Yea, Hula Hut has given up. They have not done any repairs to this place in probably 15 years. Even the roofing felt they placed on the wooden walkways to help prevent slip and falls is worn out and missing in some places. I visited today and was informed that "the chef can no longer cut the tubular shrimp taco in half" (my parents always get one and split it) and beware they have a "credit card fee" of 2.5 percent built into your bill now. The used-to-be good key lime pie has changed and is bland and not very good anymore. All of these are signs that management is becoming too worried about pennies and rules than pleasing customers. Food has always been mediocre but it was even a step down from that standard today. Very doubtful I will visit again, the problems with Hula Hut now outweigh the views. Hula Hut....someone needs to buy it before it slowly slips into bankruptcy. read more

A hit or miss situation. Great location the main reason for us to come. Food has changed in the last month and it's just not worth it. I do like their sweet and tangy salsa and enjoy the view. read more

This was in my list of to-visit restaurants for a long time. Went on a Tuesday evening for friends anniversary. There was no wait time and we were seated in the open restaurant next to the water. The ambience was pretty good. Our waitress was pretty good and gave good suggestions for all the vegetarians in the group. We ordered stuffed avocado, veg tubular taco and veg tub enchilada.. stuffed avocado with chicken was the best of the lot. The vegetarian entrees were bland. Too much cheese. 3 stars only for the ambience and service. Food was just okay. read more

Hula Hut - Veggie Pipeline Enchilada - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

My sister absolutely loves this place, but I think the food is just mediocre. The views, however, are stellar, and I will come back time and time again just to sit and eat chips and enjoy the beautiful lake and lovely ambience! We shared the hawaiian fajitas, which were just fine (too sweet, and too chewy of meat for my taste), and I had a very average pina colada. They seemed quite understaffed, and our server kept forgetting about us (lol), but he did apologize profusely and give us a free drink because of it, so that was nice. The bathrooms were also very dirty, which I only hope was due to being understaffed? read more

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Pretty average food I would say. The interior and venue are absolutely amazing! Its wonderfully decorated and the seating outside is absolutely gorgeous. You definitely come here for the ambiance and view. The food is a bit americanized and you can tell with all the oil and cheese they use (heavily processed and you feel a bit sick after eating it). It's not to the point of where it's completely unpalatable, but it's not the best. We had one of the pu pu plates and the tubular tacos, the portions are quite large so thats good but the taste left something to be desired. Honestly they could just go easier on the oil and cheese and I think it would be fine. read more

Hula Hut - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

Great service & staff! Freaking amazing! I'm most definitely going to come back. The view was also outstanding. read more

Food: came out too fast as if it was made already and sitting out, which would make sense because it was cold. Service: Apathetic hostess staff that seem annoyed when they have to actually work. Awkward waitress that barely spoke up and could barely hear her say anything Misc: said we couldn't take our stroller into the dining room because it was a fire hazard, yet the entrance to the restaurant has double doors, one of which is locked and the open one has a trash can blocking half of that entryway. All of this was brought to the manager on duty's attention who's name is Spencer. Spencer is a smart ass, punk attitude, confrontational employee that stands to likely start a fight with a customer over resolving any issues. Garbage experience. This is an Austin staple I don't mind seeing go. read more

Hubby was having a birthday and we are new to Texas, so we decided to give Hula Hut a try! It didn't disappoint. The service, drinks and food are great! We tried the famous avocado appetizer and Hula bowl drink to begin our experience. The tacos are amazing! It's the best salsa and Mexican food we've had since arriving to Texas! That says a lot because we are critics of this genre of food since we come from a state where this was too-shelf. The vibe is fun, lively and great for celebrating! We will be back and enjoy the outdoor bar and seating. read more

Hula Hut - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

The servers were really nice. I had the chicken Chile relleno and it was pretty good. I reallyed enjoyed the mango salsa that was on top. The complimentary chips and salsa were nice. That salsa was a bit spicy, so might be too spicy for other people. The portion was big enough for me to have leftovers. Their regular drinks like soda and water were pretty large. Both of my friends enjoyed their meals and had leftovers. read more

Hula Hut - Chicken Chile Relleno Dinner - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

Megan was our server and she is FANTASTIC! SUPER friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. Checks in often and makes your visit great! We had the Salmon plate. Delicious and lots of food! And also the Thai Chicken Fajitas. A generous amount and just the right balance of savory and sweet. We haven't been to Hula Hut since before COVID and it is exactly as wonderful in food and atmosphere as before but with new tasty menu items. We will be putting it back on our goto places. read more

Great food, great drinks, great vibes!! It's impossible to anything other than a great time when you're sitting atop Lake Austin with a bombie drink in hand! It also helps that the team members are consistently friendly and accommodating read more

I came here for the first time and shared a Huli Huli Luau platter shown in the picture. This could easily be shareable amongst 4-5 people. They were super busy this night we were here so we couldn't find someone to seat us or get our order for a while, but even when understaffed, the one waiter serving all the tables outside had such a great attitude. His name is Dylan and he apologized for the wait and did his best to make it up to us. He was literally running too. The food was amazing and the night view was beautiful. Chips and salsa are self served. I highly recommend sitting outside on the lake patio to have a water view while eating. He also gave my sister a dessert for her birthday and it was delicious. Highly recommend this place! read more

Hula Hut - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

I loved the food, atmosphere, and the location. I visited on a Tuesday evening so not sure if they were just a little short staffed that evening but our meal took 2.5 hours for our party of 10. Not a big deal as mentioned it was a great atmosphere, food, and location. I would 100% go back again! read more

Instant transport to Hawaii- restaurant atmosphere has Hawaiian vibes through its menu and decorating. Guac + queso- really good and can't go wrong with either item Crispy shrimp tacos- delicious! The cilantro lime sauce gives the shrimp a great flavor Salad- added shrimp which was a bit too spicy but very tasty with the salad ingredients read more

Hula Hut - Shrimp salad - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Best food, environment, and service in Austin!! 10/10 recommend for any locals or tourists. Love this place! read more

Hula Hut - View!! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

Fun, casual restaurant by the lake for families and to take visitors from out of town! Portion sizes are huge and lots of variety on the menu. Service was very quick as well! Mozart's coffee roaster's is in the same area and is a great place to go after for dessert. Ordered the shrimp and vegetarian enchiladas, had plenty for leftovers. Will be coming back here again! read more

Hula Hut - Shrimp Enchilada, Vegetarian Enchilada, Burger - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

My husband and I came here on a Saturday afternoon for lunch. My husband had been here before and said the view was beautiful and the food was good. We decided to sit in the outside covered area. It was deary all day but still was a nice view. I ordered the surfer salad: Our fresh three lettuce salad blend mixed with carrots, purple cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, sliced avocados, mixed cheese & bacon. This tropical salad is topped with your choice of fresh grilled or fried mahi mahi fingers. Balsamic vinaigrette and jalape~no ranch served on the side. I got the salad with grilled Mahi mahi, no cheese, and no ranch. The salad was quite large and good but nothing that made it stood out. My husband ordered the Fajita Beef Pipeline Enchilada: Grilled fajita steak and Monterey Jack & cheddar cheeses rolled in fresh corn tortillas and topped in Guajillo Sauce, served with rice & refried beans. He said it was good but liked the chicken enchilada better the other time before. While here I did try their austin tini: An Austinite favorite uniting local spirits. Z Silver Tequila and Paula's Texas Orange with handmade sweet n' sour. The drink was tasty and quite strong. I would highly recommend and would order it again. The service was super fast and our waiter was on top of things. So overall the drinks and the view was amazing. read more

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I haven't lived in Austin for years but I fondly remember this place as one of my all time favorite restaurants in Texas. This restaurant has a laid back and relaxed vibe. Island themed but serve Mexican/Polynesian infusion. Repeat after me: "Hu-La-La". This is my drink of choice every time I come here. I've been trying to get the recipe for years! It is vacation in a cup. Get the fish bowl size and drink it by yourself for a good time. Some of my favorite meals are the Ribs Appetizer, Queso Compuesto, Salmon Dinner, and Blackened Salmon Tacos to name a few. I've never had anything bad here nor have I ever had a bad time. Make a detour out of the city for this spot. You won't regret it~ read more

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Amazing place and service. The shrimp tubular taco, Hawaiian chicken, chicken quesadillas are all amazing. Their salad is great too, would of ordered it as a meal. Maybe next time. Great place for dinner with great views. read more

Hula Hut - Hawaiian Chicken Meal - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Traveled to Austin today on a whim and you know it's a good place when they're busy at 2:30 on. Wednesday! Hubs and I always check out Mexican food wherever we go and this is definitely a place to come back to. They have daily happy hour specials and an outdoor seating area with a gorgeous view of Lake Travis! The chicken flautas are the best I've ever had of any place! The chicken is tender and juicy and omg their jalapeño ranch with the guajilo sauce is delicious! The chicken fajitas were a good portion size for one and the shiner version is tasty too! You can tell everything is freshly made- check them out if you're in the area! read more

Hula Hut - Guacamole Salad yum!!!! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

Has been forever since I have eaten here Totally forgot how delicious it is Coconut shrimp app was amazing The chicken and guacamole tubular was mouth watering and the cheese enchiladas were the best Can't wait to go back soon read more

The tuna tacos were delish! Their queso is amazing and so are their chicken flautas. We had Izzy as a server and she was friendly, professional and helpful! Will be back again soon read more

My experience today a Wednesday 4pm during sxsw was seriously so great. We sat on the patio, the weather was gorgeous!! Order queso and creamy jalapeño - no brainer. My friend ordered 3 pork street tacos. I've given up meat for the last few months but he said I had to eat one and they looked realllllyyy good. We were drinking so I thought it was a smart thing to do. I wasn't sure if it was my lack of meat consumption lately but no, my friend confirmed (and he's Mexican so you know it's legit) they were out of this world great. Like what?! So tender and juicy and flavorful! I'm now eating meat again and I'll be going back Friday - for real the music line up is on point! Do yourself a favor and get the street tacos on the happy hour menu. So. Damn. Good. I was going for all the calories today and had the pins colada, it too was really good, not overly sweet and sugary! Great food, drinks, sunshine and a view! Way to go Hula hut! read more

Hula Hut - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Decent portion on the food...we enjoyed cool Weather on the patio. The ducks are quacking in the water while we eat. The food was so/so but the eating on the water makes up for it...self serve chip bar outside. read more

Hula Hut - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

Ok Hula Hut...you showed up today! Strawberry daiquiri was on point. Chips and queso were perfect. A/C blowing strrrong lol. Beautiful lake view. This was just what I needed. Friendly staff. Thanks for a great experience. read more

This place is so cute and clean. It's on the lake and has lots and lots of seating. The service and food was excellent. As if all of that was not great enough I am still shocked at how reasonable the prices were. This will be a repeat location for sure. Just stellar! read more

We love the Hula Hut and Maggie made it all that much better. Great Food, Great Ambiance, and Great Service via Maggie. She is a pleasure to interact with. Thank you Jersey for sending her this way to Texas. Great "new place" to take another couple. We did and the other folks thoroughly enjoyed it. We'll be back soon. read more

Sat at the inside bar and the service was horrible. The bartender was rude and condescending. The food was subpar at best. Our plate was hot but the food on it was not. The chips were stale. The drinks were over priced for what they were. Looking back I should have just listened to the negative google reviews because they were spot on. The owner doesn't ever respond to them making me think that they don't care. I will not be coming back or recommending this place to anyone I know. read more

Be transported in to Florida and day drink the woes away. This review is purely about the killer patio and bomb drinks. Can't speak to the food. The view? Unmatched. The drinks? I got two drinks: The Lake Austin lemonade with the deep Eddy's lemon added. BOY IT WAS TASTY. Tastes exactly like a pink Starburst. Also tried the 1/2 hula-la-la. It tastes like the punch you make with the gang when you're at the lake..in a good way! Double plus it's served in the cutest pineapple cup! Parking is limited, that's the only downside. read more

Hula Hut - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

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This place was fantastic, we came here to watch the sunset on the lake and have a couple drinks. The place was packed, but with a friendly smile and a question, we were able to double up at a table... The service was as mediocre at best, and was really slow... the five stars came from the setting sun and the conversation at the table... The food was very good and the prices are reasonable. I will definitely be back read more

This place was really good! The views were great, and the food was delicious! Highly recommend the jalapeño ranch and the queso with beef and guacamole! read more

Hula Hut - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Service was terrible, especially at the bars. Food was average to below average. Outdoor area was pretty, especially at sunset, with the surrounding water. read more

*cracks knuckles* the fact of the matter is, I only fire this thing up for reviews that I feel to be exceptionally noteworthy and deserving of mention. Today, at this conveniently-placed local favorite, my sweet, unwitting, girlfriend ordered the Hawaiian fajitas. Upon receiving the fajitas, we noticed her spread came complete with one (1) whole cockroach laid gently on his back. He was delicately covered in shredded cheese up to his shoulders, leaving plenty of breathing room near his mandibles. With his antennas erect, we asked that he be removed from the table. The restaurant obliged and brought back our replacement accoutrements, cockroach free, and pictured below. They made an offhand joke that the replacement was more thoroughly inspected, and called it even by comping the fajitas. I'm now suicidal. read more

Hula Hut - Fajita complement platter - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

If I could give zero stars I would. It's a Saturday night and you are under staffed big times the bathrooms are filthy and the hosts are clueless and just making up wait times a party of 6 is 30 min and a part of 15 is 2 hrs. WTF? The service (waiter/waitress) were awesome. The food timing was the worst ever. One part of our part got their food and finished it before the rest of the part got their food. All was order at the same time. We ordered queso apps and then once it can and it was delish, we ordered more. Well... it came when we were boxing up our dinners Food arrived and we didn't have silverware and waited 5-10 min for silverware and food got colds Food arrived in waves. Fajitas came without tortillas or side items. Management needs a training course on service levels. Our server was awesome and she did all she could do for the crap overall service! read more

5/5 Service 4.5 Fish Tacos: grilled mahi was indeed fresh (I was skeptical) 3.5 Steak tubular taco: flavor was good, but beef had odd mushy texture Creamy jalapeno tasted of a stale oil and seemed like ranch dressing blended with jalapenos read more

Delivered me a cocktail with a fly clearly at the bottom under all the ice and garnish then proceeded to tell me that because I'm outside that just happens. The bartender and server should have absolutely caught this before it hit the table. read more

Hula Hut - Green Skirt with bonus fly - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

I'm a tourist and a local recommended this place as his favorite restaurant and it did not disappoint. This place embodies the quirkiness of Austin, complimented by a beautiful view and tasty food. It's family and dog friendly. I do recommend you get here by 6 for dinner because after that it seemed to get packed. And wear sunscreen!! But seriously, come check out this waterfront view. read more

Hula Hut - The view from my table - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

Hula has changed ownership. I was really hoping for an upgrade as we've been long time regulars and overall enjoyed the place. However, we got to see many issues arise over all of our visits. I was extremely hopeful some one would come in and really make it great again. Instead they changed what was working for them and made it worse. They Changed the chips and queso to some other type and it's terrible. Added a $20 docking fee per person. The management does not value regulars at all. They're quite rude. The bar staff has been wonderful when they actually have someone working. The place will be packed and sunny and they have 1 bartender on duty. I really hope they return to the original chips and queso. What a bummer. Thankfully ski shores is open and remodeled. read more

Looks like Hula Hut is finally joining the ranks of The Oasis for a place with good drinks and view, but lousy food. Service was great as always but (we were told) there are new owners who are making some changes to the food, which we noticed immediately. We used to go to Hula Hut for the food in addition to drinks and the lakeside setting but probably we'll just do drinks in the future. The chips are no longer the thin Chuy's-like chips, the salsa had chunks of tomato in it (and it's not that kind of salsa), the queso was bleh (and it used to be one of the best in the city), the tubular enchiladas have been replaced by regular enchiladas and the rice was just rice. Not sure what problem they were trying to fix, and all the tourists will probably still come, but all they need to do is look over to where Abel's once was and see their possible future. read more

One of the coolest places just because it's sits on the water. Dress code is pretty much anything and you will find people in shorts and bikinis. Chips you get yourself. Boats pull up and stick abs come in for food. Parking is difficult but need to be patient. Wait time was told 1.5 hours at 7:30pm but for called within an hour. Got the bar in the meantime and enjoyed people watching and a beautiful sunset on the water. Was already buzzed by the time we ordered food but one of the best times I've had recently. Lots of outdoor seating on the deck or inside if you're not an outdoor petson. But who in Austin isn't an outdoor person?? read more

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