Port A Cafe

We’ll be back. Fish tacos and fried oyster tacos were amazing. Fries delicious. Even the iced tea was great. Great food, great service, fun atmosphere.

Not impressed. Baby size raw oysters and a queso with a little shrimp, spinach, and fried crawfish served with fried flour tortillas. Won’t be back.

We recently moved from North Austin out to Bastrop Co. This makes shopping and eating on the far southside of town our new «normal».
We recently discovered Port A and have eaten there twice. I enjoyed both meals having had the mixed grill platter first time and then a fried combo of tilapia, oysters and shrimp next.
We like the atmosphere and the convenience (near stores and movie theater).
Hope it is around for awhile but notice the low attendance mentioned elsewhere, and worry it may be gone soon.

Port A Café. more like Port A Potty.
This place has hit the dumps. It wasn’t quite so bad when they first opened. back then it was pricey decent seafood. Now it is pricey week old seafood.
I ordered the Double Keeper seafood combo. fried oysters and shrimp. It’s 18.95 (expensive) and consisted of 5 shrimp and 8 oysters of varying sizes. The plate also includes french fries, coleslaw and bread.
So where to start. The french fries were soggy, heavily limp with oil. Seriously, I can never understand how people can muck up french fries. They had a terrible taste, as if they were cooked in oil that hadn’t been changed in several weeks.
The shrimp was overcooked and heavily battered. they seemed as if they might have started out butterflied, but with all the batter you couldn’t tell when served.
Oysters smelled funky… some tasted fine, but others had a bad taste as if they were spoiled. I had to leave most on the plate after I ate one and my instincts kicked in telling me to stop right there.
The bread. just seemed to be two small pieces of lightly toasted french bread. No butter, no seasoning.
Coleslaw is just shredded cabbage with some kind of light oil and sesame/​poppy seeds, tasteless. Not even sure why it is there.
To seal the deal, the coke I ordered was watered down and lacking carbonation.
I could swallow the cost if the food was good, but the food is now simply tired. It’s been this way the last few times I have visited. I will not return, nor recommend.
Back to old faithful, Evangeline Café. Good cajun food at a great price.

We were promptly seated in a near empty restaurant and the waitress was quite friendly.
I ordered the Clam Chowder and was surprised that their small bowl is the size of most restaurant’s full size bowl. It was quite tasty. Nothing special about it but I would get it again.
For the main course I had the grilled Mahi-​Mahi and my son had the fried Tilapia. The Mahi-​Mahi had no grill marks on it whatsoever and not much seasoning except that it was covered, and swimming in, some type of butter sauce. In fact, it’s like they took a plate and poured this butter sauce in it, then placed the fish, broccoli, and rice in it. It was good but I felt that my desire to eat something healthy was being circumvented by the evil butter gods.
My son said he liked the fried Tilapia but thought it had too much breading on it. The natural-​cut fries were awful, inedible. He gave me his cole slaw and I’ll have to say it was right up there with some of the best slaw I’ve ever had. The hush puppies were sweet, which is weird to me. Hush puppies shouldn’t be sweet.
All in all it was OK, hence the 3 stars.

Spinach cheese dip with shrimp not bad.
Hush puppies with meal were terrible. It was like big pieces of hard as a rock flavorless dough that had been fried.
Coleslaw was terrible and flavorless.
Fried shrimp were pretty good
Fried crawfish were decent.
This place is way over priced, though. Cherry Creek Catfish or even Catfish Parlour are a much better deal and actually taste better.
Won’t be back unless it’s to try the happy hour specials, but I can’t see this place lasting much longer.

I have to give 5 stars due to the fact I had SUCH a great time last night. My Mom and her husband and I decided a night on a patio with raw oysters and drinks was needed. I just got a raise, and hell… LET’S CELEBRATE!!!
Port A Café is right down the street and had all we desired. We were seated quickly and outside as requested. The weather was fantastic, it was not crowded, and we were primed to enjoy a few drinks and raw oysters.
Our waiter Alex was AMAZING. When you go, you MUST get Alex. He was entertaining from the start. We were pretty entertaining ourselves by the end of the night with Alex picking our drinks. We ordered off the menu and he continued to just «pick» for us. Started with a few apps, our oysters, and drinks. We spilled two, Alex poured oyster water on our feet, and the laughs were on. We laughed all night, enjoyed the entertainment of Alex and Chef Adam introducing himself to our table. I feel like we made a few new friends, tried new things, and were really taken care of. When the bill came, we had to laugh even more. Going down the line… Liquor, liquor, beer, liquor, beer, liquor…“Did we even EAT?!” «Oh, wait, here’s some food.» «Dang, he took care of us!» The Chef even sent over a free cake!
The food was good, everyone was personable, and we will be back! I can’t wait to have another Port A night with my new pals! It was JUST what we needed!

I was invited by the manager to try Port A Café again as he claimed changes were made. This was totally unsolicited & we were willing to give them a 2^nd chance.
The gumbo was by far the best thing I ate. Crab cakes were a little «cakey» but I could taste the crab. I ordered the special amberjack, wife had the mahi. Both were a little fishy tasting which may indicate they were frozen. Wife had a «side» salad that was around $ 6. A bit expensive for basically lettuce & capers.
Both meals were comped, we paid for appetizers & the bill was just over $ 20.
Make your own decision, but there are better seafood restaurants especially considering the price.

An update on a previous review as promised, we were invited back by the manager and asked to give them a second chance. I did not accept the free meal because I wanted to offer an honest review.
When we got there, the hostess was polite and friendly. We were seated immediately and pretty quick the menu and drinks came out. The server was friendly and give us time to decide what we wanted. The only bad things I would say about the server is she never gave us a name but I found from the receipt. The other was the obvious hickey on her neck, it looks so very tacky and takes away from your professionalism, in my opinion anyway. The atmosphere was still a little loud for my taste inside but you can get a calmer experience if you sit in the patio area. Good family place I guess but still not a «Date night» place. Also like the TVs that you can see from every seat in the place.
The food this time around was MUCH better than before. I got the same plate as last time, the catfish plate and it is perfect! Good job chef! The fries were fries, not bad. The bread under it all (still don’t get this) was fresh this time. This was hands down a day vs. night difference from last time. I would offer one suggestion though… my daughter wanted to sub onion rings instead of fries and the server said no, we would have to order it as an extra side… really? Kinda too much food huh? Would rather have paid a small upcharge to swap the two, you should fix this. No more of those free hush puppies :(
Overall, a much better experience this time around, good job to the management.
New Ratings
Food — 4.5 stars
Service — 3.5 stars
Cleanliness — 5 stars
Value — 3 stars
Overall Rating — 4 stars (Good Job)

I was invited by the manager to try Port A Café again as he claimed the issues I had, mentioned in a previous review were corrected.
I’ve improved my rating by one star. The happy hour specials were much improved. I enjoyed a Hurricane for $ 4 (today is Mardis Gras) and my husband enjoyed a margarita for $ 3.50. I ordered a half dozen raw oysters for $ 6 and they were… okay. No lemon, and they could have been colder.
The PoBoy was on special for $ 10…it was okay. My husband’s dish… grilled chicken breast w/​rice and vegetables was pretty standard. I appreciated very much that my child could eat for free.
I would recommend this restaurant for happy hour and for parents of young children.

Contrary to popular belief not ALL Mexican Americans are related, a fact I’m sure Chef Adam Gonzales would appreciate in my case. After receiving a gift certificate to Port A Café I of course read all the Unilocal reviews and didn’t expect much especially on a Friday night. We were promptly seated and our waitress Ariel was quick to bring us our drinks. I ordered the catfish and my wife had the fried shrimp and to be honest with you the entrees were delicious. Our food was served to us quickly, so much so that we weren’t ready when it came. The catfish was light and flaky, the hand cut fries were perfect and so was the cold slaw. Two rounds of suds, two entrees and a desert for $ 47.00 bucks, not bad for a Friday night. Ariel was there when we needed her and made sure our glasses never went dry (a real pet peeve of mine).
It would appear they have made some major improvements since some of the last reviews. I can tell you for sure that we will be back soon.

I was probably never going to come back here and planned just to leave this at three stars. They have done themselves in here already as 90% of the reviews are telling us. But a friend of mine talked me into it. I ordered a large plate of fried seafood. The shrimp was actually decent. Oysters were OK. But the catfish was dripping in oil and totally limp and soft. It was disgusting. I sent it back and the waiter tells me that’s the first time anyone has ever complained about the catfish. I pulled up Unilocal later and found a reviewer who had a similar experience with the catfish. Now why didn’t I think of pulling up the Unilocal review at the table for the waiter? That would have been funny!
The waiter did take off $ 3 because I sent the catfish back. That made my bill around $ 18.99 for the dish I guess. Using that math I guess the French fries and hard piece of bread on the side come in around $ 13!
Avoid, avoid, avoid!

This place is A-​OK. I took the kids here today. They really enjoyed their Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with REAL Cheddar Cheese. My kids really discriminate. They will not eat American Cheese. The boy got the fried shrimp. We all sampled the shrimp. We were not impressed with the shrimp, but the housemade cocktail sauce was really good. As was the housemade Tartar sauce.
I had the Gumbo and the Fried Buffalo Oysters. The Gumbo was pretty good, with Earl Cambell’s sausage and chicken. Not very spicy or dirty, but good. The Buffalo Oysters were really good. Perfectly fried, and served with buffalo sauce and bleu cheese on a mini-​beignet. I didn’t care for the beignet part, but the Oyster part was really, really good.
I would give them four stars, but I think that they are overpriced. I know it costs to get seafood inland, but these prices are a bit above average. I will still come back to sample more. The service was friendly and prompt, and the food was solid.

I swear I reviewed this restaurant right when they just opened up and we tried it that same month! I do not know why my review isn’t here. Maybe I wrote it at City Search LOL.
Oh well, let me write it again. This place is TerRiBle, OvErpriced, and TasTeless! Server had no intention explaining what they have and the specials, if there is ANY at all!
I ordered oysters appetizer and never received it. duh! My pasta sucks and tasteless.
I never been back since then. I saw signs of the promotion they have buy one entrée other one free lunch only. I have to give it another try one day.

Disappointing.
Our service was great, but the food was just ok. There was nothing special about this place and the prices are expensive for what it is– it is not worth it. The only thing I enjoyed were the oysters on the half shell. Everything else we had I wasn’t impressed with. It is way over priced for what it is. Don’t waste your time!

I love this place!
The first visit was a non planed visit to the bar to satisfy my craving for Oysters and we got there just in time for the happy hour 50 cent oysters.
The bartenders and servers were up beat and friendly. (That’s a big Plus +) it’s hard to find that here in Austin any more.
The food was great! On the second visit I tryed the Lobster Pie OMG!
We saw the owner sitting at the bar with some friends– smiling and laughing. I loved it. The hospitality alone made this place feel down home Texas.

O.k. Seriously don’t understand any negative feedback about this place. This was our first time on Saturday and we loved it. Chef Adam came over & greeted us, even gave us a free appetizer. He explained all about the food which was wonderful! You must must must try the charbroiled oysters on the half shell. Sweet potato pie with pecan crust was too die for. Ask for Alex to wait on you because he is so charismatic and knowledgeable. Top shelf Margareta on the rocks is a must have made by Alex himself. Who ever said the prices were high is cheap & does not know good seafood in Austin from right here in Tejas. Dude we will be back4 sure! William & Vanessa Harris. Cheers to great food!

Port A Café is a new addition to the South Park Meadows complex. It’s nice to have a seafood option there and not just another sports bar to add to the long list of already mediocre places in the shopping center.
We were pleasantly surprised by the interior. It wasn’t decorated with a ton of campy seaside décor (a la Joe’s Crabshack). To me, the place looked like an old 50’s diner. Bright colors, sparkling red and silver chairs and shiny tabletops. This place is pristine, I’m sure due in large part to it’s newness.
Our waitress, however, was not the shiniest tool in the shed. (Is that the correct way to use that idiom, being raised in a Hispanic family I always screw those up.) Anyway, I was torn between ordering a shrimp basket and an oyster po’ boy as I’m picky about the latter. I asked how the sandwich came dressed. She said the oysters came on a bun. I said, «Yes, but does it come with lettuce, tomatoes???» «No, I’m pretty sure it’s just the bread and oysters.» I’m pretty sure she was wrong because no self-​respecting seafood joint would ever serve an oyster po’ boy like that. So I went with the shrimp basket instead.
Our food didn’t take an egregious amount of time and everything looked good. One thing I should note is that the prices are kind of steep in my opinion. My shrimp basket was $ 13! I did get 8 scramps (most baskets typically come with 6) and a ton of fries, but still -$ 13 is outrageous. I’d rather have 6 shrimp and half the fries, because really, no one should eat that ungodly amount of fries in one sitting anyway, and get charged $ 5 less. But I gotta say, my $ 13 shrimp were tasty and fried nicely. And the slaw that came with my basket was very tasty, as was the tartar sauce which is key at a seafood place. My friend was not thrilled about her crab cakes noting that there was no jalapeño aioli present as promised on the menu and they were mostly bread with little crab meat.
I almost went with two stars, but if you wanna know why I was generous and went for three? The HUSHPUPPIES! Order them, you’ll thank me later.

We waited a long time for this place to open, because we LOVE oysters. Big disappointment:(
There was a running theme of everything being chewy… clearly their fryer was set at too low of a temperature.
Deep frying 101: when the oil is not hot enough the food takes much longer to cook, resulting in the food absorbing too much oil, meat becomes chewy, and the batter turns out pale and oily instead of golden brown and crispy.
1. Fried shrimp: chewy, over cooked, not crispy
2. French Fries: hard in the middle soggy on the outside (although they used fresh potatos… if only they could fry them correctly)
3. Cole Slaw: fresh, but dry… the opposite of creamy.
4. Onion Rings: chewy
5. Crab cakes: soft and not crispy on the outside, the aioli needed something to lighten it up (tasted like straight mayo), was very heavy and didn’t add anything to the crab cake
6. Oysters: good
We spent $ 50 and didn’t finish any of our food (accept for the raw oysters) because it was gross…
You’d think that after investing so much on building this place, they’d taste their own food to make sure it’s up to par.

My husband and I decided to try this place for lunch today and while it wasn’t bad, it definitely wasn’t great. We don’t eat fried food, so our choices were very limited. For lunch, I really didn’t want to pay close to $ 20.00 for an entrée, so I had the gumbo, my husband had the red beans and rice and we split the Greek salad. The gumbo was pretty good but not nearly spicy enough. It just seemed like it was missing something in the area of flavor. It was also a bit greasy from the sausage. The red beans and rice were very bland and my husband had to send it back to be re-​heated. The Greek salad was okay, but also pretty bland. It was something that I could have easily made at home. The ingredients in all the dishes seemed to be very fresh so that was a good thing. The place was very clean and decorated really cute. The staff was attentive.
Overall, I would like to see some lighter dishes added to the menu and a lunch menu with lower prices.