Dean's Italian Steakhouse

*Quintessential special occasion dining experience*The attention to detail of the service, incredible ambiance, and curated menu makes taking a culinary journey at Dean's a unique experience every visit. The wine list is expansive and all the sommelier are incredibly knowledgeable. Special shoutout:Larry--great manager and person, never fails to stop by the table to welcome us backGabby--incredible server with expert insights to the menu and suggestions for pairings/coursing --All the sommelier are amazing and so patient, doing due diligence to find the perfect drink to pair with your meal

Dean's lived up to the hype and is the perfect spot to celebrate a special occasion or have a date night if you want upscale but classic Italian steakhouse cuisine with fantastic service!I made reservations for 2 at 9:15 pm on Valentine's Day (Friday night). We arrived early at 8:50 pm and were seated about 5 minutes ahead of our reserved time. To celebrate Valentine's Day, they were giving each couple a rose which was such a nice touch!The ambiance of the restaurant is stunning... it's dimly lit, the noise levels are perfect for a romantic date night, and the table settings are classy (table cloths and long stem wine glasses).FAST FACTS:* Parking - JW Marriott valet will validate parking for 2 hours with a receipt for $15 (self-parking can also be validated from the host stand or server)* Reservations - available online through OpenTable* Loyalty program - earn 1 point for every dollar spent and redeem 250 points for $25SERVICE - Our server, Hannah, was so attentive, personable, and took great care of us! Despite it being Valentine's Day, we received great service from start to finish... our water glasses were constantly refilled, food came out quickly, and both the manager and chef checked on us toward the end of the meal to ensure everything was to our liking. We were highly impressed!PRICING - The total was $169.95 after tax ($12.95) but before tip for wagyu meatballs ($18), two Dean's onion soups ($13 each), spicy shrimp strozzapreti ($29), 8oz petite filet ($57), topping of lobster butter ($7), and billionaire's potato ($20). I knew it would be a more expensive meal going into it but I felt like the portion sizes and food quality was well worth the price!Complimentary bread and whipped butter was served to the table. The bread is hot, soft, fluffy, and perfectly salted on top!WAGYU MEATBALLS (8/10) - These were juicy, flavorful, and seasoned really well! You get 5 meatballs with plenty of San Marzano sauce and Grana Padano on top. It only came with one piece of bread and I'm not sure if they would bring you more but the bread was grilled really well so it was crispy without tearing up your mouth when you take a bite. I'd order these again!DEAN'S ONION SOUP (10/10) - If you love French onion soup, this is a MUST order! The fact that they serve the soup with a pair of scissors to cut through the provolone cheese speaks for itself... it was one of the best French onion soups I have ever had! The broth is incredibly flavorful, the cheese is plentiful and perfectly melted, and the volume of onions was ideal. I'd order this again and would honestly go to Dean's JUST for the soup!SPICY SHRIMP STROZZAPRETI (9/10) - Delicious! The strozzapreti was cooked to the perfect al dente and the sauce had a nice balance of cheesiness from the Grana Padano, creaminess, and punches from the garlic and chile oil. It isn't overly spicy but they will bring you more red pepper flakes to add. The shrimp were cooked really well but I personally don't like when the tails are left, especially when the shrimp are mixed throughout the pasta and not just placed on top. I'd order this again!8 OZ PETITE FILET (10/10) - Fantastic steak! It was prepared as a picture perfect medium rare and had a nice crust around the edges while still being juicy and tender inside. The lobster butter (additional $7 as a "Crown Your Steak" option) paired nicely with the savory flavors from the steak and had a strong lobster flavor. I'd order this again!BILLIONAIRE'S POTATO (10/10) - Ordinarily, I wouldn't pay $20 for a potato but I'm happy to say that this was well worth the money... it was one of the best twice baked potatoes I've ever had! I LOVE truffle so the freshly shaved truffles on top were a great addition and the actual flavor of the potato was fantastic... you could taste the cheeses but could also still taste the potato so it wasn't overbearing. I'd order this again!This was my first time at Dean's but I would definitely go back and will recommend it to others in the downtown Austin area!

UPDATE: I still do not know what made me sick but read on and check reviews for other experiences than my first! They took action: They honored their offer at the restaurant to handle the bill, apologized very nicely for all of it and said they were going to coach staff, and finally answered some questions regarding what they served me in error too. The management that jumped in after the first manager was very nice (Isabelle) and I feel they were sincere. So, check all their reviews as some are great about the food and all! I'm too anxious with part of the situation to give it another try yet but maybe, some day. I love JW Marriott on premise restaurants and I wanted to love this place.The management I dealt with after the main manager is outsourced and very nice but hard to get to, Not Marriott direct nor the restaurant from what I understand but they run it if I understood correctly and were there.

We stopped by Dean's bar several times throughout our stay to use our $30 daily food and beverage credit to take to the ice cream back up to our room. Try the ice cream, it was one of if not the best I've ever had. Dean's is a fine dining Italian restaurant that offers a selection of steaks and seafood dishes as well. We enjoyed happy hour at The Veranda, which is another bar area attached to the restaurant. You can order from Dean's menu here as well. We really liked that we could use the $30 Marriott Credit as well as the $25 food and beverage credit at this location. The service was great and the food was phenomenal, happy hour, dessert, and dining from the main menu were all top notch. The inside dining is elegant, dimmed lighting and gives a very intimate feel. This would be a perfect romantic date night or a great place to celebrate a special occasion.

Dean's Italian Steakhouse is the ultimate date night destination--perfect for a splurge or a special celebration. Yes, the prices are on the higher side, but every bite makes it worth it. The service was impeccable, with our server checking in just the right amount to make us feel taken care of. And the food? Absolutely unforgettable. I'm still dreaming about that incredible shrimp pasta, and don't even get me started on the bread pudding--it was pure decadence. Oh, and those dinner rolls? Impossible to resist. If you're looking for a meal that lingers in your memory, this is the place.

Reservations are probably recommended here since it resides at the JW Marriott and can get crowded when the hotel is busy. The interior gives steakhouse vibes with dim lighting providing ambiance at dinner. Tables and booths are available and can accommodate larger parties. Service was personable and came with recommendations that helped with dining selection. There were multiple folks that helped with water refills, serving and servicing the table. In terms of drinks, they can smoke a variety of the cocktails if you like adding that flavor profile to your old fashioneds etc. I tried a south side and was refreshing and felt like a modified gimlet which was nice. Bread service was warm, soft, crusty rolls with whipped butter. Divinely good when you're hungry and ready to eat. The menu has a good amount of variety from seafood to pasta to grilled meats (which really star here). To dine we had:* Lobster bisque - rich and wonderful. I'd have loved just a small splash of sherry* Shrimp cocktail - 5 massive perfectly cooked shrimp. Cocktail sauce accompanied with horseradish shaved on it *Oysters- raw and ordered by the item. East and gulf coast. Served with pipettes of minnionette and hot sauce (Tabasco), lemon wedges and cocktail sauce with grated horseradish*Truffle honey burrata - oh this one was a great appetizer*Spicy Shrimp Strozzapretti - house made pasta resembling twisted strands. Al dente with such good chew and the sauce clinging to the crannies. Amazing flavors and not really spicy. *18 oz bone in 40 day aged strip. This baby had some unctuous delicious dry aged flavor. You can get all sorts of accompaniments and sauces if you'd like but I was happy with just salt on this bad boy. A quick note on some of the other options. Texas Wagyu cuts are all wet aged and Japanese A5 was available too. This gives you some pretty different flavor profiles to choose from*Billionaire's Potato. Twice baked and so creamy with truffle flavored infused in every bite. A very solid choice for downtown dining.

We have been to Dean's 3 times now and each time it's a wonderful treat. They really have some of the best filets I've had in Austin. I love the ambience with it being dimly lit with lights just above the tables and candles and the decor is my style. The chairs are super comfortable - I comment on them every time! It's the perfect date night spot. Service is usually good depending on who you get. Highly recommend the pecan-infused old fashioned if you like a little sweetness. The barrel cut and petite filets are fantastic. Cooked perfectly with just the right amount of salt. They're good without all the extras that are available to top them with. The mashed Yukon gold potatoes come in a little hot pot like their onion soup comes in. Billionaires potato is good but it's very truffle-y so keep that in mind. I've recommended Dean's many times to my friends.

4.2 StarsPros - I really liked the atmosphere of Deans - it's a great spot for a classy low key celebratory din. Service was attentive which I appreciate. I really enjoyed my filet mignon, espresso martini, and the desserts. We tried all of the desserts and the table favorite was the bread pudding. Next up was the limoncello pie. Lastly, the restaurant is inside the JW Marriott so it's also easy to pop over to their lobby bar for some live music & a cocktail. Cons - I wish they leaned a little more into the "Italian" side of the restaurant. I was excited to try the wagyu bolognese dish and it just didn't hit. I feel like for an Italian steakhouse it just could have been done better. I also felt the steaks weren't consistently cooked. Someone at the table ordered medium rare and it came out extremely rare I wouldn't have been able to eat it. My pregnant friend ordered medium and it came out medium rare. I just feel like at a steakhouse that's a big missed steak ;)

During our recent trip from out of town, we decided to dine here on a whim. We didn't need a reservation and were seated for our party of five within minutes. I can't say enough about our dinner--it was outstanding! The food was fresh, flavorful, and truly delicious. The bread and butter were particularly amazing. I'm definitely looking forward to returning to Austin just to enjoy another meal here!

We sat in the Veranda for dinner and our bartenders/servers were Paula and Matiana. Matiana made us incredible drinks, gave us great suggestions and we were treated like royalty. Paula made sure things were perfect the entire night. The food was amazing, the bacon on the wedge salad was fabulous, the French onion soup, oysters Rockefeller , shrimp cocktail, wagyu pasta and shrimp pasta were all amazing. It was a remarkable experience.