If you like Mexican food, real fresh regional Mexican then Manuel's is the place. I really like their outdoor patio it was a hidden gem that we discovered after arriving. Being only a few minutes from the Domain this was a great venue to go to. We started with different mixed drinks that you could tell were fresh made and not pre-mixed, I really appreciate that. We then had our appetizer, the ceviche- wow was that delicious we actually ordered another one! Our main dishes were also very tasty particularly the tortillas you could tell were just made. The service was on point and very friendly. I learned that this was a family business and that the owners are passionate about provide quality fresh food rather than squeezing every penny out of the customers- much different atmosphere then most of the chains in the area. I will definitely be going back for brunch as I hear they have live music! read more

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I ordered chicken with chili con queso. I got mediocre baked chicken with a slice of melted cheese on top and almost no seasoning lol. $12. Madness. Salsa and service was good I guess? Still not acceptable. I tried my friends dish. It was more interesting but still fairly flavorless. Won't be coming back. read more

Excellent dining experience. Nichole was wonderful, we came to have a quick bite and despite it being very close to 9:00, and closing time, they served us. The cocktails, lemon martini's were delicious and our food was cooked to perfection. A fruit plate was brought out to our daughter (a toddler), which was great because she was fussy and cantankerous. We really enjoyed the staff and the great service we received from Nichole. Such a sweet woman, she made the visit very enjoyable. Thank you for an unforgettable evening. We'll visit again once my husband is back from overseas. Thank you for the Flan, it was out of this world. All around great experience. 5 stars. read more

I had my first trip to Manuel's (either location) last night. For a Saturday night at 8:30, I was surprised there wasn't a wait. My friend and I were seated immediately. The service was good. Not over-the-top, but we definitely didn't have to wait for anything or ask twice. Their chips and salsa are very mediocre. The chips don't taste fresh and the salsa is too watery. I like to be able to scoop up salsa. With Manuel's, you just dip your chip in it and hope that some of the liquid clings to it until it reaches your mouth. I ordered the pork enchiladas with Bandera salsas, which meant a combination of three sauces: ancho chile, suizas, and verde. The enchiladas were solid, and I liked that they offered pork, rather than the standard beef or chicken options at most Tex-Mex joints. The rice and beans were typical. I had an El Patron margarita, made with Patron tequila and Grand Marnier. It was OK, but not worth the $11 I paid for it. All in all, it was a good dinner. The ambiance of the place is nice, and it was quiet and felt somewhat intimate, as opposed to loud mariachi music like many Mexican restaurants in town. read more

The food and the drinks were acceptable but overpriced. For that price, we expect more. The service was despicable and deplorable. The manager and the owner attempted to violate the federal Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing us service because one of us had a medical alert service animal. The owner and handler of the service animal was clearly wearing medical alert tags. The service animal was in a crate that was clearly marked "Medical Alert Service Animal" and "Service Animal. Access is Required by Law." Owner and Manager completely disregarded the copies of the law - the federal Americans with Disabilities Act - that were offered. Owner and Manager chose to create an altercation in front of all of the patrons in the restaurant, which was mortifying and humiliating. read more

Went with a group of friends to Manuels on a weekday night and our server Savannah took such good care of us! We each had a different cocktail (mine was spicy, I think amado??) and she split our checks up for us at the end too! It's one thing to go to a restaurant and another to have a server be knowledgeable about the restaurant itself! Will def come back!!! read more

We went today and it was wonderful, have always loved Manuel's. They took our temperatures, no touching, wore masks and gloves. Practiced social distancing, I felt very comfortable. They were very safe and we appreciated it. Sat outside. Going again next week read more

Went for happy hour this week. I'm really surprised the place isn't packed during happy hour. But they run it from 4-6pm so I guess people have to take off from work really early. Chicken mole was great. Oh, love their torillas! Had the fried scallops. Scallops were small and bite size and had some slaw on the side that was great. Chicken quesadillas was probably my favorite on the happy hour app menu. Got the queso and had bell peppers and onions in it that my son didn't like. It was an adult type of queso, I suppose. Overall, great happy hour value and will go back soon. read more

Place from the food to the service A-1 Food came quickly and presentation meet the taste. read more

Honestly, just not that impressive. I visited the place on a Sunday with a few folks that like to try new places for brunch. they seem to like it and think that everything was GREAT. Unfortunately, I can tell you that for the price and service I would rather go to about ten other places and that would include Maudi's and I can't enjoy the food at that place. I had some tacos that I think for some reason should be flame grilled...I don't know why. But, this is what I desire and I always seem to be disappointed when they are grilled on a flat top stove. Once again, personal opinion :D read more

Ive been wanting to try this place for a while and finally was able to make it in during a slow time. I only sat at the bar and from what I can tell the decor was nice. The food was pretty good, I ordered the enchiladas and a few beers. They were 16 bucks fyi. They have some shrimp plates at 25 that looked worth a try. I eat out alot and I usually make my decision where I dine on what Im craving and the environment I want to be in. That being said I was a little annoyed that a manager bought pizza for the employees and next thing you know I had the bartender and people next to me eating pizza. The guy next to me was watching the soccer game and was offered the pizza not sure if he was an employee off duty. Anyways I get its a very nice gesture by the manager but that should be kept to back. Kinda of messed up my : I feel like eating mexican food mood up. 3 stars for having good food. -2 for charging what you do and not providing a professional environment while eating. read more

The great grandmother was in town from Dallas. After saying her lunch onFriday was one of the best in memory I told the manager of her satisfaction. We were told we should try the Sunday brunch, which we did, bringing about ten other Dallas visitors. When told Mammy was back with her family, the manager came to greet her as an honored guest, comped her meal and brought her a dessert. So this tells you about the service. As for the food, being long time Ausitn residents we know Manuels well and enjoy their food on a regular basis read more

yeah. I typically have a rule: you can just a Mexican place by their chips and salsa. Manuel's if the exception to that rule. Wow. This is the worst salsa I've ever had. Despite that, I really enjoy this place. I've primarily been here for happy hour and brunch, both of which are great. For happy hour, you MUST try the crab nachos. Mmmmmmmmm. The queso and sopes are great too. The main dinner menu though is a bit overpriced. 3 stars for dinner/salsa, 5 stars for happy hour/brunch, averaging to 4 stars. read more

Man alive have I tried to like this place. I go here regularly for lunch which is why I am giving it three stars. The problem is always order the same lucnch salad (Achiota Chicken Salad - amazing). The salsa is amazing, but typically is way to spicy in the summer and far to mild in the winter. The service has been completely hit or miss in the evenings. The last two bills were $100 apiece, and when you feel like you are eating what is attempting to be above average Tex-Mex it makes me sad :( I give the place alot of credit for having weathered the storms of the last ten years in the downtown Austin restaraunt scene and I truly hope for the best. read more

Ridiculously over-priced for 'mediocre' food Breakfast for 2 was $54 for Migas, guac & queso - with chips and salsa that HEB would put to shame Really?! read more

Like the review stated before the place is a bit pricey. The food is good and the service was excellent. The only thing holding back the 5th star is the worth of the food. Tacos were $13 and enchilada were $17 which was a bit of a let down. read more

Manuel's - Sizzling fajitas! - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

Lunch time service, restaurant mostly empty. Waiter was very friendly, he is solely responsible for the two stars. Glasses and tattoos, stand-up fella. Ordered the Pechuga de Pollo. Tough, dry, served on a bed of mushy rice. Black beans okay, though if you're going to make them soupy, serve them with a spoon. Respectable guacamole. Anywhoo, ambiance is nice, patio might be the key to a more fulfilling experience. I might give it another go, but I'm not ordering chicken, when and if that happens. read more

This is a fancy Mexican place but the food is far away from authentic. Presentation and service is very good but they have long waiting time. They skimp on food which I do not think is justified for the price. I found the food bit unconventional and sometimes did not come out very well. Especially, the queso dip which is my absolute favorite but tastes way to fancy and subpar. read more

It's pretty expensive for fine tasting food, but I just discovered they have Happy Hour every day with half price apps! Definitely worth it to come here to take advantage; the queso is a white cheese queso, so stringy and delicious! As mentioned before, the price is ridiculous (ie: there's a salad on the menu, it's $9 with no protein, but if you want to add steak, it jumps up to $28!!!) so I will only be coming during happy hour. Service is good, ambience is really nice. read more

Came here for a lunch with my team at work, so like 8 people. Waitstaff did a pretty good job handling it. You get started off with some free chips and salsa, as much as you can eat! For me, it turns out it's quite a lot, since the food took some time to arrive. I had the fried fish tacos, which was good, but closer to average than great. The rice is okay, and I didn't care for the beans. Maybe there are other menu items that are better, but from what I had, I'm not terribly impressed. I don't think I'd bother coming back. read more

Manuel's - Tortillas and rice - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

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We stopped in here for lunch on a Wednesday. My wife and grandmother had the fajita taco special and I had the grilled chicken special. It's a bit expensive, but it's enough for two meals. It has great flavor! We love it! read more

Took our 95 year old Dad here last night to celebrate his birthday. We come here for many occasions because the food is so good and consistent but last night it was superb! Our dining experience was enhanced by our wait person, Weldon, who was incredible. He knew the menu intimately and even suggested to have the spice left off our Dad's chicken (excellent call). The service he provided was top notch and he made our celebration perfect, thank you!! read more

This is the second time I've been to Manuel's at great hills and the experience has been consistently weak.. I ordered a small queso, so the lady hands me a melted bowl of shredded cheese. The queso was some type of warm soup. If your a mexican restaurant and you can't get the foundation of mexican food right consistently... Your time is limited. Manuel.. You are not the father- read more

First: People seem to be confusing Manuel's with TexMex, which it isn't. It's more of an interior Mexican restaurant. If you want something smothered in chile con carne and colby jack, this is SO not your place. There's a reason they don't have $4 margaritas, queso made from cheese food created in a lab, and $6 mystery meat enchiladas. The food is very high quality. Ritas aren't made with nasty mix, but with fresh limes. Enchiladas are made with shredded, poached chicken breasts. Everything is made fresh, not dumped out of cans or thickened with cornstarch. If you look through the kitchen, you can see the refrigerators in the back, full of big bins of produce. Homemade tortillas and chips! Happy hour on the patio is lovely. If I pick you up from the airport and the timing is right, we'll probably come here for a snack and drink. The prickly pear margaritas and guacamole and campechana and ceviche are divine. The pomegranate cosmo makes me swoon. Super-friendly, professional waitstaff. Oh, and if you ask, they've even worked up a sort of gluten-free menu. They're very accommodating for requests in this area. Sadly, the corn tortillas are dusted with wheat flour and are not safe for the allergy crowd. read more

I can't stand a Mexican food restaurant that is stingy with salsa. This place brings you a tiny bowl of salsa half full!!! What a joke. And then they charge you $1.00 for another that is also half full. I mean geez! This place is more expensive than most places why they feel the need to charge for salsa is beyond me. We will never be back here. read more

Manuel's is one of my favorite restaurants in Austin! The Great Hills location has the best ambiance (both indoors and on the patio) and their food is sooo good. I personally recommend the queso, classic ceviche, baja taquitos, flautas and rellenos (they are all delicious). I'm not sure you could go wrong with any of the food items, though. The staff is super friendly and the margaritas go down way too smoothly :). I don't live in Austin anymore but I make it a point to stop in every time I'm in town. read more

Sunday brunch here was absolutely perfect. The live music was very good and not too loud. The wait staff was nice and attentive. The food was AMAZING. I'm already planning to go back. Highly recommend the pork and pomegranate relleno. read more

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I came here for lunch and thought the lunch menu was mediocre. I had the Chicken Fajitas Taco. I've definitely had better. Hubby had the Lomo de Res and we both agreed it was a very boring dish. Since the food was boring and bland, I'm very apprehensive to pay more just to try the regular entrees. Overall, the lunch seemed like "water-downed" Mexican food. But, hey, service was great! read more

Manuel's is now officially the worst formally great place in northwest Austin. I usually sit at the bar and enjoy the great margaritas or wine. Now, the bar is usually super bright... Like starting into the sun bright. They've also added steel curtains that clamor loudly every time an employee enters the bar. Ouch, my ears! As most know, everything is generally overpriced, but tasty. Unfortunately, they also changed the taco recipe so now you have to assemble your own. In short, this once great place now habitually let's me down. I'll see you there. read more

Manuel's - Loud steel curtains at Manuel's. - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

Would not recommend this place, especially for a group event. We attended for a 20 people event, and we were mislead the entire way. I wanted to book a dinner where I would make sure that our party was not only sitting together, but also had a semi private room so we could all visit and talk. The entire time through booking, I was mislead into thinking that this is what I would receive. Especially since it came with a hefty price tag of a $1500 minimum spend, plus gratuity. However when we got there, we were just seated at several regular tables in the main dining area. This would have been fine except for getting charged $800 event fee just to sit in the main dining area. Had I known that this was going to be the setup, I would have just booked several different reservations to accommodate our party. I believe that the coordinator I spoke to (several times by email and on the phone) was not very clear and was misleading. The food was mediocre. Some in our party enjoyed, others not so much (especially given the hefty tab). I would not recommend, especially for group events. read more

Being from out of town coworkers chose this quaint unassuming restaurant -which we all loved! Our server was friendly and efficient and took great care of our large group of about 15. The food and appetizers were all wonderful and drink choices refreshing with never an empty glass. If I lived in Austin I'd certainly return here often-great happy hour here too! Thanks for a memorable dining experience!! read more

Manuel's - Chicken fajitas were delish!! - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

This place is awesome. The patio is outstanding - best in Austin. The trees and plants look amazing and it's a stunning environment. I had the Pescado con Espinacas. Incredibly delicious, perfect tasting and not to mention it's healthy. Everything was perfect. I highly recommend the 310 Margaritas as well + take a marg home if they're still offering! The service was top notch. I will be coming back. read more

Love this place. Great authentic Mexican food. I love all of their enchilada selections. The drinks are outstanding. They have perfected the Mexican martini. The location is perfect. The atmosphere, especially outside, is very cool. I go here on every Austin trip. read more

This is a reliable go-to restaurant for me. Great for whatever mood you're in. I've had many a late lunch, happy hour or dinner here and it never disappoints. I actually picked this restaurant by word-of-mouth recommendations without having been there myself for my graduation dinner a couple of years ago. They were very accommodating and worked with my requests [able to set a pre-fixe type menu for my group]. The dinner went without a hitch. The must appetizer is the queso. Real style queso to be spread on tortillas, none of that Velveeta-like cheese goo found here. The drink menu is great as well, my friends and family had no complaints there. Maybe spruce up the dessert menu would be a way for me to rate it higher. It seems a little mismatched with the level of entrees they offer. read more

Manuels offers a great selection of interior Mexican Food which is hard to come by. HAPPY HOUR/ APPETIZERS: They have a great happy hour where all appetizers are 1/2 off between the hours of 4-6:30. I can eat an appetizer as a meal, so this ends up being a cheap eat at a nice restaurant. They have a great ceviche which is tuna with a strong lime pico. The Pollo en Mole con queso is a shredded chicken breast in a traditional mole sauce covered with cheese- ask for corn tortillas! The Campechana is a milder version of the ceviche with lightly poached fish- not as strong on the lime- also very good! Last, the Hongos Guisadas, which caters to the vegetarian, is a wonderful blend of sauteed mushrooms, peppers, onions, and cheese- also ask for corn tortillas! DRINKS: As far as drinks go, you can't go wrong with the Cucumber Lime Martini (this actually has a REAL fresh cucumber flavor and not a "Bath and Bodyworks" Cucumber flavor like some places). The 310 Signature Margarita is also very good! read more

This is a good restaurant in a great Arboretum location, but after coming for 5 years, it's time to refresh their unique Mexican menu. My favorite items on the menu are anything with the black drum fish. It's a firm tasty white fish that Manuel's does to perfect - as a salad dish or with the spinach. Love their take on queso and their chicken mole. Portions could be a bit bigger, but their plates have lots of interesting sides. Atmosphere is wonderful - the colorful upscale decor is a key ingredient to the restaurant's success. Service here is always pleasant. I've never had a bad meal at Manuel's. Highly recommended. read more

This place is good but not somewhere I'd come back to for brunch. I was disappointed by the lack of options to order from for the brunch menu. Our group had been debating to go here or Fonda San Miguel. I think we will go to Fonda next time and try their brunch out. The food was good and the fruit was fresh but that's about it. Nothing really popped out that made me want to come back to this place. The patio seemed nice but it's way too hot to be outside during summer...Maybe they should invest in fans/mist fans? Also, the price seemed relatively high but I guess that's expected in N. Austin mexican food. read more

Brunch on Sunday on the patio was divine! We tried the fruit plate, the blue crab nachos and both types of gorditas for appetizers. I loved the crab nachos along with the mango daiquiris. For lunch, the hits were the shrimp flautas, the huevos revueltos with venison chorizo, and the flautas de papa. Very nice music provided by a latin jazz trio that strolled from inside to outside and back. The patio was nearly full so if you're coming with a big party, I'd call for a reservation. You can check out the brunch menu here: http://www.manuels.com/manuels_menu_brunch.html I hope your visit is as nice as ours... Steve read more

I like Manuel's. I eat here regularly for lunch. They are my go to when I don't have time to wait for a table, I want to be able to hold a conversation in a normal tone of voice and I want good food. Manuel's has always delivered. The courtyard here is an oasis. If you have time to linger and the weather is hospitable definitely go for an outside table. It can be a little vacation to the tropics without leaving town. My two favorites on the menu are their enchiladas mole and their spinach enchiladas. Pork is definitely the way to go with the mole. Their rich, subtle sauce calls for a more assertive compliment than chicken yet gentler than beef. Definitely stop in. read more

I dont really like mexican food so got fajitas.figure it is a safe bet. I love avocados so got that.liked fajita myshromms and avacodas. The sour cream and flour tortillas were very good. The waitress was friendly. read more

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