Apis Restaurant

To suggest this place may be the French laundry (3 Michelin stars) of Austin is an absolute joke. I drove out from Austin, leaving behind incredible farm to table food that is sophisticated and unpretentious, to Apis for an overpriced unsophisticated pre fix menu that left me feeling robbed of my money, hungry, and so heavily disappointed.
The 3 course pric fixe menu ran 85 dollars a head, and all but the duck chicken or pork came with additional cost of you wished for those choices. There could be no deviation from them menu. In fact, at 85 dollars, a simple fruit plate rather than a poorly crafted pana cotta was impossible.
The physical space is underwhelming, the food was small and lacking in quality, the wine list was limited and overpriced, and all in all it was a total bust given the mild hype and lengthy drive.
It may be a decent option if you live within a stones throw, but it is without question not worth leaving Austin for. I chose between this place and Hudson’s on the Bend which I know well… Needless to say I made a huge mistake.

A bit pricey, but excellent food and well worth it! We went here on Valentine’s Day and they had a fixed price menu that was awesome — so many choice for appetizer, entrée, and dessert! Drinks were extra, but that’s cool.
The crab salad appetizer and scallop appetizer both had amazing flavors and textures. The duck entrée was incredibly tender and flavorful with tasty fried yucca on the side and the chicken two-​ways entrée was also super good and the chicken was so juicy! The honey bun dessert was amazing and an absolute must-​get.
Excellent wine selection and the cocktails were very nice as well (the Apiary was made with really good honey-​infused bourbon).
It’s a little bit of a drive from downtown Austin, and on the expensive side, but worth it for special occasions. The grounds are pretty and the dining room is small but quaint and cute. Service was fine.
Overall I’d say this place is definitely worth the drive and the cost for a special occasion.

The good: Exceptional service — attentive, but not obnoxious and very helpful. Very nice décor — elegant, but casual. Nice bar with good quality liquor and craft cocktails. A pleasant dining experience in the Texas Hill country — unique and better than most places.
The bad: Maybe it’s just me, but I found the food to be adequate, but not particularly noteworthy. I’ve read the other reviews and most of them rate this close to 5 stars. I suppose if you compare it to other Spicewood restaurants, that’s probably fair, but seriously, there are MUCH better places to eat in Austin and even in Bee Caves. I really don’t understand the stellar reviews, but then, I guess I’ve been fortunate to have dined at fine restaurants in most major US cities. This, unfortunately, is not one of those places, even though their prices are similar.
Prices are high for what you get and I’ve had much better food at other local restaurants. In my party of 4, 2 of us had the steak, one had the pork tenderloin, and one had the cod. We also had the toast and fish dip appetizers. So… The steak was really disappointing. It was supposed to be a ribeye and I suppose it started out that way, but it was presented sliced into strips and presented in a mound on the plate with a small potato thing and some miso which was tasted like a crushed bullion cube. The meat was tender enough and cooked as described (medium rare), but basically had no flavor. I’m not one of those people who thinks every piece of meat should have a smokey flavor — far from it — but it should have SOME flavor. Honestly, the only thing that gave this thing any flavor at all was the miso.
The cod was OK. Cooked perfectly and served in a bowl with some vegetables. Then they poured in some carrot soup or something. Weird, but OK, I guess. Again, much better seafood at Café Blue in Bee Caves or at many other restaurants in Austin.
The pork tenderloin was OK and nicely presented. It was good, but rather ordinary and unimpressive for the price.
I will say that the egg toast appetizer was delicious and a definite standout. Unlike anything I’ve had before. The fish dip was very tasty as well, although it was served with something like an Indian papadam — which was not really suitable for dipping into the diip because it broke apart way too easily.
All in all, it was an OK experience, but I wouldn’t spend $ 275 (with tip) there again. I live in Lakeway and would much prefer to make the drive to South Austin or Downtown for much better food and better value.

We ate here Saturday to celebrate our anniversary. This was our second time to dine at Apis. It was absolute perfection! The egg toast is a MUST, the oysters delicious, I think we tried all the wonderful cocktails on their menu, but the chicken… I normally would not order chicken at a celebratory dinner but OMG! I have NEVER had chicken taste this good… EVER!!!
The staff are amazing and made us feel so special throughout the night. I would highly recommend Apis for anyone wanting a fine meal in a fine location.
Thank you Apis for making our anniversary so special!

Very new idea with the focus on honey. I drove past this restaurant a dozen times. Very attentive and knowledgeable wait staff. They recommend a snack, appetizer and entrée for each individual. Now this may seem like a lot of food– but it is not! A snack is the equivalent of one shrimp cut in half. While I enjoyed the experimental food, it was very pricey. Ticket was $ 85/​person.

Took some out of town friends here before ACL this year. It was my second visit, so I knew to ask to see the bees, and they were quite accommodating. After the bee visit, we were treated to fantastic food and drinks. The kitchen staff sent us a couple courses and even made us frozen margarita shots. We had a great time and will definitely be back! This is absolutely worth the beautiful drive to get there.

Heard about Apis thru a friend at work and decided to try it out. Invited a friend and his wife to join us for the tasting menu at Apis. We were surprised by the number of plates (20 in all with appetizer and dessert) and how delicious all of the dishes were. The best part is how close they are to where we live compared to Uchiko, counter 357, bullfight, etc. Can’t wait for our next visit.

When it comes to restaurant, I am picky. I was born and raised in France and as many French people, I am sensitive to very good food/​wine. I am also very critical… but in a good way!
This restaurant is amazing. The food is. Do not go there for the décor, not sure what happened that day… but the food is just great. The dishes are small; so it is very nice to be able to eat a variety of them. Their oysters are fresh and delicious. I just moved to Austin and I am so happy I have found them. Also; the staff is very nice. This will become soon my new cafeteria :)

BEST MEAL IN AUSTIN. EVER.
BEST SINGLE OYSTER. EVER.
DESTINATION MEAL. AN EVENT.
BEST PLACE FOR ANNIVERSARY, BIRTHDAY, SPECIAL EVENT… Will quickly become the French Laundry of Austin, Texas. Destination eating… so worth the trip to Spicewood. Attention to detail in everything from impeccable service to interior design to amazing, knee-​buckling, stunning courses.
Call ahead to reserve one of the 6 spots for the 20+course tasting menu ($ 105 without wine pairings). It is an all or nothing affair at your table, though, and is an event of several hours duration. The wine pairings sends this meal over the edge, and may send you over the edge on the drive home, so I actually would suggest skipping it unless you have a dedicated driver for the ride home, or live nearby.
Every night is not the same for the many courses, but here were some highlights:
1. Beau Soleil Oyster: green elderberry caper. This was actually dreamy.
2. Egg toast: Ryan’s brioche plus aged beef tartare plus wasabi leaf. Stunning.
3. Bread and butter: Red wheat sourdough/diana’s raw milk butter/​pollen. Spread the roll of butter with a wooden knife. mmmm.
4. Wagyu Carpaccio with salt and pepper. Ridiculous bite of amazing.
5. Charred Spanish octopus: fermented chili, snow pea, preserved lemon, castelvetrano.
6. Salt cured foie gras, quince, Solera gelée, mace. This was amazing. salty and sweet… how could foie gras be frozen and then shaved and taste so light? Could have served this for dessert.
7. 100 day aged Wagyu ribeye, pomme fondant, smoked black garlic miso.
… so many more to mention, but you get the picture.
Only one which I was not a fan: Peekytoe crab: fresh apple, fermented celery root, green peppercorn.
Drinks from the kitchen. Then 6 desserts, JEEEz. My favorites…
1. Dianna’s cultured-​cream panna cotta/​green apple/​Arbequina olive oil/​cardamom. Apparently this one was just added for the holidays. tasted like Christmas to me…
2. Peach Pit Gelato: fresh elderflower and lemon thyme.
We were invited into the kitchen for a pallet cleansing cold drink of fruity tequila prepared by the chef in front of us, in a bowl of liquid nitrogen. Fun to see the pursuit of impeccable plating behind the scenes.
I now want to return for a normal meal (is this possible here?) or a drink and apps at the bar with friends. Jose is the super creative bartender who created all of the drinks… his layering of the alcohol is exquisite, and the Wildflower is my new favorite drink.
Make the reservation.

Astounding. This is the type of establishment where you close your eyes with each bite, to shut out any distractions as you focus on the magic that is taking place. Sometimes, restaurants try too hard and end up putting too much into their food. That is not the case here. The chef clearly knows what he’s doing.

Austinites, I cannot stress the fact that there may be excellent cuisine in our great city, but coupled with the ambiance, and extraordinary level of customer service; I would have to say there is no place like Apus.
From the world class menu, that changes often because of their requirements for the highest quality ingredients, to the mixologist making topshelf house interpretations of some amazing drinks, and the foodie experts that happen to double as wait staff, MAKE THIS A MUST VISIT.
As you know, I don’t hand out lavish praise often or lightly, but the experience was almost beyond comprehension.
Make coming here an event because the menu deserves scrutiny and the 3 – 4 course meal format should be required and deserve savoring!
The staff has come to us from some of the finest restaurants in New York, and collaborate on everything bringing layer upon layer of flavors that will amaze the palate.
Make reservations. They can also accommodate parties of 25 – 60 for a memorable party of any type.
Bonne Appétit!

Great concept, friendly folks, creative food.
We enjoyed a personal tour of the apiary with the manager. The bees were quiet due to recent rains.
The space is warm and intimate — perfect for a date, or in our case, an anniversary.
We started with The Queen’s Nectar, a delicious craft cocktail made with honey.
She absolutely loved her ceviche and Icelandic Cod.
I got some timely guidance from the server on lactose-​free options and enjoyed the Texas Pecan Pappardelle. My honey-​glazed Rohan Duck was less impressive and generally rubbery.
The best thing we did was order the Honey Bun. It’s one of the best desserts I’ve had anywhere and it takes 25 minutes to prepare, so order that first!
All told, we had a great experience at Apis and I’ll try something other than duck next time.

Wow, what a treat this was! My husband and I recently enjoyed a delightful 4 course dinner at this intimate restaurant, including craft cocktails, two small-​bite appetizers, a small plate, two entrees, and dessert. Everything was delicious and the service was outstanding. I look forward to eating here again, hopefully soon!
Interesting feature: there is a small, separate building onsite that is perfect for small group gatherings, such as showers or rehearsal dinners. Definitely worth checking out…

I had high expectations for Apis (been told it was amazing) and it is quite unfortunate that I was left underwhelmed. Sorry, but the food didn’t live up to the hype; they served my steak chewy and RARE which was, in my opinion, completely inedible and the two bites I did have, however, were bland. Also, their dessert menu was nothing spectacular or particularly inventive for the extravagant pricing; I’m sorry, but there’s just no way to class up a vending machine honey bun.
As far as atmosphere, the kitchen is right off the dining area and is only separated by a flimsy curtain; with a larger party, this does not make for the best dining experience since the dining area is quite cramped. Servers curtly told me, «Uhm, we’re coming out with trays so, MOVE!» multiple times, but where were we to move if there is no space, and what happened to your manners!?! In addition, the small room’s acoustics are horrendous, so expect it to be noisy.
In regards to service, hats off to our adorable server for keeping up with our drinks and trying to appease the group as best she could. She upped this review one star for being so great!
One other positive note, I cannot lie that the cocktail menu is pretty stellar and unique. Way to go, bartenders! The beverages were strong, refreshing and delicious. If I ever go back, this would be the SOLE reason. The Queen Bee alone ups this review another star!
If nothing else, try Apis for the drinks. Oh, and don’t forget your credit card or cash stash– this place is pricey!

As promised, I gave Apis another try after my first bad experience of getting turned away 30 minutes before closing.
So I came in on Saturday the 26^th, around 6pm. It wasn’t busy yet which is preferable. I set at the bar but had a chance to look around and really liked the decorum/​ambiance. It’s a classy place and the folks were very nice. I ordered the oysters to start, 2 @ $ 3.50/ea. They were good with the emulsion on top, a nice change from the typical oyster set up. For my entrée I had the New Zealand King Salmon. It was a nice piece of fish but overdone in my opinion. It wasn’t dry by any means but was served a little over medium and piping hot. It also was lacking in any real depth of flavor. The corn husk/​seaweed broth that they poured at my table did have a nice aroma but didn’t help warrant the price tag on this catch. My biggest disappointments were the sides… or lack of. It had a couple ounces of sauerkraut under the salmon but not much. Then there were apprx. .75“x.75″ cubes of pickled and fresh radishes with radish shavings of opposing colors topping the cubes. I tried the radishes but come on, they’re tiny cubes of radish… Beautiful attention to detail but I would like something to eat with my salmon, I just don’t see how sauerkraut & radishes made the final cut for my only sides. My dinner with no drinks cost $ 47 and I ended up needing to eat dinner again. I hate to say it but completely over priced in my opinion…

APIs was highly recommended and we had high expectations and they over delivered. Their food is a work of art, as are their cocktails. I would recommend having each course to insure you don’t leave hungry, but the culinary experience was outstanding. The fish was fresh, superbly prepared and beautifully displayed. The lamb was literally best We have ever had.
Desert is a awesome experience with the peach cobbler and ice cream over the top!
Not open every night, but Wednesday-​Sunday works.

I’ve been to Apis four times, so this is a composite review based on those experiences. As others have explained, the concept revolves around the honeybee, which influences the design aesthetic, and most importantly, the cuisine. From the introductory biscuits and butter to the signature cocktail and much of the menu, honey weaves through the culinary tapestry like a subtly recurring melody through a piece of music.
Unless you’ve made a reservation, you might have to wait in the bar. Try one of the dozen or so hand crafted boozy potions to elevate your headspace. Be sure to look up at the ceiling; the gold paint really ties the room together. The hand made bar top and dining tables throughout further indicate the thoughtful execution of the honeybee design aesthetic. As far as the dining room goes, the ambience is inviting, if a little loud.
What about the food? Local, seasonal ingredients anchor a menagerie of exquisite flavors. Some are bold, others more subtle, but most importantly to me, they are approachable in their ecstasy. They are also well beyond my vocabulary to properly convey. Check out the Austin American Statesman review for a more poetic evaluation by a proper food critic. That said, here is a short list of my favorite fare thus far:
Oysters — I’ve had them twice, once with white sturgeon caviar and once with grapefruit mignonette. Both excellent.
Texas T Wagyu Crudo — If you enjoy über rare, dry aged beef, this dish will put a boogie woogie on your taste buds.
Charred Spanish Octopus — Dark horse contender for all-​time favorite seafood dish. So tender you’ll cut through it with the desire in your eyes.
Quinalt Tribe Ivory King Salmon — This dish takes the cake for me in terms of the number of different flavors and textures involved.
Wagyu Hanger Steak — Offered on the bar menu, this is five star steak and mashed taters. If you’re not an adventurous eater, but would like to give Apis a whirl, I whole-​heartedly recommend the hanger steak. In fact, if you don’t like it, get the leftovers to go, bring them to me and I’ll pay for the steak.
Here’s the deal as far as I’m concerned. Apis is a five star, family run establishment. The food is superb, the atmosphere inviting and everyone involved is genuinely invested in delivering an outstanding dining experience. Sure, it’s a little pricey, but Apis doesn’t operate on the notion that a satisfying meal consists of an endless supply of Pillsbury biscuits, a hormone blasted, 178 ounce steak and a mixed green salad harvested from chemically saturated soils at a corporate farm. It consists of professionals handcrafting and delivering flavors one dish at a time with top shelf, sustainably sourced ingredients.

This place was amazing and worth the 45 minute drive. When we arrived we were greeted by a super friendly staff. My husband and I were about 20 minutes early for our reservation so we enjoyed delicious cocktails on their lovely patio. The dinning room is small and intimate. It did get loud at times, but we didn’t have to yell at each other to be heard.
The food was AMAZING! You must try the egg toast and splurge on the caviar. It was so incredibly good. They also bring out these delightful little biscuits with butter. Thank goodness they only offer one per a person because I would have filled up on those suckers. We also dined on their Wagyu Crudo and Marfa Tomatoes as our small plates. Both were delicious. The Wagyu was heavenly. For our entrée we shared (needed to save room for dessert) the Tasting of Black Hill Farm’s Yearling Pig. All three styles of pork were delicious and the okra and succotash complimented the meat perfectly. For dessert we had their take on a honey bun and it was to die for! Don’t ever skip dessert!
This place was so wonderful; from the cocktails to food, and the super friendly staff. I definitely recommend trying Apis out for yourself.

This place by far raises the standard. I love in south Austin so I have more than just a few places for good eats.
The food was absolutely delicious and the experience was exceptional. Sat at the bar for our first time. There’s a menu with about 6 things to chose from. The menu is going to be different all the time. They pretty much allow the chefs to create small plates for each evening. I love this! How creative! We pretty much ordered all 6 options and still had room for an entrée and desert. I took pictures of every thing I ate. I couldn’t help it! Sitting at the bar was a such a tease. I’m actually excited about making reservations for dinner though!

Apis is truly exceptional. The honey/​bee/​honeycomb theme is well executed throughout — from the honeycomb design painted on the bar ceiling to the walnut honeycomb inlay in the burl wood bar and dining tabletops and honey infused or inspired dishes.
The Apiary adds honey to a bourbon cocktail and makes a great start to the meal.
The oysters in grapefruit sauce were the best I’d ever had. The egg bread had just a touch of salmon and yet was incredible.
The foie gras pâté with grapefruit and gingerbread toast was insanely great. Even the salad was exceptional with honey vinaigrette and a flaky cheese-​filled pastry. The small square warm homemade buttermilk biscuits were perfect with the whipped honey butter.
The 40-​day aged wagyu ribeye was just right at medium rare with coffee-​infused sweet potatoes, miso and black garlic sauce.
My duck duo had aged roasted duck and a duck confit. The spice, sauce and accompaniments made for an exceptional blend.
For dessert we had the house honey bun with horchata ice cream and the coconut tart with lemongrass meringue and lime sorbet.
The chef surprised us with a couple of clever and creative bonuses during our meal. This kitchen has talent and creativity and style.
We can’t wait to go back!