Finn and Porter

A wonderful experience, through and through.
I booked a reservation to Finn and Porter as a two year anniversary celebration for my boyfriend and me. Little did I know that he would become my fiancé about an hour before dinner!
Finn and Porter went above and beyond with their service offering us free sparkling wine and free dessert to commemorate the occasion. Beyond classy moves, here.
Now, let’s talk about the truly important stuff: food.
There’s something for everyone at Finn and Porter. I love sushi, fiancé does not. But he does love crab cakes, so we each got our own appetizer. If you like spicy food, I’d highly recommend the fire roll. Even more so if you like avocado. I am still thinking about this roll today, three days later.
For my entrée I got the pork chop. It was cooked perfectly, nice and moist and served alongside some of the best whipped potatoes I’ve ever had. Seriously good stuff. Fiancé got the Finn and Porter (surf and turf).
Oh​.My. God.
Can I just say that four months into living in Austin we hadn’t found a place that can properly cook a steak/​beef? Until we came here that is. Oh, that steak. Get that steak.
This was a two hour dinner, and we were super blissed out so maybe this isn’t the place to go if you are in a rush. The staff let’s you enjoy the ambiance and your company. A beautiful restaurant tucked away in a hotel, you should definitely check this place out.

Went here for a birthday dinner with a large party and the service was horrible… everything was slow and the place was almost empty on a Saturday night. The food was decent but atmosphere and general ambience is definitely lacking for what I consider to be an upscale dining experience. Definitely need to step it up… I can’t believe people are giving this place 4 stars… there are too many great restaurants in Austin don’t waste your experience!

What a surprise. I went here because it was in the hotel and the line was to long to wait for the elevator. Thank goodness. The sushi was amazing. The fire role, snapper carpaccio, the grilled octopus, all are amazing.

At the invitation of the chef we went back. It was fantastic. Obviously we went on a bad day last time
Thank you Exec Chef Peter! We will be back
Ja

This is the fancy restaurant at the Hilton Austin. And it provides the food that is sent to both the bar and pool areas so be aware that you will be paying $ 20 for a burger in those spaces. The price point is high.
BUT I ate a quick meal at the sushi bar and for less than $ 30, I had a some sushi, a roll, miso and hot tea for a satisfying meal. The salmon they use was amazing. The sushi chef said it was flown in from Scotland and it was perfectly sliced. Melt in your mouth good. The spicy tuna roll was good but not great. The miso was perfect. The hot green tea was the only disappointment. It was bitter and more inline with a inexpensive Chinese green rather than the more floral Japanese style.
The service was good and while the area around the sushi bar was more service than luxury, it was a perfectly comfortable spot to have a quick meal.

Bad ass drinks and appetizers! Especially if you get Lisa Marcantonio as your bartender /​waitress! She rocks!

I read on Tribeza that it was one of the best seafood restaurants in Austin, and I decided to go for dinner that same day. The menu was small and appeared manageable and the dishes sounded excellent. I can’t quite tell what it was. My steak was good, not great, and the lobster that came with it was tasteless and very rubbery. It was just a let down and both my wife and I ran straight to brush our teeth as soon as we made it home. The fishiness was just too much.

This place is everything you’re ideally looking for. Beautiful ambiance, wonderful staff and amazing looking, varied food. We will definitely come back many times for the sushi alone. The sushi was delicious. The staff, although well intentioned, were a bit much. Multiple servers, plus the chef, came by our table so often throughout dinner (I lost count) making our private and intimate meal very difficult to have. At some point, I felt as though it were about them and not us, the diners, because we were constantly reassuring them everything was fine. It was a bit uncomfortable. The food, again although well intentioned, was just below expectations. Beautifully presented but not amazing.

This restaurant is sleek and polished looking. The staff is smooth and professional. It is the high end restaurant in the Hilton Hotel.
I have eaten in many restaurants in hotels that I enjoy quite a bit so I had pretty high expectations. I saved it until my husband arrived and we ate here on our last night.
We were not dressed real fancy nor did we have a reservation. We were seated in a back room with others who were not so dressed up. I get it, the main dining room had the sparkly people.
We got a taste of prosecco as a complimentary start to the meal. Nice touch! Then we both had the mushroom soup which had a beautiful presentation and wonderful taste. It was the consistency of broth with some very interesting and flavorful tastes in the bowl before the broth was poured, Delicious.
After that we ordered the NY strip steak to share, 90 dollars. It came with potatoes, broccolini and brussel sprouts. Everything was heavily seasoned and came off as very salty. The only dish I really enjoyed was the brussel sprouts.
We skipped dessert and coffee as we were so let down by the main course.
Nice looking room and great service. But the spices were overwhelming on our food. Some foods are just comfort food, not fancy. Just let them speak for themselves.
Darn it, I was disappointed.

I consider myself a foodie. I eat at the highest end and have eaten at the lowest end. This is on the «higher end» but I’m writing my review the first 5 minutes in and I am not impressed.
— Change of Attitude —
The chef came out to check on our table and asked how everything was. We said it was okay. He must’ve noticed the disappointment in our faces because then he asked «just okay?» We said yeah. My fiancé had pork and it was too pink for her. And they brought me seabass when I asked for striped bass. The chef took our plates and when he returned he had told us that he covered our entire tab. The bill tonight was over $ 300. That was very nice of him. We were floored. Never in my fine dining life has this been done for us. He didn’t have to do it. I will not change my initial rating but I will definitely give this place another shot. This was a grand gesture so I think they deserve another chance. This exemplifies what customer service should be like.
P. S. The bass was phenomenal.

This place is terrible. I have zero interest in ever giving them another try. Thanks for having a vegetarian menu & all, but the food was bad & the service was abysmal.
Slooooooow service, doesn’t-like-her-job service, got wine on me because she tossed my friend’s wine in her glass instead of pouring it like a normal person. The restaurant wasn’t even busy at all & there were multiple servers, so nobody was «slammed.»
My food was awful. My friend’s food was awful. If you must go here, do not bother with the chili tofu dish (horrible) or the mushroom soup (gross, per my friend.) Just stick with their sushi, which I should have done :/

«No Meat in the Meat House»
Our group was sat in a nice private room… bonus. From here it all went down hill. It took so long for our drink order that by the time they were delivered the two of us that got white wines expressed it was warm– not up to the standards of $ 12 – 14 dollar glasses of wine that is expected to be served at the appropriate temperature. Now for ordering… keep in mind this is a steak restaurant and we were there on a Monday night, the hotel property was only at 35% occupancy and the restaurant was not packed. Mb enforce we began ordering we were told they were out of the filet mignon… it’s a steak house. Someone order a different steak and we were told we got the last one. 4 people opted for the pork chop and again we were told that was the last of them too. Ok– appears this meat house was out of meat… weird. We were told that they had the 14oz or was it 16oz steak though. got sushi because I was told by a friend that the restaurant had good sushi. And honestly the no mignon and no pork chop left to order… I under 5 feet tall I don’t eat 14 or 16 oz of steak in a sitting… that would be 4 meals for me. My sushi was very fresh and tasty. 3 out of 4 pork chop diners were not happy with their meal and several of the pork chops looked under cooked… since they were not brined and defined as being served rare. Our halibut or was it sea bass diner was happy with his meal, though it looked like appetite portion. We al opted for no dessert. Let’s just say we were at the Hilton for a week and none of us returned to this restaurant, nor did we recommend it to any of the approximately 100 others attending our educational seminars.

Wow, what a shock our dining experience was! I was in the mood for sushi and steak at the same time and knew immediately Finn and Porter was the spot to go. I came to the sad realization that it is simply a hotel restaurant that holds itself to a certain standard but does not execute well.
First, we were seated and waited quite a while for our drinks. The restaurant was quite empty so, service taking forever was a surprise. After we made our drink orders, we were told that they didn’t sell the particular brand of sake we ordered even though it was on the menu. They could’ve ran out earlier as we were dining later than usual so, we brushed it off. We ordered several appetizers and surprisingly, the sushi came out with the cooked appetizers. It was kind of strange to me as the roll I ordered wasn’t cooked.
I had their steak and lobster as well. My boyfriend orders it the way I LOATHE it. Black and blue. Sure enough, that’s the way mine came. My boyfriend came out a perfect rare that I actually found edible so it worked out. The waitress blamed it on the kitchen which never sits well with me as I find it to be a team effort in every work environment. She made up for it ordering the dessert I would’ve ordered and comped a round.
I find that with all the other restaurants in the city, the only time I will come here is early and when in the mood for sushi and steak. Sad really, as after a Unilocal elite event there where the small plates were magical.

Although Finn & Porter is extremely convenient to executive travelers, there are simply much better restaurants in Austin for the price.
For example the restaurant is physically located in a large open space directly beneath the bar on the south end of the hotel. This means that you are forced to hear the loud drunken banter as it drifts from the bar above, as well as watch the carousel of smokers congregating outside the restaurant bay windows between the hotel and the convention center.
The staff was extremely attentive and eager but the atmosphere and food did not rise to the same level.
The food was good, but far from outstanding or noteworthy.
We started with an appetizer of scallops, which were mushy at the center and lacked any meaningful flavor, not representative of the $ 8 per individual scallop pricing (literally 2 under-​cooked scallops for $ 15). We followed with the pear salad which had excellent appearance but again tasted very bland. The 7 oz filet was better and had some excellent char to it, but the cut of meat itself was not anything noteworthy or exceptional.
We had chosen Finn & Porter due to its location as we were staying at the Hotel, and from the reviews and pricing were under the impression it was a bit more upscale an experience (jacket, nice shirt, etc). However one of the people sitting near us wore T-​shirts and someone at another table wore cargo shorts.
In all, the dinner for 2 came to approximately $ 300, which would have been much more enjoyably spent at Ruth Chris, Flemings, Perry’s, Sullivan’s, or Trulucks (all within about 1 mile of Finn & Porter).
If you are thinking about a nice upscale romantic night out, skip the «Hotel» experience and venture someplace else — you’ll be very glad you did.

The service was excellent. Our waiter, Miguel, was very helpful and knowledgeable, and although a chain, they have the ability to create their own chef-​driven menu, which for our visit was set for the Fall.
My wife and I really lucked out as the night we dined there was their ½ priced off wine (Fridays) So we got to indulge a bit and try wine we would not normally try.
With this said we had the Snapper Sashimi and the Fire roll to start. Both were exceptional.
For our main course we had the 7oz filet and the «Finn and Porter» (7oz Filet/​Poached Lobster).
To finish the meal, we tried the Apple Pie, and were afforded the opportunity to taste the Butternut Squash cheesecake (on the house) as well!
All in all a great experience and highly recommend if you’re staying at the hotel, or attending a conference nearby.

Dined here twice while at a conference at the hotel. The sushi was delicious. Also loved the strawberry shortcake.
The service was excellent. My lovely waitress was Pearl and also Theresa stopped by and was very friendly.
I would have given it a 5 except I didn’t appreciate the hotel sharing with the staff (including the front desk) an incident that occurred at the hotel that dampened my stay.

I have reviewed, and written about Finn + Porter before but this time I am writing about the people: Chef Peter Maffei and Jennifer Gomez specifically. I live in the condos about the restaurant so have the distinct advantage of not even needing to go outside to enjoy this great local restaurant. Yes, local! Though a chain, they produce their own chef-​driven menus led by Hilton Diamond Award winner Mark Dayanandan. Say that three times fast.
On this occasion, I asked Chef and Jennifer if they would cater an event in the lobby of our condos and, thankfully, they agreed. Chef and Jennifer showed up with everything ready for action: food was already plated with reserves on a speed-​rack ready to go. The food tasted as good as it looked! As guests devoured the sushi, Strube Ranch steak and parmesan cannolis (along with much more), Chef was on hand to keep pulling porcelain slab upon slab of more foods.
A great thank you to Chef Peter and Jennifer for (once again) taking such great care of me, the residents of the 5 Fifty Five and the guests of Austin.

I was a bit apprehensive about Finn & Porter based upon the number of mediocre reviews of it in Unilocal.I can only say I am glad I ignored the negative reviews and visited the place.
I had a quail appetizer to start off, and it was very, very good.
It was the steak that got me. I have had steak at all the great places all over the country. I have had enough steak to probably reconstruct 2 or 3 whole cows. The filet I had was without a doubt the best steak I have ever had. I ordered it black and blue and it was cooked perfectly. The quality of the meat was exceptional… it was fork tender, trimmed of all fat, and perfectly formed. The flavor was amazing. I had a lobster tail along with it and I really didn’t pay it much attention because of the steak.
The service was excellent: attentive without hovering.
One word about the prices, as some folks have complained about it. I got out of there with a pre meal cocktail, an appetizer, an entrée and two glasses of wine for less than $ 70.00… That’s pretty hard to beat in my book.

Steak and sushi? Interesting. I visited recently for my company’s holiday party and was pleasantly surprised about the asian fusion that was offered but I’m still sort of confused about what their specialty is. Hors d’oeuvres were tapas style: crab cakes, tuna tartare tacos, peanut chicken skewers.
My beet and goat cheese salad was dusted with pistachios. Two thumbs up! Scallops were cooked perfectly and were served on a bed of warm, gooey corn risotto. Another two thumbs up!
The décor is swanky and I’m sure requires a dress code. The food was just good but nothing spectacular.
I may have to frequent again to experience in a different setting.

Maybe Bff and I do see and taste everything through rose colored glasses when we are together as I have seen several A-​OK reviews for FnP, but our experience was stellar! We discussed after the evening that we had absolutely nothing to complain about with the food or the service.
I admit there was some confusion when I first arrived. The Hilton has several bars and I had done the research and specifically wanted the sushi happy hour. FnP staff said I could get that upstairs in the Loft Bar but after traipsing up the stairs and hashing it out with a disinterested and confused waitress there, I found out I couldn’t get the HH wine specials. I went back downstairs and, sensing my frustration, the staff bent over backwards for me the rest of the evening. They immediately sat me at a booth, brought menus and promptly brought out our first round of wine and apps.
Bff and I had every intention of using their ARW menu, but we also wanted to experience their sushi, and HH is definitely the way to go with half off rolls and apps (and wines by the glass). We ended up ordering three «rolls» of sushi and all were great albeit two were only 3 pieces (we had to fight over that last piece!) but beautifully plated and arranged and all had many nuances of flavors from ginger to pear to serrano to macadamia nuts to endive. We also had the appetizer scallops with shredded brussel sprout and bacon slaw (go ahead and wipe that drool now), the amazing beef carpaccio wrapped around what can only be described as parmesan cookies, and a very tasty but oddly very green crab cake (see food porn pix… if you dare!).
Our waiter, Lewis, soon enough asked if we were ready for dinner. I, in a nice wine and sushi euphoria replied «Oh yes. That was all just foreplay and it WORKED!» Bff made sure to jump in and order us dinner before I could tell Lewis they may need to have my booth seat dry cleaned. My redfish was cooked perfectly and had great flavor, altho I agree with another reviewer in wishing they were more creative with the sides, like the feta creamed corn I kept swiping from Bff’s plate. I personally loved the crème brûlée and was not at all put off by «too corny» a taste. The chipotle popcorn on top just reminded me of the yummy popcorn pot de crème I love at Salty Sow. In fact, Bff and I have already vowed to make crème brûlée at home and sprinkle it liberally with Kracker Jacks.
In my opinion, the sushi and apps actually outshone the dinner so don’t be surprised to see me checking in here for happy hour again soon!