chicken and broccoli. You would think with a name like that, you would get BROCCOLI! I count exactly 6 pieces. Don't get me wring the massive pile o noodles is nice, but let's name it something other than what it is not. For a change, it is not swimming in sauce. That is a nice surprise from where it typically is served. read more

Food was good except they burned my cheese puffs. I normally dont check my food before I leave but after this I might have to. read more

Fire Bowl Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The Chicken Stirfry was really good i got the Spring Veggie Mix & Teriyaki Sauce and Brown Rice and I added a Egg Roll which was really good and I got a Fountain Drink which is 2.05 They Do not have Coke Zero but they do have Diet Coke The Staff was very nice and the food is pretty quick However I do not think they have Straws or they were out but anyway this place is great Check it out read more

I definitely wasn't impressed by fire bowl. with its location being so close to work, I was really hoping I would at least like this place, but it was just a huge letdown. I ended up ordering the Crab Rangoons for appetizer & I was very disappointed by how bland it was. the only thing that saved these was the mediocre sweet & sour dipping sauce. for my main course, I ordered the Tom Kha soup. Two complaints: the soup was bland & there just wasn't enough seafood to compliment the huge amount of vermicelli served with the soup. I'm afraid I will not be paying fire bowl another visit. read more

I think I single handedly killed the frequent eater card program at this place back when I lived in an apartment on Jollyville Rd. I could eat the spicy fried rice for lunch then come back for a noodle bowl for dinner. If they only made Asian migas! I highly recommend the Pad Thai, or a chicken stir fry with Udon noodles, or the sesame chicken, or heck, just about anything there is good. A little hint: You don't have to pick those 2 veggie combos when you're customizing a stir fry bowl, just tell them exactly what you want and sometimes they even have jalapeos. If you go to the one at La Frontera, you can pick out your own veggies from a little bar, but the one on Jollyville is better. read more

After being denied seeing Slumdog Millionaire for the 3rd time in a week because it was sold out (why I didn't order tix online is another story)...I thought in my hungry and angry state that a little Asian Fusion might cheer me up, after all I thoroughly enjoy Pei Wei and Mama Fu's...this place looks similar and the menu actually even looks better.... But alas...it was not so good. The food was totally bland and there was a ginormous cockroach on the patio with me. While I didn't experience this personally, my friend I was with nicknamed this place "Fire in the hole"...take that as you will... read more

My latest fortune reads, "Keep your plans secret for now." I work near this Fire Bowl Cafe. If I'm eating lunch alone, I sit at the counter and read a book while I eat. You order at the register. Sometimes I order General Tso's Chicken (chunks of fried chicken and brocolli over white or brown rice with a slightly sweet sauce) or Vermicelli Singapore (Vermicelli noodles with a spicy yellow sauce). The food isn't awesome but it's consistent and good enough for fast food. During the lunch hour, it's crowded and noisy. If you don't want noise, you can grab one of the outside tables. There's a big bowl of fortune cookies near the exit. Grab an extra one for your buddy or your sweetheart. read more

I wouldn't really call this "budget" Chinese like some other reviewers imply -- it's about mid-range price for lunch, usually $8 or so in total. It's tasty and quick, though (especially if I call in for pick up), so how can I resist? I usually get more or less the same thing: stir fry with tofu (soft or fried), spring veggie mix, brown rice, and light on the spicy peanut sauce. I then adorn this mixture with some sweet chili sauce over by the fortune cookie bowl. Last time I ate here, I did make the mistake of trying the pineapple fried rice for a change of pace. The variety of ingredients described on the menu sounded fantastic! But, surprise surprise, it was 90% ultra-greasy fried rice, 9% chicken and egg. The amount of pineapple, raisins, and veggies was nearly negligible. This is, however, the only "bad" food I've had at Firebowl and my dislike of it may be due to personal preferences more than it actually being un-tasty. That experience aside, however, the main downside of Firebowl is the prevalence of mediocre employees. The folks at the take-out counter are not usually the sharpest spoons in the knife drawer. That and there might be a line out the door for eat-in with only one person on register (they have two eat-in registers). Maybe this was just to stem the tide of orders hitting the kitchen, I dunno.. read more

The food is pretty good. It's consistent, if a bit pricey. The portions are decent. I generally get the pineapple fried rice, which is good enough but doesn't have a lot of flavor beyond the pineapple. Their coconut soup is really good, though. Eggrolls are meh, as are the crab rangoons. If they have what you want, it's certainly cheaper than Panda Express, and probably about as tasty. The service is somewhat dodgy. If you order in advance, you're supposed to go to the pick-up counter, which is on the other side of the regular counter, which is on the other side of a perpetual line that wraps around a blind corner. So, essentially, unless you're already aware, you're going to wait in line for 15 minutes only to find out you're in the wrong line. Hint: Go in through the patio for pickup. It goes straight up to the pickup counter. Be prepared to be ignored for a bit once you're there, though. They might give you a "be right with you", but you'll be standing there for at least five minutes or so for them to grab your order, which will be within an arm's reach behind them, turn back around, and ring it up. Multiple employees will walk by while you're being ignored, but they won't really talk to you, or step up to the register to give you your food. Sort of annoying considering most people who call in an order are in a bit of a hurry to get in and get out. Also worth mentioning is that this place is LOUD during lunch hours. I'm talking, can't hear yourself think loud. Not a good place for a quiet conversation, that's for sure. All of that said, sadly, I have not found a place that has better fried rice in Austin (except Masala Wok, but that's completely different), so I'll probably be back. Titaya's was better, but we all know what happened there. Actually, what the heck happened there? read more

Yeah, I just went there with the five stars. This place is several steps up from the Panda Express type fast-food. But it definitely holds it's own against most low and medium end restaurants as well and for the price, I think that's more better. Great edamame and hot and sour soup. If you're having sinus or allergy issues, get a big bowl of soup, it will clear you right up. I tend to avoid their formulaic dishes like Pad Thai and Orange Chicken, I find the stir fry much tastier. It's fresher, almost like the chefs like making it more. And you can mix and match to your heart's content. read more

Hands down WORST Pad Thai I have ever tasted. Threw away the entire thing after trying a bite of noodles and a bite of the chicken I purchased as an add on. Absolutely disgusting. Breading on the chicken was still raw in places. The noodles were dry. The rind of the included lime was brown. Even the cilantro used as a garnish was wilted. Microwave dinners from the dollar store are better than this place. 0/10 read more

Recommendations: * The stir fry with brown rice * Get the sauce on the side (they always overdo it) Pros: * Consistent food, above average Asian food for the price * I forgot to ask for food without a food alergy and they still replaced it for free Cons: * From experience you have to try a few things before you'll find something you like. The Pad Thai and a few others didn't work for me. There's a TV visible from a certain angle if you sit in a certain part of the restaurant that's always playing Fox News. It's fairly easy to escape save from during an extra busy lunch hour. read more

Really good semi-fast food asian food. If you're on a budget, try the edamae with a small bowl of soup spicy coconut soup. Wonderful stuff and under 6 bucks. My other favorite dish here is the pineapple fried rice with yellow curry. read more