Clay Pit

Love the Clay Pit! My go-to Indian place in Austin. Especially love their tikka masala, korma, and black dahl. Wait staff are friendly and attentive. Their Peacock cocktails are fun and delicious.If you have Celiac, read the menu VERY carefully though. Most things are naturally GF, and they only label things that CONTAIN gluten on the menu, but they don't label for cross-contamination, which is confusing. So we mistakenly ordered an appetizer that I couldn't actually have. But again, lots of great options here.

WOW. You must try this place. It's not your typical traditional Indian restaurant however, as an out-of-towner, Austin seems to have its own unique spin on foods which, is all the more reason to give this place a try. Something unique you must try? Get this: Jalapeno Cream Cheese Naan. YUM. Their appetizers, like their Loaded Masala Fries or their Crispy Brussel Sprouts, are a must try if you're feeling getting an appetizer or two. My friends and I also ordered their Butter Chicken and the Portobello Mattar Paneer and they were both delicious!The service was quick and the wait staff were super friendly. Even the bathrooms were clean! This place was super busy on a Wednesday evening so I can't imagine what this place is like on the weekends. But, this is all the more of a true sign that this place is good! Fun Fact: I asked the front counter girl a little of the history behind the building this restaurant is located in (because it seems so unique) and found out that the upstairs used to be a store and the downstairs used to be a brothel. Several years ago, businessmen would use the underground tunnels to the brothel, while telling others that they were simply going to "the market." She also said that this place has "haunted" elements to it and that it is included as part of a ghost tour of Austin that you can take.

Beautiful restaurant and very friendly staff. Our waitress Alex was so sweet. We truly enjoyed our meal tonight. We ordered three small plates, chicken tikka, naan and cocktails. Our favorite was the tandoori lamb. It was moist and full of flavor. Probably the best lamb we've ever had. The calamari was tender, crispy on the outside and the dipping sauce paired perfectly. Broccoli char was a bit too much char. Our usual order, chicken tikka masala was just ok. 5-6 pieces of chicken to split between us and the chicken was on the verge of dry. I do wish we had received our naan with the 3 small plates we ordered but it came out with the only main dish.

The Clay Pit has been operating for 26 years which is impressive for Austin. They have plenty of table seating and a nice bar area just near the entrance. The service was super friendly. I had a great conversation with the bartender which is nice when you're on your own. The food was delicious and came out fairly quickly. The chicken tikka masala was excellent. I asked for hot but probably could've gone for extra hot. The palak paneer naan was dangerously tasty as well. I could've eaten a double order! Great food and also fair prices. I'll be back on future Austin strips.

Food is very solid and one of my go-tos around UT Austin. Good variety dishes with some interesting ones that go beyond the most "standard" indian restaurant dishes. And wonderful options for both meat and vegetarian eaters. Not fully authentic and slightly Americanized but not in a bad way. Austin prices. Everything I've had here is pretty tasty. They have a large space so I've not had to deal with waiting in line. Excellent and inventive cocktails.Note though that the spice level is definitely reduced down for the western palate -- at a more authentic Indian restaurant I would go for mild-to-medium, here I barely felt medium.

I'm honestly obsessed with Clay Pit. One of my co-workers worked here way back when and had great things to say about the food, so I was excited to try it. Folks, she didn't lie-- the food was genuinely exceptional. For the quality I was also surprised to find that the prices were fairly reasonable, particularly considering the beautiful historical building that the establishment was set in. It definitely has a bit of a higher-end college restaurant feel (the type where parents bring their kids when visiting campus) which I know deters some non-UT affiliated locals, but I didn't find it to be too bad. Overall super solid experience.

Every time I have been here, the chicken tikka masala is made exactly how I remember it! It is truly the BEST Chicken Tikka Malasa I've ever had in my life. Juicy chicken and that sauce.... Lorrrrrrrrd I wish they bottle and sell that in a jar because I would buy it ALL! I got the dinner proportion and it came with a side of rice. Rice is cooked perfectly. The garlic naan was garlicky and so good with the tikka masala! I can't have the tikka without the naan! I ordered the Dahi Puri and its presentation was so beautiful! Each dahi puri was loaded with chickpeas, potatoes, yogurt, and Chutney. It was crispy. It was craveable. It was delicious!!! I highly recommend all the dishes I had! The mango lasso was super creamy and thicker consistency. I usually love mango lasso but wasn't a fan of this one. It tasted like a thick mango smoothie. Service is fast and great. Do I recommend this place? If you haven't been here..... you haven't had the BEST Indian food! I highly recommend Clay Pit! One of my favorite restaurants!

Clay Pit is a classic Austin establishment.I'd recommend eating in over dining out, but man it was cold last night!!We got: -Chicken korma-lamb saag-garlic naanWe flip flopped between which one entree we liked better over the course of the meal!Not related to this specific visit: I came here for my birthday years ago with 20 people and they were more than happy to accommodate without needing deposits or a per seat charge.

We had a horrible experience at the Clay Pit bar last evening. We stopped in and it was really busy with a 2 hour wait for a table. We decided to order take out and while waiting my daughter stepped over to order a drink at the bar. After patiently waiting she finally got the bar tender's attention. He told her to "just wait a few Bro" while he spent 10 minutes unloading the dishwasher continuing to ignore her. After waiting a bit longer she and her partner just gave up. It was really busy, we understand that, but the customer service was horrible and unfriendly. The food was excellent I must say.

Have been hearing so many great things about Clay Pit and had to try it. The inside of the restaurant is pretty cool and very big, great for both small and large groups. The Peacock cocktail came with a candied straw and was really good, so was the mango margarita! We ordered the vegetable samosas, curried mussels, chicken vindaloo, and lamb korma. Everything was really tasty and flavorful!The appetizer menu definitely sets this place apart from other Indian restaurants in Austin, so much to choose from! The drink menu is also pretty large and had a lot of things that looked good. The mango cheesecake somehow tasted exactly like mango lassi in the best way.We had reservations and were seated immediately. Our server was very informed about menu options and gave great recommendations on how to make the most of our experience here. Great place to try!