Touristy spot with a rockin' view. You can sit outside under the covered patio (long wait) or sit in the outside bar area (with tiki huts) where you seat yourself. You could also be boring and sit inside. We sat out at the bar area. The salsa is serve yourself which is automatically a deduction of one star. It's just gross and unsanitary. The salsa didn't even have a cover on it. To start we ordered queso. The queso was watery and nothing special. My boyfriend and I both ordered chille rellenos. I got the shrimp and he had the chicken. Honestly it was just average but it wasn't bad. I liked the touch of the mango salsa on top. Come here for the view and the drinks. Don't stay for the food. read more

As good as it gets! This restaurant is right on the water and the outside decks span the entire restaurant. The place was packed and we still got our food within a reasonable amount of time. Let me start by saying that the chips and salsa are both homemade. They are absolutely fabulous and the salsa really has a kick, plus a little bit of sweetness which I think is from pineapple. They make their own tortillas! And they're fabulous. My bf has the Steak Tubular Taco. This is no taco! It's a massive burrito with steak, mushrooms, peppers, and two kinds of cheese. It all blends perfectly for a taste that's incredible. The retried beans and rice are great as well. I had the salad combo with the Seasar (how they spell it) and chicken tacquitos. The salad is not a traditional Caesar; it has corn, almonds and tortilla strips that add great flavor. It's not the usual dressing as well, but quite good. The chicken tacquitos were good, not overly fried. Speaking of fried, they have a fried ice cream that's supposed to be amazing. I'll be back for that! read more

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This used to be my favorite restaurant. Apparently, it's under new ownership in the past month, who has changed everything, including the chips. I've been coming here as long as it's been open. I ordered one of my favorites, which is still described the same on the menu, but it came out as a different dish, missing a key ingredient, but I was told they no longer make it that way, since they have new owners. I suggested they update the menu or notify people when they order, the dish will not be made as described and cannot be modified to meet the description. Extremely disappointed. read more

The best thing about this place is the view and the booze. The menu seems cool but it all tastes like microwaved watered down Tex mex. The best thing on the menu are the baby back ribs. Your safest options are anything that comes from the grill like a burger or a sandwich. Everything else is underwhelming. The food isn't work the wait but the view and drinks are a vibe. read more

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We went here after a boat day for a few drinks and apps. We sat under a huge tiki hut on the water at the bar and it was really laid back and enjoyable stop. I had a lower calorie margarita but it was a little sweet for my liking and tasted like a lot of sour mix. They took it off the check as they could tell I didn't enjoy it since I only had one sip, and took it off without me having to say anything to them which was great customer service. We shared the guacamole appetizer and stuffed avocado. The guac was nothing to write home about but the stuffed avocado was AMAZING and so unique. It's a deep fried avocado stuffed with cheese and shredded chicken and surrounded by some delicious sauces. Get this - don't think twice. This is a perfect spot for a casual meal on the water. read more

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If you are looking for a great view of Lake Austin and a nice cocktail, definitely check out Hula Hut! I came on a Thursday evening and luckily found seating in the bar patio right on the water. It was still happy hour when we got there so my boyfriend and I shared the hula-la fishbowl drink for $8. It was really delicious and refreshing on a hot evening! When you sit at the bar you have to get your own chips and salsa, but they are complimentary so it's awesome! I ordered the chicken and guacamole tubular taco (their version of a burrito). It came with rice and refried beans. Everything tasted really good and was piping hot. The portion was huge and I had enough leftover for another meal. My boyfriend got the pork burrito and it was really juicy and flavorful. Overall, the food was good! I gave Hula Hut 4 stars because the service in the bar area was kinda slow, but understandable, and the food was good, but nothing spectacular. I will definitely come back and want to try more items on their menu. This is a great location to bring visitors! Dont forget to check out their souvenir shop before you leave! read more

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This place actually sucks. The food is terrible, drinks are terrible. It is run by a bunch of 12 year old who are just hanging out. Burger was disgusting, fajitas bad, tacos soggy. No one around us ate their food either so I guess they just get away with it. It's serve yourself chips and salsa and the salsa has this weird foam on it. They can't get you water, their mixed drinks are full of sugar and cheap alcohol. No music playing, waiters and waitresses have an attitude, i instantly regretted being there. It is such a nice location I can't believe it is wasted on this place. It was such a disappointing Saturday by the water to eat and drink and be served from this place. read more

This place was.... okay. The salsa and queso both tasted and looked watered down. Not impressive. The coconut shrimp and fajita tubular taco were both pretty good. I ordered two Blue Hawaii drinks. The first one was perfect. Second one looked and tasted totally different. Lacking consistency. The place is great for views of the lake. read more

Hula Hut - Coconut shrimp and steak tubular taco - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

Hula Hut is probably one of my favorite - if not most favorite - restaurants in Austin. I'm a creature of habit. When I find something I like, I stick with it. And I LOVE the Chicken & Guacamole Tubular taco. I get it every time. These last 3 birthdays I've gone here to celebrate. They give you a fun birthday dessert to top off your special day as well. They're owned by Chuy's and while I love Chuy's Jalapeno Ranch dip, I do not recommend it here. They use too much ranch. I always get the Pina Colada even though it really never seems like there is any alcohol in it. The skinny ritas are also very tasty. It gets really hot out on the deck so be prepared to sweat or sit inside. read more

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Food ok, heavy on cheese and jalapeños on the nachos, salsa was excellent. The view of the lake and boats makes the experience!

Simon was our server and 10/10!!! Super chill vibe, great food, great service. Friendly staff, bartender made good drinks too!!

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

Unique and eclectic are the only words that come to mind when describing the Hula Hut. An interesting combo of Tex-Mex and Hawaiian food. I have a severe allergy to tomatoes. Let the server know that right away, so if I order something that has tomatoes they can steer me away. We ordered queso, which came with tomatoes. At our servers suggestion ordered a different -tomato free- queso but as it hit the table she remembered it did have them after all. Our first entree hit the table then she told us the sauce has tomatoes in it. Luckily I didn't eat any of these. We searched the menu for a different entree and landed on the Hawaiian Fajitas. It was different but had a good flavor. When it came time for the check our server asked if it was separate checks. My wife and I got s good laugh out of that... read more

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We actually ate at the restaurant and we felt very COVID safe. Wait staff and hostess were all in masks (but still cheerful) and tables and guests were properly spaced. This is our first dinner out since March, as we were so pleased with how good we felt. And FOOD WAS EXCELLENT. From the salsa and chips on the table to the variety of food our table ordered, everything was delicious and fresh tasting. read more

I love sitting in the bar area at the end of the pier. Whenever I do, I make sure to chum the water with handfulls of tortilla chips. When you do this, huge fish appear from the deep to eat the chips, and I immensely enjoy watching them gulp them down. I know there are signs now-a-days there telling me not to do this, but I ignore those signs. No one here has ever scolded me for feeding the fish with tortilla chips, but the time I showed up here with my fishing pole and some live bait, they immediately informed me that fishing was not allowed inside the restaurant and made me store my fishing gear in my car before returning. I also love piña coladas. In Austin, a decent piña colada is hard to come by. But you can usually get a fairly good piña colada at Hula Hut. Sometimes I forget to tell them not to put shaved coconut in my piña colada - I hate shaved coconut. I know that's crazy - after all, piña colada is a coconut drink. I love the taste and flavor of coconut, I just can't stand actual coconut meat. I think it's the texture I don't like. In any case, leave the solid coconut shit out of my piña colada! I've been a Hula Hut patron going on for twenty-someodd years now. After all this time being a frequenter here, this is what I can say: Sometimes the service rocks, sometimes it doesn't. The majority of the time the food is great, but every once in a while it isn't. On most occasions the piña colada is delicious, but occasionally it tastes like a 7-11 Slurpee with nasty coconut meat sprinkled in it. read more

The food here was okay, nothing to really rave about. I wish my sandwich had more vegetables, the coleslaw seemed kinda dead under the fish. It was okay though! I think the main hype about this place is that it's located on the river. Really pretty views and the restaurant is decorated to give you island vibes. read more

Hula Hut - Beef Enchiladas and Fish Sandwich - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

I went to eat with a friend here, and we both had quesadillas; she had chicken, and I had shrimp. She enjoyed her meal, as did I. My favorite part of the shrimp quesadilla is the mango-pineapple salsa that comes with it. The meal was filling, and the sides were good. My only reason for marking it as a four is that the quesadilla did seem a little soggy; the flavor did make up for that, though. I'm still willing to try another meal from them despite this. read more

Have been coming to Hula Hut for years. Hula Hut has new ownership and they have already watered down the salsa and margaritas are not the same. Hope they bring back the hallmark of what we loved about the Hula Hut, The salsa & chips and margaritas!!!!! It's read more

I sure wish I had a good experience at the Hula Hut, but it was so disappointing. Our waiter was obviously annoyed that he was at work. He would turn his head away from us, even when taking our orders. Could not have cared less about us. Our food was lousy. Queso was served cold. My husband's coconut shrimp was literally burned - black. My chicken tacos were cold. I think they forgot to heat up the meat that seemed like it was straight out of a bag. We ate very little of either of our meals and when we explained why to the waiter, he turned his head, laughed, and said "the food was bad, but the view is good and so it the waiter" - as if that was funny. No discounts, no apologies, really bad experience. read more

Doesn't look like much when you walk past,but definitely worth the try. We are in town from Dallas, TX for the Lonestar Classic Volleyball Tournament and I surprised my daughter. She loved it and was so excited!! It was a beautiful sunny afternoon we ate on the patio by the water... HEAVEN in our book!! She ordered the half rack of ribs and devoured them!! I got the pork tacos & the Texas Tini, YUM!! Definitely worth a try, go see for yourself!! read more

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I'm giving this place 5 stars based on the fact that every aspect of my experience was positive. Everything from the service, food and scenery was amazing. First off, having a nice lunch or dinner on this dock overlooking the lake and taking in the summer day is so nice. They are accommodating to COVID regulations and understandings. The service was so sweet and made sure we always had everything we needed. I asked the server for recommendations and he didn't bs us just gave honest opinions and I ended up really enjoying the Mahi salad I got (highly recommend if you want a hefty salad). Even though our waiter was running around, busy and burnin up in the heat he was always coming back to us and I find that to be one of the most important experiences while dining out. Will definitely be returning! read more

It's been awhile since we've been to Hula Hut. It's changed and not for the better. The hostess was not very inviting and the inside bar tender must have been having a bad day. Ordered 2 Mexican martini and it's the worst one I've ever had. My wife took hers back and got a regular margarita, it was not very good. I just drank mine but want get that again. We were very disappointed because we used to really like Hula Hut. It's a great location on the water but the service and drinks need to improve. read more

If you're looking for good frozen drinks while being on the water, then this is the go-to spot. The frozen margs, creamy jalapeño sauce with chips, & chicken flautas are my favorite things on the menu. Can't go wrong with those. During COVID, they now serve frozen margs to-go!! Perfect for any lake day. They have boat side service if you park at their dock, great & convenient. read more

The margaritas went from $8 to $12. Same margarita and same size. And, the chicken queasadillas went from awesome to what has to be shredded chicken in a can. Beyond awful. I thought it was a just a bad day last time, but it was just as bad today. And the waitress took 20 minutes to bring the margarita. No excuses. Just didn't care. We got our food before the margarita read more

We were visiting our friends in Austin who raved this place. Food and drinks were amazing - as was our server Josh! The manager, Jen, was beyond rude and so cold. We will not be returning not because of the service or food, but because of how we were treated. Absolutely awful! read more

Great ambiance & great margaritas. I was pleasantly surprised that every margarita was great, sometimes margaritas can be a little off. Not here. Jay was a great server and we loved her. I enjoyed the the atmosphere and the chips and salsa were good! So were the shrimp tacos and the beef fajitas read more

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Our group of 12 went and were told an hour wait when we arrived at 3pm. After waiting for an hour and a half and speaking to the hostess twice, we finally got seated. It took 20 mins for our waitress to finally come to our table and placed our food order immediately. Our food came out in two groups 20 mins apart, so half our group sat without food. One of the people in our party found out that when the second group got their food, her order had never been placed so as we were paying our separate bills her food finally came and we just boxed it. Food was mediocre. I understand we were a bigger group but the wait on top of the messed up food service was just a drawn out bad experience read more

Food was cold and dry, salsa was bubbling? Idk what that means either but it looked like red soap. Chips were good tho! Sever was awful and took forever. The dining room which we sat in the dead middle of was extremely loud. Anyone have good Mexican restaurant recommendations in Austin? This is one of the first I've tried and will not be returning read more

Service was TERRIBLE and food mediocre at best ...Been going here For years, but never again, telling everyone I know this was TERRIBLE read more

I loved the surrounding and the view. We sat outside and had the most magnificent view to the beautiful sunset over the lake. Not as far as the food is concerned I was a little confused from the beginning. Why was I being off with Mexicany type of food in a Hawaiian themed and named restaurant. I think they had one Hawaiian sounding dish. However, notwithstanding the fact that I was expecting Hawaiian food, I was served with fairly decent Mexican food. I'm not so sure that it was the best Mexican food around but it was OK. This is not a restaurant I would seek out for the food but more for where it is situated and the view and the fact that I can sit outside and have a few cocktails and enjoy great company. The food is good but not amazing read more

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Sat at the Pier Bar in the back. Never had a worse bartender in my life. Idk her name but whichever girl is a Libra with a Leo rising took about 30 years to grab a Dos Equis every time cause she had to chat up every douche at the bar first. read more

Mediocre food and service. Great views. If you want to just eat and socialize and don't care if the food is good, this is an acceptable spot. If food quality is your priority, pick somewhere else. They are also not the cleanest restaurant. read more

The food here is consistently reasonable but nothing particularly extraordinary. We had a group of 5, 3 adults and 2 kids. The kids and everybody enjoyed their meals which were served promptly. The only snafu of the evening was I ordered half a rack of ribs and a side salad along with ranch dressing. When the meals were served I got my half rack and the dressing but no salad. This salad was served in a small bowl the size of something you would put an individual serving of coleslaw in. I was nearly done with my half rack of ribs before the salad came I think that was an extraordinary long time for a very small item. Other than the salad issue the food was fine they allowed us to linger a bit to chat since I had not seen this family for a year. I'm sure it would have been much more enjoyable had the temperature been 20ﾟ warmer and we could have sat outside. read more

Came out to the bar on the patio to grab a drink waiting for out table. The blonde bartender was talking to some guy completely ignoring us (no one else was at the bar) for 5 minutes. When we finally got her attention she was unprofessional. We told her not chilled & she chilled it..... also it's weird to me how bartender was dressed like she just woke up in some dusty workout clothes.. I work as a server too but horrible service & food is mediocre. Edit: the manager offered to buy us a drink before we left and was nice and apologetic read more

Good food, great view and service. It was a hot day and the beer went down easy and the enchilada was really good. The decor is a little kitschy and has great views of the lake! read more

DON'T COME HERE Wrote this as I ate here bc it's terrible. It's incredibly dirty and I think the management must be gone... I know it's not the server's fault bc it's just super busy and they can only do so much. But be prepared for the volume, bad management, no, piss poor management. Won't be back. Get better everyrthing at another touristy place, like Chuy's. read more

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Hula Hut has a nice tropical vacation vibe with a great view. The bartender was not busy, yet still not attentive. I asked to see a menu and she pointed to a scan on the bar and walked off ( photo attached). It was not easy to get her attention to order,which seemed odd when the bar was not busy. The salad arrived quickly and the server who brought the food was polite. There were no utensils ready and she flagged down the bartender to get utensils. The salad was average and the service from the bartender was below average, but I do recommend Hula Hut mainly for the tropical atmosphere. read more

Hula Hut - Bar scan menu - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I love Hula Hut!!! My affair there is with the tres leches cake, I just love it so much, I have dreams about it! The wait everytime I've been sucks though, but the view and the patio and filling yourself up on chips and salsa can suffice if you have good company, don't go if you're dying of hunger and can foresee a 2 hour wait, I'd suggest somewhere else with faster seating and serving time. Otherwise, go at obscure hours or when it's raining, or extra cold in the winter, or all of the above (like I do!) Parking is great when they have shuttles to take you from the hill that you can park across the street, otherwise, walk and cross the street, while you're here, hit up Mozarts! read more

A unique (if kitschy) place with a great view and vibe! Right on Lake Austin, I recommend sitting outdoors and getting to appreciate the amazing view! As a "Tiki-Mex" restaurant, the food is fun - the vegetarian options include "tree hugger nachos," mango-poblano chile quesadillas, salads, a veggie burger, veggie fajitas, and veggie enchiladas and "tubular taco." Pretty great cockails, too! Plenty of parking when you account for the lot across the street! This place is a ton of fun! The food isn't amazing, but it's a great experience! read more

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

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Being right by the lake is a plus and the decor inside is neat, but there's nothing too special about Hula Hut. The food is pretty subpar while being pretty expensive. Portions are a decent size though, so you could likely share a plate. read more