Departure Lounge

Just walked in at 10:00. They close at 11:00. Asked if they were ok with us staying for a drink and he says «that’s fine.» We immediately left. Totally felt un welcomed.

I planned my company holiday party here this year with Frank’s help. Not only was the space great (it even fit all 100 of us), but the catered food was delicious. We brought in liquor and a bartender as Departure Lounge only serves wine and beer and it worked out well. I didn’t have as much time this year to devote to planning our end of year bash, but Frank stepped in and did pretty much everything, including keeping everything running smoothly during the event. I can’t recommend the venue or Frank highly enough!

I liked the idea of this place more than the actual experience. It was a super cozy place filled with lounge chairs and couches. The worker seemed disinterested, granted we were only one of two tables.
My sister, mother and I ordered four flights of wine. The cheese board was good. It was a fun experience, but I would have preferred more thought into the wine/​cheese pairing.

Departure Lounge was fantastic to work with for our non-​profit launch party, they made the logistics easy for us and our guests and were able to accommodate additional headcount at the last minute. they were also so supportive of our mission and efforts to reinforce our new brand at the event by using images and A/​V equipment on site. Having our event there gave me the ability to enjoy myself and talk to our supporters instead managing the event, and for that I’m very grateful!!~

Great place! I can see this easily being my new favorite place to hang out, whether it’s during the day over coffee and getting work done on my laptop in their comfy but pretty couches, or chilling in the evening with a glass of wine and good cheese and friends. Yay for wifi. I’ve had anything I didn’t like here. Ambiance is great. Cool décor. Plenty of parking either on the street or the garage across the street.

I was part of a 3 couple group traveling to Austin for the day from our Lake Travis lake house rental. We needed at place to stop in after a huge breakfast @ Juan in a Million (checkout that review) and grab a latte. I had a large flat white @ 135. It was great… smooth and had a unique, more bold taste than a Starbucks. The others in the group had breve lattes and regular drip, all of which they enjoyed immensely.
The ambiance was great! It gave you the feel of a airport lounge with a Moroccan flair. It felt like you were preparing to leave for a trip… or least plan one. There are tv’s all around, showing scene from exotic trips and adrenaline filled skiing.
I definitely would make this a routine stop to grab a latte and relax for a bit… without all the wannabe screenwriters hogging spots and staring at you like you’re the crazy one for not camping out there for 8 hours.

Just stopped in here to drop off some keys for Keycafe. This place is really cool. It’s travel themed, so it looks like an airport lounge. They have a crap ton of wines available, as well as coffee and pastries. Saw some people having a meeting here, and I would definitely do the same if I had the chance. They also participate in trivia night, which is cool.

A really great concept allowing you to enjoy some great wine in a bar setting, purchase delicious wine in their retail store, and also get great travel advice from their travel coordinators. The staff is great and the setting is relaxed and casual. I highly recommend going during Happy Hour which runs from 4 – 7 p.m. every day offering 20% off wine flights & $ 1 off Wines By The Glass! Plus cheese plates are 20% during Happy Hour!

I love this place! Great environment. Its a must stop here before a meeting. Or even host something here. I recommend it to anyone wanting to grab a drink during happy hour. Very clean and modern luxurious place.

I was driving around with my boyfriend while waiting for the hotel to get our rooms ready and found this place. Cute little lounge. Would come back for happy hour. Prices are cut 40% Wish they had more of a selection because it was pretty limited. Other than the selection, the staff was knowledgeable and nice. Would come back when I’m in town again.

Catching up on old reviews, this is one I have been meaning to write for awhile.
The menu selection is small, but good for a post-​work happy hour. However, the customer service is miserable.
I was with a group of eight and was in the middle of the orders at the counter. Every single person in my group, then all the people who came in behind us received their orders. Even one of our late joiners ordered and received her food as I wondered what made my cheese plate so much more difficult to make than everyone else’s.
When I finally went up to counter to follow-​up on my order, the nonchalant manner in which I was treated clearly demonstrated that thy could care less about me as a customer. An offer for a comped glass of wine would have been nice, but honestly a, «I’m sorry we mixed up orders/​forgot/​got busy» would have been nice.

Came by here a few Saturdays ago while we were waiting on the Farmers Market to open up. WE chilled here sipping on blk coffee. I’ve given up creamer again all in the name of «health». But luckily my husband ordered creamer without telling me, no wonder it tasted so good! LOL.
The area looks very chic with with spacey looking chairs and white sofas. I loved the ambiance even though it was empty. It’s like a travel agency/​coffee shop.
Lots of televisions and travel mags all around. If that doesn’t make you want to grab another stamp on the passport, I’m not sure what will!
The guy behind the counter was super friendly. The cost about $ 5 for 2 black coffees. not bad. about the same at starbucks but this place had a much cooler ambiance!

Wow, never had this poor an experience in Austin before. As soon as we walked in this lady server pretty much rolled her eyes at us… as she grudgingly got up from her chair. No wonder the place was completely empty. Asked for a tea, same expression. Should have never asked for milk for the tea cause got this look from her again. Then asked for something to stir the tea and she just walked away. Never stepping foot in this place again.

This place is a bit pricey if you’re outside of happy hour, but that’s okay because you can go there between the hours of 5 and 7 and feel like you got a steal. The place is clean, pretty, and decorated in a way that makes you want to travel. (Gee, I wonder why?) It has this modern Moroccan feel that I dig, but the place does feel a bit sterile. Perhaps they could dim the lights, or I’m not sure what, but it could stand to feel a bit more warm. The cake balls on display are insanely tempting, as are the cheese plates that lure me in with their happy hour discount. I’m not sure I’ve ever been without ordering the bubbly flight — it’s my go to.

I hesitate to write a raving review about this place, not because anything is lacking, but rather, I really enjoy one of downtown’s last hidden gems still being a small secret.
However, fair is fair. This place is great! My wife and I have been here a few times and we both really enjoy it. Departure Lounge is great anytime you’re in a coffee/​wine mood. We came once just to get out of the cold and unwind after a rough work week. It was great to be downtown and have somewhere to grab coffee and wine without some house DJ pumping blaring EDM (Halcyon). Not that anything is wrong with that, we just weren’t feeling like a loud environment — Departure Lounge was perfect for that. Another night, we both had a lot of work to catch up on and once again needed a solid coffee place with minimal distractions. Departure Lounge was great as it wasn’t packed with college kids competing for outlets or bogging down the superb WiFi (10 mbps!).
In the times we’ve been here, we’ve had the house-​brewed coffee, a flight of wine, the artisan sandwiches, chai lattes and all of it was great! Surprisingly great even. A lot of places downtown seem to offer sub-​par items, sub-​par service or both (Café Medici), but Departure Lounge bucks the trend. The staff is friendly and knowledgable, and they even host a wine night on Tuesdays where they explain the details of some of their selections and the best pairings if you’re interested.
If you need a quiet place where you can have a real conversation without shouting at each other or a barista making you feel like you’re inconveniencing them by asking them to do their job, check this place out. It’s quickly becoming a go-​to for us.

Nice and relaxing ambience. Came in with three work colleagues during the day during our building fire drill. There were lots of people already there, so we knew we would have a small wait. Our order: (1) Coffee, (2) Iced Coffee, (3) Americano, (4) Mini cinnamon roll and cinnamon muffin. It took 30 minutes for us to get our items. We asked for the pastries after 10 minutes of waiting. The gentleman asked me if I wanted my cinnamon roll heated. I replied no. He failed to tell me that the cinnamon roll was ice cold and hard. I would have heated it had I known.
Other people who came in after us received their orders and left. I think the girl was new, which is fine, but the other gentlemen was mostly just standing there watching her. I suspect, training her. Bad timing for training. We asked why they didn’t get the coffee out as it only took a pull of the handle on the machine, at which he replied «I was waiting on the order to come out at once.» Please change that and improve training. The Americano came out wrong too. If someone orders a coffee, give them the coffee right away. It literally takes 12 seconds.
I’ll try this place again. Just improve some of the process. The person who ordered the coffee was a loyal customer to the departure lounge and brought us here during this visit, and I’m pretty sure you lost him as a customer.

I totally butchered this lounge last time and it probably wasn’t necessary. This place isn’t half bad. I won’t budge too much on the energy and vibe here– it’s still stale, awkward, quiet and uninviting. But the staff was friendly this time around and I realized how much they actually have to offer.
Everything is sleek and clean, including the bathrooms. The huge wooden sliding door is just plain awesome. They offer everything from coffee, espressos, cake balls, decadent chocolate bars, (lemon, ginger and black pepper– on my «to try» list) beer, wine and decent appetizer and bar food: sandwiches, cheese plates, hummus, etc.
No matter what time of day it is or what you’re in the mood for, this place fits the bill. I recommend sitting outside and people watching. It’s just perfect for that since its right near the bus stop.
Sorry for the 1^st review Departure Lounge! I’m glad I gave you a second try.

I didn’t know quite what to expect upon entering Departure Lounge as I had heard so many different and mixed things about this place. At best. I thought it was a boutique travel agency that also had a varied wine/​coffee/​café selection.
One late Saturday afternoon I happened upon this place, and ventured inside to kill my curious mind. This space is definitely cozy in a modern way. I could have fallen asleep in the larger leather lounge chairs. They also have a couple of remote quiet booths in the back corner. It sure would be nice to transport this place to an airport lounge. It does inspire dreams of travel abroad. They have large touchscreens displaying romantic exotic locations. Yes, I did say touch screens. You can touch and take several surveys related to travel or wine to find your personal preferences. I wouldn’t even have known without the guidance of the friendly barista.
In simplest terms this is a coffee shop by day, and a wine bar by night. They even have wine by the bottle to purchase. Their coffee is a special house made Texas Coffee Roasters blend. You can’t go wrong with Texas Coffee Roasters, so my cappuccino was good. They have a selection of baked goods, and cake balls (even one gluten free cake ball option — which was delicious). They also have a cheese or meat plate (from Antonelli’s cheese shop) or light sandwich selection to choose from (something to try in the future). After my book, as it was still happy hour on a Saturday, I thought I would enjoy one of their discounted wine flights. It was OK. One of the three in my Rose flight was good. The prices during happy hour are more reasonable for the wine and food.
There was only two other people who came in while I was there, and one staff member. She was super friendly, and very helpful. Overall I had a very relaxing time, and would definitely come back to try it out. I just think this place is trying to be too many things at once that people don’t seem to get it.

Five stars for ambience. Amazingly cool place. I think it doubles as a sales location for travel agencies or something. It has numerous beautiful leather couches and a cool modern feel to it. The service is good and the iced coffee was excellent.

Came here for a few minutes during SXSW to grab some wine and cool down. Got the 2010 PG from Slovenia and an Austrian cheese Danish. I don’t know much about wine, but enjoyed my glass, and the danish was pretty good. We waited in a line of 5 or so people for 20 minutes because orders of coffee and sandwiches, and surprisingly they didn’t have more staff even with this busy city-​wide event going on…
The interior is very preppy, yet comfortable, and the staff were average.