Cousin Louie’s Italian American

If you've been craving a truly authentic Italian experience, look no further than the newest mom-and-pop gem in SW Austin in the Belterra plaza. From the moment you step inside, you're immediately transported to a vintage Italian kitchen -- it's like sitting in Mama's home, surrounded by warmth and charmThe atmosphere is cozy and nostalgic with checkered floors, retro wood paneling, and a classy bar that oozes old-school charm. It's like a love letter to Italy, with every little detail making you feel at home. The service? Spot on. The owners (who you'll often see checking on folks bring that extra touch of love and hospitality you can only get from a true family-run business. Third generation chef makes you really feel the heart poured into every dish and every detail.The Clams were a great starter! Casino and oreganata style and was on point! Flavorful! Frutti di mare and rigatoni pasta cooked to perfection and beautifully plated. Capped off with their tiramisu...a must have. Excited for this new addition, will absolutely be coming back to try other dishes! Make reservations!

First time here with friends. A few things are very unaligned. The restaurant seems to be deciding what it wants to be:A family experience which is a place to brings kids, loud, food passable. However with reserved wine up to $350 a bottle I would assume a high end place with a focus on great food. It's neither. Food lukewarm none was hotSoup was poor as it was premade and cold. Pasta needs to be put in fresh. All food we had was a step up from Olive Garden. Wine was very good but the food was very salty. Service was ok. Second bottle of wine came at end of dinner not during dinner. Difficult to split check. Dessert not offered. Ambiance was very very loud with lots of kids.

It was good! Perfect little date night spot. Packed, but no wait. Service was great. Menu isn't huge, but the food was great!

Service and ambiance were great. It's a modern italian spot with the old school feel indoors and on the heated/air conditioned patio. The bar doesn't have a liquor license just yet, but they recently opened so it could be in the works- just beer and wine for now. The food was good, but portions could be a bit more generous. Cesar, meatballs, and baked clams were good- but the meatballs came out cold. The rigatoni carbonara was good, but the sauce was a bit drier/less creamy than what we were expecting. Dessert menu was small, I was hoping for more options like gelato and cannolis. I recommend a reservation but they do accept walk ins. I think they are working out some kinks- I literally heard a manager scream at her teenage busboys... but this is in a hopping area of Belterra, so I'm sure they will continue to improve. A different manager stopped by our table multiple times which I definitely appreciate.

So we went back to Cousin Louie's for dinner with our neighbors and this place was buzzing! Almost every table and every seat in the bar was filled. We arrived ands were greeted courteously, and seated at our table quickly. Our waitress, Makayla, was very attentive. She gave us the history of the restaurant, made some suggestions on both appetizers and entrees and took our drink orders. We ordered Mozzarella Sticks as an appetizer, and the ordered the Lasagna, the Chicken Marsala, and (2) orders of the Butternut Squash Tortellinis. We paired it with a Super Tuscan, a Montepulciano, and our neighbor ordered some beer to round it out. Well, like our prior experience, the meals were amazing! Makayla continued to pay attention to us and made sure our water was never empty and that our experience was going well. We finished up the meal with Tiramisuou. It was another amazing dinner and the service was also stellar. I hope they continue with this level of amazing food and dining experience. Definitely going to be a regular.

I was overwhelmed by the authenticity of each item I tried during my visit at Cousin Louie's. From the meatballs appetizer, to the fresh bread basket, the original recipe Caesar salad dressing, to the Texas sized chicken Parmesan; I was impressed with every bite. The staff were great and checked in regularly, always ensuring every dish was delicious. I can't wait to return because the tiramisu has been on my mind ever since!

The food and service were amazing! We enjoyed the wonderful weather this weekend on the patio. We had a virgin drink that was delicious, and our waiter, Aidan H., made wonderful suggestions for our food which was fantastic. I highly recommend eating here!

went to friends and family soft opening. very impressed with service and knowledge. staff answered all our questions easily. food was outstanding VERY fresh, everything popped. you can tell it is a scratch kitchen. do yourself a favor get the mozzarella sticks it will change your idea of them. Chicken piccata blew my wife away. Happy dining everyone

Holy shizzle this place is bad. Staff is great, but it ends there. Baked clams were buned and chewy and seemed like made my my niece in a easy bake oven? Spaghetti and meatballs were awful, yes, easiest thing to make on the menu. Somehow tasteless and gummy at the same time. My wife perfectly stated, "it felt like everything was off the kids menu." Ouch. I read a review than this was a slightly better Olive Garden...they should be so lucky. I'd have much rather had the bottomless salad and bread sticks.

Was in the area for work and stopped in for a quick bite and ended up really impressed! Place is really cute traditional Italian spot and have really sweet antique pictures of their family.Got a good side ceasar salad and bread service which was really good, I like when they bring oils and herb for the bread! Also got the calamari during happy hour which was $3 off and just how I like it!! Just got the house white wine (Pinot Grigio) and it was reallllly good! I'll be back for dinne