Not the Valentine's Experience We Hoped For We were really looking forward to a special Valentine's dinner, but unfortunately, our experience didn't live up to expectations. To start, we were seated at a rented high-top table that was clearly crammed into the dining space as an afterthought. It felt awkward and out of place, making it hard to enjoy the atmosphere. Then, in the middle of dinner, the fire alarm went off--for a full 10-15 minutes...felt like an hour. It was loud, disruptive, and completely took away from any sense of a romantic evening. While we understand that things happen, there was no acknowledgment or effort from the staff to ease the situation for a good while...such a bizarre and unenjoyable experience. I'm not a yelper, but this was unacceptable for a $300 meal for two. read more

This place is nice but waaaay overpriced for a spot on east 6th. We ordered two glasses of wine, two pizzas, and another entrée. We split the bill and I paid over $60 before tip. The food was good but in no way worth that amount of money, especially where this restaurant is located. It did have a nice ambience. We picked the spot in a pinch when we were hungry during SXSW, and I think our money would have been better spent at any of the other places or food trucks along the street. read more

Il Brutto - Mushroom pizza - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

This place is great! Service is on point, food is made with fresh ingredients and good quality. Husband had the salamino pizza and loved it. I had the gnocchi and was also satisfied with my dish! We will be coming back to try other items. Only one advice, if you park at the Arnold garage, don't pay thru the app. You need to get a code with front desk first. We didn't know about it and when we told the hostess that we had payed, she was super nice and gave us a 15 dollar gift card as she wouldn't be able to validate our parking. Some reviews mentioned the portion size was small. I disagree. It's well served but not the overly huge American portions read more

Amazing food, great service. We walked in on a Friday night and were able to get seated at the bar no problem. I got the mushroom pizza, my friend got the cacio e pepe pasta with a side of broccolini. Waiters were attentive and the food was amazing! We also ordered 2 glasses of wine and they comped both - when we got the receipt it said "love" as to why it was comped, super sweet! read more

The service was good and the atmosphere is nice (although it was very loud). The food was mediocre. I got the gnocchi and it was basically just a small dish of overcooked gnocchi in red sauce. There was barely any eggplant in it. My boyfriend got the lasagna and it was decent, but nothing to write home about. We got the buratta appetizer, and the crostini was almost burnt. The cheese and anchovies were tasty, though. The mocktails and dessert were excellent. I'd just skip dinner next time and go here for dessert and live music. read more

We had not been to Il Brutto in a while and decided to go back. It was disappointing. We had a salad and pizza. The salad was ok but small. The Zucchini pizza was bland and had a doughy crust. For what we got it was overpriced. I cannot recommend and we will likely not return. read more

Super cute restaurant and tasty food to boot. Service was super friendly and patient. We ordered a good sampling of food: olives, beet salad, olives, heirloom tomatoes, pizza of the day (broccolini with sausage), lasagna. Very tasty. Fresh ingredients and no complaints. I was pleasantly surprised with the portions, easy to share. The restaurant itself is super cute and very dark. Maybe a bit too dark inside, hard to read the menu, am I old?? Otherwise love all the greenery. I would come back for the patio too, looked nice. read more

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Love this place! Best happy hour! Every server had been great ! Our last server was Cora! She was amazzzzzinnngg! Give her a raise !

Il Brutto Il Brutto was delicious! The food was very good, but there were some misses. Went with a large group of people and was blessed to try so many dishes on the menu. The pizza was very good as well. The atmosphere was 10/10 - great mood setting, lighting was intimate, music was great, restaurant was popping and full, staff was very well trained and very professional - amazing! The highlights: - Pappardelle : this was amazing, and so rich in flavor - meat was so tender. - Ciriole: this was very good and lightly seafood-esque , flavor was so unique so that was amazing. - Margarita pizza: this was so surprisingly good , just so fresh and flavorful - shockingly a standout - Burrata pizza: the cold Burrata on the warm pizza was fantastic - Zucca Pizza: so unique and perfectly balanced for the squash to pizza. The pizza was perfection. Overall Il Brutto was fantastic! A very good spot to go for a large group and fancier meal. read more

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In love with the atmosphere of ll Brutto, the music and the customers and workers make it feel welcoming. First time being here so it was definitely an experience. I got a lamb pasta, I liked it. Fyi saw a roach next to the toilet in the restroom. read more

Came here to celebrate my friend's birthday & had an amazing time! If you ever come here, I'd recommend asking for Alex D.! He made the experience all the better & gave such amazing recommendations throughout our dinner. He assisted us in making selections with our appetizers, entree and even desserts! read more

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Great food even better service. Mariah was phenomenal We had lamb and gnocchi. Highly recommend read more

Came here as part of a work event so a few caveats - menu was pre-set and they were preparing food at the same time for a large group - which can impact the quality and QC for each meal. Pros - the restaurant is large with plenty of outdoor and indoor seating that can accommodate large groups (ours was 50+). The ambience is dark and moody, overall a nice vibe. Note - It is a bit loud, so we were often yelling at each other across the table - again this could have been due to the group size and the associated noise. After dinner a few of us joked that we were losing our voices. Food itself was okay - we had multiple courses from apps, to pizzas, to mains, to dessert. The things I remember most were the pizzas - we had the margherita and the funghi pizza. Both were extremely salty. I love a classic margherita but the tomato sauce had wayyyyy too much salt and it was difficult to enjoy. By the time the mains came out, I was pretty full, but did cut myself a bite of each thing. I believe one was a lasagna, steak and a fish dish? I didn't enjoy any of those either. Dessert was tiramisu - and I really enjoyed it actually. Probably the only thing that I ended up finishing that night. Service was great - they were able to support our large group and drinks were kept topped up! Additionally - they were able to accommodate some of our groups' dietary restrictions (vegetarian) by preparing them separate entrees and I thought that was really nice of them! All in all, I was less than impressed by the food but charmed by the environment and service so it came down to a very split/okay experience overall. If I were back in Austin, I wouldn't come back on my own volition. read more

Food was amazing! Jalin's service was second to none. Great recommendations and very attentive to deals. Very enjoyable evening! DBB read more

It had been awhile since I have been to Il Brutto and on a rainy Thursday fall evening, our party of four had a lovely time here. We split some salads and Burrata. My husband and friends ordered pastas (cacio e Pepe and the lamb Pappardelle) and I had the halibut on a gazpacho style base. The Halibut filet was generous (I had it for dinner the next evening too!), moist and fresh on the inside with a flavorful crusty exterior. There was music, parking is easy in a covered lot about 1/2 block down. Service was friendly, helpful and prompt. We had a great time and will be back before such a long time! read more

Il Brutto - Alaskan Wild Halibut - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

I was visiting Austin to celebrate a friend's birthday! One of the girls in our group is local and she suggested dinner at Il Brutto before going out for the night. I'm an Italian girl and this place did not disappoint! We ordered a bunch of items from appetizers to pizza to pasta and shared it all so that we could try a little bit of everything. We started with the Trio Tasting which comes with their signature bread and 3 sauces for dipping: basil pesto, 4 cheese fonduta, and 'nduja mousse. I honestly can't decide which one I loved the most because they were all phenomenal! We also had the Heirloom tomatoes with creamy burrata which was so fresh and delicious. For pizzas, we ordered the margherita and the spicy sausage. I really loved the sausage one the most, and I probably could have skipped the margherita. The pasta dishes were the star of the show for me though. I'm a sucker for homemade pasta and they just do it so well here. We got the cacio e pepe, ciriole (squid ink pasta available on Fridays & Saturdays only), and the pappardelle lamb ragú. All three dishes were amazing! I'm obsessed with squid ink pasta and I was so happy to see it on the menu. The lamb ragú had the most tender meat and we were actually surprised that this ended up being our group's favorite dish of the night. At the end of the meal, they bring everyone limoncello shots with the check which is such a fun surprise -- especially when celebrating. But beware, those shots are STRONG! read more

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Has a great vibe. Shared a cheese plate and lasagna. Neither of us were impressed by the lasagna (part of it was burnt). Long wait times between arrival of appetizer and entree. We both had to ask for another drink. For the quality of service and food, we agree we'd rather go elsewhere. read more

Swanky Italian place opposite of Ramen Tatsuya in East Austin. For appetizer, we got their cheeseboard. The jam was FANTASTIC. The cheeses were distinct and tasty, but I'm not the hugest cheese lover so this was alright for me. The jam was fantastic. I got the Amatricia, which is their potato gnocchi. It usually has meat in it, but I asked for no meat, and they were able to accommodate. Other than that, dish wasn't anything notable. The tomato sauce was nice and bright, and the gnocchi was on the softer side. The downside was that there was a hunk of cheese that I thought was gnocchi and I was in a rude cheesy awakening. The servers were fantastic and attentive. Since the water cups are fairly small, they're constantly coming by to refill water, and I never felt a hint of thirst. Overall, it's not a bad place, and it has a nice ambiance for a swanky date night, but in terms of food, I think I would go somewhere else. read more

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If you're looking for great food with generous portion sizes, a charming atmosphere, and an incredibly enchanting patio, then you've found it! Every bite we had was delicious and I highly recommend the Burrata Crostini. Now, the service did not measure up to the enchantment of the restaurant at all. We were greeted upon entry, but as soon as we sat down, it seemed as though we were chasing down our waitress the entire time. By the time our entrees came out, service was nonexistent. Overall, the menu intrigued and excited this foodie and I definitely plan to return. I gave 4 stars to give them the benefit of the doubt, however, should the service be the same on my second visit, I'll be sure to update my review. Mom Note: If you're making it a family affair, feel free! They have a yummy kids menu, high chairs and a changing table in the women's restroom. read more

Il Brutto - Beet salad - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

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This is a vegan friendly restaurant. We have been looking for a vegan friendly Italian and found through looking at their menu online showing *Vegan pasta made upon request* We had a great waitress who helped guide us to grab these vegan options. Im sorry I can't remember her name I believe it was Monica/Moniqua. We ended up getting a pizza - which was ok. But was happy my BF was able to eat a main course. We got some chili flakes, olive oil and balsamic on the side to spruce it up. We also got the beet salad (ask without goat cheese) for vegan friendly. But I got the cheese on the side as I am not vegan. Super good! Brocollini was fresh but skippable. We ordered without anchovy oil to be vegan friendly. I am not vegan so I enjoyed the prosciutto plate with the pesto/burrata/basil - so yummy!! My fave. Drinks were great too. I got one called frutti and was sweet ; but just what I needed. Overall the service bumped the points up ; would visit again based off that. Super cute restaurant on the east side - perfect for date night. Would rate the food around a 7/10. But we were happy at the end of it. read more

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We were visiting Austin and found this place to try out. Great outside patio area and it was a perfect night for dinner out there as it wasn't too humid. The inside looked like it had a good vibe and aesthetic, but we walked through kind of quick and to the patio with our reservation. There was a guy at the front that said hi when we walked in, didn't ask if we had reservations and passed us on to what I assume to be the hostess and said, 2 with no reservation, then walked away. I then told her I had a reservation and she looked it up and sat us immediately. This was the only part of the service that wasn't on point. The waitress was very attentive to everything we needed and when she found out it was our first time there, she offered suggestions and also suggested we share plates to try the most. She wasn't wrong, everything was delicious!! We ended up starting with wine, but she did offer some suggestions to cocktails on the menu as well. We started with a prosciutto and cheese board, followed by a goat cheese type ravioli, I forget the name and then finished off with the lamb chops with fried artichoke hearts. The pasta dish was probably my favorite and she did mention it is all made from scratch daily, definitely didn't disappoint. Would definitely t try this place out again. read more

Il Brutto - Prosciutto di Parma - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Hm, what can I say about this experience? There was something left to be desired. At the outset, things were good. The staff greets you as you enter and are really friendly/helpful, especially since I had a question about the garage parking* (more on that later). The ambiance is aesthetically pleasing and there's plenty of light that comes into the space during the evening. All things required for a lovely evening of celebration. Although, maybe a tad loud. The overall dinner, though, took way longer than expected. Our reservation for 6 was at 7:15pm and I was leaving by about 9:30pm. The first two of us to arrive ordered drinks while we waited at the table for the rest of our party and had already perused the menu. We had ordered some appetizers for the table, but it felt like there was just too much time elapsed between visits from our server that we hadn't gotten our pasta orders in til an hour into the dinner. Then, when it finally arrived, I wasn't truly blown away. Don't get me wrong- the food was plated well and the temperature was right, but I felt like maybe lacking a tad in flavor. I did think it was sweet of them to offer the birthday girl the option of a glass of prosecco or a gelato at the end of the meal, though. So keep that in mind if you're planning on suprising anyone here. Would I come back? Maybe if I'd parked on the street and if it was another friend's birthday. Just not sure I'd pick this place to meet anyone for dinner, though. * PARKING: When I entered the parking garage, the machine didn't give me a ticket and said something along the lines of, "a ticket cannot be issued at this time," but the gate arm opened anyway, so I parked. I asked the folks at the host stand if that was a problem, and they told me it happens more often than it should, but I would be okay if I hit the "help" button and someone would assist me. I had a bad feeling about it, but trusted their advice. When it was time to leave, I did the "help" button method, and yes it worked, but it felt like the longest 5 mins of my life. Luckily, I wasn't holding up a line to exit the garage at 9:40pm. The guy on the other end was pretty understanding, especially since I said, "I'm stuck in this garage." All he needed was to take my name and released me from the embarrasement of passersby by raising the garage exit bar. read more

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Ella as hostess and Dashawn as bartender/ liaison. Great attitudes. Real kind and genuine. Cared. Food was great. Drinks were picked right by D. I never do dessert, but it was called for. Espresso, tiramisu, and got blessed with the chocolate gellato. Real people. Great food. You can't fake that. read more

Il Brutto is a fun restaurant in East Austin with creative Italian dishes. I read about this restaurant so I couldn't wait to try. It did not disappoint. We had three appetizers and three pastas. Some of my fav dishes were the heirloom tomatoes, lasagna and ravioli. The heirloom tomatoes were so tasty, I could have ordered another plate just for myself. Great flavor and perfectly ripe. I really enjoyed their take on lasagna, it was different from a traditional lasagna but equally as good. Our server recommended wine with our dishes and he was spot on. My only disappointment would be the desserts, they were underwhelming. read more

Il Brutto - Heirloom tomatoes, crudo and crostini - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Very tasty restaurant and will definitely hit the spot if you are craving authentic Italian food. All of the dishes were well prepared and flavorful. Portions were just right. Ingredients were fresh across the board including the homemade pasta and sauces. Il Brutta Pizza and the Cacio e Pepe were the standout dishes. Both hit the msrks on authentic flavors. Really enjoyed the Fungi Pizza as well. Service was a little slow and spotty but overall the staff was friendly. read more

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The ambiance is out standing. If the weather permit, 100% recommend sitting in the patio. The service was amazing, everyone is super friendly and my glass was never empty. The food was amazing. My favorite by far was the Lasagna alla Bolognese. Enjoy! read more

Il Brutto - 1. Cozze 2. Potato & Leeks Pizze 3. Lasagna alla Bolognese 4. Cacio E Pepe 5. Heirloom Tomatoes - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

Paige is the best server we've had! She was super knowledgeable on all drinks and recommended great entrees!

The food was pretty solid. For appetizers, the scallop crudo tasted fresh and flavorful, although some of the capers were oddly crunchy. The heirloom tomatoes were a bit underwhelming and the burrata was doing most of the heavy lifting for that dish. They had some classic dishes like cacio e pepe and squid ink pasta. They subbed the sauce in my gnocchi dish because I wanted a vegetarian option. The cacio e pepe was just as I expected - cheesy with a sharpness of the pepper. The citrus in the agnolotti is an interesting addition, but not my usual preference. Prices are high for portion sizes but at least they taste great. Side note, but the canoli-esque dessert was very good and included mint and orange zest which I've never had in a typical cannoli before. Great ambiance inside. Perfect for a fancy date night or girls night. It's quite dark which makes it more romantic and the layout feels intimate. Our server was very nice and conversational. He also assumed I was vegetarian and was thoughtful about checking if any of our dishes have meat in them. read more

Il Brutto - heirloom tomatoes, scallop crudo - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

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It was raining and there was no alternative to an outdoor reserved table. No table umbrellas or coverings. Hostess was unhelpful and said 'you can wait the rain out'. We watched her turn away about 30 people. If I was the owner, I would be most unhappy. Once seated, over an hour later, ordered wine. It was good but pricey. We ordered some starters a the server pushed bread on us ($9 for a tasteless mini pizza). Mussels very salty. The lamb ragu was tasty but a small portion and the pasta was a bit limp and overcooked. The cacio e Pepe was overly cheesy with too much pasta water. It was not terribly tasty and disappointing. I've read service was great - it was not our experience - e.g. repeatedly had to ask for water. An ordered dessert never arrived. Chilled wine was not placed in a chilled bucket and pasta served w/o spoons. A disappointing evening and at $80 pp we expected more. read more

I went on a Friday night and service was quite slow. However the food came out relatively quickly which we were happy about. The food came out before the drinks though which was not a big deal. The patio is gorgeous and such a vibe. Loved the burrata pizza and margarita pizza. The only reason why I give this 4 stars is because the portions are very small. We did family style and I literally had one fork of the pasta lol. The cacio e pepe was kind of dry. Loved my aeporal spritz. Not bad of an experience at all, but I wouldn't say it was my favorite. read more

Il Brutto - Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The food is always on point and the drinks and wine awesome!!! The servers are always super accommodating too. I'd come back for happy hour or have a dinner date here since the decor says, dress up! read more

I had higher hopes for this place based on the prices lol. Pros: staff was polite, gnocchi was pretty good. They don't have appetizer bread but just pizza crust without toppings. Cons: took 10-15 minutes just to get my first drink and order food. The cocktail was mostly ice and for $16, you'd expect better. Prices were also on the high side for everything, but that's Austin I guess. read more

Il Brutto - Orange cocktail. Mostly ice and will run you $16 - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

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My party of 10 enjoyed a beautiful dinner on a springtime night on the patio. We shared two pizzas to start and then each ordered our own pasta entrees. The caccio e pepe was delicious, no frills. My friends had some lovely aperol spritzes and the sangiovese. The server was extremely attentive and made sure we were well-taken care of. The grackle situation was a bit scary at first, but once the sun went down, we were safe. We sampled all of the desserts. My favorite was the tiramisu! read more

The main takeaway I have from dining at Il Brutto is that service here is exceptional. I made a reservation for 6 for my friend's birthday and the minute I checked in the hostess wished her happy birthday. Our server was also very patient explaining different dishes and helping us decide what appetizers would work for my friend that doesn't eat red meat. At the end we ordered dessert and she came out with an extra gelato for the birthday girl and limoncello shots for everyone. The live music was a nice touch and really set up a great ambience. We started with the Trio tasting which has the freshest pesto I've ever tasted, a 4 cheese fondue, and whipped sausage. The lamb ragù in the Pappardelle was the perfect amount of rich lamb flavor soaked in tomato sauce. The tiramisù definitely makes it onto my list of top 3 tiramisù's that I've tried due to the cinnamon chocolate streusel sprinkled on top. read more

Il Brutto - Pappardelle - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

Dashawn was amazing! He was attentive and helpful with dividing our check! Loved the food, I recommend ordering the Pistachio icecream.

Love Taylor she's great!! Food amazing drinks amazing love all of it chat get better love the drinks

Taylor was the best!!! The food impeccable and great service! Especially for a gluten free meal!

Came here during my senior trip, and I had a great time. The live music was actually great, and sitting outdoors provided a nice atmosphere. The margarita pizza was also solid. read more

Il Brutto - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

Extremely rude experience with bartender. Ruined our last night in Austin. Told manager about it and she rolled her eyes.

loved the place. There are several gluten free options. I would come back to this place! thanks DaShawn for the great service.