The Local

Came here for brunch the other day and all positive things to say! The service was outstanding! My friend and I ended up staying for a while and talking and no one ever rushed us out (granted, it was a slower day) but not all places do that.We ordered lots of things! 10/10 recommend the cold brew martini. Really enjoyed the local dip, the scramble, and the chiliquiles. The portion sizes for both meals were big so we each had leftovers. The blueberry lemon ricotta was good. We ordered them as a side and I'm glad we did, not enough protein for a meal but it's 4 good sized pancakes. Will visit again to try lunch/diner.Additional perk, you can make reservations through Yelp!!

We met up some friends at The Local because it has many great Yelp reviews and I've always wanted to be a local at local restaurant, so I thought this place would be a cute place. When we walked in, the ambiance didn't disappoint. Even though it is located in a strip mall, the interior transformed me back into a old-timey social club.The service also was excellent. We were greeted promptly and on a weekday night, the place was not too packed. Although, when we left, there was a steady stream of patrons filing in. The server gave us recommendations and was knowledgable. He even was able to rattle off the off menu Kids Menu (they do have one even though it's not listed on the menu). The menu however left more to be desired, at least from me. Nothing in the appetizers really sounded like a must try, given they were basically 4 choices in dip all priced over $10 I believe. Pricing for the salads also seemed high because the base all sound like your basic salad; however to add even chicken, it would be $6, $9 for salmon and $10 for steak. By recommendation of Yelp and our friends who had dined here previously, we settled on the fish and chips ($19). I liked how it was served with a small apothecary bottle of malt vinegar because I love my fish and chips with malt vinegar, but taste-wise, I cannot say it was any more memorable than any other fish and chips I've tasted.For me, this is definitely a cute vibe that serves the classics. Unfortunately, the prices are very much modern day prices, which is what made this an "OK" vs "Good" experience.

Popped in for a quick HH and a snack. There are several apps to choose from as well as beer, wine, and a few cocktails on the HH menu. The Local Dip is wonderful. The chips are great. I sat at a cute little booth made for two people which is perfect for a date night.

We popped in for happy hour, and wow--the prices here are unbeatable! We kicked things off with the herb fries and local dip with chips. The fries were perfectly crispy and addictively good, and the dip was packed with flavor; creaminess from the cheese, sweetness from the pico and a slight kick from the hatch! It paired so well with the crispy tortilla chips.For drinks, we went with the "You're on a Pip" and an Old Fashioned. The "You're on a Pip" is gin-based with orange liqueur--smooth, creamy, and super refreshing, like an orange creamsicle! The Old Fashioned was just right: smooth, a touch sweet, and perfectly balanced. If you love Thai tea, try the Founders Cocktail, it is delicious! It truly took me back to paradise! To top it all off with the amazing service, we'd absolutely come back here!

Quiet, nice place. Food was tasty, hot and fresh. Service was pleasant - nice, easy menu.

Came to Brunch this morning - loved the portion of Mimosa and the champagne/ OJ ratio. My boyfriend ordered the Early Cure (earl grey tea, gin, honey, lemon) and it was bomb!! For the food, I ordered the Good Day Breakfast and asked if they could do a side pancake -- which come to find out, they charged me for a Kids pancake ($6) which, had I known they didn't have a side option, I wouldn't have gotten it but all good. My boyfriend got the Biscuit Sandwich and asked for the berry compote which really tied it all together. Overall, the portions here are small but the biscuits were realllllly good.

The best part about this place is the staff who are friendly and attentive. However, the food speaks for itself. I'm really surprised that this place has a 4.1 star rating on Yelp. The menu is small, so I expected high quality food.We ordered the steak frites. At a price of $28.50, I expected a perfectly cooked medium rare as we had ordered. The steak came out rare and cold in the middle. It was flavorless, there was no sear, and the meat was terribly under seasoned with just salt. While it does come with a poivre sauce, the sauce doesn't redeem how bland the meat was.The fries that came with all of the dishes were good and crispy. The burger and the fish and chips were average, nothing particularly stand out.I know South Austin has more limited food choices, but there are plenty of other restaurants in Austin with unique, higher quality food that I would choose over The Local.

Food was amazing. Best monte cristo I've had and fries were crispy. The queso is also great, not just a regular queso, so definitely recommend getting that. Service was great and food came out quick. Also not too loud so I didn't have to yell to talk.

I came across The Local on Yelp a few months ago. I was intrigued by the location since it isn't too far from my parents' house. We decided to stop by for dinner on a Saturday evening. We were greeted immediately by either the manager or owner. I didn't get his name, but he was extremely nice (as was the entire staff).Drinks: I had an espresso martini. It was okay. It came with an orange garnish instead of the espresso beans which was different. The drink was fine, but I wouldn't order it again.Apps: We started with the sweet potato hummus. I love hummus, but I don't care for sweet potatoes. I have to admit that this dish blew me away! The sweet potatoes had a nice flavor and the hummus was very creamy and flavorful! The pita bread was warm and very soft which I enjoyed. We also ordered The Hatch Mac Bites. I didn't try any but it looked good.My stepdad ordered the Cobb salad as an app even though it's an entree. He enjoyed his salad.We ended up getting The Local Dip on the house because of the long wait. It's basically queso and it was delicious. Entree:I had the ATX Classic ordered medium well. The burger was good, but it was cooked to medium. I didn't send it back since it took awhile for us to get our food in the first place. The burger was very juicy and flavorful.My parents had the Grilled Salmon and the Leafy Garden Salad with Salmon and they both enjoyed their meals. Service: Our server Kyle was so nice! He apologized for the long wait. There was also another server (I think her name was Tamara) who was super sweet.Because of the slow service, they ended up comping half our meal which we appreciated. My parents went back the next week and said the food was good but service was a mess again. The staff offered to comp their meal. The service recovery is important, but they're not going to make it if they are constantly comping meals.

First time at The Local after reading many great reviews. L had Fish and Chips--the Cod was fresh and delicious. The fries were flavorful and fresh. I had the Monte Cristo with fries and and IPA. Again, the fries were excellent. The Monte Cristo leaves a lot to be desired. After eating half (somewhat difficult) I asked the server to have the cook taste the uneaten portion because I thought something was off. She returned and let me know the cook said it was "looked right". He apparently didn't taste it as I requested. In short, I was told it was the way it was supposed to be. There was no effort or offer to make my lunch work. I happily paid full price and left a generous tip. It seemed the other patrons were very happy with their choices. Though I will return for other food choices I was unimpressed by the cook, server and management. There are many fine restaurants in Austin to choose from. This one is not high on my list.