Usta Kababgy is an excellent restaurant for authentic Middle Eastern cuisine in Austin, TX located…read moreon N. Lamar Blvd. The restaurant has well seasoned, charcoal grilled meats. The kebabs are the true highlight...juicy, flavorful, and grilled to perfection. The portions are quite large as the hubs and I shared a wrap. We were sufficiently full after eating the chicken tikka wrap. Interestingly, the wrap came in a Shawarma King packaging with their contact phone number. So, I assume that Usta staff are sub-contracting from Shawarma King. Usta also has freshly baked bread and classic sides like hummus and rice paired with the main dishes. The restaurant has a homey, lived in feel. It has a few middle eastern artifacts sprinkled throughout the restaurant. The menu offers a wide variety of options, from Iraqi and Adana kebabs to shawarma and traditional Middle Eastern plates, so there are food items for both first timers and regulars who want to explore beyond the basics. They also serve flatbreads where you can have two different toppings. The food focus is on bold, traditional flavors rather than modern takes on middle eastern foods. On the desserts front, they have an assortment of desserts and several sections of ice cream. I had the baklava, which was surprisingly delicious...it was not eye-squinting sweet like a standard baklava. It was crunchy, flavorful, and had nuts that were substantial. Layla, my server, was so super sweet and welcoming. She pointed out that Usta provides its customers free tea. How cool is that? I cannot remember last time I received a free drink.

Usta Kababgy offers amazing charcoal-grilled Mediterranean food that provides authentic, "soul-fed"…read moreexperience that's hard to find elsewhere. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, suitable for a place nice enough for a family/friend gathering. The service is friendly and reassures wanting to provide an enjoyable meal. The standout here is the charcoal grill definitely must try. It's all fresh and top-tier.

This place was so delicious! Honestly, you can't go wrong with any of the proper's bars or…read morerestaurants. The dishes were innovative, well portioned, and the service was impeccable. The decor and vibes of the restaurant and hotel is one of my favorites in Austin. Solid place to celebrate any occasion.

My family of 5 came to the Peacock Grill for Father's day, and overall I would say it was a great…read moremeal, fun ambiance, and good service. Why one star off? We spent around $600 with tip and fees for 5 (mixed grill, two apps, two drinks each); and while the food was delicious the meats were luke warm not piping hot, our server while very friendly was not the best at giving suggestions (basically she said everything is good lol) and wasn't able to split the check 2/3 and 1/3 instead of 50/50 ("... I don't know how to do that"), and the cocktails while tasty didn't really feel special enough to be $21-25 each. It was a very enjoyable experience I just don't know that it lived up to the price tag. For that price I'm looking for exceptional not just very good. That being said the food was delicious! Pricey but pretty good portions. The server said the mixed grill was good for around 4 people, but with two apps it was actually a little too much food for the 5 of us. Mixed grill ($220): -Rosewood Wagyu Strip and Lamb Chops: tie between these two for the best dish; they were both juicy and tender and the sauces were delicious. Not served piping hot but they were so good I didn't really mind. -Harissa Marinated Beef Tenderloin: great flavor- a tad dry. -Spiced Lamb Kefta: also dry, I liked it best with the yogurt sauce. -Red Pepper Chicken Thigh: delicious, one of my fav kabobs. -Herb & Garlic Shrimp: tasty and not overcooked -Charred King Trumpet mushroom: loved the veggie option! they mushrooms were substantial and the sauce was great. -Crispy Shallot Hummus: very good- loved the crispy shallots in particular! -Manti Dumplings: top app- I would 100% order this again the dumplings were delicious and the sauce/yogurt on top of them was the best, we wiped up every drop with the pitas! -The pita bread was hot, fresh, and delicious and our service kept on offering more, so I don't know if they've changed their policy but my experience was not the same as reviews that said only one pita per person. We refused extra pitas 3 times I think! Cocktails- everything we tried was quite good, but again there wasn't the pizaz or just 'blown away by the flavor' to feel that the crazy price was totally justified. We tried: Spanish G&T (very refreshing- don't chew on the juniper berries lol), Banana Bread Old Fashioned (pretty good even for someone who doesn't much like whiskey!), Bonfire on a Beach (fun, smokey, love the harissa on the side), Peach Martini (teensy bit sweet for me but good). The manager stopped by a few times to check on us and our server was very attentive. She did give us good service its just for the high price I would expect some more detailed suggestions on drinks, being able to split the check other than 50/50 (or at least ask someone instead of just saying 'I don't know how'). It was friendly and enthusiastic service just not 'wow this truly is fine dining' service. Outside of the restaurant, parking is a bit of a pain but that is normal for down town. We parked at the Laz garage half a block away- $8 for 2 hrs instead of the $27 for valet.

Checked the place out based on Yelp reviews and was absolutely floored. Clean space, friendly…read morestaff, quick service, and excellent food! We ordered the half order falafel with hummus, mint lemonade, lamb kabob platter, and beef kabob platter. Everything but the salad came in large Texas style portions. I requested the beef be cooked to medium and the temperature was perfect. Tips: Substitute the tahini in the kabob platters for tzatziki and request garlic sauce on the side. The garlic sauce enhances the flavor of rice.

Food is very good, service not so good... I can tell people…read morecome for the food alone. The place is nice and has a nice layout. However, I'll think about coming here again because I didn't feel a good vibe with the service. We had to go look for someone to show us the table even though the place was empty for early lunch. Then, to get drinks or even the order was a problem. It took so much longer than usual. Our waitress was rude, and seemed bothered that we showed up. Then someone else came as the waitress and she was preoccupied with other tables and barely checked on us. A regular lunch which would've been one hour became almost two because of the lack of service. My friend had to stand and look for someone to give us a box to take out the good we couldn't eat because it was getting late and also to get the check because No one came in to check on us at all. It was almost like pulling teeth to get a regular service let alone good service. Again, the food was really good, and that alone was the only positive.

Excellent Persian food, specially if you like eggplant, beef, lamb or some harder to find regional…read moreCaspian dishes. They also have the safe and standard fair like gyros, kebabs, and shawarmas. For next time, I might consider some of the rice substitutions they looked interesting. I had the eggplant and beef stew, Khoresh Bademjan, and Kashke Bademjan. Both were excellent and complementary despite te similarities. I liked the balanced of yogurt/whey against the eggplant mix with the starter. Someone else had Fesenjan (Persian Pomegranate Chicken), and it was delightful with its mix of sweetness, sourness, and balance that it tempted me away from considering ordering more eggplant dishes the next time I returned. The service was also exceptionally attentive, hospitable, and sociable. The ambiance was professional, fitting, and not overbearing. The deserts were also well portioned and easily shareable. My favorite was the Sholeh Zard, a Persian take on a rice pudding. I didn't see it on the menu, but they had some available. It was a nice mix of sweetness, florals, and spices without being too over the top in any quality. The price seemed fair. It didn't seem like a massive bargain or poor value. The portions were fairly large, but were not excessively massive. Everyone in my party had leftovers, but we are not big eaters and we ordered a starter and two deserts to share for the party of 4. A very slight negative was the rice was cooked a bit inconsistently giving it an uneven texture, but I was the only who noticed in our party. It may have been intentional, the slight crunchiness/hardness did create an interesting mouth feel. I know there are some dishes that do this intentionally. A minor flaw if that would not ruin a masterful meal and experience.

The was best Persian cuisine in Austin! Very authentic!…read more I'm Persian (my dad's side) and grew up eating traditional meals. Oh, the nostalgia... so fulfilling to my soul, especially since my dad is no longer earth-side.

My little son and I came for dinner here on Monday night…read more Firstly I will say parking is a bit hard to come here so I pre booked a spot in Vincent lot just so I didnt have to deal with circling around and it was only a 5 min walk away The restaurant as you approach it is so cozy and definitely gives you that ethereal lush feel The restaurant was buzzing and full on a Monday night. We had a reservation and the host sat us down immediately and was so friendly. Our server was there right away. Her service was just perfect ... friendly and not over the top. She was knowledgeable about the dishes and gave us suggestions. We had a mockingbird mocktail and my son a soda. The drink was perfect. We ordered the whipped feta, falafel and beef Lamb kefta. Everything came out really quickly. The falafel was absolutely delicious. The whipped feta was a hit with my son. The kefta was a little disappointing. A little bland and dry. I ordered the pannacotta my son the chocolate chocolate cake. I absolutely loved mine with the sorbet on top. My son loved his cake. Atmosphere wise the restaurant is beautiful and cozy and grand but the only complaint would be the music was too loud and it was hard to hold a conversation. For me it doesn't match a nice restaurant but rather a bar concept I would say it was great service and great food

Good food as always, but pretty mid service. My wife and I have been here a number of times and…read morealways really enjoy our meal at Aba. But this most recent time we came for lunch left us with a bit of a sour taste in our mouth. Everything started out strong, the waitress was super engaging, and attentive. Food was really tasty (as always), and came out quickly. As we started to get to the middle and end of our meal thats when things started to go down hill. The waitress didn't come by to refill our waters, I had to ask the staff. And then we were sitting around for about 30 minutes to ask for boxes, and even the check. I am not entirely sure what happened to the server, maybe they got distracted or got busy. But Aba is an expensive meal, and I expect more from this kind of establishment.

The food, everything, was very good. I had the Shish Tawook (chicken) with tabbouleh and hummus…read more The tabbouleh was fantastic! I don't know if it was authentic or not, but it was so good! The staff member that I dealt with was personable, pleasant, etc. Only one negative--I wish I could give the place a 4.5, but I don't think a 4 is fair--After I indicated that I was finished eating and ready for the bill (maybe I didn't communicate it so clearly?), it seemed to take quite a while before they came with the check. Otherwise, great food! (I did not try the hookah at all.) Oh, I forgot to mention: I was served a bottle of spring water rather than a bottle of "purified" water. That was fairly impressive.

I gave 4 stars to give them the benefit of the doubt, but my actual experience felt closer to 2…read morestars. The main problem was the noise. The acoustics were very bad. The hardwood ceiling and the glass window in front of me seemed to amplify sound from every direction. I was with a group of six men, and none of us could hear each other. As the noise increased, every table seemed to raise its volume just to communicate, and it became painful. The food had a BBQ flavor, which was different for Mexican food. Some people may like that, but it was not what I expected. It was 4 star food. I think sitting outside would probably be much better.

A Fantastic Introduction to Mediterranean Food!…read more I recently visited Levant Halal Restaurant and brought my parents, who are visiting from India. It was their very first time trying Mediterranean food, and they absolutely loved it! We started with two different types of hummus served with pita. The hummus was incredibly flavorful, and the pita was exceptionally fresh. We also ordered the falafel, which was perfectly prepared and delicious. For the main course, we shared the Chicken Shish Taouk with sides of beet salsa and Lebanese potatoes--everything was cooked beautifully and tasted amazing. Honestly, the highlight of the meal for us was the drinks. The mint juice and beet juice were so refreshing and easily the best part! We finished our meal with baklava and basbousa for dessert, and both were fresh, sweet, and incredibly tasty. Beyond the fantastic food, the ambiance is very neat and clean, and the staff are extremely friendly and welcoming. I highly recommend Levant Halal, especially if you are looking for a great place to introduce family to Mediterranean cuisine!

My first time here and everything is laid out beautifully. Levant is the French name for Lebanon…read more The place was super clean and I didn't feel grunge while there. It has both indoor and outdoor seating. But because I was early there was plenty of seating and I chose indoor. The counter server talked me thru everything and gave me samples of the different side dishes. I chose not to get rice nor bread and stuck to the sauces and veggies. I ordered the Chicken and Lamb Levant bowl. The mixture of all the different flavors was exceptional. Thank you Levant Cafe & Grill for a wonderful dining experience. May 2026 bring you much success! Happy New Year everyone.