I met one of my best friends for her birthday dinner at Loro in The Domain, and since it was her…read morerestaurant of choice, I was excited to join her. This Asian smokehouse definitely lives up to the hype. Since we had more adventures planned for the evening, we decided to keep dinner on the lighter side. Loro's menu combines Asian-inspired and Texas smokehouse flavors, creating a unique and delicious dining experience. The atmosphere is casual and inviting. We placed our order at the counter, and somehow the staff magically delivers everything to the correct table...without numbers, flags, or those little buzzing gadgets. I'm still trying to figure out their secret. We especially enjoyed the open seating, modern décor, and communal dining concept. The indoor-outdoor layout is especially appealing during Austin's cooler months. For dinner, we ordered the wings, Brussels sprouts, and salmon bowls. My friend happily claimed most of the wings, as they were a little crispier than I prefer. The Brussels sprouts, however, were excellent...crispy, crunchy, and finished with just the right touch of sweetness. The true highlight were the salmon bowls. The salmon was perfectly charred and packed with flavor, while the coconut rice added a rich, slightly sweet complement that tied the dish together seamlessly. Loro delivered a fun, flavorful dining experience and proved to be an excellent choice for a birthday celebration.

First Loro experience. There are both i door and outdoor seating. The inside is lively and loud…read more The outdoor seating is quieter and more intimate. There are 2 bars (inside and out). Flavor, flavors, flavor! The 4 plates we ordered were different and felt like a solid representation of the menu. The pork belly was melt in my mouth delicious. We couldn't stop munching on the Brussel sprouts. The cold noodles were refreshing and the Sake 1/2 chicken was incredible!

We visited before they closed their location inside Hana World Market. The yaki-tacos de pastor…read morewere excellent; great flavor and texture. The costilla ones weren't bad either but the pastor was the clear winner between the two. I ordered the carnitas tonkotsu ramen and had no complaints here. Carnitas were tender, ramen was the perfect texture, and broth was delicious. S/O had the chilaquiles-men with green sauce and he loved it. Note: this is a DRY noodle dish AKA no broth. Can't wait to visit again when they reopen their restaurant!

I didn't think it was possible to live up to the hype, so breathlessly extolled by every…read morequasi-wannabe-influencer that it bordered on satire. Somehow, against all odds, Ramen Del Barrio still exceeds its reputation. There's only one vegan ramen option but it's all you need, both in terms of portion size and flavor. I've never had anything quite like the mole tsukemen, a Tex-Mex mashup pairing rich mole broth served separately from handmade noodles so thick, you might mistake them for udon at a glance. Simple toppings of fried tortilla strips, avocado, charred jalapeno, and caramelized onions adorn the top. Before this moment, I thought I just wasn't a fan of mole. It turns out, I had never tried great mole before. This stuff dazzles with layered spices, melded so well that I can't pick a single one out from the pack. It's not overwhelmingly hot, but definitely leaves your lips tingling. I'm glad I finally got there before they close up shop at their current location in Hana World Market on December 21st, and even happier to know that their new brick-and-mortar isn't too far behind. I'll be there as soon as the doors open!

Went here during a weekend and it wasn't too busy yet, which was great. Got to sit down pretty…read morequick and looked at their huge menu of food. Decided on one noodle soup and one stir-fry noodles. The spicy beef noodles soup was great. Wide, chewy noodles in a somewhat spicy broth, great during those few days or weeks of coldness we get. The stir-fry noodles were great as well, the same type of noodles but with beef, onion, and tons of spices. The restaurant itself is a decent size with multiple tables for smaller ones to larger ones for larger parties. It shared a huge parking lot with other shops around it, so parking will not be an issue here.

I was driving by, looking for a place I can get miso or noodles. I haven't been here and so I gave…read moreit a try. The young man was helping me with menu, he was very nice. I got Chinese eggplants in garlic sauce and sesame chicken, both come with white rice. Eggplants were good, but I wish they were spicy. Sesame chicken was also good, but I had to eat only half, after finding a couple of not appealing pieces. Refer to picture below. So anyways, I would recommend, but I don't think I will be eating there in the future.

I got here a few times and usually in the evening. The only part of going in the evening is that…read morethey can run out of food, so be careful coming later in the evening. I like that it is part convenience store and packs food ready to be served. There are even 2 small tables there if you want to just eat there as well. I had a few dishes there and they were great. I got a pork bowl before and the pork was great flavor and was tender. I am hoping to visit again and try to get other dishes to try.

I visited this shop several times during their pop-up events. Today, I called to ask about the line…read moreand whether the bread might still be available. Unfortunately, the owner wasn't very helpful and couldn't give any indication of how many bread was being sold or whether it was likely to sell out.I ended up driving about 30 minutes from Central Austin, only to find that the salted bread from the pop-up was already sold out. That was really disappointing. When I went inside the store to buy some regular items instead, the interaction with the owner was also frustrating. He seemed to misunderstand what I was asking and kept directing me to stand in the pop-up line, even though I explained multiple times that I just wanted to purchase items from the store, which didn't require waiting in that line. In the end, I bought a few small items, but three small items came out to about $20, which felt overpriced for what I received. The overall service experience was not pleasant. The owner came across as rude and unwelcoming, and it didn't feel like customers who made the effort to come support the business were being valued. I understand this is a small, local mom-and-pop shop, and I usually love supporting small businesses. However, customer service still matters--especially when people travel a long distance to visit. Because of this experience, I probably won't be returning unless it's for a pop-up event.

Still agree with my review a year later although this time I ate inside the restaurant and have…read morepicked up multiple to-go orders and TGTG bags from here since. Their espresso crème brûlée is to die for. I love it and highly recommend it. Recently, I got their khao mun gai. Tasty, decent portion and came with a soup that gave me life. Ask for their chili sauces if you like it spicy--I'm not a fan of the usual khao mun gai sauces but being able to add their chili vinegar, chili sambal, etc is a really nice touch. Honestly, when I'm craving khao mun gai but don't want to drive that far to the usual spot everyone thinks of--I truly think this spot is a great alternative. It's also a small family owned business, friendly quick service, AND has a bigger parking lot.

Came here with a large group. Had never been and what a fun gem. Great happy hour on beverages,…read moreappetizers and sushi until 7pm! I sampled someone's else's shrimp tempura sushi and was delicious, however very small. The hostess was on top of our table. Our waters never went empty. The service was great. We weee made to feel so welcomed, like family. All dishes are made completely fresh to order. I asked for my meal to have a little kick of spice and it was absolutely perfect. The prices compared to the amount of food you get is amazing! I can make 2 more meals from my dish! It was delicious from the first bite. They can make any dish vegan or gluten free as well! They made sure they asked for allergies as well. Was a very nice, super clean restaurant. Looking forward to going back soon!

When wonderful humans start businesses in the community like this one, you KNOW it's a labor of…read morelove. They are in a "soft opening" phase currently, and we got to meet the owner who was very enthusiastic about his business, the community, and garnering any feedback we had. The food is - in one word, impeccable. We went in for a snack and ended up ordered 4x as much as we meant to because everything was so darn delicious. The menu consists of baos, sushi, hand rolls, adorable pearl shaped nigiri, bento, and more - they are all customizable with yummy sauces (miso butter - mmm!), and many types of protein (seriously like all the protein options you can find at a premium sushi bar). Everything is served with house made sauces so if you are a condiment gal/guy like me this is your place! Food - I had the escolar, unagi, and scallop hand rolls (all under $5 each) and was so surprised by the quality / freshness of the protein and the portions given. The escolar was so soft and buttery. I then ordered the shrimp fresh roll (also under $5, it was HUGE) and the chicken katsu baos (around $6-7) - they were amazing. The chicken tenders are panko crusted and fried crispy. BF tried the steak baos and LOVED them too. Okay also did I mention the PRICES?! You can't get quality food like that for a greater deal. Drinks are all $8 and hit the spot :) The interior is not completely redone / set up yet but I can't to come back when it is! The phone / QR code system makes it so easy to order. JUST GO! and Support this incredible addition to the neighborhood.

If you're looking for something quick, casual, and cheap, this would be your spot! I feel like it's…read morejust very average, like a decent spot to just fuel up, but not necessarily somewhere I would bring friends to. It is pretty cheap, but the serving sizes match the price, not really filling you up. The baos were pretty good. The char siu pork belly didn't look the most appealing. But it smelled and tasted pretty decent. They give you a good amount of meat too. The turmeric chicken was pretty good too, I really liked the seasoning on this one. The sushi was ok though. The presentations was super cute, with the little sushi balls! But the fish itself didn't taste as fresh as I would have liked. The workers were all really friendly though. You can practically see inside the whole kitchen when you walk in, so it's a little unsettling walking in and seeing all the workers like standing there waiting for you to put your order in online, but interacting with them, they were really friendly.

While I'm going to say that this isn't my favorite vegan pho in town, it's still better than many…read more What really keeps me coming back are the vegan eggrolls. THESE are the best imperial rolls around, mark my words; perfectly crispy, juicy inside, not greasy, and served piping hot. You must get at least one order per person. Those are the rules. They do some great things with tofu. Garlic tofu, in the banh mi, vermicelli noodle salad, and rice plate comes out nicely fried and flavorful. Many of these items aren't vegan by default, but easily adapted upon request. Speak up, they know how to help! Also, I appreciate how chill of a spot it is overall. Never crazy busy, comfortable, spacious, always fast service, and perfect for the whole family.

I've been here twice now, and this place has earned a spot on my rotation…read more I started with my standard Pho Tai, and it was excellent. The broth was perfect and authentic. On my return trip, I went for the Stone Pot Pho with fresh noodles, and it was even better. I can't go back to regular noodles after having the fresh noodles. I found the staff friendly and attentive both times. If you want authentic Vietnamese, I'd come here.

I had lunch for the first time today at. It was delicious! I had the chicken bento box, which is an…read moreincredible amount of food. Definitely could be shared! My dining companion ordered a spicy tuna, sushi, roll, and miso soup, both of which she said were delicious. They have a large selection of hot tea, including Japanese green tea. The staff immediately welcomed us upon entering the restaurant and were very friendly and helpful throughout. They made sure our waters were refilled and cleared empty plates quickly. The space is lovely and I definitely would recommend!

We came because it was rated 4.7 at this time of the review. This is NOT a 4.7 sushi place…read more Sushi: we got the classic chirashi bowl. It came with a glop of spicy tuna. And it wasn't even bluefin.. and escolar, and stale tamago. There was maybe 4 good sashimi pieces. $40 for this? No thanks. If I come to a 4.7 rated sushi place, I should not be getting sad spicy tuna as the main sashimi.. red flag for a sushi place. 0 explanation on the fish selection, either. Was this their first time making chirashi? Also, the spicy sauce they added was all over the other fish. Felt like I was eating marinated fish. Ramen: not bad! Light broth. Good noodles. Meat was chewy and definitely not traditional chasu. Seemed like basic roasted pork belly, it wasn't rolled and the fat wasn't rendered through. But overall good, I would get it again. Kind of expensive, though. Ambiance/Service: decent! We had live music. Servers were really nice! Attentive and super quick to help us out. Constantly clearing tables. Home-y vibe. This place is really worth 3.5-4.0 at best. Rating is currently way too inflated. Who knows? Maybe they will improve the quality of the fish selection later on.