Gina's on Congress

so grateful for a lovely Christmas Christmas Eve dinner. Started off by treating ourselves to the roasted bone marrow, and salmon and dip with etc. caviar and potato chips. Divine.Nice wine selection and they also offered a delicious French old-fashioned cocktail :-) For the mains, we tried the Hanger stake and grilled halibut. The only suggestion for improvement is to include something green on the halibut, even a dash of parsley would be a nice touch. Our server was very friendly and attentive, but not overbearing. Will be back to try more dishes from the menu.

We tried the price fixed menu and it was delish! We got an app, meal, and dessert. This is on Congress so parking is scarce but depending on the time of day, you may snag some street spots. We sat at the bar and the vibe is really fun!

Nut allergy friendly: I only came for happy hour, but the servers seemed to be pretty aware of anything!Possibly one of the best weekend happy hours in downtown Austin! We stopped in with a group of 7 at 3:30PM and were seated with no wait. Drinks came out in about 10 minutes. They have their own twist on many classic cocktails. For example, the French Old Fashioned was much more fruity than a standard old fashioned. I didn't have any particular highlights, but the drinks were well crafted and very reasonably priced on happy hour. Paid via inKind with no issues.

Been several times. Food is consistent and solid. They rocked it with the Austin Restaurant Week Menu as well! I like the ambiance. Refined, but not pretentious.Will continue exploring more of the menu.

Pretty mid if I'm being honest. Really wanted to like this place, but the food just missed.I love steak tartare and this was one of the worst iterations I've had in Austin. Giving flimsy potato chips rather than bread or a cracker is a joke. I scooped my steak tartare onto the chip only to had it break and make a mess. Tried to enjoy the tartare on its own but it just didn't taste great. It was fine at best.I had the mussels and fries and while it looks cool it's pretty annoying to eat. My server had to explain to take the fries off onto another plate to get to the mussels, then go back to the fries. Another giant mess.Is upscale food supposed to be this messy? The mussels tasted pretty good, but there wasn't as many as I had hoped so I had to fill myself up with the fries, which were basically all breading and no actual potato they were so thin.Service was great from the bartender so props to her. But yeah, won't be returning.

We were strolling around downtown recently, wanted a quick snack and stopped into Gina's. Really cute aesthetic and friendly service. We thought the portions were super small but we were happy with them. Not dying to return but don't have anything else negative to say beyond the portions. Friendly bartender who was attentive the whole time we were there.

So surprisingly nice from both a cuisine and service point of view. I actually want to keep this place a secret so it doesn't get too crowded. We'll be back!

There aren't many great French dining options in Austin, so I was excited to see this new restaurant open downtown. I was even more thrilled to find out it's from the same owners as Gracia and Gusto, both of which I really enjoyed.I came here for happy hour before a show. For starters, we had the bone marrow and sourdough, which was super yummy and well-balanced, pairing nicely with my French 75 cocktail.For entrees, I chose the mussel frites. While the presentation was great, the fries got soggy in the broth, so I would have preferred them served separately. My date's dish the half spring chicken was much better and cooked to perfection. I surprisingly also enjoyed the mushroom bread pudding, which I typically don't like.The service was great, and the restaurant was intimate yet inviting, with a beautiful bar. I look forward to coming back for lunch or brunch next time I'm in the area.

Great venue and meal! First time at this cozy, albeit a bit loud (on Saturday night) Congress Ave bistro-like restaurant with a great menu, great service, and really tasty food. Greeted cheerfully by Ethan and seated on entry a bit before our 7:15 reservation. Nice start. Varied menu, and received wonderful suggestions from Christopher, our server, who was delightfully friendly, yet professional, knew the menu very well, and added to our dining experience. Started with a delicious, pate-like rabbit dish, along with the marinated veggies and olives, with cheese and salumi. Both yummy! Great start. Then had the beef tartare with a small (quail ?) egg on top, that mixed in easily (as suggested by Christopher), which was served with perfectly salted, sturdy potato chips. Wonderful dish. Yellow beets good too. Shared mussels with frites in a tasty broth as a main course. Great dish. Finished with a cappuccino and a rich, but smooth, chocolate mousse-like offering topped with a bit of bourbon and a tiny bit of sweetened nuts. My wife enjoyed her red wine and my Grey Goose martini, slightly dirty was perfect!A truly great dining experience from entry 'til exit. Thanks Ethan and Christopher, and nicely done to the chef and staff. Note, that, we parked in the corner lot which was 100 feet away. Yay!

Stopped by Gina's for dinner on a Monday night and I wanted to love it, but the food was very underwhelming. The Party in Padua drink was good, but the Ricotta Gnocchi was not. I read a bunch of bad reviews on a few other items so I was lead to this gnocchi entree. It came with ham and peas and I just thought the dish was really weird and it's something I wouldn't ever come back to eat. I also got the Bread & Butter side and the bread was okay. On a positive note, the service was really good and the place had a nice atmosphere. I loved the wallpaper of kisses in the bathroom and I appreciated the matches they had by the register and in the bathroom. I collect them so it was convenient!