Castle Hill Cafe

I remember discovering Castle Hill when it was on Lamar, hidden in the corner of a shopping center. The tiny room was the scene for some very memorable meals, some of the most creative cuisine I’d found in Austin. It quickly became a favorite.
The move to Fifth Street no doubt helped their bottom line, but the experience changed in subtle ways for me; Castle Hill was still on my short list, but it wasn’t at the top anymore. Still, it was one of the restaurants that always said «Real Austin» to me, and I mourn its closing.

why such a bad rating for such a good place you may ask? let me tell my sad story. get our your violins.
it was the last day that castle hill was offering lunch. my dining companion nory b. and i was quoted an hour and 15 minute wait. we hung in there and only had to wait around for 20 minutes. hooray!
service was slow, but we expected it. it took 5+ minutes for our server to acknowledge us. the meal was very good. both of our lunch choices were delicious. the best part was nory asking for the fried brie appetizer not advertised on the menu. it was available and it was some artery-​clogging goodness.
but my reason for such a low star rating is the lack of communication with the reservation people. i had booked my rehearsal dinner in early april, and given out a credit card to secure my date. securing a large dinner party in october in a town like austin shouldn’t be that hard right? bullshit. half the places i have researched in the downtown area were booked 6 months in advance. when i heard the news on the closing of castle hill, i was pretty freaked out but wanted to give the reservation staff some time to contact me. i know i am not their first priority, but no phone call or email?
during our lunch experience, i had feigned ignorance of the large lunch crowd. he told me they were closing down and this was the last lunch ever. i became shocked and told him my story of woe, hoping to get to speak to a manager or any kind of sympathy. nope. not a thing.
so good-​bye castle hill. you left me with such high hopes and now i hate your guts.

Well, I’ve just learned that Castle Hill will be going away soon to make way for a completely new and unique Austin experience:
Interior Mexican with full-​service bar and lounge!
Seriously… looking forward to that.
I don’t go to Castle Hill that often. In the past year, I’ve been 3 times. That covers 50% of the total number of times I’ve been a patron. So, I’m not a seasoned Castle Hillophite, but I feel confident in this: the napkins smell.
Like the majority of restaurants in Austin, including the interior Mexican establishments that feature a full-​service bar and lounge, Castle Hill has a laundry service that takes all the food and booger-​covered cloth napkins at the end of the day (or perhaps bi-​daily) and gets them ready for another dinner service. I don’t doubt that these cloth napkins had been cleaned. I just don’t think they were dried properly before being shrink-​wrapped in bushels and returned to the restaurant.
There was a very strong musty, mildewy odor coming off these things. Not a nice compliment to the fine $ 24 filet and $ 72 Malbec. Castle Hill has (had?) a above-​par menu and talented chefs in the kitchen and it was all being undone by stinky napkins.
So I guess this month’s experience at Castle Hill will be my last.
I don’t know if I’ll miss Castle Hill. I _​will_​try Corazon when it opens in the Hill’s place this Autumn, and you can be sure I’ll smell the napkins first.

After ten years of eating here, it’s still my default Austin restaurant. Friendly and low key, it personifies a lot about what made Austin a great place before «condo» became a four-​letter word.
The service is usually very good. Sharon is the best waiter in town in my opinion; she has a way of showing up with what I need before I ask for it. The vibe is always pleasant even when the yups show up (all too often now; put away the cell phones you weasels, not just here but every restaurant in town! No one gives a damn about how your career is going. We’re trying to eat, not gag). But above all, the food is uncommonly consistent; I’ve still never had a bad meal here (though the lunch pizzas, which used to be phenomenal, are getting a little sloppy lately; too much cheese and a weaker crust).
Management knows the game well and that’s why this place is still going strong. It’s a neighbourhood spot with its own feel and dependably good to great food.
The Mediterranean Salad can be heavenly, the veg lasagna as well. The duck gumbo and the soups in general are rich and flavorful, and they tend to do fresh fish very nicely. The side dishes are often the real stars; I’ve had corn puddings here that were Michelin-​worthy. Good wine list, fairly priced.
Tremendous desserts! Try them all, each has its merits.
Perfect place to take visitors; it’s still laid back in here, go off hours as usual to get full relaxation. Lunches are fine value, go early or late.
Not Austin’s best restaurant but right up there, and certainly excellent value and a reliable dining experience.
Castle Hill gets five stars for treating me right for a decade and counting.

We thought about coming here once before but the menu at the time didn’t appeal to us that much. Another time they were closed. I’d kind of given up on Castle Hill.
But then it was the day before my boyfriend graduated from college and I needed a place that wasn’t terribly expensive and could take a reservation for 16 people on a Friday night. Castle Hill fit the bill. They were very accommodating with the reservation, we didn’t have to limit the menu and we were alone in the upstairs room. Everyone was impressed. Even the under 10yo crowd enjoyed it. Great food, great service, and great spot. I hate being seated by a large group because they are always so loud, so it was nice that we didn’t have to worry about bothering others. There was even a bathroom upstairs so we didn’t nobody had to go up and down the stairs (except the wait staff). The atmosphere was so-​so, but we had a pretty good view from the windows upstairs. My favorite dishes were the blackened snapper, beef tenderloin (love that blue cheese) and the duck enchiladas.
So thanks to Castle Hill for a great Austin experience for all our out of town visitors and thanks to Unilocal for helping me impress those visitors with a fabulous restaurant choice without having eaten there before.

Honestly, I don’t see why people love this place so much. I’ve been a few times now and I just don’t see what the fuss is about. Maybe it was better a few years ago, but to me, it’s on par with most of my other overrated Austinland™ venues like, let’s say, Z-​Tejas.
It’s weird too because I do like Mirabelle, which is the same owners. I just think that Castle Hill lacks imagination and anything too exciting. So, yeah. You know, skip it.
Also? The inside needs work. That interior seems to me like it’s straight from the 80s. And not in a good way. And the sad thing? I think it’s been remodeled. Fire that interiors person.

The wife and I finally made it to Castle Hill after driving by the place for years and saying «We really need to try to go there.»
The immediate draw for me was the quaint charm of the building. Heading inside, the lighting and the floorplan were instantly inviting. We were seated quickly on a Satuday night (too quickly to grab a drink in the impressive bar area), and our waiter, while a little preoccupied, was fairly attentive and knowledgeable. We ordered the basil-​goat cheese torta, which may sound like a boring appetizer, but it might just have been the highlight of the meal. Topped with pine nuts and sun dried tomatoes, it was the perfect blend of deep and light flavors.
In a rare moment of agreement, the Mrs. and I both ordered the Pepper-​Crusted Tenderloin. Each were perfectly cooked and served with blue-​cheese mashed potatoes and julienne vegetables. The sides were unremarkable, but the steak was an unexpected adventure. A pool of sweet balsamic reduction was a notable contrast to the heavily seasoned tenderloin. While the vinegar was off-​putting at first, it grew on me as the meal progressed. We decided against dessert.
I’ve heard rumors that recent residential and commercial development in the area might spell the E-​N-​D for Castle Hill. That would be shame for such a charming little joint… especially since I’ve just now found it.

This is one of my wife’s most favorite restaurants, so I’ve tried and tried to convince myself I like it too. I’ve given it a fair shot — ordered a variety of different things every time I’ve been.
The last time I went will be the last time I order anything but the duck gumbo off the menu.
I was going to order the sea bass, but they were sold out, so I had to settle for the epita Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Guajillo Buerre Blanc Pancetta Sage Polenta and Corn Relish served with chayote squash.
The squash completely ruined the dish. It was completely tasteless and did nothing for the dish. I couldn’t believe they served something so terrible.
Although the rest of the dish was only average, I’ve lost what little respect I had for the cuisine served in this restaurant and I won’t be returning any time soon.

I thought this place was just… ok. There was a pretty extensive wine list, however served by a somewhat snotty bartender. The crawfish crabcake was quite good and I greatly enjoyed the dressing. It was very herbalicious, chock full of rosemary. We then moved on to the main course. I had the bass (?) with a shittake cream sauce served with a very delicious Israeli couscous and asparagus. My date had the filet, which was very underseasoned. The true highlight of the meal was the peanut butter mousse pie. Yum, oh so good.
I don’t think we will return since most everything seemed to be just average. I wish I had gone to the bathroom since there were so many raves. :(

We love Castle Hill and consider it one of our consistent special places to go when we want a nice night out with good food. Fortunately we can always get a table pretty easily either because of the haters out there (you know who you are) or because folks just haven’t found Castle Hill yet.
Here’s why we like it so much… consistent, good food with consistent, good service, and a consistent, good wine list. (see something… consistent?) It isn’t trendy or pretentious and it doesn’t try to be something that it isn’t.
Last time I was there, I had an awesome wahoo steak with a chilie adobo sauce, grits and green beans. Date man had the veggie lasagne which he declared «pretty good» but he said his special veggie salad was «super good.» The wine was lovely and we had a very nice time!
We will keep coming back and if I actually see anything sliding (as some folks claim), then I will change my rating. All I have seen, though, is a solid delivery of good food.

Did my tastebuds take me hostage? I’m confused. It seems like a lot of people like Castle Hill — both Unilocalers and friends have highly recommended it. And yet, I was completely unimpressed.
1– Within the first ten minutes the waiter came to set the bread basket on the table and clumsily knocked over the candle holder causing quite a clamor. Not a problem so far except that the waiter barely mumbled an apology before scurrying away and leaving our menu questions unanswered.
2 — When the main dinner courses are over $ 17 a plate, a restaurant should have the decency to serve water in glass cups as opposed to the high school scratched up cafeteria plastic cups.
3– The interior is competely outdated and looks like something trapped in a 70s time capsule. The «keep Austin weird» art scattered throughout tells me they are trying too hard to keep up with the times without killing the budget.
4– The crabcake appetizer was modestly tasty but far too salty. The menu incorrectly states that you get one crabcake. Not true, you get two. But they are tiny — the size of rollerbade wheels. The walnut goat cheese salad was the best thing on that plate
5– The chicken liver and mushroom pâté was HORRENDOUS. Thanks to Castle Hill I’ve lost my craving for pâté for at least 3 months. Sadly, the best thing on that plate were the cornichons.
Three stars for hope. The red pepper bisque was the best thing we had there and given the food we ordered, that’s just not enough to go on. I hope I’ll change my mind and try to return but first impressions are the strongest and I can’t get over how average the food was despite the prices.

Just had a fabulous dinner last night. I can’t think of a single thing that would have made this meal better. If I could give six stars, I would.
The atmosphere is warm and friendly. Although we got there late and were afraid we’d be turned away, we were ushered into a practically empty restaurant and served just like it were the dinner hour (It was about 9:00 on a Monday). The interior is beautiful, with muted colors, lovely and whimsical art and soft lighting.
For apps, we had duck spring rolls, a mushroom liver pâté, and some steamed pork and chicken dumplings. All of them were perfect and delicious.
For the dinner, the two of us had the pork tenderloin and the beef tenderloin. The beef was the best tenderloin I think I have ever had. It seriously melted in my mouth. It was cooked perfectly — rare in the middle, and nice and crusty brown outside. Lovely sauce and salad with it. The pork was also cooked perfectly. Just rare enough to keep the meat perfectly moist and tender. It had a really interesting watermelon/​mango sauce.
I had a nice glass of cabernet with the meal.
The whole bill was under $ 100, which I thought was really reasonable for the volume and quality of everything. Service was perfect — warm and friendly, yet completely efficient. I wish I had had room for dessert.
This is my new favorite restaurant.

Let me state this first, I don’t drink, therefore the wine selection is lost on me.
Secondly, my mother is from Louisiana, so I’ve had a lot of Cajun food in my day.
I chose to go here yesterday because I was craving gumbo and you Unilocalers told me to go here!
Finding the door was… difficult. It faces away from the street and there are no signs to state where it is. Okay maybe I’m not the brightest person but having a thorny bush that stabbed my friend that came with, is not a good business strategy.
I started out with the curried lamp empanadas. Empanadas and I have a long and x-​rated love affair but I’ve got to say they gave me 8 (seems to be a theme) and I only ate two of them. They were just too sweet for me.
Well, if gumbo was all they had I would’ve given them four stars. It was an amazingly dark roux but the spices were overwhelming, even for me. It was 8 $ for a bowl.
My friend that went with me had the coconut shrimp and was not impressed, it was also 8 $ for three shrimp.
The atmosphere was nice. We had actually gotten there quarter to six and the hostess asked us to sit and wait, she brought us menus and drinks even though they don’t open until six.
I have to say overall I was sorely disappointed. It didn’t give me the feeling that I was in Alexandria watching the fireflies. I was in Austin, in a restaurant that probably has never even met a creole chef in their life.

Castle Hill Café is an Austin gem. One of the few restaurants that is consistently spot-​on with food and service.
If you want a value-​priced Castle Hill experience, go for lunch when most of the plates (alot of which are served during the Dinner service) are a few bucks cheaper. For example, the Interior Mexican Chicken Salad with Mini Empanadas is about $ 3 cheaper at $ 12-​ish. That $ 3 is a difference maker when it comes to splurging on one of their must-​have desserts.

Atmosphere = casual & dim lighting.
Service = beyond wonderful.
Wine selection = great.
Food = only sampled the duck gumbo and interior mexican salad (tasty but not crazy tasty)
BUT this single piece of heaven made me fall off my chair:
«Chocolate Banana Cream Tart — $ 5.75
A roasted nut and phyllo pastry cup filled with French cream patisserie, bananas and whipped cream. Served with chocolate sauce, topped with roasted coconut.»

This is the second location and a much better one from the first location on 11^th & Lamar. The food has always been outstanding and very complex for many Austin residents. I love this truly original American/​Continental style restaurant. Some of my other Austin friends think the dishes are too fancy. I find the portions generous for the price, but not to big for one person. Lunch is my favorite time but I have brought as many as 25 guests with me for dinner. They do not take reservations for lunch but do so for dinner.
My first experience with fried brie was here and is still one of my favorite appetizers.
I’ve never been disappointed by anything I have tried here.

This place is straight up good. The menu changes seasonally and their wine list has some nice choices. One of my favorite things about this place is that they’ll actually take reservations for a large party. I’ve been here on many business dinners and not once has anyone I’ve taken here been anything but pleased. A few items to note:
1. The salads are massive. They also put little treats in the salad that you find while you’re eating it.
2. The entrees have lots of attention to detail in their flavors and presentation. I’ve never had a dish here that wasn’t really great.
If you’re feeling extra special, be sure to get dessert as I guarentee you won’t be disappointed.

I knew I liked my boyfriend after he took me to Castle Hill Café. It has since been one of our regular restaurants and we always return when we are in need of a satisfying, healthy, and filling dinner.
The boyfriend is a fan of any pork dish, as the menu rotates (weekly, i believe) and the me being the herbivore, always opts for the lasagne. On one of our first dates I was so full from the GIANT spinach salad laden with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, artichokes, and pine nuts that I only consumed a few bites of the basil purée and vegetable lasagne. Seriously, the salad that accompanies the lasagne is huge and does not qualify as a ‘side’ at all.
The fried brie with chutney… Yum. And the wine selection is great and extremely reasonable.
The atmosphere is perfectly quiet and romantic on off nights, can be a little loud and chaotic on busy nights depending on the crowd. The staff is great as well. I’m always pleasantly pleased whenever i leave.

I do NOT dig the interior of this restaurant, and it’s a damn shame since the menu is innovative. Why is it pushin’ the fern bar bullshit? That doesn’t connote «café.» Really, time for a major design overhaul. Even the website is sad.
But the food, dy-​no-​mite. The appetizers alone are worth makin’ out with, especially the crab-​crayfish cake and pork tenderloin flautas. Dude. I’ve been here three times and never made it to the dinner menu.
Great service. Ask for «El» if you want the best.

One of my favorite restaurants in Austin. I have eaten here tons of times over the years and have never had a bad meal at Castle Hill. I love their menu — the descriptions of each dish are about a mile long, and will get your mouth watering before you even order. Here’s an example that I just randomly pulled off their website: «An apple cider-​black pepper glazed grilled pork tenderloin with a sauce made from grilled leeks, sweet Marsala, roasted garlic, smoked bacon and Balsamic vinegar. Served with a whipped potatoes, a fig relish, candied walnuts and a sage crisp.» Now, who wouldn’t want that?
Castle Hill is also one of my favorite places to get a fantastic, filling salad in Austin. The Mexican chicken one with the blue corn empanadas never fails to delight my taste buds — you’ve gotta try it, seriously.
Wine list is plentiful and reasonably priced, décor is whimsical and very Austin-​y, and service is always attentive, too. The only slight drawback I can think of about Castle Hill is that it can get pretty loud in the dining room during peak times, so if you are with somebody soft-​spoken or want to have a serious conversation, it might not be for you. There is sometimes a wait, too… but it’s worth it.

Castle Hill Café was my first-​ever, big girl date restaurant in Austin. And I tell you what, several serious relationships and one husband later, I still love it for a casual, romantic night in Austin. The décor and menu have a distinctly sophisticated southwestern flair, with a staff and loyal fan base that screams «keep Austin weird.»
I’ve always been stuck on the brie with seasonal chutney as a starter, and where else on this planet can you add a house salad for $ 1.50? The dinner menu is updated weekly, and I have never gone wrong with any of the fresh fish or vegetarian entrees. We go to Castle Hill almost every time we are back in Austin.