Solid place to come have small bites with friends. Some dishes were better than others but worth checking out - the drinks are on point read more

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Super cute tapas spot nestled in downtown. Wish they had proper indoor dining but the food and drinks were all delicious! Could work on the outdoor ambiance to really kick this place up a notch but overall was great read more

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Awesome place for drinks and small bites. Everything we tried there was phenomenal, from the flatbread to the shistito peppers to the cocktails. Service is very good too, and atmosphere is very laid back and hip. Awesome place to try if you're visiting or hosting guests from out of town. Parking can be tricky, but it's worth it. read more

Perfect for people-watching, drinks and food, our happy hour at Kalimotxo was excellent. The paloma cocktail was excellent, as were the appetizer and dessert we tried. The appetizer was a "make your own" board plate, and the octopus part of the appetizer was my favorite. But the real standout of the evening was surprisingly the cheesecake--it looks burnt (but it's not) and is so light and fluffy, which I don't usually see with cheesecake. A great spot! read more

I really enjoyed Kalimotxo. The blistered shishito peppers are an absolute hit. I've never tasted shishito peppers this good. The pan con tomat was absolutely amazing!!! For a dish so simple, it was super flavorful!! Finally, the eggplant dish was very surprising. It did not taste like eggplant at all. It was literally cooked to perfection. I'd highly recommend. The drinks were also amazing. You can't go wrong getting anything here. I can't wait to go back! read more

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Have to admit the food is quite good and the service was attentive but the seating arrangements and "rules" on ordering food are ridiculous. First, this place is "two restaurants" in the same space using the same kitchen and staff. There are two doors leading into the place, one labeled as Hestia and the other as Kalimotxo which is essentially the bar area and patio. Our group of three arrived with reservations on a cold and very quiet night. When we asked if we could be seated in Hestia and order off BOTH menus we were told "absolutely not". We had to choose one and could only order off the menus for that area. Ridiculous. The place never got more than 1/3 full the whole night. We sat in Kalimotxo (bar) area suffering the occasional cold blasts from the opening of the doors and the very uncomfortable metal bar stools. Admittedly, we could have chosen to be seated in Hestia but we wanted several of the tapas items "only available in the bar". Ultimately, we spent over $350 on good wine and food but the "manager's rules" on seating and ordering left a bad taste for us all. Oh well, Austin has a lot of great choices and much better managed destinations. read more

It's probably my bad for not investigating this place prior to arriving. I wanted to try this place due to their porrones which is all over Instagram. So this is not an ideal place for dinner with girlfriends or even bites with more than one girlfriend. We sat outside because the inside has maybe 10 bar stools facing the outside. The outside has tables and fire place seating with blankets. So given my expectation going in...we order drinks then some bites, which were good but the flavors didn't seem to mesh well. it looked pretty but was pretty pricey. The top part of their menu is priced for 1 EACH. Good to know. We ordered plates to share and it was rough balancing these plates on the edges of the fire pit. We had to ask for utensils, were given cocktail napkins at most. Two of our napkins caught on fire, oh dear. If I were to come back, I will need to be in the mood for just cocktails in the city and check the weather and save my tummy for Hestia (connecting fine dining restaurant) or go to Suerte where I can get yummy Spanish tapas and cocktails. Or come here to experience drinking from the cool pitcher for Instagram stories. Anybody else miss Bullfight? read more

Kalimotxo - Steak tartar - Basque Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Wonderful date night spot! Super cozy atmosphere and great service. Vegetarian options are limited but tasty. Papas bravas were a favorite. We tried both the desserts and thought both were great. read more

Eh.... it's a trendy basque tapas place. Looks nice but has no substance. Food and drinks were just ok compared to a few to visited in California and San Sébastien, Spain. Dishes we ate: mushroom, pintxo moreno, octopus escabexhe., croquetas de bacalao, pork mojo. Disappointed. read more

I came here after reading a list with top 10 sandwiches or something like that. I was intrigued by the ham sandwich and the 'pan cristal.' Well, I have come to report that the ham sandwich here is super delicious and the bread is great as well. If you read some reviews, everyone is raving about the burger, but nobody is talking about the ham sandwich. I don't think it's because the ham sandwich is bad, it's just that the burger is SO GOOD by comparison. It just melts in your mouth. The burger is relatively fat, but you don't have to unhinge your jaw because it's pillowy and immediately cedes to any mandibular pressure. The mahon cheese, a mild cow cheese, has a great texture, half melted, but still retaining its sense of self. The patty, done medium well by default, explodes in your mouth with every bite. And the bun acts as a perfect foil, encasing all the ingredients while sopping up their juices, with the right amount of structural integrity, so it doesn't fall apart. There's nothing worse than a bun that disintegrates in your hands. The guys behind Kalimotxo have definitely figured this out. This was the best burger I have had in years. I liked the cocktails. I think the sandia rita, which has a great flavor (& appearance), could benefit from a little more alcohol. I recommend you come here, and like literally everyone else said, order the burger. read more

Omg so tasty and atmospheric and cute and sexy, with friendly, totally professional staff who really care about the menu. I started coming here recently, during the COVID times, before/after seeing movies @Violet Crown and other DT shows. Every visit has felt special, whether we walked in or made a reservation. Food is quite fantastic but staff made us feel valued. FOH are all-stars here. read more

Due to covid times, I ordered delivery through Favor: the tortilla espanola, patatas bravas, and Basque cheesecake. I spent last Thanksgiving in Bilbao and San Sebastian with family and recently moved back to Austin after a few years stint in NYC. I can say with all honesty that the three dishes I tried were better than any version of them I ate in either the actual Basque region or NYC (and I spent a considerable amount of time in Michelin star restaurants). Absolutely blown away. The tortilla was perfectly melt in your mouth moist with a bit of texture/bite from the potatoes. Patatas bravas had an amazing shatteringly crispy crust that stayed crispy even through the delivery process. Basque cheesecake was almost like a curd, amazing and with a very European taste of sugar -- barely sweet and retaining most sweetness from the natural sugars in the berry compote. Perfection! I'm sure it's even better in person. read more

Great new restaurant and the vibe is nice street-side. We came by to check out things at happy hour and drank a bit--awesome G&T's--as well as trying some small bites from the menu. We'll be back again for sure and I'll chime in more then. read more

The Kali Burger (wagyu beef) MAKES this place!! I would come back just to eat this honestly, although the other stuff is so yummy: patatas bravas & pan con tomate. This is definitely my fav taste of Spain in austin so far. Make sure to make a reservation ahead of time! read more

Went here last weekend and had the best experience. Not only was the service incredible, but the drinks and food were equally as great. The halibut was one of the best dishes I've ever had. Seriously a must for your time in Austin. Thanks for a great experience, Kalimotxo. We'll be back! read more

Kalimotxo - Watermelon cocktail - Basque Near Me - Austin, Texas

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My wife and I had an impromptu date night and decided to go to Kalimoxto. Jordan our server made it memorable with her warmth and personality. She was engaging and very attentive to our dining experience. I'm a klutz and spilled my water glass; instead of making me feel bad, she quickly cleaned it up and made a joke about it so I was less embarrassed. The food was amazing as usual, one of our favorite dishes is the sweet finish. The Kakigori, a mountain of shaved ice, preserved cherries, toasted bran ice cream, vanilla cream, white chocolate and hibiscus caramel. The perfect way to finish off a wonderful date night! read more

Oh man what a surprise this restaurant was! We had a wonderful experience here. We sat at a little bar top table and watched the dessert chef make cool desserts all night long. The staff would talk to us about the cocktails and the dishes and how they made each piece special. Everyone was super friendly and the food was great. This is kind of tucked away in downtown Austin so it's definitely worth checking out and making a reservation. Go support this business it's a good one! read more

Jordan and the whole team at Kalimotxo took incredible care of us. All the drinks were fantastic and the Kalimotxo is perfect on the rocks or frozen. I highly recommend the burger with papas bravas. Can't wait to come back! read more

I'll start with the cons. Drinks are pricey ~$15 per cocktail and the menu is limited. With that being said, it was still very good. I sat outside on the back patio during sunset which had a great view. There's some cute chairs out back which would be great if you're just having drinks with friends. All of the food I had was excellent. The food was the perfect amount for two people. I split the beet salad, pan con tomate, tortilla española, and the basque cheesecake. I'd order all of them again. read more

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I really wanted to like this place as the concept is really cool. I've been on the search for a yummy Spanish style tapas place in Austin with no luck. First off, this bar concept is the bar portion of Hestia. We were very confused when we walked in wondering, "oh, that's it?" We got three bites, two drinks, squeezed into a spot at the bar, received no utensils or napkins and walked out with a $70 tab. read more

Really great ambiance and the service was amazing, both of our servers were super friendly and on top of it. The food was alright. For authentic Spanish tapas, my go-to place in Austin continues to be Barlata. The selection here is very limited and the tapas themselves were OK but nothing to write home about. My husband and I thought the patatas bravas lacked heat. The octopus was probably my fave tapa. read more

Amazing food + service + ambience! The oysters were the best I've ever had. The bread y tomato was amazing. How could something so simple be so amazing? Our server, Jordan, was absolutely lovely. She asked for our names and remembered them. 10/10! read more

Kalimotxo - Basque Near Me - Austin, Texas

Great experience. This placed opened less than a year ago but I just got to experience it now. We sat at the bar. Service was great. Food delicious. We shared oysters, sushito peppers a pepper cheese toast app and a burger. Everything was really good. The burger -- I got my half sans bun. It was so good. Beautifully prepared. Also we watched as food was made for Hestia. They are doing a 12-course!! Menu. I was scared it would be too much food but it looks really good so we will try it. These two places seem like good additions to the neighborho read more

Absolutely the WORST service of my life!! We were a party of 8 and dined outside on Friday night, April 14th. I've never written a review on yelp, but felt compelled because this was the most negative experience I've ever had at a restaurant! Our waitress was literally HOSTILE from the first moment we interacted with her. She lacked a smile, or any customer-friendly welcoming attitude. Her tone of voice was stern, abrupt, she interrupted us when we tried to order, and blamed us for orders she didn't write down that we asked for! Overall, the evening was a very uncomfortable and unpleasant experience. Given this, we will not be returning nor recommending others. read more

We had the grilled octopus, pan con tomate, patatas bravas, spanish pork ribs, and black bass crudo. Everything, and I mean everything was phenomenal. Specifically, it was the best octopus I've ever had -- SO tender. read more

Service was good and friendly. Overall, the food is very average and overpriced. Great atmosphere. I would recommend this place for a couple cocktails and a view, but not a full dinner. Food was just not that good. read more

Kalimotxo is a gem, and was a highlight of our recent trip to Austin. I had been looking for a place to host a lively tapas dinner with friends, and was intrigued by this spot's signature drink- the Kalimotxo. I had long heard from Spanish friends about the red wine and Coca-Cola blend, but had never had one, so I was excited to make reservations to finally try one, along with selections from Kalimotxo's great menu. We arrived with friends on a cool Friday evening and I was immediately impressed by the restaurant's gorgeous and intimate location tucked in the corner of a downtown cul-de-sac. Although the modern interior was equally as gorgeous, we were so pleased to be seated in a corner table on the patio with incredible views of Shoal Creek and parts of downtown at dusk. We started with the Kalimotxo, which was akin to a delicious, slightly sweetened sangria served in a cute glass cup shaped like a soda can. Although I don't have an exact accounting of all the drinks our table ordered, every cocktail and glass of wine that hit our table looked exquisite. For dinner, we sampled from their small but well-curated menu inspired by Spanish and Basque classics. We, of course, went for the vegetarian options- well-seasoned shishitos, a crispy eggplant flatbread, a light and fluffy tortilla espanol served cold, and probably the crispiest and best patatas bravas I have ever had. I loved the perfect pan con tomate- crispy country baguette topped with fresh tomato, olive oil, and salt. Our friends sampled the various meat dishes, as well, that all looked beautifully done. We ended our meal with a sampling of desserts- a salty toffee and peach sundae and a light and creamy basque burnt cheesecake, which I paired with a glass of Spanish sherry. The service was fantastic and attentive, with the kind waitress offering numerous recommendations and taking excellent care of us. Kalimotxo is a perfect choice for high-end tapas with a hip, modern take in a gorgeous Austin patio setting. We can't wait to come back! read more

I wanted to like this place. Hestia and Canje are amazing and owned by the same people, but this fell flat. Everything other than the bread with tomato(which was good) was either cold, very over-salted, or plain and bland. It was a night with a good starter and then fell into a trench and couldn't get back up. read more

Absolutely delicious food and great service. The patio seating even had the best propane heaters at any restaurant I've ever been to. It is small plate style so you get to try a bunch of different items with friends. You have to order the blistered shishitos, wood fired flatbread, patatas bravas, and the Spanish pork ribs. Of course, you have to end with the burnt cheesecake! read more

Good food, and drinks (for the most part), but mediocre margaritas. Yup, I said it. The marg wasn't cheap tasting.. but it was missing something to give it that good kick. I'd recommend trying to make reservations before hand if you want a table, otherwise you can sit and order at the bar. The bar is very narrow and seats aren't comfortable, so keep that in mind. Wait staff is friendly and give recommendations on food... but kept dancing around drink recommendations which was kind of weird. Everyone was pleased with the food. Limited menu though, I don't think I'd make this a regular place to visit. read more

The bar is tiny inside but plenty of outdoor seating on patio. Lovely space, especially when the weather is nice. Staff was very nice. Did not try the food there. This bar is attached to the restaurant Hestia, which we look forward to trying. read more

Kalimotxo - Basque Near Me - Austin, Texas

The food and cocktails were fantastic. I highly recommend the burger which was cooked perfectly and had a very nice char-grill texture. To top this off the service was first class. read more

The kitchen was a bit backed up so we waited for some of our food for most of our visit, but the customer service was amazing. To apologize for the wait they brought us three servings of appetizers plus two desserts on the house. I suggest the burger cooked medium and the patatas bravas. Will definitely come back! read more

Goes to one of the only pinxo places in town, orders a burger. Dumb. But I was really craving one and when I read 44 farms beef/scratch made bread I was sold. This was seriously one of the best I've ever had --juicy as fuck patty, bubbling queso de mahón, caramelised onions, mushroom sauce, crisp lettuce. And savoury smothered papas bravas on the side. Perfect meal that could only be further perfected by a kalimotxo of course. read more

$40 set menu is well worth it. Many classic Spanish drinks on the list - opted for a tinto de verano rather than a Kalimotxo- was very refreshing. Tuna crudo with blueberry starter, then blistered peppers with grilled bread, then your choice of entree and dessert. Let me tell you, if you're craving a good burger, this is it. Incredibly juicy 44 farms beef and truly umami with the mushroom aioli, plus a housemade bun. The patatas bravas were the perfect accompaniment (very heavy- go for the salad if you'd rather skip the extra aioli although I do not recommend this). And then the dessert. Insane (massive) kakigori which I thought was interesting seeing as much of the rest of the menu was very Basque - topped generously with cream and pomegranate syrup and preserved cherries and a surprise ice cream scoop in the centre. The burnt cheesecake was seriously out of this world- super creamy and not overly sweet. Fantastic first experience especially given the view from the patio. Emmer & Rye has one solid team. read more

Great quick food and drinks! Cocktails are great! The music is poor however. Beyoncé mix for 2 hours.

I've never been so excited for a bar to open as I was for Kalimøtxo. I absolutely adore San Sebastián, and the pintxo bar culture is simply magical. I lamented that we didn't have something similar back home in Austin - and then I heard about Kalimøtxo. I was excited to hear it was soon to open, and from the proven folks of Emmer and Rye to boot. After my first visit, I can say that there's something here. They are still dialing things in as you would expect one month into it, but I look forward to coming back and having a reason to upgrade my review. The two challenges I expected them to encounter were present in full force. First, is that in Basque Country, the food and social gathering are the stars of the show and every bar feels like a neighborhood joint that hasn't been redecorated in decades (likely because that's the case). That's part of the magic I think. I didn't expect anything different in downtown Austin, but Kalimøtxo is Basque themed food and drink wrapped in a Barcelona night club atmosphere. It's not a Basque bar, but an Austin bar with a Basque menu. Second, is price. There's no avoiding it when located downtown, but everything is 2x the price of the bars in Basque Country. Food and drink are generally more expensive here than Spain, but when you're buying two-bite or one-bite items, $3.50-5.50 is quite different from €2-4 each. Perhaps the most painful was the Txakoli. The go-to staple wine that you'd get on-tap for €2 at any bar in San Sebastián was $12 for a glass. Oof. Maybe having inexpensive wine on tap like that isn't in the formula for surviving downtown. Despite the disappointment of having my fears confirmed on ambiance and price, I still enjoyed the visit and I'm excited for the next one. The pintxos were overall good and we were happy to see several familiar bites. I only have two small suggestions on the food. The pan con tomat was a bit oversalted and we would have preferred the gildas (olive, anchovy and guindilla pepper skewers) to be sitting in a jar of oil as they do in San Sebastián, because they were a too dry just sitting out on a plate. The other several pintxos we had were delicious. Helping make it a great visit were Kate and Lauren behind the bar - great service and friendly! If you're looking for a place to catch up with friends over drinks and a couple light flavor-bomb bites, it's worth checking out Kalimøtxo! read more

Really cute bar at the entrance of Hestia. Nice food options, great drinks. Good service. Upon paying, you're handed a hand-held device that has swiped your card, and the first prompt is for a 25 or 26% tip, the second option is 20%, and then it goes back up. Great method for when your customer base is a little tipsy and opts for the first tip amount without looking at it. The tip amount is also based on the post-tax total. read more

Good atmosphere and overall vibe. Really expensive for what is served. Not worth it for me personally but worth a try.

Some of the best tapas we have had outside of Spain, authentic flavors and seasoning, nice wine selection friendly helpful staff - definitely a repeat for the next visit to Austin read more