Between 2 and 3 stars. Clearly, the thing to do here is to sit outside and drink. And that doesn't make a ton of sense because it's far from everything, you more or less have to drive there. However, I took a couple of friends from out of town here and we were really hungover, and we didn't drink a thing. And we sat inside. The food is truly horrid. I got fish tacos and they were disgusting. I thought I was going to throw up. The beans on the side were cold and straight out of some can. My buddy said his hamburger was one of the worst hamburgers he's ever had. The service is good, and outside looked fun, thus the higher rating. But I won't come here often, if I go again. read more

It's okay at best,,,, very commercial. The bar staff was friendly but her boss was rude to her and I'm not sure why because we were being taken care of. Just your average grub which wasn't bad but no good either. read more

I have hated this restaurant for years! Every time I went it was SOOOoooooooo noisy and uncomfortably packed- the wait to eat was not worth it! BUT today I found out the secret- You have to go mid week in the middle of the day and then it's GREAT!! If you throw chips over the side to the ducks you will see these prehistoric looking Carp that are 2 1/2 to 3 feet long.... and no the drinks weren't that stiff that I was seeing large fish- it was for real! read more

I went to the Hula Hut twice. I think the view is the only reason this place is popular. The food and the service are way overrated. You'd be happier going to Billy's on Burnet, The Tavern, or Austin Java. read more

Ok my friend took me here for the first time and the food was delicious, I got the bbq chicken tacos and yumm! My only complaint is that there was a 45 minute wait so we ended up sitting at the bar which didn't end up being so bad. I'd recommend going here just get there early! read more

I've only eaten the fajitas here...definitely a fan of them. They make their tortillas fresh...so good! You can drive your boat right up to the dock and enjoy some good food. Great relaxing place on the waterfront. Enjoy some drinks and fajitas! Can be busy at times which results in an hour wait. read more

I would give this more stars but I made the mistake of sitting outside 1 time in the summer. There were a few birds hanging out over us. I seem to be a bird poop magnet! A bird pooped right on my chicken sandwich. The waiter offered to get me a new one even though I had already eaten 3/4 of it, free of charge. But I had lost my appetite after my dad cut off the portion of the sandwich that didn't have poo on it and proceeded to eat it. Gross! haha! It's a really fun place to go, despite the bird poop fiasco! The food is just ok in my opinion, but I still like to go here none the less. read more

Foods awesome, and you certainly can't beat that view.. On a nice sunny day, theres no where in Austin better to hangout and have a few cold ones. No joke, next time im in Austin, itll definately be my first stop. read more

The food was ok, but all I can think about was the disgusting tabletop. Their small tables are covered in some kind of shelf paper/contact paper that is peeling up at the edges. Combine this with the filth of every diner before you and these curled up edges are a black, sticky petri dish of disgusting. Why would you want to dine at such a dirty, unkempt table? With as crowded as this place was, you'd think they could spring for new tables and chairs. I won't be back. read more

Good food, great drinks, beautiful view, great ambience potential. However, the service is mediocre. Hostess gave me attitude when i didn't care for her first table selection and our waiter was a miserable fellow that treated us like we were bothering him. If it wasn't for the bus boy (man) that filled my soda glass and refilled my chips bowl this would be a negative review. Food was good enough to give this place a second chance next time I'm in town. Stay tuned... read more

Great food and great scenery! Perfect place to have a margarita overlooking lake Austin. Their queso and fajitas are outstanding. Highly recommended for the tex-mex lover! read more

Kinda touristy/kitchy, but very tasty. Better than Chuy's. Tastes like they put pineapple juice in the salsa. Tubular tacos are good. Fried ice cream is great. read more

What's not to like about hanging out on the pier watching the boats come and go while sipping on an adult beverage and snacking on appetizers? read more

Location is great but 2 out of 3 times I went the staff was rude, didn't pay attention and ignored my requests (for water!!!). Good news, there is a bunch of spots right next to it, so you can get up and find a better place for your money. read more

Great food! Great view and nice service. Friendly atmosphere. Must visit this place when you are in Austin!

Very beautiful scenery, margaritas are really good. Menu is unique and "fun", But the food overall is just "okay"! (Last visits food was better, not sure if it was what we ordered or preparation" read more

What a great place to eat specially during spring/summer. This place reminds me of places I've eaten at back in the Southern California. There nothing that beats eating al fresco. There are not many restaurants like this in Austin. The food was delicious along with the friendly service. One thing though, there are a bunch of teenagers running around in large groups along with their parents who don't know how to discipline them. They think that they are the only ones in the restaurant. read more

LOVE this restaurant! The ambience is amazing and the food was surprisingly delicious. CAUTION: If you're not a fan of ridiculously sweet drinks do NOT order their margaritas or Texan Martinis. So syrupy sweet we couldn't drink them. On the other hand their strawberry- coconut mojito is truly fantastic. read more

Love the atmosphere, can get crowded at times but the food is great. Sitting outside and watching the boats is relaxing.

Hula hut usually is the place I take friends and family from out of town. They disappointed tonight!

I primarily chose this place because of its location, because I love eating by water. I ordered the weekender with beef and I was surprised by size of that thing. It's really big and delicious. We also had surprise guest dropping by also as two beautiful swans came and hung around right by where I was seating. read more

Pretty average made better by the view. Not sure this place would be a big deal if weren't located where it is. The food was decent and the service was fine. I didn't care for the salsa. It was too runny. Every dip left juice spilling on the table as the liquid ran off the chip. I did like their version of beans for the side and the queso was good. They had a feature that night and at 7pm had ran out of pork taking the feature and about 4 other items off the menu. There is a fine line between rustic & run down / dirty. More than once, looking around, I felt this place was on the wrong side of that line. read more

Everyone who visits us some out of town loves to go there. It has a great view and the food is way too delicious. My favorite is the shrimp pipeline enchiladas. And the key lime pie to end might just be the best key lime pie you ever had! read more

I enjoy visits to Hula Hut when near Austin. The view combined with great food at decent prices Is a winner every time. I had the pork tacos and they were perfect! read more

Lost a star because nobody told us they only serve appetizers on the deck so we sat there for 30 minutes after the waiter brought our drinks wondering why we didn't get menus or silverware. Oh well. When we did get into the outdoor dining area they sat us at the worst table possible, right at the kitchen doors with constant traffic and noise. We did get moved and after that everything was great. Food was so good and our waiter was fantastic. read more

Poor food and poorer service. Far away from authentic mexican food. Server was stoned! Bartender and another server were throwing ice cubes to each other. The food and drinks are not worth the price. read more

Excellent. We went on a beautiful Saturday afternoon so I was expecting a long wait. They told us 1 hour and it only took 45 minutes. The food came out very quickly. All the servers were very nice. Atmosphere (as others have said) is very nice to be outdoors by the water. Ribs were good. Fajitas were good. Drinks good. read more

I came here with a friend this week and we sat outside at the bar. The food was alright, but we were so distracted by the 4 SPIDERS that were climbing up and down on their webs in the grass umbrella over our table. There were a few that were mere inches above us at times before they scurried up their web again. Really gross and took my appetite away completely. read more

This was my first and last time to Hula Hut. My family wanted to enjoy a meal on the lake, so we thought we would give it a try. The food was just okay, but the service is what is making this a two star experience. I'm sad to say this was probably the worst service I've had in Austin. No one seemed to have a clue what was going on. Just plain overall bad experience. read more

Came here for the first time while visiting Austin m. Loved the Chile con queso compuesto dip (it came with fajitas, guacamole, and pico de gallo) our server was amazing, we were half way done with our chips and she brought us out a fresh basket of chips. She often refilled our drinks and was constantly checking in on us. Loved the atmosphere, the view of the lake was not what I was expecting but I'm sure it looks better in the evening. I will definitely visit again before leaving however this time I'll visit on the evening and sit outside for some drinks! read more

Good food and drinks, great view, but the worst service I've ever had the server was completely inattentive. My $10.50 margarita sat at the bar for at least 30 min. The bartender could have easily walked it over but didn't. By the time I got it I didn't even want to order food. The server never apologized and when he did bring it he just dropped it and left. It felt like he was avoiding our table. I was really looking forward to this restaurant as we came from out of town and am very disappointed in our experience. read more

Tragic. Tourist place. Bad food. Bad service. Yelp requires more words. So I will they treated my pre- teens with veiled disgust

Idiot managers act like they've never managed a restaurant before. ALWAYS OVERSCHEDULE AND CUT ACCORDINGLY. What? You've never worked in a restaurant before? You're killing your staff. I wondered why everyone had such a bad attitude and it's because their managers set them up for FAILURE. Walked in and first thing I see is a little Hispanic lady on her phone with a bus tub. I think she was the fill-in for having no busses. BUT SHE WAS ON HER PHONE, so essentially she's useless. We walk outside to the patio on this beautiful day and there's 5 dirty tables and a line of small tops. Homie cleaning the tables decides the big top needs to be done first. Then when I ask the red head with the worst attitude of all that we would like a booth and pointed by the water, she stormed off and was slamming stuff on the table. Didn't bother to give us menus or have the dude wipe the table. Had to ask him myself. Some guy who needs to button his shirt up higher came by and asked if we wanted menus. Like "no we're just sitting here for no reason." Of course we want menus. Then the best staff member we came across was our server and she was PREGNANT. If she can keep a smile on her face in the chaos, anyone can. Our ticket said her name was burrow I believe. I'm guessing that was her last name. Bless her heart she was the sweetest and most attentive server I could ask for. Quit setting up this great server for failure, management!!! She deserves better! You are fortunate to have a great location, USE IT AND RESPECT IT. I'll give HH another chance but I do not want this service again. Better luck next time. read more

Not accommodating to those with food allergies at all!!!!! I understand that I have a lot of limitations and am always overly nice because I know how much of an inconvenience it is. I don't need all the stops pulled out for me, just something simple that won't end up making me sick. I have never been made to feel so bad about my allergies by eating at a restaurant as I was at Hula Hut. The waiter basically said I couldn't eat at all and when I asked to speak to a manger he went out of his way to make me feel bad. He eventually ended up saying that they could saute some shrimp for me separately and when he brought it over to the table he raised his voice to announce to the entire table that "they do not normally do this but he was willing to jump behind the line and do this for me this time". It was completely embarrassing and demeaning. read more

My family and I are visiting Austin for the UT vs USC game and my mom wanted us to stop and one of her favorite restaurants from college. When we got out of the car, we were greeted by the smell of poop. Kind of lost my appetite, but I love food so I fought through it. Once we walked into the actual restaurant it smelled greasy and like a normal tex-mex restaurant. We were seated immediately by a big window with a great view of the lake. We ordered Chile con Queso for an appetizer. It was very good! It had a kick to it and it was nice and creamy. For dinner we ordered, Beef Quesadillas (2/5), two orders of the Slow Roasted Pork Tacos (4/5), the Open Faced Tuna Tacos (4/5), and the Chicken & Guacamole Tubular Taco (3/5). The Beef Quesadillas were not very good. The meat was okay and the cheese was eh. They weren't very good and that's a little strange since it's one of the easiest tex-mex foods to make. The Slow Roasted Pork Tacos were amazing. They were so juicy, flavorful, and spicy. I would definitely recommend getting these if it's your first time here. The Open Faced Tuna Tacos were very good as well. They had a lot of flavor, but if you don't like fish then don't get these tacos. Finally, the Chicken & Guacamole Tubular Taco. This taco is a foot long and isn't very good. It's too big and there's too much stuff inside. It's more like a burrito than a taco, but if you like a lot of food order this. I would come back here though and hopefully be able to sit outside. It was raining when we came. Also, try not to get a table under the vents; there's a lot of condensation dripping down. read more

I went there about 3 months ago with my girlfriend, and we loved it, they had overall good vibe, despite the full house scenario, they were busy yet it was a great experience. Amazing location, ambience, crew! P.s. quesadillas where A1 read more

My hubby and I drove from Houston to Austin to enjoy the city and eat at this place. We sat at the table for 10 minutes without any greeting while there we're about 4 waitress around. We needed to get up and go to the bar to ask our drinks. We ordered o e sweet and one unsweeted tea.They arrived when I was at the restroom and the box of sugar/sweeteners were on the table along with our teas. Before I grabbed my sweetener, the waitress came and simple took the bow without saying anything like "can I grab the sugars/sweetners, please?" and took them to another table!! We simple left the table and talked to the manager. The manager apologized and offered a gift card but we didn't want anything back. He was one of the employees around when we were sitting at the table waiting for somebody to take our order. We left and wait to Boteco Food Truck. Actually, I feel luck that we didn't eat at this place because I was able to eu a great meal at Boteco. read more

Saturday about 8:30 I took my out of state family, who is visiting Austin for their first time to Hula Hut. I have lived in Austin since 1989 and have been there several times before but not in a long time.. I was not prepared for the absolute filth. We ate in the open seating area and our wait girl was very nice. She was working hard but nothing could make up for the FILTH. All of our menus had food dried on them. The rest room had wet floors and toilet paper on the floor and the sink area was sopping wet with paper towels left on them. I told Brooke, at the front check in and she was very RUDE. Told me THANKS, we got it, but in a very sarcastic way as if I was complaining for no reason. They were not that busy that early in the evening and now I know why. My family tried to put on a good face but admitted later it was FILTHY. Next door at Abel's on the Lake it looked much cleaner and you can see the same view. We'd gone to Oasis the night before and if you want a Sunset go there. It was very clean, the food is got great but it's clean.i will never go to HulaHut again. It saddens me too because I used to be so proud to take guests there. I hate writing bad reviews but I want to at least give others a heads up if you go to bring lots of santi-wipes you will need them. read more

Walking into the restaurant is very uninviting. The hostess stare at you waiting for you to speak with no attempt at a smile. The food is equally as mediocre as the service. I hate to say this as the view is so beautiful, but the staff needs to step it up or guests won't return. Hula hut isn't the only restaurant with a lake view. read more

I have not been here in about ten years, so I was really looking forward to trying it out again. On this visit, I brought my wife here too for the first time. The food did not disappoint and is still very good! That being said, the restaurant is starting to show some major signs of age. It still looks the same, only more dingy. It could use a fresh coat of paint and a thorough cleaning. Other than that, everything else is still great, just the way I remembered it! read more