Arriba Abajo - Austin (TX)

3 /5 Joe Volcano: Food was not that good here but enjoy the view! They have great music to listen to on Saturday brunch day. Started off with the guacamole and it was perfect. Especially the chips, I don’t know how they do it, but it must be like triple fried with great seasoning. Amazing!! The breakfast fajitas was probably the best thing that I ate and I would highly suggest, the only problem is they give you a large portion of filling, but they only give you three tortillas. We had some spicy tuna like taco and the tuna tasted un fresh and old. I would not get that. The taquitos that was on the brunch menu supposedly had to Wagyu Beef, but it doesn’t taste like Wagyu Beef. It taste like a taquito that you would get at Costco. The rock shrimp, taste like panda express crispy fried shrimp Chitaquita had dry chicken and the chips were sweet, it was all right nothing to write home to mom about. Overall, the presentation is beautiful and ambience is nice, but I wouldn’t recommend this place if you wanted to eat good food except if you’re gonna have the fajitas which was amazing. The customer service was great.

4 /5 Rebecca C: Arriba Abajo really lives up to its name — my taste buds went arriba with excitement, then promptly abajo after trying the appetizers. We sampled several, and while none were bad, none were exactly writing home to grandma either (unless grandma owns the place). The vibe was great though — cool atmosphere, friendly staff, and strong drinks that definitely helped boost the flavor rating by at least one star. Would I come back? Absolutely. Would I order the appetizers again? Only if my enemies are hungry. All in all, a solid four stars for the experience, minus one for the culinary confusion.

5 /5 Daniel Harrell: We had a really great experience. The service was fantastic. The food was flavorful and extremely tasteful. The drinks were so good. We starred with queso and the tuna crudo were seasoned perfectly. Then two of us had the duck, one person had the fajitas, and another had the carnitas. No one was disappointed. My only complaint, they need to update the online menu. A few items were not on the current menu in the restaurant.

5 /5 Nicole: Everything was absolutely perfect! We started with margaritas and chips & queso (the chips had the most amazing seasoning), then shared the lobster pizza, and finished with French toast for dessert. Every single dish was delicious-there wasnt a thing we didnt like. We came for brunch and it was such a great experience. Highly recommend!

3 /5 Kynji-Kyzo: Great Atmosphere, But Everything Else Falls Short I’ve visited Arriba Abajo multiple times, hoping for growth or improvement, but the experience remains largely the same: visually charming yet consistently underwhelming. The rooftop setting is easily its strongest asset—lush with natural light, well-designed furniture, and views of downtown that give the space a refreshing, elevated feel. There’s also an indoor DJ, which adds potential for energy, but the outdoor speaker setup is too quiet to carry the vibe fully. Service, unfortunately, is hit-or-miss and often feels disjointed. Food presentation is always beautiful—bright, colorful, and photogenic—but the flavors never quite live up to the visuals. The dishes tend to fall flat, lacking the depth or seasoning you’d expect from a place that markets itself as elevated Mexican cuisine. The queso, however, is a solid exception and worth ordering. Drinks are well-crafted and taste great, but the portion sizes are disappointingly small for the price. The vibrant frozen cocktails look festive but feel more like a sip than a sit-and-savor. The interior dining space has a noticeable damp or “wet” smell that hasn’t gone unnoticed across visits, which detracts from the ambiance and could be addressed with better ventilation or upkeep. In short, Arriba Abajo has potential—it nails aesthetic appeal and sets the stage beautifully—but it hasn’t quite followed through where it matters most: flavor, hospitality, and atmosphere cohesion. It’s best for a quick rooftop drink and snack, not a full dining experience.