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Ratings and reviews

Travellers' Choice2023
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

Location and contact

Downtown
0.6 km from Congress Avenue Bridge Bat Watching
About
In one of the oldest buildings in Austin, Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill has been serving up some of the best Southern comfort food in Central Texas since 2003. Over the years, we’ve developed quite a reputation for our bountiful Sunday Brunch and our attentive, hospitable staff -- and that’s the service you’ll get no matter what time of the day you come in. Our Southern-inspired dishes take an innovative approach to the classics, like our Corn Dog Shrimp and our award-winning chicken fried steak with chipotle cream gravy. So stop on in for some local, made-from-scratch food, and let us tell you our story in person. From Bourbon to Brunch - there's something for everyone!
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, After-hours
CUISINES
American, Bar, Grill
FEATURES
Takeout, Outdoor Seating, Private Dining, Seating, Parking Available, Street Parking, Valet Parking, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Digital Payments, Free Wifi, Accepts Discover, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Wine and Beer, Live Music, Dog Friendly, Non-smoking restaurants
Reviews (3,192)
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Traveller rating
1,965
903
209
30
30
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All reviews brunch chicken and waffles rainbow trout apple pie macaroni salad corn dogs fries pretzels pork chop shrimp bread burger hard lemonade comfort food worth the wait minute wait
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Reviewed 1 week ago via mobile

Great service and friendly staff. The food was fantastic, me and my partner shared a few items from the shareables menu, everything was delicious! Very reasonably priced. If it wasn’t our last night in Austin we would have gone back more than once. Highly recommend!

Date of visit: March 2024
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Reviewed 2 weeks ago via mobile

Loved everything about this place! The food was delicious. The service was excellent: fast (but not rushed), attentive and friendly. The drink, Moonshine Mule, was perfect. Love the building and the overall atmosphere. Prices are good, too. Very busy so get there early or sit...in the bar like we did.More

Date of visit: March 2024
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 3 weeks ago

Great dinner at the great bar. Beautifully mixed drinks and personality from Luke and his buddy. Great food too and close to our hotel downtown. Would definitely recommend. That said, better make reservations. It's busy early.

Date of visit: February 2024
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Reviewed 3 weeks ago

Not a fan. Was looking for some good, hearty, authentic Southern food, and Moonshine ain't it. I grew up in the South, and what the kitchen does to green beans here is nothing short of an abomination. Crunchy, frozen, fancy style beans with sliced onions?...Get out of here with that nonsense! My pimento cheese burger didn't fare much better. The small and thin beef patty also tasted frozen, and the cheese wasn't high quality. The fried shrimp appetizer was overloaded with a too-thick batter. The fries were good, but it's not that hard to dump frozen potatoes into a fryer. I should've known to run when our server brought a complimentary tray of popcorn to our table and it was stale, old, and burned. See all of my photos of the food because you'll see how lackluster everything was. The only reason I'm giving this place two stars instead of one is that the bourbon flights are quite nice and fun. If you come here, for the love of all things Southern, do NOT order the mediocre food. Just come here for drinks. Not coming back to this place.More

Date of visit: February 2024
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Reviewed 3 weeks ago

We had a wonderful time at the restaurant. It was very crowded but we chose to wait about 30 minutes for a table. We sat in the waiting area and had some drinks until the table was ready. I ordered a pink lady martini, but...I would NOT recommend it. It tasted like medicine. My second drink was a whiskey apple pie and it was delicious. We opted for a ton of appetizers instead of getting full dinners and they were all great. I recommend this restaurant to adults only.More

Date of visit: February 2024
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Reviewed 4 weeks ago

Moonshine is a great place to grab lunch or dinner. We went there for a dinner and 2 lunches when we spent the week. Great Iced tea too!

Date of visit: February 2024
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Reviewed 4 weeks ago via mobile

Perfect Find for my 1st super bowl Sunday! It's always nice when you find a great place after wandering around for a bit. Being a Brit, I wanted to watch some of the super bowl Sunday even though it seems to only be about Taylor...Swift, the 7$mil ad breaks, on the half-time,from a foreigners perspective (sorry!🤭) It was really nice that the bartender Derek introduced himself and gave a brief history of the place we were in. It turned out to be one of the oldest places in the area, And it's just a nice touch as well. Derek gave great customer service from start to finish, And this is one of the reason why American bartenders are worth the tips that you (culturally) give them. You would never get this type of customer service from a bartender in the UK, and I would rather do this than have grumpy bartender who adds nothing to my experience, that I don't have to tip like back home. He That we were looking at what they were like, the portion, sizes, etc, What the cocktails were like etc. And genuinely seem to like his job and care about his customers. We seats at the bar next to other people watching the match which was nice. To be honest we ended up talking but it was nice. I ended up being in a bar with the game on in The background, getting to see that great last minute win from the chiefs along with other people in a bar with a brilliant atmosphere. So my heart lit up when Derek said we specialise in whisky because whisky is my thing. The cocktail I had was beautiful. Really spicy. The spicier the better for me. The dude enjoyed his cocktail two and food. The food I chose was really unique. It was roasted garlic bulbs which I've never had anywhere else in the world. They were really really yummy and direct explained how to prepare them to get the most of them, etc, essentially how to eat them. I also ordered green beans to be healthy instead of chips, and I'm really glad I did because it didn't feel like I was eating vegetables. They were coated in this amazing seasoning. They just tasted so yummy and were really enjoyable. I wish green beans were like that everywhere! A really nice homely American place. I will definitely be visiting again When I come back in November. Thank you Derek! ❤️More

Date of visit: February 2024
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Reviewed 4 February 2024

One of the things I like about Austin is how close so many things are and that you can walk to most venues and places. We had finished food and live music elsewhere but wanted to enjoy another cocktail or drink somewhere and the speakeasy...Kinfolk was recommended. We walked over there and it is in the basement of a house and we did not have a reservation and was fully occupied, but the upstairs bar Moonshine had room for us... we were seated at a nice, covered, outdoor patio with fire pit to keep us warm on a cool January evening. The bartenders were friendly. The Bourbon selection was extensive so I asked the Bartender for recommendations and she made a great recommendation that was not overly expensive but absolutely delicious. we mostly enjoyed cocktails and company and this place was perfect for both. It's a happening place and reservations are recommended. We got lucky to get in on a Thursday night at 9 PM.More

Date of visit: January 2024
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Reviewed 24 January 2024

We went during Happy Hour, mostly because it is getting dark @6 the area is a little sketchy and we were walking. Chicken and Waffles and Chicken friend steak. All we could and more. Banana Pudding for dessert. Very pleasant waiter. Neat old historical building...was a plus. Happy Hour Margaritas were also good!More

Date of visit: January 2024
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Reviewed 31 December 2023 via mobile

Wonderful experience from making the reservation to getting our car back from valet. All of the staff was overly friendly. They give you popcorn as an appetizer which is fun and different. Waitress recommend the hanger steak and it was delicious! Kids meals were really...great too. Homemade Mac and cheese and a cheeseburger with yummy fries. Food came out quickly. They offer valet for $12 which is nice. I’d definitely go back!More

Date of visit: December 2023
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Reviewed 18 December 2023

We tried this place for dinner based on a recommendation. Overall, food was pretty good but the wait was long. We had the following and our 1-5 ratings were: - 4 - Queso appetiser. Pretty good - 4 - Fried green tomatoes. Not bad, but...I have had better in the South. -4- Spare ribs. Good - 5 - celis beer. Excellent. - 4- Peanut butter pie. I am not a peanut butter fan, but my wife is. Overall a decent price, but not worth the long wait to get a table.More

Date of visit: July 2023
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Reviewed 8 December 2023

We just got in to Austin, after a long flight, and were tired and hungry. The Fairmont Hotel recommended Moonshine. It was great. I had the fried green tomatoes and my husband had something we dubbed "shrimp corn dogs." He loved it. We had good...service from our waiter Ben and enjoyed having our first meal in an historic Austin building.More

Date of visit: December 2023
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Reviewed 8 December 2023

Not great. Told we couldn’t reserve a table . But it appeared that others could. Food not great ( probably chose poorly )chicken very dry . Had also to send back my order as despite asking for cheese on the side, cheese all over salad...(I can’t eat cheese).More

Date of visit: December 2023
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Reviewed 25 November 2023

Good food, but this restaurant would not allow us to split the bill between our two families and a waitress decided to tell my kids off who were afraid of the bees on the patio. I would definitely not classify this restaurant as family friendly.

Date of visit: November 2023
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Reviewed 15 November 2023 via mobile

This is nice little gem! The moonshine flight is delish! Food portions are huge and the prices are reasonable. The restaurant itself is not that big so you may find yourself waiting during peak times. Definitely worth the visit!

Date of visit: November 2023
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Questions & Answers
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ourboysmom
8 October 2019|
AnswerShow all 2 answers
Response from Sharon M | Reviewed this property |
tht
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ourboysmom
8 October 2019|
Answer
Response from porter_osborne | Reviewed this property |
My wife has gluten intolerance, but not celiac disease. She got good dinner here. Most of the GF items are salads, fish, and veggies. Not sure about sauces on other meats. Hope this helps.
1
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dwicon
18 September 2019|
AnswerShow all 3 answers
Response from GarciaInTexas | Reviewed this property |
I suppose it's an all day menu...so up to you if you want to eat baby back ribs for lunch and chicken n waffles for dinner. Good question though...
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MOONSHINE PATIO BAR & GRILL, Austin - Downtown - Updated 2024 Restaurant Reviews, Menu & Prices - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill

Yes, Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill offers takeaway services.

Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4.5
  • Service: 4.5
  • Value: 4
  • Atmosphere: 4.5