Lonesome Dove Western Bistro

The food AND service here is amazing. The Lonesome Dove gave us a great experience while we were in Austin. Our server went over the hole menu and gave us great recommendations. We took him up on most of them and were not disappointed! The fish tostadas and chili and elk tenderloin were big hits! We didn’t order dessert but got a small plate of sweets anyway. Our server wrote down his name for us on his managers card so we could come back and request him and we sure will! I want to meet this celebrity chef next time!

Careful check your credit cards, one of the bartenders are over charging! I called in to get it resolved they agreed on the issues but didn’t do anything afterwards just felt it on my card. Food was excellent though.

Went there last night to celebrate my birthday. My friends, girlfriend and I were wanting to try this place and I was excited to see that this place kicks ass! Top notch service, awesome food, great huge wine list and comfy seating. Although the booths are a little low. But no biggie. Great décor as well. I am still amazed at the level of service received. If everyone is treated this way, I see the place doing very very well. I will be back and I won’t wait till next year on my birthday!

I had a work function to watch the college football national championship game here. We had the lounge area reserved. I don’t know what time they close but considering there was only that one TV in the lounge area, we were their only patrons starting around the third quarter. It as bizarrely quiet other than us and the staff was clearly ready to go.
Chase was an awesome server. He made great drink recommendations and ultimately those margaritas were great!
We had a sampling and these are the things I tried:
Hamachi tostadas — amazeballs!
Banana cream pie — yum… who knew!
Corn lobster hushpuppies — tasty
Rattlesnake sausage — decent
Cornfried catfish — eh
Churros — WAY too much sugar and cinnamon on top. I tapped it all off and was still like ugh… wasted calories!

NOTHING LONESOME ABOUT THIS BIRD
We were walking on our way to another place for dinner when we walked past ‘The Dove.’ It looked so cool, the menu was adventuresome and challenging. We walked in, sat down, called the other place and cancelled the reservation. Oh, man! Superb waitstaff, great room, OUTSTANDING MENU. Everything was SO GOOD. If you’re an adventuresome diner who loves pleasant, delicious surprises, Lonesome Dove is for you.

Definitely in the running to be our favorite in Austin! We’ve dined about 5 times in several months – each time it is just as wonderful as we remembered. Excellent food and service. Not too crowded and I can’t understand why!

Loved everything about this spot!
One thing that really stuck out that I loved was that you can build your own appetizer sampler platter, want 2 grilled oysters and 5 lobster hush puppies, and one wild boar rib? No problemo!
Make a reservation so you can enjoy this Austin gem without the hassle of a wait!
Our server Hunter was absolutely wonderful, you can tell he loves working at this establishment and has a genuine care for his guests!

I had dinner at the DFW location a few years back and wasn’t super impressed but I very much enjoyed my lunch at the Austin location yesterday. The location itself is actually more pleasant, a bright space with lots of natural light in addition to the hokey big game themed décor. There weren’t any big misses on the menu that I sampled but there were a couple big hits.
For appetizers I sampled the lobster hushpuppies and the emu carrapacio nachos. The hushpuppies were the real winner here. Those were really good though not at all healthy. The nachos were interesting, and tasted ok, but a bit dominated by the guacamole flavor and not something I necessarily need to order again.
For the meal I had the winter squash soup, the special of the day which was a tenderloin kabob with red peppers over a bed of snow peas, and sampled a little of the burnt carrot side.
The tenderloin kabob was probably the best steak kabob I’ve had. The meat was perfectly cooked to medium as requested, very juicy and flavorful with the right amount of salt to bring out the flavor. I thoroughly enjoyed the snow peas as well. The burnt carrots though were OMFG good. Not dissimilar to how my husband makes carrots actually except that goat cheese and honey makes everything better. I could have made a meal out of the carrots and a couple of my coworkers practically did!
The place still isn’t cheap. It’s definitely a sometimes food. But I enjoyed my meal enough to go again, certainly.

I had been wanting to check this place out for some time so I was happy when my friend suggested it. We started the night off with a nice bottle of wine and the triple meat plate. We also had the rattlesnake sausage and the elk foie gras sliders. Holy crap, those were delicious and they came with little Texas flags in them. :) the butter lettuce salad was also good. We all got different entrees and it seems mine was the loser of the table (dang it) luckily I was so full by that time that I couldn’t be too sad. I got the bass by the way. For dessert you need to get the ancho chile chocolate cake … That is the best dessert I’ve had in a long, long time and I may even like it as much as uchi’s coffee panna cotta. Great experience good food, a must try if it’s in your budget.

Loved the food. Had the grilled oysters and elk loin. Service was good. Music selection was on point… Texas Red Dirt.

I don’t own a TV. I don’t watch TV. I don’t follow shows or whatever. So I have no idea who this Tim Love guy is and I really don’t care. Someone was trying to explain to me that he went out on a duel with Morimoto, and I know Morimoto only because I’ve visited his amazing sushi fusion restaurant in Napa Valley. The server was like, «you know, Iron Man.» Or «Iron Chef» Whatever.
I tried a few things, the Elk fettine was very tasty. Paired with pickled serranos and something else, I don’t know why. It didn’t make much sense, you didn’t need the pickled stuff the fettine is fine on it’s own.
Emu nachos, the emu meat itself was very very very good, the nacho presentation just bizarre. Two nachos, nice chip but a mountain of… guacamole? I mean a shit ton of guacamole. and it was so awkward the poor server was like, this is how the chef wants us to serve this so… with thongs, she grabbed the nacho and guacamole and plopped it on the plate. I think I can serve myself the «nacho» I didn’t taste cheese I just realized? Trying too hard on this dish… seriously the Emu, Amazing– the presentation… just odd.
So after those two things we were brought bread. Timing a bit off for that? We already had two plates… It was stuffed with aged cheddar and slivers of jalapeño, that was good.
The Lonesome Dove Meatloaf.
I still don’t know what meat was in this loaf? What was the meat in this loaf? A dove? A Lonesome one? All the leftovers from the other game I don’t know! The menu didn’t say… BUT it was good, it had some soy-​ish tasting sauce on it… it was kind of weird. In a good way. The collard greens were cooked al dente which I like. The mashed potatoes tasted like they were box ‘taters.
I am not a food snob really I’m not, I’m really more of an adventure seeker, a thrill seeker, I like exciting things!!!
I was ready to spend a shit ton of money and be rolled out on a wheelbarrow but you know that feeling when you keep adding money to the slot machine and you’re like I’m going to win soon I’m going to win soon, I know I’m going to win I just need to keep playing… I wasn’t in the mood for disappointment, or giving all of my money to the Indians, for nada. I was ready to move on because I knew this place wasn’t going to scratch my itch.

I really really wanted to love this place. I love game, I’m always on the lookout for a good local fine dining experience.
Starting with the positives — the service from our waitress was completely faultless and the sommelier was super knowledgable and charming /​patient with our group.
The décor is a bit strange — can’t quite decide between euro hunting lodge and warehouse — and ends up at a slightly dysfunctional half way point (the lighting above the taxidermy on the bar is gorgeous though)
The food was mostly great. The fettine trio was all meltingly good.
Lobster hush puppies, elk fois gras sliders and the rattlesnake sausage were fun (the texas flags were a brilliantly silly touch — we loved them!)
The mains were less universally brilliant. The Idaho trout good but over salted (and this from queen of the salt and butter), the game hen a little stringy, the rabbit shepherds pie was gigantic. The Elk came with surprisingly little else (a bit mystified by the two grapes.!). The chilli relleno was very good.
Overall I would usually have dished out four stars but, considering we spent more than $ 1000 for our table of nine, I would expect more polish from the food.
I can name ten places in Austin where I can get food that’s just as good for significantly less $$$
I am completely happy to pay good money for truly brilliant food, but I don’t feel our experience was totally worth the outlay.

Yes Yes Yes. Everything Yes. What a wildly interesting and creative menu. Such a welcome reprieve from all the burger and pizza joints going up that have absolutely nothing new to offer. Once the shock wears off from seeing rattlesnake rabbit sausage and kangaroo on the menu it becomes agonizing to try to decide between all the creativity. Luckily we had the most dope bartender/​bar manager/​foodie extraoridinare to help us decide. I am knighting him the dopest in all the land because homeboy knows his food and drinks.
We ended up deciding on small plates of gulf stuff crab, hamachi tostadas, and lobster hushpuppies. People, it was all fantastic. The hamachi tostadas has this heat and bite to them that was so unexpected. And the hamachi was fresh perfection. The gulf stuffed crab was so good I practically ate the shell and THAT LOBSTER HUSHPUPPY Y’ALL! One of the best things I’ve tried since the calamari noodles at Vox Table. For serious something you will crave!
Ryan suggested we pair the eats with a jalapeño cucumber rita and it couldn’t have been a better pairing. He crushes the jalapeño and cucumber fresh so that the rita ends up having an infused taste without that earthy undertone infusions sometimes have. It was incredible. Craveable 5 star rita without a doubt.
I bet you’re reading this thinking that it can’t get any better right? Well it can, because right when we walked in to be seated Tim Love himself, the boss, the man, was walking through the bar. And he graciously ignored my obnoxiousry and kindly posed for a pic. Mad thanks to my aforementioned knight Ryan for running him down for me and making our night with the recommendations and conversations. It truly was a perfect evening with just rock star, accessible, authentic, creative food. Can’t wait to take my hubby back on cheat day and have the Ancho Chile Chocolate Cake that Tim took Morimoto down on Iron Chef with. So glad the Dove is in Austin!

We made a reservation on Open Table, which was apparently a pretty astute choice, as it seemed pretty busy — packed by the time we left. There are booths by the window, half booths which separate the dining space from the bar area, and a mix of smaller and larger tables in the middle of the space. There are a lot of deer horns, big circle chandeliers and a big Western theme going on here with a trendy vibe mixed in.
We were sat immediately by the hostess at a four top that was dressed with large pewter chargers and silverware with more Western themes on it. We were greeted by a server a few minutes later who went into a very long spiel right up front on how the entire menu works. I would have preferred to do a drink order before diving into the menu. Us ladies had barely had time to shed our purses and say hello, and the gentlemen were also in the middle of their initial pleasantries. This long spiel included the following information:
1. All menu ordering is done at once, for every section except for the Wild Game Fettine which was more like a light, first appetizer. We had to decide on our entire First, Second, Main, and Side courses before we could put our entire order in.
2. A run through of each course, popular offerings, and recommendations in each section. This included a side note on the First Course, where we could choose three things to try and he would create a «sampler» out of those with pieces for each of us that would be priced accordingly. We really liked this — this was a fantastic idea.
Directly after that, with barely a breath in between, he asked us what he could get us to drink. Two in our party usually just get iced tea so that was easy. For myself, I hadn’t even had time to reach for the cocktail menu — nor did we have time to pass it around. The timing was just funky on this intro and I think it just didn’t work for us. The other issue we had is that with the volume level for the restaurant, with background music. Some of our party were unable to hear the waiter and had to get a quick repeat before we dove in and figured it all out. It was really kind of a maddening experience.
Moooving on… We ate a lot of different animals that night. If you want to eat a lot of different animals, try a nice spectrum of meats, this is a good place to go to do that.
Wild Game Fettine: We went for the trio. I’m not going to go through what each was because it would be a paragraph. What it was, though, was different meats sliced really thin, layered on a plate. There was one of each of the three meats for us to try. We liked the Elk, Pork Spinalis, Huckleberries, Black Garlic the best. It just had the best flavor.
First Course: We had our waiter put together a sampler. We chose the Kangaroo Nachos, Wild Boar Ribs, and Grilled New Zealand Langoustines. The nachos were good — we received a chip with a piece of kangaroo on it and sauce, as well as guacamole.decent. The wild boar ribs were very succulent, and had a nice barbecue sauce on them, very tasty. The langoustines, (shrimp) were a little scrawny, however, and were hard for us to taste, a little disappointing.
Second Course: My husband and I decided to split the Shaved Vegetable Salad. The maytag blue cheese was fantastic, but otherwise the salad was ho hum. Dry, actually — just a lot of shaved root veggies.
Main Course: Two of us had the Colorado Lamb, one of us tried the signature Roasted Garlic Stuffed Beef Tenderloin, and one of us had the Elk Loin. We all loved our main courses and cross shared around the table. Everything was moist, juicy, flavorful, fantastic. Of my lamb, I will say that it is some of the best I’ve ever had — and the smashed fingerling potatoes were perfectly crispy and salted. simply wonderful.
Dessert was a must. Our friends had the Ancho Chile Chocolate Cake and said it was very good. My husband tried the Churros which was impressively presented — tall churro sticks in a big glass, nicely powdered with sugar and cinnamon. The three sauces that came with were in tall shot glasses — caramel, chocolate, and a raspberry purée — really, really good. I had the Butterscotch Budin and it blew my mind. The salted popcorn sweet cream on top was amazing, and the butterscotch was decadent, smooth and creamy.
We left with our minds blown, we really did. Three out of four of our party, however, weren’t feeling well the next day. I think my friend’s suggestion of the richness of the meals, as well as many different types of meat may be the answer to that. We really did have a wonderful evening, though. Such a different way to do a steak night downtown. It was also nice to see Chef overseeing and expediting plates leaving the kitchen. I think there are a few kinks to work out with the ordering process. Four stars for a great experience, I’m sure I’ll be back!

Attentive service, cool but southern décor, and a menu ranging with wild game meats turned into appetizers so flavorful, everything on the menu is fair game.
I had the Capital special which was a brisket sandwich on sourdough bread with street corn and fresh mashed potatoes. Too good not to go back again!

Review for lunch
Loved the décor and was able to get a booth next to the window. They take reservations.
For the appetizers, we got the hush puppies and the rattlesnake-​rabbit sausage. Tip: you don’t have to order the full serving, you can order by piece — which is perfect if you want to make sure each person gets their own piece. I liked the hush puppies more than the other, but I don’t know if I loved it as much as my other two friends.
For the main dish, I ordered the ½ portion crispy skin black bass dish. LOVED it. The bass was so delicate and buttery and the skin perfectly crispy. It was complemented with a variety of vegetables like cherry tomatoes, carrots, beets and more. Warning — if you’re hungry, get the full portion. I had a big breakfast that morning so the ½ portion was ideal.
For dessert, we had the ancho chile chocolate cake. The waitress said this was the dessert the chef made when he won Iron Chef. It was rich, thick and decadent, and I kept going back in for more.
Waitress was very attentive and checked in to make sure everything was well. I’d love to come back for dinner and try some of the other dishes.

Oh Lonesome Dove… I am going to give you another try… and I love your decore and vibe… but…
We went several weeks ago with a large party on a Saturday evening. We started with cocktails in the bar… sheik and with a great group of people. My jalapeño margarita was delightful and so was our service. While in the bar someone had ordered the Wagyu Tomahawk Ribeye… and it was impressive. So we already knew what we wanted!
When we got to our table we had a waiter who was ok but had a bit of an attitude as if he were cool to be working in such a cool place instead of busting his bum to go over and beyond to offer amazing service in a new, hip, pricey joint. I am from LA so I am sooo used to this but my fellow diners were like really.
We were seated quite awhile before we were given our drinks and bread came about the same time as our appetizers. During this time he described the menu and really pushed how we should try something from every course and he could ask the kitchen to make an appetizer portion for everyone. For example a couple ordered the slides and he suggested he bring 10 so everyone could have one, etc. etc. I understand up-​selling but it really got old.
When the waiter got to my husband and I we said we wanted to order the Wagyu Tomahawk. He suggested cooking it to medium to «let the fat melt»…I have had Wagyu before and never heard this but we ordered at his suggestions. At $ 115 for a piece of meat, yes, we had what I would describe reasonable but somewhat high expectations. It was beautifully presented and then carted off to be carved. The waiter announced he would be wrapping the bone to go and my husband had to wave him down and say no that he wanted to taste/​see if there was marrow, etc. He kind of gave him a snotty look. In any case the bone had a wonderful flavor and crust, however, the steak lacked much flavor. We did have it medium and the «fat» did not melt but we did cut out large pieces of gristly type fat. Not what I expected form Wagyu (which I have had before).
The fries were ok, the roasted carrots yummy, and the Flan out of this world. One person had the Posole which he said was amazing and looked the same. Another couple had filet and only ate half saying «meh». Kangaroo Nachos were not a hit but the sliders were.
All in all I wanted to like this restaurant so much and will give it one more stab. I think they are on the right track and with a few adjustments might improve.

Very excited to try Lonesome Dove. Started at the bar, waiting for my party with a cucumber jalapeño margarita. I will say it was an excellent cocktail with just the right amount of heat to be interesting but not intrusive. The bar staff was bored, though. One bartender played with his shakers waiting for customers, juggling them in the air. The wine list is strong but the beer list is subpar for Austin. They did carry a couple of locals and Austin East Cider, but the rest of the beer offerings were lame. Come on, Tim, Austin is a beer city, you can do a lot better than that.
I recommend the fettine to start, paper thin slices of various interesting meats. Get the trio and try all three types. Very light and won’t fill you up. The deviled crab was somehow light and rich at the same time with lots of crab meat stuffed into the little shells. Boar ribs were tiny but mighty, with a slightly sweet BBQ sauce that perfectly matched the game. We tried elk sliders with foie gras, served on brioche buns. The meat to bun ratio was off (too much bread) but the flavor match of buttery foie gras with lean, gamey elk was perfect. We finished the starters with a lovely, crisp shaved vegetable salad. It was a nice break to wake up your taste buds.
For entrees, we had the stuffed tenderloin (the best value for your money — lots of food and total meat yum), wagyu skirt steak (heavenly tender), elk (a real winner — outrageous flavor and played beautifully). Had the carrot side dish. Biggest freaking carrots I ever saw. Looked like yams. Unique mix of flavors.
Our table server was very professional, knowledgeable, and attentive. What you’d expect at a place like this. Dinner with drinks, tax, and tip ran $ 100 a head. We even got a glimpse of Mr. Tim Love himself. He looks better in person than on TV.

It’s all Tim Love all the time. Same as it ever was as in Fort Worth and now Austin. Different location same game.
It’s all good grand opening and everything with Tim expediting every order. The old Kenichi location is all alive again!
Usual opening night jitters mostly from the servers. No major hiccups on food and everything was good.
The ambience is pure Texas with antlers, leather, huge planks of wood and numerous stuffed animals. Tables are quite close together, there is no room for more.
For starters the hamachi tostadas were less than a snack while the deviled crab were practically an entrée portion.
The hand cut prime NY Strip got better with every bite. The garlic stuffed beef tenderloin was a bit over powered by its sauce.
The wine list was fun and adventurous. Large selection of California bottles are resting in the temperature controlled wine room. Ask for a visit if you are feeling a little warm.
Can’t wait for the next visit to check in and see if Tim is still ruling or delegating to the staff.
Hopefully they are hitting on all cylinders after a few weeks under their belt.
Welcome to Austin Lonesome Dove!

I am a huge fan of Tim Love and his Texan themed restaurants. I occasionally travel to Fort Worth for work and have dined at the casual Love Shack, the masculine Woodshed and the rustic Lonesome Dove Western Bistro. When we dined at LDB in FTW it was our anniversary dinner in 2012. The cuisine, wine selection and service was exceptional! I was elated when I heard that Tim Love was bringing LDB right here in Austin, TX and I made reservations for opening day.
Upon walking in I was enamored with how bright and beautiful the restaurant is. The FT Worth location is dark and romantic and felt very western as you make your way from the same road as the cattle. The Austin location is bright, modern, welcoming however less romantic due to the noise level. It was pretty awesome to see Chef Tim Love on the line making sure dishes were presented well and coming out in a timely manner.
We did enjoy our meal overall but we eat out often and thought some of the dishes were underwhelming for the price point in the area. This is what we tried:
Wild game fettine — lamb & quail with Texas citrus chili paste. It has slivers of meat paired with house pickles. While it is cool to order this menu item as it is unique to Austin I would save your appetite for the larger plates. — $ 12
Hamachi tostadas — this dish is delicious. It has the tiniest (maybe a ½ an ounce) of hamachi topped with cilantro & Serrano on 3 tostadas. While the hamachi tostadas were great I would like to see more fish for this dish. — $ 12
**Deviled Gulf Coast Blue Crabs– this appetizer is excellent! The dish is two blue crabs stuffed with crab meat and complimented with Lonesome Dove Hot Sauce. — $ 10 (great quality)
***Fireside Snapper en Papillote — this pleasantly aromatic dish has fresh vegetables perfectly steamed with a hint of mint and a touch of Texas EVOO & lime. I had a striped bass en papillote in Fort Worth and loved it. This phenomenal snapper lived up to my memory of that first experience. I gave Jesse a taste and he agreed it was the best dish of the night.
Outside Skirt Steak — this was Jesse’s entrée. I thought the steak was cooked nicely with just enough pink at the center. While it was delicious it is a rather small portions. The side of porcini fries were decent and came with a nice hollandaise.
The jalapeño cucumber margarita was super refreshing, full of zesty flavors and a bit steep at $ 15. The cocktail reminded me of the margarita at Chef Love’s Love Shack. The wine selection is absolutely exceptional. I enjoyed a wonderful rose and later a Sauvignon Blanc per our waitress’ recommendation. Our waitress was super sweet and kind but she often based her wine recommendations on what wines she reportedly tasted that day. I wouldn’t normally think this is a big deal however restaurants in this area that also boast an exceptional wine list have a team that is well-​versed in both the wine selections and pairings.
Congrats to Chef Tim Love and his team on their new Austin venture. This does fill a niche in Austin and I am sure with their true Texas hospitality they will be well received.
Tip: They are open for lunch serving full sized steaks, offer ½ portions of entrees and a variety of meaty sandwiches.