Austin Cake Ball Kitchen & Bar

Delicious small plates. Terrible service. Namesake cake balls good not great. Always wish they were bigger or cheaper. The Ginger, a libation, was delicious.

So I took my wife on a mini-​date here and decided to try couple of of their entrees w/​cake balls. Long story short, their $ 3 cakeballs taste like balls. I like my balls to be chocolately rich and delicious… not bland & stale. A little bit of juice inside wouldn’t hurt. Yes, I’m a balls guy.
My thinking is, if you’re going to name your business after something, make sure that something is bloody outstanding!
Dare i say store boxed balls can easily surpass these?
Oh ya, the ambient is decent in an urban «we’re urban-​hip» way.
The server was cool too.

Sundays are all-​day happy hour so we really couldn’t resist after strolling around outside for, like maybe twenty minutes tops, total. Did I mention it happened to be warm at the time, really really warm on this particular day? Okay then!
So we convinced ourselves the all day HH was a must and ducked into Austin Cake Ball Kitchen & Ball. Service was a little confusing at first blush because there was one waitress/​server handling the dining-​in guests. Granted, there weren’t that many of us. Once we did place our orders, everything arrived within a reasonable time.
To put it quite simply — the cocktails were quite elegant (see photos). They were almost too pretty to drink, but drink them we did. They didn’t pack much of a punch, but they were quite delicious — we had the lychee and ginger beer based cocktails. Would definitely recommend both. We also ordered the fried pickles and bruschetta (correction, it was a lettuce appetizer topped with olive tapenade!). I ordered it and was a bit surprised to receive a beautiful plate of lettuce appetizer thingy topped with creamy-​dairy looking stuff — not mentioned in the menu description. I should’ve inquired more thoroughly, so it was my bad. Nonetheless, out waitress did notice that we hardly touched the stuff and did mention that we could just take it home. She kindly omitted it from our bill, which was quite nice of her.
My friend also ordered an array of cake balls for later and thankfully none of them are vegan friendly (I don’t need MORE caloric options in my life, thank you!). Them balls are reportedly delicious and I did think about purchasing a few to gift to the omnivore loves in my life, but I would assume the edibility of the balls decreases over time and during an unrefrigerated car ride. Ah well. A decent experience all in all!

Let me start out by saying that I’m a big fan of this place though my review may be a little bit biased (or at least compromised) due to the fact that I had earlier eaten most of a rack of ribs at The Salt Lick. No one needs both ribs and cake balls in the same day but I, dear friends, am fearless and a glutton for punishment. I made it happen.
We found this place on accident as I’m an out-​of-​towner and don’t usually keep up on all things Austin. We were walking around the Domain and I needed chocolate. Upon reaching this location (which used to be a truffle shop) we saw that sometime in the past two years it had changed. Little did I know that I would be totally jazzed with what I’d find inside.
We sat down and began the exhausting process of deciding 1) how many and 2) which varieties of cake balls we wanted. Our helpful waitress noted «usually 4 is too many and 2 just isn’t enough.» Quite a poetic way of saying, «you won’t be judged if you order 3 because they’re really good.» I did, and they were.
The cake balls were a little small but were so good that I overlooked it. Sure, I’ve had bigger, but its not the size that matters as much as how good it tastes, right? RIGHT?
My better half got some ridiculous brownie + ice cream sundae type thing and didn’t speak to me the entire time so that he could maintain proper focus. He’s unavailable for comment but raved about it all night. The service was nothing short of attentive and helpful, and the happy hour cocktails were interesting but not too pretentious. We saw all types enjoying themselves here and well, you should too. It’s pretty darn good.

Man, I’m not usually this far off from my Unilocaler friends, but…
Gack.
I mean, majorly disgusting. (Sorry Michelle!)
The only reason I’m giving 2 stars is because I got to eat here with the fabulous Michelle C., which improves any dining experience, in my opinion.
Let’s start with the smell. Someone burned a vat of grease and decided not to air the joint out. Seriously, I had to take a shower when I got home. It was coming off me in stink-​lines, a la Pigpen. The service was pretty good, and I was excited to try the braised short rib, which has become one of my favorite dishes to order out. I love the way your fork melts right through, and the meat is so… Wait a minute. I couldn’t even get my fork IN the meat, much less through it. When our server came over to check on us, I raised my short rib aloft, and banged it on the side of my plate. This should not be allowed to happen. He was apologetic, and informed me they didn’t have any left, so I’d have to order something else.
I always find this to be a tough situation, because by the time you’ve had a few drinks and an appetizer, you really don’t NEED dinner, and I usually just say forget it. Our server offered me a steak that wasn’t on the menu, which I agreed to without thinking how odd it was to have a random chunk of meat in a restaurant kitchen. It was NOT good, and in the future I’ll turn down anything offered to me that’s not supposed to be back there.
Let’s move on. Cake balls! Wow, so excited! I’d never had one, so I ordered the caramel and the red velvet. I can’t remember the last time I had something so unbelievably disgusting/​disappointing. The frosting is nasty fondant, the cake is undercooked, and the whole experience made me want to cry just a little bit. I can’t imagine any reason to go back, even when they give it away it’s nauseating. Run. Run away.

This is such a perfect little place for happy hours, shopping drinks and snacks, or a nice light meal. We went here for a light lunch and to start our day off with a terrific cocktail. The Ginger is one of my favorite drinks, it tastes like a slice of ginger-​heaven with a white chocolate garnish. The Orange Blossom tasted like an alcoholic Orange Julius and was a-​mazing!
My table loved the hummus pair. I am a fan of the red pepper hummus, but everyone else favored the edamame hummus, which is an original and interesting take. We also got the cheese plate, which was a bit hard cheese heavy for my taste, but a decent plate of good cheeses. I particularly liked the dried figs that accompanied the cheeses.
We didn’t get dessert this time, but the cake balls are out of this world. I usually go for the salted caramel or the red velvet, but recently tried the chocolate and was wowed. It tasted like a Ding-​Dong! SO GOOD!

Austin Cake Ball fits in perfectly at the Domain — the clean lines and copper theme makes me feel like a powerful businesswoman out to lunch in NYC.
Came for Austin Restaurant Week and sampled a couple of tasty things. The citrus and crab salad was fantastic, the toasted almonds added a really nice texture. The truffled cheese and bacon sliders were good but a bit greasy… especially following such a light salad. And of course, the cake balls are both delicious and adorable, I’m really fond of the strawberry.
I’ve heard good things about the cocktails, I’ll definitely be back to check out the happy hour and get my outdoor seating on! My only gripe would be our server — completely flat, bored, and boring… but she did split the check so thanks I guess.

I never even knew this place existed until now!
For the cocktails, I had one of the «Candy Girl» which was cotton candy vodka, champagne, homespun cotton candy, and a peice of pink rock candy floating at the bottom that made the drink fizzy and bubbly looking. They told us that they had a baby shower there just a few days before and they put a peice of blue rock candy in it to make the drink blue for the baby boy shower, what a creative idea! The second drink I had was «The Ginger» which had ginger liqueur, vodka, ginger beer, and a peice of white chocolate shell as the garnish. Both drinks were very sweet which is how I prefer my drinks. I personally like the Candy Girl just because I am a champagne girl :) The third drink that I tried was the Lychee Martini. Its not as sweet at most lychee martinis that Ive had at other places but it was very delicious. Visually, it was amazing.
Now on to the noms! My favorite was the crab balls. Mainly because I am a big fan of crab. They use real lumps of crab meat and much of it! Another favorite is the hummus. I prefered the roasted pepper hummus compared to the edamame one since it was a bit more flavorful.
Now on to the BALLS! They are visually beautiful. My favorite was the strawberries and cream! The cake inside was very moist. I ended up buying 2 half dozen boxes to-​go to take home and give as a present. They had a baby shower designed box which my friends loved as a present, and for 16.99, it was a nice little gift.
I would def come back to this place and bring many friends for happy hour. As for the cake balls, it would be hard for me to buy all the time just because of the price. For 3 bucks each, it would definitely be something that I can do to treat myself every once in a while :)

Mmmkay, so you know how some (or lots of) little kids like to eat their boogers and then grow up and realize that it’s absolutely disgusting? Well, my second go-​around with Austin Cake Ball was kind of like that but opposite.
Confusing? Maybe I shouldn’t have gone with the boogers analogy.
Eff it, I’m sticking with it. So try to follow me here–
First time=chicken crepes (although I hear that they’ve recently improved)=boogers
Second time=pork belly & goat cheese flatbread=…uhh what do more grown up little kids like? Legos? We’ll go with Legos.
Second time=pork belly & goat cheese flatbread (and rebellious red wine flight!)=Legos!
Are you still following me? I’m losing you, aren’t I? Shit…
Hubs says maybe I should put this current glass of wine down.
4.5 stars. Lauren B, Nathan I, Keri B, and Shannon B– y’all were right.
EDIT:
So I wrote this last night (not sober), and I figured that it might be a good idea to hold off posting until I was, well, sober. Here is a more coherant review: D
Both décor and ambiance were the same this second time around. Our server, Sam, was excellent. She was well versed in the menu items, glasses were constantly refilled, and plates were taken away in a timely manner.
We were told that Austin Cake Ball recently came out with a new menu. Simply put, these changes were absolutely delicious. I started out with the Rebellious Reds wine flight; the Cab was awesome (refer to photo for full name of the Cab).
Hubs and I ordered Peppadews (still not my cup of tea but he likes them), Crab Cake Fritters (yumm), Fried Pickles (perfect!), Smash Fries (surprisingly addicting), and Pork Belly & Goat Cheese Flatbread (AMAZING!!!).
Still 4.5 stars. Sobriety doesn’t change this.

Based solely on their balls, I approve & want more.
After spending the afternoon shopping around the Domain, my friends and I had a sweet tooth that we needed a cure for. We walked into Austin Cake Ball & were pleased to hear that it was happy hour. Cake ball happy hour?! Nah, just noshes & alcoholic beverages.
I was far too full for any food but managed to finish a mint chocolate & s’mores cake ball and they were soooo good. I didn’t want them to end, but they did. My friends & I started critiquing the balls and came to the conclusion that they were deliciously moist. Yes, I said that awkward word out loud, sorry?
We wanted to try the adult milkshake so ordered one with three straws but it was faaaar to adult for me. Not sure if it was just me but I think the bartender was toooo heavy handed.
Chivas, our server, was super friendly & nice. He laughed when we said the cake balls were moist which made me laugh.
Their menu looked pretty good so I might have to go back for actual food and not just for the cake. I’ll definitely be back for a moist pieces of goodness!

This place is excellent. The name will fool most people who will pass it over for lunhc and dinner, but not me! Wow! the food, service and presentation are top notch, and the food quality is fabulous! We would all go back in a heartbeat to try more of the savory dishes. The goat cheese salad was incredible, the crepes were excellent to the last bite and the chicken breast with the brussel sprouts has some wonderful things going on in the sauce.
On then the chocolate mess, we were raving and trying to figure out how to lick the bowl? maybe spatulas could be standard issue for flat ware… mmm now there is and idea for sure.

I swore I Unilocaled this place. But, I have to come do this place the justice it earned. Not much, huh.
I was stoked at the reviews about 2 months ago, so I set up a girls night for the ladies and cake balls galore we thought. We all have kids, so getting out, without kids, to eat pastries, and have cheap drinks. SCORE. No.
We get there at 7. HH is starting, cool. Unfortunately unless you like Vodka, your SOL, because just about every drink is a vodka drink on their HH menu. And, there was NO changing that. Fine. I got some blue tequila drink with space beads in it. It was tasty, and foo foo.
There are about 12 of us. and we were the only people in there with exception to like 2 people at the actual bar. We get the drinks, yay. we order our food, yay. No. Not quite yay. After it was all said and done. I never received my CHEESE PLATE after everyone else had already been ½ way thru their food. I asked repeatedly, and its the «were short handed». um, ITS CHEESE. cut and serve. But whatev’s right, Ill get another blue space ball drink and have a nice night with my girls. Um, no. At the same time, its like THE hottest night IN the Spring, and it is sweltering hot inside AND there are gnats flying ALL OVER the place. Everyone is sweating, and I mentioned a few times to our lady how hot it was and she says «we don’t control the a/​c». yeah, I bet the ppl over at Tiffanys don’t tell their customers that. ijs.
So I told them to forget about my cheese plate, and just snacked on bits of my friends plates. Meanwhile, drinks are taking more time to come out, and by the time an hour and a ½ was spent, were hot and sweaty, we were ready to go. BUT, since we came for cake balls dammit, we grabbed a few. NOTHING SPECTACULAR at all. I was SO bummed! To get to eat pastries among non judgmental women that I love, MAN, it was like Heaven. but the food lacked major flavor.
SO… we went to Kona and ate! & had reverse HH!

*This review is solely for the service and the cheese plate during happy hour.*
No I have not had the cake balls which I’m sure are very delicious but I remember making them back in high school a couple years ago so this new trend never really appealed to me.
Nonetheless, I did go during happy hour to sample their Cheese Plate. We were given three cheeses a semi-​hard, hard, and soft cheese. All three cheeses were delicious and are distributed by Antonelli’s found in Austin. Accompanied by our cheeseboard was a little espresso cup filled with strawberries in what seemed like simple syrup, dried figs stuffed with crème fraîche, toasted bread, and a fresh sliced strawberry. I have visited here once before and found a honeycomb as my accompaniment instead.
$ 7.00 for a cheeseboard is a steal! Check out their happy hour as all shared bites are ½ off! Great place for a snack while shopping at the Domain.

The Lychee Lee martini is art in a glass. It’s so pretty you’ll spend several seconds admiring it before taking your first sip, upon which you will find that this well dressed cocktail has an equally gorgeous taste! And it’s not overly sweet so you can indulge in that third or fourth cake ball.
(The 5 star rating is for this martini; although the cake balls are good… I haven’t really had a cake ball I didn’t like…)

I hate that even though I’m approaching 30, I still giggle at the word «ball». So, in case there was even a shred of doubt, I do occasionally retain a sense of humor that is on par with that of an 8-​year-​old boy. I will attempt to show restraint.
On a whim, I decided to celebrate the first day of spring by inviting my mother to visit the charming little restaurant that is Austin Cake Ball Kitchen & Bar. I was aware of its existence in The Domain for quite some time, but never knew where it was located exactly until I popped in to see their neighbors, Ben Bridge Jewelers. The space looked so cute, the menu was filled with dainty delectables, and the cake ball concept itself possesses just a touch of whimsy. Seriously, what gay guy could resist?
We arrived at an off-​hour, around 2:30 PM, so we quite literally had the entire place to ourselves… save for a lady who came in for a cappuccino only minutes before we left. We took a seat by the window.
I’d like to note I had no idea Austin Cake Ball had a lunch and Happy Hour menu. When mentioning the place to a friend, he asked if «lunch» consisted of me sitting and popping cake ball after cake ball while relaxing and swigging back champagne. I answered «No, there’s actual food there»…but suddenly his version sounds ridiculously awesome. And soooo something I would do.
We received prompt attention from the waiter; after all, it *was* just us. The main waiter was named Stefan. While he gave us excellent service throughout, he definitely leaned towards the «aloof» side of the personality spectrum. I’m not complaining, however, as aggressive, in-​your-​face waiters rank somewhere between titty bars and Hallmark Channel movies on a list of things that I truly can’t stand. According to my mother, Stefan bore a striking resemblance to comedian Seth Meyers. Which I’ll admit, he did. With his name and appearance, he was like the walking, talking embodiment of an SNL Weekend Update sketch. He had another guy shadowing him whose name escapes me, but he seemed to lean towards the «chipper» side of life. It didn’t hurt they were attractive, too.
I started out with the truffled deviled eggs with white truffle oil and roasted red pepper aioli. It is my firmly held belief you could pour truffle oil on stale Cheetos and it would instantly transform them into a must-​have exotic delicacy. The eggs, predictably, were delicious. The aioli was flavorful without being overwhelming. Keep in mind you can order 3– or 5-​half-​eggs, and I’d suggest springing for five. They are much smaller eggs than the extra large honkers I’m used to scrambling up for breakfast, so they would be perfect for one person, or even to split if you’re keeping it light.
For the main course, I opted for the chicken & mushroom crepes (pulled chicken, roasted mushrooms, jus, goat cheese). Never have I ever been so glad I took a chance on the French enchiladas. Substantial but not filling, the three crepes were chock full of white meat chicken, mushrooms, and creamy cheese. They certainly did not skimp on ingredients, like so many restaurants are wont to do. Even the side salad with vinaigrette dressing was not the usual boring afterthought, but a perfect accompaniment. I’d order this again in a heartbeat.
Now it was time to get down to business. I took a little stroll over to the cake ball window and perused my options. It had just turned 3:00 (the start of Happy Hour), which meant there is always a «Cake Ball of the Day» that goes for a special price. Mine happened to be cherry almond that day. I ordered one of those from the friendly lady behind the counter, along with a classic chocolate. and – since a million quick tips mentioned it – a salted caramel. They were out of red velvet, which almost precipitated a First World crisis of major proportions. Fortunately for all involved, I talked myself down from a ledge before my disappointment could spiral out of control.
Stefan brought the three out on a separate platter. Did I mention they have amazing presentation here? The cherry almond was the most flavorful, and the salted caramel was different, what with the salt chunks gracing the outside on the frosting. I’m not a fan of caramel, but I actually enjoyed this version. The chocolate was just alright, but if you’re going to cake ball it, go for something a little more exotic.
In short, it was a fantastic experience. My meal was very much in the «ladies who lunch» vein, but according to the previous reviewers such as my good friend Keri B., this place is also perfect for a vibrant Happy Hour as well. I’ll have to return for that. To quote Keri: «Ballz and Booze. What woman could resist?» Certainly not me, Keri. Certainly not me.
Cute and classy with a fashionable undercurrent of trendy, Austin Cake Ball has won me over with their wonderful cuisine and spot on service. And balls. I can always be won over with balls. (Sorry, I was so good through the whole review, I had to.)
4 Stars!

Ballz and Booze. What woman could resist? And looking around the cute place at happy hour, we did notice that most of the patrons were indeed women. But boyz there’s something for you here as well, so put your macho aside. It’s called the Vesper. You know, the drink that James Bond «invents» in Casino Royale? Gin, vodka, Lillet (I had to look that up. it’s an appertif wine) and lemon twist (or lemon noose — see pic). Enough to put hair on your chest and a flame in your mouth. It made me feel close to Daniel Craig just drinking it… so I had two cause I wanted to get closer. I kept telling everyone, at $ 6, it was more bang for your buck altho by the end of the evening I think I was saying «more buck for your bang» but even THAT is truth in advertising.
Our very large group was able to sample most of the happy hour apps and balls (thanks ladies!). Everything was passed around generously and without a doubt my fave was the short rib and the red velvet chicken sliders, altho I would skip the salmon cakes and devour all the slaw that comes on the side. We had fantastic service from Rebecca and Stephen (I think) and most of the staff checked on us at one point or another, including the hot chef that came from the back kitchen… why you hiding HIM??? My friend and I were speechless when he asked how everything was… in my mind I wanted to comment on his tasty balls but all of a sudden that seemed wildly inappropriate.
I think this is a great place for happy hour in the Domain. While all those rowdies are packed like sardines over at Kona, I will be comfortably and coolly sipping my Vesper and eating my balls here, thankyouverymuch!

I have a new fave spot! I absolutely love everything about this place… everything, that is, except the deceptive name! Guys and gals, here’s the real scoop… this place is about sooooo much more than cake balls. SO much more!
Sadly, I would never in a million years have stopped at this great little place if the W3 gals hadn’t been kicking off the year here. I would have missed out on what a great place this is!
They have cake balls in many varieties. The Salted Caramel is particularly good. The Chocolate Mint is delicious. Actually, all the ones I tried were quite tasty. And they were beautifully presented. But yummy cake balls were not what I discovered in this place.
What I really discovered is that you have to focus on the ‘kitchen and bar’ part of this little gem’s name.
The bar part was great. A fully stocked bar with numerous specialty cocktails that are served with as much attention to detail as the cake balls. I had the ginger cocktail. Which was refreshing and delicious. Served with a lime curl that is topped with a painted piece of white chocolate.
Everyone else’s drinks were beautiful. There was some pink drink, served in a champagne glass with a big piece of rock candy. There was a lychee drink, with a big lychee in it. And, someone had a lemony drink with the peel of an entire lemon, curled like a little bird’s nest in the glass.
As great as the cocktails were, it was the food that pleased me the most. We had these fingerling potatoes, with thyme and rosemary spices and dusted with salt. YUM! And, there were these fantastically spiced buffalo chicken sliders. I could have eaten a dozen of those all by myself! And a trio of hummus made for a great appetizer.
And, they have a happy hour, with cake ball special, and appetizer specials. Way to go Austin Kitchen and Bar… oh, and Cake Ball.

Jubilation. There’s a newish place on my side of town to meet my lady friends to talk about lady topics over fancy lady cocktails and beautiful little lady bites.
Of course, men are welcomed, too, but first you’ll have to maintain your dudeliness as you hike past the small country that is the Domain’s Forever 21 store… that thing goes on for 2 blocks! Here’s a tip: park in the back corner behind the Macy’s & CA Pizza Kitchen, against the fence facing Mopac, and take the breezeway between ACBKB and Zara to get into the plaza. This will save you quite a jaunt, as well as shield you from the F21 temptations. You’re not here to shop, you’re here to get your cake ball on!
We had about 20 in our midweek W3nD happy hour group, so this gave us ample opportunity to try just about everything on the HH menu (3−7p M-​Sat and all day Sunday), plus a few items from the main list & specials. It only took one stout $ 6 Vesper martini to do the job for me, and then I shared the $ 5 plate of 3 tasty truffled deviled eggs. Also enjoyable were the buffalo chicken sliders on sweet yeast rolls, the crispy fingerling potatoes, and the hummus trio. Salmon cakes: a little too fishy/​metallic (although the side of lightly dressed slaw was nice), so I’d skip those next time. The German chocolate cake ball with Texas pecans and coconut was a heavenly finish.
If I were on a tighter budget, I would stick with the $ 3 local craft beers including Convict Hill oatmeal stout, Fireman’s 4 blonde ale and Austin amber ale. I’m pretty sure you can’t hit that price point anywhere else in the neighborhood for those brews.
Décor: sleek & modern. Service: warm & friendly. Food & drinks: enjoyable. Happy hour: a great deal, especially for the Domain. I’ll be back.

The Truffled Cheese plate + Stuffed Peppadews + Slow Braised Pork Rib Sliders + Crispy Salmon Cakes + Edamame Parmesan Hummus + a Molecular Margatini + Italian Crème and Red Velvet Cake Balls = Pure Tastyness!
I have to say I was surprised by the Menu. I expected just cake balls and cocktails. They have a great selection of appetizers and a few entrees.
Their Happy Hour menu also has great selections and prices. Signature cocktails are $ 6 and they are tasty. Appetizers range from $ 5 – 10 and you get a good sized portion. The Cheese Plates are great and there is definitely enough to share with a few friends.

Great balls of cake! Lynne, cake ball master extraordinaire, recommended I try the Cherry Almond and who am I to argue with someone who is in the kitchen? Imagine the flavors of pure almond extract, sweet cream butter, diced almonds, tart Montmorency cherries and vanilla butter cream swirled together in a sweet tasty cake batter covered with a stunning vanilla icing. Decadent! Sinful! Delicious!
During my brief foray into the Austin Cake Ball Kitchen & Bar, I discovered they also offer small plates of tasty food, handcrafted cocktails, wine, local beer, coffee and tea. The restaurant space is perfect for lingering with fresh flowers on the tables, comfortable chairs and lighting that lovingly bathes everything.
Listen up, GF Friends… they are looking into a gluten free cake ball recipe! And should you need something to further entice you, one rich, moist cake ball is only 120 calories making it the perfect diet dessert.