Honestly, three and a half stars. That's the absolute truth for this place. There are times when it can feel like four and a half stars, and at times it can feel like two stars. I've eaten here multiple times, and I have to say, it doesn't live up to the price point. You end up walking away spending anywhere from $200 to $500 for two people. I mean, that meal should blow your effing mind, but this just leaves you feeling like there were a lot of hits and misses, and sometimes you go and the drinks are amazing, and sometimes you go and the drinks are just meh, whatever. I think they change their menu too often to the point where they're trying to deliver fresh new menu concepts but forget what actually tastes like a homerun. So, ultimately, I think you'd be better off finding a different place to eat for this amount of money. read more

One of the best meals I've ever had in my entire life. We did multiple plates and shared everything. I honestly could not choose a favorite. We had Pan de cristal, milhojas, oysters (omg the smoked chili and grilled lime ), Berkshire pork chop, wagyu New York strip, & chocolate mousse. Make your reservation ASAP. You can thank me later! read more

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Review is for the takeout Valentine's meal kit. This was superb - hands down the best meal I've had from a takeout service in all of quarantine. There was a little bit of assembly required. Every morsel of food was super delicious, whether it was top of the line seafood like caviar and crab, freshly grilled wagyu steak, or just simple roasted veggies. Included: - Caviar crackers: salty, creamy, crisp, everything you could want! one of my favs - Buttered rolls with crab: sooo buttery and full of fresh huge crab meat, also one of my favs - Salad with roasted beets: refreshing but hearty. I love beets so this was also one of my favs... sensing a pattern? - Crudo: fresh fish, yummy, and refreshing - Roasted potato with cream sauce: sooo good we licked the plate (hey... we're at home!) - Roasted lettuce: Surprisingly tasty, charred, and saucy - Wagyu: Getting full... but so rich and a huge steak! - Chocolate truffles: Rich, but not too sweet. I saved mine for the next day! I can't wait to dine in when it's safe to do so! Hestia was opened by the same owners of Emmer and Rye, which we actually dined at in 2020 for Valentine's day. We left that meal hungry, ordering takeout pizza after our $400 meal. Hestia's take home version was $200 ($260 with add ons) before tax/tip and was extremely filling. If there is a special occasion coming up, Hestia will not disappoint, even if you don't feel comfortable eating out in restaurants yet! Plus, you can drink your own wine at home ;) Trust the process and you'll have a delicious and hearty meal. read more

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Another delicious interesting restaurant in the books. The food is inspired by their hearth, as Hestia is goddess of the hearth. I went with friends who knew what to order. We got the smoked crab tart ($8/tiny tart, so a little pricey but packed with evolving flavors), pan de cristal, Texas wagyu beef tartare, red ranger chicken, and dry aged Texas wagyu NY strip. For dessert, we got the sourdough ice cream (so unique!) and peach kakigori. Recommend them all but my favorites were the pan de cristal with the tartare, the chicken was so juicy but with a crisp exterior, and the sourdough ice cream. read more

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Absolutely amazing! One of the most flavorful dinners I've had in a while. I'm not sure I can say enough about this place and their service and flavors. I eat mostly plant based so my options were limited but delicious. I had the vegan mushroom entree which was unbelievable. The depths of flavors was so good! My friend had the halibut and while I didn't taste it, the aroma was so lovely! I will most definitely return here when visiting Austin and highly recommend it! read more

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5 stars for service. 3-4 stars for food. This is going to be a bit of a long review, so bear with me because I really want to document my experience at Hestia. I've had Hestia in my Yelp bookmarks for a while. I honestly didn't think much of it when I added it to my collection. It looked like a nice restaurant, and it had pretty good reviews. When my boyfriend told me he wanted to take me out as a way to celebrate the end of our summer internships, I didn't think much about it either. I saw "Hestia" on a sign next to the door, and I exclaimed to my boyfriend that this restaurant was in my Yelp bookmarks, to which he responded, "I know." I was really excited. When we were seated, I noticed our server didn't bring us a food menu, and I even wondered aloud why we had not gotten one. My boyfriend then told me it was a 12-course tasting menu. "Oh." I was shocked. I knew from that moment on that we were in for an interesting food experience. Firstly, I will say that Hestia does an excellent job of training its servers. Every single person who visited our table that night was incredibly polite, attentive, and could explain each dish with nuanced detail. Our server had asked us if we were visiting for a special occasion, and when we told him, he gave us complimentary champagne at the end of the night to pair with our desserts. I wish that I could rate Hestia higher in terms of food because it was such a special and unique food experience, but I was unimpressed with quite a few of the dishes. They bring out little postcards of an oil painting and the name of the dish that is to follow, and I thought that was a really cool touch. Our server even gave me the little postcards in a nice envelope for me to take home, so it'll be a souvenir for me to remember my time here. 1. "snacks" - I really enjoyed this one. Each little snack was interesting and well done. My favorite was the oyster. 2. "nopales" - not a fan. It was pretty underwhelming, and it sat in a lot of oil. 3. "beef" - my boyfriend's and my favorite. I wanted to eat this one again and again. It was a perfect bite, and the meat was so tender and fatty. 4. "crab" - I loved this one. It was so unique, and I like how when they bring it out to you, you can see the solid gelatin shape. As you're eating, you'll see the gelatin melt into the broth that coats each piece of alaskan king crab so well. 5. "skewers" - immaculate. This was one of my favorites. The pork belly was incredible, fatty, and melted in your mouth. The mushroom was also delicious, and I am not even a fan of mushrooms. The fig was my least favorite. I don't like certain cheeses that taste almost rancid, and this one had a bit of preserved cheese that left a bad taste in my mouth. 5. "scallop" - my boyfriend didn't like this one. He thought it reminded him of the taste of string cheese, but I couldn't see it. I also think it was just okay, and the sauce was a bit strange to me. 6. "sourdough" - best. bread. ever. It's freshly baked, so you can taste how the interior of the bread is slightly sticky when you bite into it. The butter is awesome, and I wish I could have this bread every single day. 7. "halibut" - I thought it was just okay. Each bite of fish is really flaky and buttery, but I have never been a huge fish person, so it definitely wasn't my favorite. 8. I can't remember what this was called, but it was a little cracker with slightly seared beef. It was awesome. I loved it. 9. "purslane" 10. "steak" - My boyfriend LOVED this one. I liked it, but I have always felt that steak gets tiring after a while. However, it was cooked perfectly and was really tender. I didn't like the truffle mushroom that came with it. 12. "bubble & smoke" - really cool concept for a dessert. I love, love, love panna cotta, and this one was amazing. It was so creamy, light, and the tart blueberries was a perfect balance to the sweet panna cotta. 12. "sorbet" - this was really good, but there were way too many rice puffers. I wish that I didn't have to eat so many in every bite. read more

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Was looking through yelp preparing myself to eat out again after this quarantine and saw that i had forgotten to write this review awhile back. Unfortunately I've forgotten the little details but the beautiful pictures are still there! You can definitely see that steak was cooked perfectly damn*t. Pretty much everything we ordered was very good if I recall correctly. Cocktails were well made and i recall appreciating the servers help with picking drinks as well as creating our own custom one. My buddy grills and smokes food all the time and he was equally impressed. Some detractions that prevent 5 stars, a little salty on some parts and the seafood wasnt on par with the rest. Again, sorry it's been awhile so it's hard for me to go into details. I do think hestia has entered "must try" status for friends and family. Service and ambiance are excellent, they were new at the time which led to people hanging around so reservations got backed up a bit, i didn't mind so much, they have a nice bar area that's considered another restaurant. I'll be back soon to try the entire freaking menu anyways. I feel like they should get a 4.5 stars but I'll round up this time in hopes they stick around. read more

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It was the Service and then the food. Walked in the back door and was immediately met with server Pete that introduced himself, shook my hand, and made sure I had a seat at the bar. I Started with one crab tartlet but then quickly determined I needed a second. The main entree was the pork shoulder, very good, tender, with a slight smokey flavor but It was the 3 side relishes that really enhanced the dish. The evening was topped by a wine distributor, on business in Austin, that sat on the seat next to me and provided insight to my next favorite red. read more

My husband and I visited Hestia last night and I wanted to write a bit about our meal. We didn't get the Chef's tasting last night, but we will be back for it in the future. I found the food magical and adventurous. The ambiance was perfect. We sat outside and the temperature was ideal with a slight chill from the night and the warmth overhead heaters. The smell of the fire and the music was intoxicating and added to scene. We had the warm crab which was a lovely amuse-bouche, followed by the charred broccoli. We really enjoyed the broccoli with its crispy edges and citrus undertones that cut through. The caviar was served with thin, delicate crisps and atop a warm thick buckwheat pancake. It was delicious and transported me to an underwater excursion in my mind. The buckwheat pancake was delicious as a standalone and had a mild sweetness and the juxtaposition of the warm pancake against the cool deep sea caviar was fun and unexpected. The wagyu sirloin had a thick charred crust and was velvety and decadent on the inside. It was impeccably done and the celery side dishes paired well with it. The thyme ice cream inside the crunchy shell was unique, smooth, and undeniably tasty. The wine was a blend with Pinot Noir and Burgundy and was the best, lightest red I've ever tasted. Overall my experience was fabulous and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a dining experience unlike any other. read more

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Great food and great service. We had the scallop, oysters, beef tartare, halibut and pork chop and they were all amazing! Hestia is probably one of our favorites since moving to Austin. Ps. Must try their Kakigory. read more

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Seafood dishes - Halibut and Scallop + Texas Wagyu are great ! Others - the flavor are too complex . read more

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Hestia seemed like the hot place to dine in Austin, and when browsing their menu, I thought I would want one of everything on it, which is how I decided on coming here. The vibe is modern and lively with a great playlist. Indoor and outdoor patio dining are available. They have a full bar. The wine list is pretty extensive, but since I was dining solo, I had to stick to the by the glass list. I went with a 2020 Burgundy and a Bordeaux, which complemented my dishes perfectly. I was so tempted to do their tasting menu, but I was in town for work and was dining solo, and I guess I don't enjoy my own company enough to do a full tasting menu by myself! That said, I kind of created my own tasting menu with smaller bites, and they were nice enough to do a half portion of the scallops for me (normally, it's 2 per order). 1. Smoked crab tart: a single bite, topped with lemon gelée, avocado, nori powder - this was like a flavor bomb with the umami nori and a bit of acid from the gelee, and the thin tart added nice crunch 2. Wagyu tartare: less traditional, with horseradish aioli, mustard greens, smoked mushroom, mushroom miso lavash. The smoked mushrooms went remarkably well with the beef 3. Scallop: served in the shell, with beef tallow, shoyu, kohlrabi - there's a reason everyone gets this. The super sweet scallop is seared perfectly, and the accompanying gelee has such intense savoriness that it reminded me of a soup powder packet from some instant ramen (in a good way) 4. Maitake mushroom: this was one of the entrees. Though it was vegetarian, it was pretty hearty. The smoked mushrooms sat on top of sweet potato purée and were topped with an apple & pepita gremolata, crispy sweet potatoes, and brunost cheese (not something you see often) 5. Sourdough ice cream: with buckwheat shoyu caramel, a tomato and orange jam, and fermented tomato powder. Not too sweet, well balanced with nuttiness, fruit, and creaminess. I actually really wanted the kakigori, but there's no way I could finish the shaved ice concoction by myself. The sourdough ice cream did not disappoint! I highly recommend the tasting menu or coming with more people so that you can try more dishes. I certainly wish I could have tried more things. I'm glad I got to experience Hestia from the well known local restaurant group. Every dish was on point with flavors, highlighting seasonal ingredients and the wood fired grill. If you're in Austin, try to get a dinner reservation here! read more

This was our third time to Hestia and the food was great all three times. The first two times, the service was exceptional, quite possibly the best I've had in Austin. However, this last time we went, the service was truly horrendous and our server was quite rude to us. I've never experienced anything quite like we did and I'm super bummed because it was previously one of our favorite spots in Austin. We won't be going back anytime soon, sadly, and genuinely hope no one else experiences what we did and that it was just a one off. read more

The goddess would not be pleased. They use her name, practice her craft and use hearth as their cooking apparatus, no gas or electricity. That's one of the interesting things about this restaurant. You can see a whole display of wood logs in front. One other interesting thing was that silverware is kept in a drawer underneath the table which is somewhat inconvenient for some people (my friend) to get utensils. There are so more stages to this meal than in an Italian restaurant: snack bar, crudo, small plate, and then entree. You are recommended to eat like the Greek: 2 or 3 snack bars, 1 crudo, 1 small plate, and an entree. The food is mostly either bland or salty. Snack bar: - scallop herb sandie: nice presentation and fun to eat. - Shrimp cabbage: the cabbage overwhelms the shrimp. overall, ok dish Crudo: - fluke crudo: the thin cake to eat with the crudo is fun. I think the crudo needs more flavor. The fish only offers texture. Small Plate: - Wagyu tartare: the herb on top overpowers everything and it's a bit salty - Norwegian king crab: the crab is overcooked and salty Entree: - Beef shank: The beef is tender. You taste pure beef with little seasoning. The hoisin sauce is salty - Red range chicken: the skin is salty but the meat is juicy. Dessert: - Glorified shaved ice. It was an ok experience. I like the idea of hearth cooking but it has room for improvement. I'll come back to give them a second chance. read more

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Came here for a birthday dinner and order a few dishes off the menu. This is a spot to visit if your celebrating something. Ambience and service is fantastic too. read more

Food was fine, definitely not worth what they are charging. The greeting from the hostess was that we needed to wear a mask from the hostess stand for 15 feet to our table where they sat us 4 feet from the next table where we all did not wear masks for 2 hours. What are you trying to accomplish here? Aren't we over this nonsense? I almost left and really wish that I had. The actual dinner service was good. For the price the food was underwhelming. I won't be back due to the arrogant virtue signaling. Your asking your client to wear a mask while walking 15 feet, get a life. By the way I could see your kitchen had 2 chefs not wearing masks. read more

3.5 Food: 7.5/10 Drinks: 6/10 Service: 9/10 Ambiance: 10/10 The first time we went, amazing! The second time we went, underwhelming. Will probably give it a third try, but not excited to go back. read more

When you come in the servers tell you all-out Hestia being the goddess of fire and blah blah about the focus on fire. Too bad none of that lived up to the hype. Themeat wasn't smoky and also lacked any real char you'd expect. It was confusing. Servers were nice, food needs work. read more

I celebrated my 3 year marriage anniversary and the staff was so welcoming and excited to have us. The food was splendid. You can tell that all the ingredients are made in house . As soon as you walk to the restaurant the ambiance is upscale with dim lights . Definitely a place that I would go back to read more

I thought Hestia was "good", but not "great"... I'd read and heard so many good things about the food, I guess I set the standard a little high. I will say it is a good place for date night and the service was FANTASTIC! I've only been one time so I need to go back to see if the menu and food execution is better. My wife had the same reaction... Worth trying but set your expectations low and you'll have a good expiernce (hopefully). Oh did I mention the service was fantastic? LOL. Enjoy! read more

We live in New York and visit Austin yearly. Hestia is always a special treat! Food is wonderful and service is top notch. I would say on a previous visit I had ordered the pork chop and found it unsatisfying, so I don't order it anymore. read more

This review is solely for EJ. Such an incredible bartender! Our whole experience was elevated solely by them. Such a fun night out because the whole presentation and vibe was amazing. We will be seeing them every Tuesday for 'tini's read more

This is a great spot for a special occasion or a super fancy date night. A very experiential dining experience with excellent service and an amazing, modern ambiance. It took us a while to get seated despite having a reservation -- we were waiting at the hostess stand for several minutes before someone walked up to help us. However, once we were seated the experience and service was amazing. We ordered several things on the menu: pan de cristal, milhojas, scallop, halibut, red ranger chicken, sourdough buttermilk ice cream, and drinks. I found the sauce on the halibut to be overpowering and the sourdough ice cream was a bit runny and underwhelming, but everything else was fantastic. The presentation for everything we ordered was perfection as well. In all, this is a great upscale restaurant for anyone looking for that kind of vibe. read more

We came for dinner and decided to try the tasting menu which was $150/person. One thing to note is that if you want to do the tasting menu then all parties at the table need to do it as well. The food experience was great overall. My dinner guest really enjoyed the beef tartare which I did not. It smelled very "beefy" (yes, I know it's raw beef) but continued to try it and I could not get behind the taste. I'm a huge fan of steak tartare so I was quite disappointed in this. Definitely enjoyed the tomato tart, shrimp crudo (amazing!), and the cocktails were a hit one after another. The lion's mane mushroom dish was a bit too salty for my liking but still good. In retrospect, we wish we hadn't done the tasting menu and just ordered ourselves but we wanted to see how their tasting menu would be as that's usually the highlight dishes. I do think the place is a bit overpriced for their menu. We're no strangers to fine dining and although this was a great experience it was not at the price point of other comparable food experiences. May come back again and try some of the other dishes but will absolutely be back for the cocktails. read more

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WOW. The only word that comes to mind when I think of Hestia. It is not just another Austin restaurant - it is a labor of love. From the moment you sit down in the dining room, you know you're in for a treat. The ambiance is sexy, the menu is wild and you feel like the Hestia staff is welcoming you into their home. The snacks are AMAZING single bites that give you a little teaser of what's to come. The crudos are a great and fresh way to refresh your palette before the small plates and entrees. The fried bay leaf with scallops is out of this world! The broccoli is grilled to perfection and the Parker House Rolls?! You have to try everything. The real stand out of our meal was the dessert! We were fortunate enough to have met the pastry chef responsible for them, Tavel, and HOLY SMOKES. His smore dessert is a treat. The shaved ice with honey ice cream is out of this world and his sweet potato bread roll was like a creamsicle on a hot day. He's so sweet and took time on a busy Friday night to tell us about the food we ate and the desserts he created. You will NOT be disappointed in Hestia, especially if you try the desserts. read more

Hestia - Tavel's sweet potato ice cream roll bread! - New American Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The food is amazing. The staff is nice, friendly, and very informative. Menu is made for sharing. read more

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Hestia is a rare experience. I felt like I was in a episode of Chefs Table ( Netflix). This is a great date night place, or a great place to go when you want to have a memorable experience. All my senses were engaged here, the food is truly art. The staff are knowledgeable and accommodating. I asked for recommendations and was always steered to great choices. You just can't go wrong choosing Hestia. This is a chic yet comfortable experience. read more

Loved the atmosphere of this place!! The food is sssooo unique, love the different flavors. I'm giving it 3 stars because we spent over $200 (2 people) and ended up getting dessert around the corner because we were still hungry. read more

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This place has been on my list forever and I'm so happy I finally got time to go! Made a reservation online. Service was amazing and so friendly, and they did a wonderful job tidying between courses and explaining each dish. Our table got the chef's tasting menu which has 11 items. I was absolutely full by the end I couldn't eat another bite. Perfect portions. read more

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I had an incredible meal with impeccable service. I strongly recommend. Make your reservations in advance to ensure you get to have this amazing experience. read more

INCREDIBLE birthday dinner :) I can't even express how good the food is...just...wow! Especially the seafood- the scallops and halibut were to diiiiie forrrrr. Service was amazing. Perfect place to celebrate! read more

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I always enjoy the chefs tasting menu here. It rotates. The wine pairing is also enjoyable. The service is very good as well. I've never had a bad experience here. read more

Not much of a fine diner but Hestia blew me out away. Everything was absolutely incredible. We had the tomato tarts, beef carpaccio, halibut, pork chops and my personal favorite: the sourdough ice cream. I'm a little sensitive to salt so I feel the beef carpaccio and halibut were slightly over seasoned but still incredible. The ice cream was so unique and arguable the best dessert I've ever eaten. Ever. I also used to work in a test kitchen so that's saying a lot! read more

Hestia - Halibut - New American Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Was okay. I had the wagyu steak for my entree and the scallops for appetizer which were both amazing. Winners for the table. However, my husband and sisters (who is vegetarian) entrees and apps were just okay. It's very expensive for typical small amounts of food. We were sat about 20-30 minutes after our reservation and the drink menu was just okay. Nothing great, wine is insanely overpriced. The wagyu steak was amazing but will not be coming back again. read more

So it was my wife's birthday and the food was amazing. BUT, the server we had turned negative right after he recommended a $280 / bottle wine and I said I'd think about it. Server actually made my wife so upset over the next 1/2 hour that she cried. Tried to roll with it but might not go back so quickly (service) read more

Words cannot express what an amazing experience Hestia provides. Not only is the food great, but the level of service provided by the kitchen, server, bartenders and management team were nothing short of exceptional. I don't mean to belabor the point here, but I want to state that this is the best service I have ever received when dining in a restaurant. I will be sure to come back to enjoy the remarkable cocktails, intimate atmosphere and delectable entrees. Special shout-out to Valentina, RJ, Julian and Kate for making our dining experience one to remember! MAKE SURE TO TRY THE DESSERT. The Matcha Lavender Kakigori is out of this world. Do not miss out on this incredible combination. 10/10 would dine again read more

Wow! If ypu are looking for a food experience... this is it! We had the blustered peppers while waiting for a table. They were great. The halibut was out of this world, We ordered several small plates as well as the pork chop. Everything was great!!! read more

Impeccable service. Not everyone who eats here came up in Minneapolis. If this was 2006 Id give an extra star. Be more fearless, Hestia. Best plate we had was the beets. Dessert was #2. Oysters were bastardized beyond recognition. Might has well have been from the gulf with all the crap loaded on them. Respect to the pork chop recommended med rare and the fernet pours. Get off your high horse and expand the wbg. Matt McCalister at Homewood in DFW is killing these guys with ingenuity and seasonal prowess. The amazing wine list sells itself without some trumped up sommelier uncorcking the bottle you already ordered. Be fearless with food. The rest falls into line. It seems like the chef is bridaled by ownership. Let them get nasty. Why else would we pay the money? read more

Favorite area in Downtown. Smoky menu were so delicious. Atmosphere was also outstanding. Great seafood menu and perfectly cooked. However, dessert was not that good.. read more

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Solid ambiance, food, and overall experience. Ultimately, a few clicks too expensive for what it was. read more