Zax Restaurant & Bar

The location is awesome but that’s where the awesomeness ends. The food is remarkably average and the prices are slightly above where they should be (probably to make up for the rent). They have recently started advertising and offering discounts through various websites which is typically a sign that the end is near.
I’ve had the Turkey Burger, a steak and various appetizers and all of them are edible but not memorable. The other night I went in and they told me that it was a wine special night and all bottles were half off. Feeling rather lucky that I was there on that particular evening I sat down and ordered one. «Sorry sir, that one isn’t on the list of being eligible for half off» they informed me. I ordered a second, «that one isn’t either». Then they showed me a small disclaimer at the end of the menu that revealed that the best options on their list aren’t taken into account.
With so many fantastic options for dining downtown, skip this restaurant…

They went above and beyond to make me a delicious meal despite my multiple food allergies. Great service and everyone enjoyed their meals!

This review is strictly regarding their brunch. I had been to Zax’s before for dinner and really enjoyed it so I wanted to come back for my birthday brunch. I had made a reservation for about 10 people but it turned out it was empty enough that I did not need one.
Unfortunately, It’s safe to say I will never be back here for brunch. The food is nothing special. The eggs Benedict left me hungry.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the food Zax’s has on their lunch/​dinner menu. I would just avoid this place for brunch. You can get a lot more for your money for a great brunch in Austin somewhere else.

The owner claimed I received 50% off and tried to debunk my previous review. I checked my credit card statement and did not receive 50% off. If the owner’s ethical compass is that skewed that he thinks lying on a public forum about his restaurant’s practices is acceptable, just imagine what he does with your food and whether he takes the ethical route of serving fresh and up to code ingredients and seafood to you.
I am also extremely disappointed in Unilocal for allowing completely egregiously false responses by business owners. The Unilocal platform is built on trust. We cannot have business owners attempting to use lies to debunk honest reviews. This is an affront to consumer protection and the community of trust Unilocal has tried to build.

Had the BLT. Awesome especially with a long island ice tea or tequila sunrise! Prices are great atmosphere very welcoming, bartender Kerry is fantastic!

Zax great place for a home cooked meal. The food have great taste. It have nice presentation. The services is great. If you have a date this is the place to take your date. It is a great family/​friend lunching. I gave this place five star. The place have a great atmosphere. so i give place tow thumb’s up

Definitely a South of Downtown staple item. We visited during a quiet Thursday afternoon before SXSW and, overall, it was great! Here’s the Mia lowdown:
Parking is GREAT
Fabulous location & centrally located
The little outdoor patio was adorbs
Food we ate:
— Salad with seared tuna — great job!
— Grilled chicken salad — loved the garlic toast
— Grilled chicken sandwich & fries — yes please! Nothing crazy over the top but consistent fare
GREAT happy hour drink specials
Excellent wait staff
I suspect the interior looks better at night — has the look & feel of a younger crowd place that gets super busy.

Womderful Greek cuisine and convenient access to the Long Center. Great service and wonderful crab cakes!

Our hotel was across the street from Zax. This seemed like a good option that was in walking distance. And it was! Although we walked, I did see a private parking lot out front and plenty of street parking available. This area wasn’t as congested as other parts of downtown Austin. But it was a Wednesday; so take that into consideration.
At the time we got there, the restaurant wasn’t busy. We were seated right away.
Our waiter was very nice and was the king of upselling. Very good server.
We ordered a Cesar salad, Crabcakes, and the duck. Everything was actually good. The Duck was really delicious.
The service was good. The food was good. I wouldn’t mind returning if i was in the area.

Lucky us! We came here on a Monday night and definitely took advantage of their all day happy hour. Drinks and wine by the glass were $ 1 off, bottles of wine were ½ or reduced priced, and some small bites were discounted.
The restaurant was virtually empty, which was fine with us and we had great service. The ambiance was beautiful and quiet. We started with the charcuterie, which at $ 16 was pricey for the portion and contained salami, prosciutto, and cured spicy salami. Drinks were good, and we also indulged in a 50% off bottle of wine.
For dinner, I had the Greek salad with salmon added. It was very good and a nice size. The bf ordered a burger which he liked served with decent fries. Our other friend enjoyed the pulled pork quesadilla, but not enough so to take the last piece home. Her husband devoured the lamb, which he highly recommends and always gets here.
Overall, a very good meal which was more reasonably priced because of Monday happy hour. It was conveniently just a short walk from our hotel. We’ll be back.

Zax is nothing short of wonderful when it comes to a high quality, but laid back dining experience. I’ve been here twice — once on New Year’s Eve when my guy and I were just looking for a bite and a drink and loved the place so much we booked a Valentine’s reservation.
We first stumbled upon the place and when we were waiting for the fireworks to start and found the back entrance where there were menus posted by the door. Guy asked these two guys by the door if the stuff here was good and it turns out one of them was Mike who laughed and told us he owns the place therefore his opinion is biased. Intrigued and amused, we wandered in, got seating at the bar and shared the Frenched Pork Chop which was absolutely perfect and juicy, and a couple long islands (which were delightfully tart), rum & Coke. There was a live band playing, and their classy upscale bar was warm and inviting.
The ambiance (for dinner, at least) is low-​lit and soft; and while Zax is not snobby, to me it’d feel wrong and disrespectful to walk in wearing casual. However I’d imagine it’s more casual during the day. Our Valentine’s dinner consisted of Annabella pino noir, calamari, lasagna, and Italian sausage and peppers. Everything was perfect.

I live nearby and have eaten here about 10 times already and have never been disappointed about anything.
First of all, it is so cozy inside. High, wood beamed ceilings tower above the pretty windows that run all the way around the warm, open space.
The place is always super clean. Food is so fresh, from greens to main dishes. Bar drinks are delicious and beautifully prepared. Food that I’ve had here:
Ahi tuna: AH-​Mazing!
Lasagna: my husband has ordered twice in a row
Pork tenderloin: Savory, sweet, and delish!
Scallops: cooked perfect; buttery
Pollenta: mmmmmmmm
Osso Bucco: outta this world
Quesadillas: stuffing from edge to edge
Crab Louie salad: So Nice!
Charcuterie: lovely
Drum special: innovative and fun
Really, I do love this place. The only thing I might not recommend is a pizza. But pizza is best from pizza places anyway. Try Zax for a lovely, relaxed meal and it won’t disappoint :)

Cute place! Friendly service, although there weren’t many people eating there for 7:00 on a Saturday night which I thought was weird.
Ordered the grilled mahi mahi, had two glasses of decoy wine, everything was great.
Plenty of parking right out in front of the restaurant.

Zax is always good! Lunch. Dinner. Beers on the patio. Casual atmosphere with excellent food. The Ahi tuna salad is my go to and they have great hamburgers!
Never too loud so I have business lunches here often.
Convenient if you are at Zilker Park or Palmer for an event.

Food is always predictably good, service is attentive without being stifling, the beer and wine selection is adequate to very good. I always enjoy evenings at Zax.

First time visiting and I had the Grilled Pork Tenderloins. «DELISH!» Their chocolate torte was so rich but not too sweet. Above all their Long Island was absolutely dare I say…“Purrrrrfect”!? Well, for me anyway. A definite return for happy hour for sure. Dinner? Not so much because of the price but I must point out our lovely waittress had her customer service on point.

I’ve been here once. had a beer and a pizza. the service was great, so was the food the beer. I think parking might be an issue, but I was on the bus so no problem there. Patio looks nice.

i had a steak special that the waitress told me about. It was one of the best steaks i have ever had cooked and seasoned perfectly. The waitress was so prompt on everything from getting our food to refilling our drinks. We also ordered the calamari and it was again one of the best i have had. After eating here i told all my co workers and friends about Zax and told them to go.

Delicious food, generous servings and a great location.
Would recommend to anyone in the area!

I love this place. I always have enjoyed the brunch and this was no exception on this past Saturday. Had the avocado Benedict special. It was delicious. The goat cheese and fig bruschetta is awesome. I also happen to think they have the best Bloody Mary in austin. Don’t miss out on that!

Ok but not great. Decent wine and beer selection and nice outdoor patio but the food is mediocre.
Service was great however. And an easy walk from the Hyatt.

The atmosphere was nice; relaxing yet had a lot of personality. The calamari app was extremely overcooked, but im also from new England so that could be the seafood snob in me ;). Plus even a second too much can over cook squid. Entrees were delicious I had the Zax house salad with grilled shrimp and the flavors were incredible. Eric’s rib eye was cooked perfectly rare, and the drinks were drinks… hard to mess those up. I would go back again.

Walking distance from our hotel and seemed to have a little something for everyone’s lunch tastes so we tried it. The hotel concierge seemed to be a big fan. I think it was pretty standard.
I had a greek salad which was good — chicken was obviously freshly grilled and the portion was just right. A solid choice but nothing out of the ordinary here.

Great place to stop by and have a drink and small bite. It wasnt very busy on a saturday during dinner time, but the nicoise salad was pretty fresh! Lots of tuna, and as good as it gets. I would skip the calamari, and go for the polenta. The quesadilla was very well stuffed with a bunch of goodies, and came with ample sides of guac, sour cream, and pico.
Pretty good beer selection, and clean atmosphere. I would come back here if i was near by, but it wasnt my favorite place in Austin.

The wife and I have made it a regular (annual) event to come to Zax before going into Carnaval Brasileiro, and we saw several other tables of Carnaval patrons have also figured this out as well.
The beer list at Zax is ample and balanced. I was happy to find Hofbrau Hefeweizen (the wife loves the hefe), Sunner Kolsch and Staropramen as well as local craft beers.
We started with the cheese board, there was nothing exotic or rare on it, but it had several cheeses in decent quantity. The kids were hungry and this was a great solution to getting food on the table and into them quickly.
The Zax house salad with seared tuna is large, it fed two adults with some to spare. A pizza was enjoyed as was the blue burger. The fried onions were a huge hit, not onion rings more like french fried onions (thin strips). My younger son enjoyed the soup of the day (ham and sweet potato).
I’ve met the owners of this place at another restaurant (sounds like Freddie Bees) where we all enjoyed a Happy Hour together at the bar. I complained about the crab cake offered at that place, and the good people from Zax issued a challenge, «Come to Zax, try ours! If you don’t agree that it’s better, it’s our treat». Well, I didn’t see any crab cake on the menu… I guess I shouldn’t have waited two years to take them up on it. now I want crab cake… anyhow… zax was good, our server was fantastic and the prices were extremely reasonable. Fed a family of six for $ 80 including tax/​tip.
* I just looked at their online menu and I found Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes in the Appetizer section… I was looking in the Entrée section when I was there… Ugh.

My husband and I needed to eat a very late lunch or early dinner post a basketball game. We always forget about Zax but remembered on this day and went in. At 3:30pm on a Saturday the place is pretty dead but still serving. My husband ordered the Blues Burger and it looked amazing. I got the shrimp quesadilla. It was wonderful. It has roasted corn and it was really good. Layton was our server and was attentive and friendly. We really had a nice quick meal at an odd hour. We need to remember this place and eat here more often. $ 30 for two entrees and one beer before tip. Great local restaurant.

I met a friend here for brunch this last weekend. We arrived when they opened so there was plenty of parking and were seated right away. They have a cute indoor area as well as an amazing outdoor patio. It felt awesome to sit outside and eat brunch on a Sunday morning in January! God bless Texas.
I ordered the eggs benedict and they was DELICIOUS — highly recommended! Our waiter was attentive and the food was quick to come out. I’d certainly come back. (:

Awesome little placed tucked away in the not-​so-​crazy part of downtown Austin. Parking on site is super convenient as well. I liked the bar set up. It’s towards the back and has a secluded, sexy appeal. Custom cocktails & a decent wine list. The food also was yummy. I started off with the charcuterie board which I don’t think you can go wrong with whenever you’re having wine. Next for my main entrée I had the cioppino. Tons of fresh seafood in a tomato broth. I would’ve liked it a little spicier, but I felt it was probably pleasing to more normal (not crazy hot like mine) palates. My boyfriend tried the duck and found it tender & full of flavor. I even thought this could be a nice first date place, but my boyfriend said it was a little too pricy for that… can’t set the bar too high right off the bat, lol.

Wonderful lunch today at Zax! Loved their house salad! Consists of greens with goat cheese, pears, candied pecans and a delicious vinaigrette, I added the shrimp for my protein! The shrimp was pesto flavored and a wonderful grilled finish! I shared my salad and wished I hadn’t, lol, but the turkey burger was a nice addition to my salad! I will come back soon to try other items!

It’s a pretty nice place to grab lunch at. Brightly lit interior, lots of windows and nice atmosphere. Wait staff are nice enough.
For the food, its a bit on the pricier. I tried the fish and chips with a caesar salad. Caesar was crisp and well dressed. I really like the croûton that was there (homemade). The fish is breaded and a bit heavier than I would have liked and the frites are the right size but not quite crisp enough. It’s not bad, but not super memorable.

First time in Austin. First meal outside of my hotel.
Wow. So amazing. Every item was obviously well thought out. I didn’t want to load up on bread, so they made me a smaller version of the charcuterie and olive plates, which was a nice appetizer. I had the seared scallops and a few of their signature drinks.
Great atmosphere. The bartender Van was warm and welcoming despite being clearly very busy. The owner came by and chatted for a few, which is always nice when you’re eating alone.
Will definitely come back before I leave.

The elusive (and temporary) Duchess title provokes the terminal and inevitable Unilocalification of a consumer. With this brummagem designation, I find myself aloft, sitting at the bar at Zax, my favorite lunchtime palace, aghast at having to wait to be served my water and a menu while the bartender allows another customer to pay out his tab. Do they not know who I think I am?
But he was weeded during lunch rush and all alone to fend for himself behind the bar in a full house.
The soup of the day was Butternut Squash. Mmmmmm… I was just saying on a thread that this is my favorite fall time comfort food. My loyal subjects must have read that and put it on the menu specially for me.
But the soup could have benefited from just a little more sweetness and thickness, in my most humble opinion.
I recommended that the Mr. have the Zax Pannini because it’s heavenly and hearty and complex with peppers and meat and cheese and sauce and yum. He obeyed… er… obliged… and was pleased.
Accolades, my dear subjects.
But last time I dined in with a friend I ordered the Cuban Sandwich which, at that sitting, was so dry I downed my entire water just to be able to chew. The flavor was spot on, but I needed a sauce to dip it in to get through it. Tasty pork needs to be kept moist.
Their daily specials keep them at the top of my happy hour and post-​work drink destinations list. They also have rotating daily meal specials which tend to be quite enticing.
Bravo, bravo *prissy, tapping back of hand clap*
The House Salad is crisp, clean and delightful: Lovely mix of greens tossed with tangy chunks of bleu cheese, candied roasted walnuts, pears and their house vinegarette which is just perfectly bold and sweet. It’s a great fall salad, the perfect accompaniment to the soup combo.
Royal nod of approval.
There isn’t enough parking during peak hours. But there’s nothing you can do about that but be prepared… and I work within walking distance… so no heads need roll for that.
I recently sampled the hummus appetizer yet again and was just as impressed as the first time I had it — but this time the bartender suggested I add Cholula and Tabasco to it — and now I’m addicted.
Also recently devoured: The Caesar Salad with Chicken; Something easy to screw up, easy to slack off on… and not that easy to make impressive. Zax makes it impressive.
Yes, yes — good good.
I give my illustrious and dignified endorsement from my in no way erroneous elevated position as pretend Unilocal Royalty to Zax and deem them a very worthy grubbing place.