laV

Update: Restaurant is closed. I wonder if a local bakery in Austin made the French Macs…
First off, let me say this restaurant is absolutely beautiful! It is so elegant inside with its sage green walls and high ceilings, great interior design. Now, let’s get to the food. I had to rate it three stars for the dirty of brunch options. None of the entrees I’d seen on Unilocal we’re currently on the menu and unfortunately, I really didn’t want anything on the menu, except for the French Macarons. The French Macarons were really high quality, but there was only one flavored offered.

I love la v for many reasons. First, I’m a food snob. They catered to to all of my culinary sensibilities. I also am a sucker for beautiful décor. In a city that prides itself on being casual and kitchy, I’m loving the beauty of this restaurant. It’s hard to find a gorgeous restaurant In Austin and I really enjoyed the ambiance here.
My group had all apps, so no entrée reviews.
The chicken liver pâté was amazing!!! Lick the plate good. It was creamy and buttery and perfect. The brioche they served it with was also amazingly good.
Escargot was also a hit. Cooked to perfection with gnocchi in a garlic cream sauce. I hate overlooked rubbery escargot, and this was perfect.
Grilled octopus was also fantastic. Great texture and flavor.
Burrata salad was my least fave, which surprised me bc I love anything with burrata. It has some weird powdery seasoning on it, and it messed up the creamy burrata texture for me. But the beets on it were wonderful.
Risotto was a veggie dish and very good.
Donuts were seriously ridiculous good. You cannot come here and not get donuts!!!

You’d think asking the bartender to surprise you and make up a cocktail with a certain type of gin they offer– wouldn’t equate to what’s already on the menu.
I asked them to get creative. hey thanks… I guess… not really. Blah
Wanted to like their wine menu. sub par and overpriced
Does not appear to be vegetarian– most definitely not even a little bit vegan friendly. I seriously hope those bar stools aren’t made out of real fur.
Not likely to return. But hey. It’s got decent reviews. To each their own.

Went here for a Sunday brunch after a few friends recommended it.
It is a fairly nice building with indoor and outdoor seating. There is a bar if you prefer that as well. The ambiance is quite pleasant and the noise level is low. There is parking available.
The brunch menu is varied and it has vegetarian option. They were sold out of the croissants by the time we arrived. Had the donuts which were pretty amazing. The dipping sauce was great. I want more!
We had the crepes as one entrée. The second was the chicken hash. Of the two, the crepes were my preferred. They were light and quite tasty. The chicken has was flavorful with many fresh vegetables. The entrees are a little bit pricey but overall I think it was worth it.
I will return!

The decorations are very well done, great for friends or business. Exceptional wine list, but the food while was appropriate dishes for the theme (french), they could have been executed better.
In Summation: it’s worth it to experience

I came here for their lovely brunch this weekend. I would almost rate the restaurant 5 stars just for their ambience, you can tell that a lot of effort was put into making the restaurant very chic and trendy. Our service, was a bit slow, but very friendly. I had the crepes, which were delicious, with a rich hollandaise– but the portions were so TINY. For the price, I wish they had added some extra eggs and mushrooms.

My wife and I had Sunday brunch today. As many have mentioned, laV is elegant and romantic and offers impeccable service. My wife’s Morning After cocktail was delicious (gin, vermouth, absinthe) as was my milk stout beer. We shared the chicken liver pâté which was the best of all, really divine flavors. My wife had the crepes and I had the croque madam, both delicious. We had brioche donuts for dessert. This was a huge meal and we brought some of ea serving back with us for breakfast tomorrow. The space is beautiful, especially on a beautiful Sunday with all the light coming through the windows. The staff is very warm and welcoming. Loved our brunch!

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary at LaV last evening. I have to say it was one of the most romantic evenings we have had in a while. The ambience is romantic, and elegant yet rustic enough to make you feel at home. The staff are true professionals, and they know how to enhance your dining experience. And there’s the food… We started our evening with the pâté and grilled octopus, then we went on to enjoy the wagyu beef and lamb tenderloin paired with a 2007 Bordeaux. We finished the evening with a beautiful dessert sherry and homemade donuts with chocolate sauce. The whole evening felt like we were taking a tour of France. Thank you LaV… thank you for a beautiful culinary experience.

Brunch review update (10÷4÷15):
Yay! — The coffee ($ 5 twice on my bill, so not bottomless) is still French Press, but no longer comes in the cool French Press container; a shared carafe is left at the table for refills. The brioche donuts were an all around easy winner at our table, and came with a chocolate dipping sauce. As far as entrees, the steak and eggs was the best thing at our table.
A-​Okay — The chicken confit hash topped with an egg over-​easy was a good dish, but it came with more of the cubed carrots (than previously) and as a result was less savory. [You can visually see the difference in my current photo compared to the previous photo of this same dish]. The grapefruit mimosa was okay but I expected it to be better since they use fresh juice, maybe it was (and I can’t believe I“m saying this) too champagne heavy?
Meh — I should have warned others in my group about the blah egg frittata; the three girls who tried it this time all said it lacked flavor. The honey cheddar scones sounded so good, but they were really dry (and I like scones!) and didn’t seem fresh, and I could not taste any honey or cheddar in the one scone I managed to consume with the aid of all the accompanying apple thyme jam. Another girl in our group who somehow ate all three scones said she found a small piece of cheddar in one of the three scones. I gently advised our server regarding the scones and while he swiftly offered to remove them from my bill I did not get the feeling he was very interested in informing anyone in the kitchen (hopefully the manager reads this review).

Get ready to take an hour to order wine! Man oh man, they have a 15+ page wine list of delicious wines! We ordered four different bottles of wine and all of them were superb! There in house Som is very friendly and willing to answer any questions you have as well. I must say though… DO NOT. I mean do not pass up the brioche doughnuts before leaving! They are out of this world (Especially paired with the right wine)!

My boyfriend and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary here. We were seated in the dining area (opposed to bar seating area) and were waited on promptly. They like it if you order your appetizer and entrée all at once so we ordered the escargot (best I’ve ever had), and the chicken entrée for 2 and it was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. It comes with the creamiest mashed potatoes ever and was the perfect amount for the two of us. For dessert we had the bleu cheese icecream with a port wine reduction sauce (sounds crazy… Because it is!!! But so good!). They gave us two mini eclairs on the house for our anniversary.
Other notes:
Valet is complimentary
The peach purée Bellini was delish
Service was phenomenal
We would definitely dine here again!

It is so beautiful here. Posh, romantic and comfortable interior plus the staff is helpful, friendly, and laid back. The bathrooms are great! Clean and modern and they had a cool sink fixture.
We came for Sunday Brunch and they had some great desserts and they had a deal for $ 15 bottle of Rosé that was crisp and dry but still smooth and goes down easy.
When the food came out I was really excited because the plates were full. No small portions here guys definitely enough to leave you satisfied. All our main entrees were packed with flavor. My only complaint is that the sides were a little expensive ($ 6 for 2 slices of bacon) and that the seating was a little cramped. Service was a little slow but that might have been because it was pretty busy.
If you’re looking for a place to take a girl out on a nice date this is it. If you’re looking for a place to show your friends you ain’t a basic bitch bring them here. Wanna tell your parents you made it? Bring them to La V.
This place is beautiful, they serve delicious accessible food that’s not too exotic or «weird». The dessert is spectacular I don’t have even an inkling of a sweet tooth and I couldn’t get enough of all the different types of desserts.

I visited LaV for my birthday dinner and I’m very glad I did. We ordered a bottle of German Reisling, which were on special during the month. Our waitress suggested pairing it with the carpaccio, which we did. We also ordered the cheese plate, and both appetizers were fantastic. My dining companion was impressed with the honey comb on the plate.
For entrees we ordered the lamb and daurade, with a side of their mac ‘n cheese spaetzel. We were very pleased with our entrees. The lamb was cooked perfectly and was absolutely delicious. The fish was great and served as it is traditionally, on the bone head and all.
The staff was very friendly and attentive. The décor is beautiful. And the food and wine is to die for! A killer combo, I will definitely be back for a special event.

laV provides a luxurious elegant French inspired setting for a Sunday brunch. Their seasonal brunch menu provides a taste of something savory and sweet. Definitely save room for the sweet, because the pastry chef here is amazing.
Just walking into laV sets the scene for the special culinary experience that is about to unfold. The ambiance is posh, romantic, but yet comfortable. I love how each room tells a different story.
Our server was extremely friendly and not pretentious, which I was concerned about when first considering this place for brunch. My friends and I tried a bit of each others dishes, the frittata and chicken tartine were by far the stars of the show (great flavors), the crepes were a bit dull and flavorless. The highlight though were the brioche doughnuts and macaroons. The macaroons are only available at brunch, and would draw me back here. They are definitely the best macaroons I have had in Austin since living in Europe. They were moist, and very flavorful. My friends loved their doughnuts.
laV offers several different dining experiences. They have a separate bar menu, dinner, dessert, Sunday brunch, and Sunday supper club. They also host a flight and bite event each month. The dinner and wine are definitely pricey, but the Sunday super club seemed like a great deal. This is definitely a place to come to pamper yourself and celebrate something special. Reservations are highly recommended.

Came for brunch last Sunday and was fairly disappointed. We started with the macaroon plate and brioche donuts, which sadly were the best part of the meal. We then ordered the duck hash, two burgers and the crepes. The hash was decent, but the other plates were bland and poorly cooked. We did enjoy the $ 15 bottle of rose; however, had to ask our waiter about the deal because it wasn’t mentioned anywhere on the menu.
I’ve been to this restaurant before and had a better experience. Overall, I’ll definitely come back for dinner and will consider giving brunch one more try.

We went back for brunch.
It’s still badass.
Pâté and a Morning Martini? Well shit, how could I say no?
They also have discount bottles of rosé, if you’re willing to subject yourself to the Summer heat and eat on the patio.
Protip: Don’t try to park your truck in their parking lot, it won’t end well.

Wine — Yup the list is long and expensive. But Tuesdays and Wednesdays till 7 are half price, and their brilliant sommelier steered us to perhaps the best white wine I’ve ever tasted.
Pâté — amazing. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to come here without ordering
Surf and Turf (scallop and sweetbreads) — well executed, perfectly cooked, but the dish seemed bland and soft. Really needed some textural balance.
Chicken — ordered on waiter recommendation. Very tasty. Just well seasoned perfectly roasted chicken and new potatoes. Great job getting the skin crisp and the meat tender. Really nicely done.
Brioche doughnuts — huge but light as air. Decadent, awesome finish with an espresso.
So shared 4 dishes — appetizer, small plate, main and dessert and left very satisfied and with a little chicken left for lunch.
We’ll be back.

I arrived shortly before their happy hour ended and was able to get a few items at a nice discount including two excellent cocktails (I can’t remember the names, one was with mezcal and the other was with bourbon and a fig bitters. Both were tasty and well crafted by Kathleen. More on her shortly. When you first walk up to laV and then step inside, it is difficult not to notice how beautifully simple yet elegant and regally well designed the entire property is. We did not have reservations, but on a Tuesday just after 6 we were able to get seated easily without a wait.
Our server/​bartender Kathleen was without a doubt one of the best in Austin period. All of the other staff we encountered were great. At a restaurant where I feel it could be easy to be a bit stuffy/​snooty, everyone was so nice and down to earth. Especially Kathleen. Their menu looks like a wonderful journey no matter which path you take. However, a friend specifically suggested not to get any fish, due to a bad fish experience they had here. I headed her warning. Everything we got was delightful. They started us with their homemade sourdough bread with coarse salt sprinkled over the top of the butter. This was really really good and an excellent start to a decadent meal. I highly recommend saving some of the bread to clean off the plates of the other dishes you’ll devour. The salted butter had the exact salty bite you’d want it to have. The texture of the bread was spot on for sourdough. We then ordered:
Ricotta Cavettelli
–I love cavetelli and their’s here was cooked to perfection. Perfectly al dente. Cavatelli can be difficult. Sometimes it turns out more gnocchi like. I love me some good gnocchi, but when you want cavetelli, you want cavetelli, not gnocchi. The rabbit was not gamey at all, and the combination of it with the blond morels. and nettle pesto was light yet hearty and all the flavors and textures combined exquisitely. Clean the plate with the sourdough here.
Rabbit Rillette (This was a special that day, not a menu staple)
–Absofreakinglutely DELICIOUS!!! Top to bottom, inside and out wonderful! I did not expect the rillete to be battered and deep fried. It was like a rabbit rillete croquette. It was a very pleasant surprise. I couldn’t even tell you all else that was in this dish, it was just all kinds of fantastic. Full of flavor, exceptional quality and just damn good.
Foie Gras Torchon
–It was buttery excellence. A suggestion though. Rather than pair it with strawberries, custard, basil, and a Texas toast style brioche (which is already buttered), the foie was much better when spread on their house bread without any added butter on it. It didn’t need any of the other stuff. The foie should not be messed with. A side note, I used to avoid foie gras for ethical reasons until I investigated and learned more on the subject. If you’re curious, I recommend reading J. Kenji López-Alt’s article from Serious Eats called: The Physiology of Foie: Why Foie Gras is Not Unethical.
We finished with a glass of Montenegro Amaro which was the perfect finish to a wonderful meal. There is no question I will be back here and I look forward to it!

What a treat! Came here on a recommendation from a friend for a spectacular dinner with an out of town friend. The restaurant is beautifully decorated in an urban chic vibe. Lots of grays and muted tones, rich textures of velvet, wood, and silky sheens, fluffy pillows and upholstered banquets.
We were seated promptly by the hostess in the middle room, near the bar, which is backed by a large painting of lavender fields in mist. The painting looks like a photograph. Our server came by to welcome us and bring water and tell us a little bit about the restaurant. She was professional and courteous and thankfully, never too «familiar» with us. I think it’s fine for waiters to join a table to take an order in a casual dining establishment, like Chilis, but not okay in a fine dining establishment. She maintained a presence suitable to the environment.
We started with the pear bellinis which were so sublime. The house bread and butter were surprisingly noteworthy. I could have been content with just that, seriously. I ordered the grapefruit and endive salad, which was good and pleasantly bitter. The foie gras was also a winner, even though it was prepared differently than I’m used to. It was a cold torchon preparation with pink peppercorn and brandied cherries. Served with toasted brioche, it was a decadent mixture of buttery, sweet, and rich flavors. The fries with bernaise were really good, although I would have preferred a crispier bite to the fries.
For our main course, my friend had the pork chop with grits. No words. Seriously, it was amazing, flavorful, juicy and perfectly seasoned. The Brussels sprouts were equally good, although, by this time she and I were getting so full, we couldn’t finish them. I had the curry mussels, which were plump and tasty, but alas, I couldn’t finish them. The neighboring table asked about them and ordered them on my recommendation and were equally impressed with them.
Lastly, we shared the brioche doughnuts and, although we were thoroughly stuffed, we powered through and finished them.
I can’t say enough about our experience, but it was well worth every dollar and I would definitely return. Just try to stop me from telling all my friends!

I’ll never ever, ever get used to the fact that there are almost zero places that I can get REALLY dressed up to go grab a fancy dinner at in Austin. Because, everything is so chill and laid back here, that flip-​flops and jeans won’t be frowned upon at any establishment.
This is one restaurant that is so impeccably lovely and beautiful, that I wouldn’t give a damn if I was the only one in a fancy dress and heels here.
My friend and I had a couple glasses of wine, a cheese platter, an olive and nuts platter, and roasted veggies dish.
It was so good. And our waitress was so charmingly sweet.
Such great food, wonderful ambiance, and I couldn’t recommend it more!
Oh…you can only partake of the Happy hour, in the front part of the restaurant. But for the second that we were seated in the back… I can tell you… it is GORGEOUS back there!