Barley Swine - Austin (TX)

5 /5 Rita Fennelly-Atkinson: My spouse and I just celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary and we wanted to do something fun. We have heard great things about Barley Swine and celebrated there! We did the tasting menu with the wine pairing. The entire meal from beginning to end was perfect. Every single bite of every dish was perfectly balanced. Each dish had its own distinct profile that elevated the flavors of the ingredients in a cohesive and complimentary manner. It is literally the best meal I have had in my entire life so far. The wine pairings were amazing as well. Every single selection had a lovely nose that elevated the experience. Each pairing was perfectly matched to the dish, in a complimentary manner in which neither competed with the other. I’m usually not a big fan of white wines or sake, and the selections challenged my conception of what an amazing pairing might entail. Whether it was the presentation, the dish, or pairing, every aspect of this meal was perfect. I loved every bite, every spice, every drink, and the atmosphere! Our servers were absolutely wonderful. I couldn’t wish for a better experience! PS I have a gluten sensitivity and they were lovely about it!

4 /5 Monica Martinez: Had my birthday dinner here last night and it was such a great experience. The food was amazing, cocktails were awesome, and the service was excellent. Everyone was super friendly and they even personalized our menus with “Happy Birthday,” which was such a thoughtful touch. We sat at the chef’s counter and it was really cool to watch the kitchen in action. They also comped the brown butter cookies to take home for my birthday, and they were delicious. The only issue was that several dishes came out lukewarm or borderline cold. The butternut squash dish, the steak, the rib cap, the shrimp and grits, and a few others just weren’t the right temp. The steak especially was just cold. Everything tasted incredible, but it happened on multiple courses which was disappointing for the price point (around $500 total with tip and deposit). I didn’t say anything in the moment because I didn’t want to make a fuss on my birthday, but in hindsight I probably should have. Even with that, the food and service were great and I’d definitely come back. I just hope next time the temperature is dialed in because everything else was spot on.

5 /5 Justin Yancey: Really tasty food. Its fine dining without the haughty taughty-ness that you usually get with Michelin star dining. The flavours are great and the service is too. Also, one of the dishes comes with a spatula, something Ive always wanted to have when fine dining! Some dishes were "shared" so great spot for a romantic occasion!

5 /5 Chance Riley: Incredible experience - truly a journey of flavor, with touches from around the world, yet all rooted in Texas. Every course was full of surprise and delight. All in all, the meal felt like a piece of music with eclectic notes but a strong through-line from beginning to end. And as pretentious as that sounds, the unassuming nature of it all may be the best part. We sat at the chef’s counter, with the open fire grill keeping us warm all night and adding a great ambiance. Would highly recommended sitting here with the great view of the kitchen, just so you can see how easy the staff makes excellence look. We definitely left feeling both inspired and satiated.

4 /5 Kristen Murphy: I visited Barley Swine for an anniversary. While the food was delicious, the experience overall didn’t stand up to my expectations or the price. Upon arrival, we were seated in the lounge as our table wasn’t ready. However, no one came by in the 15 minutes we sat there to take our cocktail order. We didn’t get to order by the time our table was ready and we were now sat 15+ minutes late. After that unfortunate start, the pacing of the entire rest of the meal was off. It took over an hour and a half to get 3 out of 8 dishes. We received the main “entrees” at almost 11PM for an 8:30PM reservation. I’m not sure if that is normal, but we asked to speed up the process and the service followed suit. I noticed other tables had their napkins folded for them when they went to the restroom and I didn’t even get a replacement napkin when mine was wet from a spill. Besides those two complaints, our actual server was great and attentive. Our sommelier was the highlight. We chose the premier wine pairing and that was the best choice of our experience. The wines chosen were fantastic and the descriptions and presentations of each were perfect. Overall, I wouldn’t return.