Salty Sow

I come here because it’s close to where I live and the patio and back bar area are nice.
The food’s okay. Most of the menu is too heavy and fried, etc. The service can be rude or disorganized. The décor is a bit much too. (I’ve had more than one awkward experience because of the velvet curtain area at the hostess stand being crowded. People don’t want to have to bust through a velvet curtain to enter a restaurant.)
I got annoyed tonight because they gave me a menu of food they aren’t currently serving, and I chose an item off that menu, and the server flatly told me they «can’t» do it right now. The correct thing to do is to do it anyway, since you gave me the menu. You don’t tell me you just «can’t» do it, like it’s just inconvenient for your kitchen.
(!)

This place was amazing all the way around.
Atmosphere = 5 stars
Food = 5 stars
Service = 5 stars
I highly recommend stopping by the Salty Sow for any occasion!
We started with a pastrami salmon appetizer that was so flavorful, it was out of this world. The salmon was smokey, the spread had a nice dill ring and the pickled red onions paired wonderfully with the fresh baked bread. The other appetizers looked delicious as well, we can’t wait to come back and try the other apps at happy hour.
We ordered beers to start. They have a good selection to choose from and I was quite happy to see that they carried Envy Amber by Circle Brewing. They also carried Austin Beer Works brews.
I ordered the Pork Porterhouse and my wife ordered the seared Ahi Tuna. There’s no need to go into great detail here, everything was freaking amazing. They paired the pork steak with a escarole and apple salad that was crisp and complimented the pork excellently. My wife went on and on about her fish, she loved every bite.
The one thing that I enjoyed the most about this place was the ambiance… There were two different outdoor areas and two different indoor areas, with everything connecting seamlessly. The location couldn’t be better, on Manor in a very vibrant area of town.
We’ll be back for sure as the Salty Sow will remain bookmarked in my Unilocal App.

Great food and great happy hour! Our party of 4 ordered all of the happy hour snacks and we enjoyed every single one. The fried chicken is the collective favorite while my personal favorite is definitely eggplant fries. Everything is around $ 5 on the HH menu which can be very dangerous but super worthy!
All in all, probably one of the best in Austin given the various foods we’ve tried on our short trip here and our LA/​SF food standards. The only thing is the service… our server did not seem to be too pleased with us and our HH only orders :/

Happy hour is great, service is top-​notch, menu is classy with a rustic edge, the space is perfect for all your needs. Indoor rooms, outdoor rooms… Coed bathrooms? After some strong drinks here you can cruise deeper into the manor maze of madness… But beware — the drinks really are strong!

Came here at a busy time with a table for 6 and got seated almost immediately! Theyre pretty spacious and have a lot of tables that can seat 6 so it’s good for groups. I still need to come back during happy hour to get more things for way cheaper but my first experience was definitely a good one.
Our waitress was super kind and helpful when we asked for suggestions on what to order (it was all of our first times). We mainly got a lot of appetizers and hardly any entrees. I remember we got the duck fat fries, brussel sprouts, deviled eggs, and the bone marrow (of some sort, I can’t recall). All of those were sooo good, minus the bone marroe because the texture is a little weird for me. But everyone else really liked it so if you’re down for that, go ahead and get it. I liked that it came with toasted sourdough bread!
The entrees itself, I remember someone getting the candied pork belly which was very delicious and juicy and someone else got the chicken. We misunderstood and thought it would be fried chicken but it was not. Although the chicken was cooked well and very moist, it just wasn’t what we were expecting and lacking a bit of flavor.
For desserts, we got a dark chocolate cake or brownie, crème brûlée, and a banana fosters dessert (can’t remember the name). All of the desserts were super good! My favorite would be the dark chocolate one because it was so rich and fudgey. But I don’t think I could finish that by myself. The crème brûlée tasted good and the banana fosters dessert was decent even though I don’t like bananas too much. I will definitely be back when I visit Austin!

Appetizers:
+Bacon & gruyère roasted bone marrow– delicious, esp. with the crusty bread
+triple fried duck fat fries with 110-​minute egg– fries tasted ok. I liked the egg.
+charcuterie & cheese board– probably changes daily, but we liked the pâté and cheese.
Entrees:
+seafood mixed grill– which consisted of grouper, sea scallops, red fish and… I can’t remember what else but it was flavorful and perfectly cooked.
+bone-​in duroc pork chop– I didn’t eat this and I don’t remember the guys saying anything good or bad about it so I guess it was okay?
The four of us shared the dinner items listed above along with cocktails which we all liked. The atmosphere is definitely great for dates or a group dinner.

This place has one of my favorite Happy Hours on the city! I really love this place. The Pork Belly taco is definitely my favorite but everything on the menu is really good, as well as the service. If you are going with a big group of friends for the HH try to go early-​ish because the place is very popular and the parking is kind of limited even though they have a big enough parking lot, though you can park on the street behind and you don’t have to pay extra. They also have an outdoor spots and they are puppy friendly which is always a plus if you have dogs.

Salty Sow was my best dining experience in Austin when I was there for a long weekend. I loved the rustic interior. The outdoor patio looked very cool even though I decided to eat inside. They even have a cocktail tasting where you get to have quite a few mini versions of their most popular drinks. The service was perfect and all of our items came out quickly.
Deviled eggs — These were delicious and pretty classically prepared, a great start to the meal
Crispy brussel sprout leaves — I ordered this on the recommendation of the server. Simply one of the best brussel sprout dishes I have ever tasted.
Fried Chicken — Simply some great fried chicken. Crisp on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. The biscuit and glaze that came with it were to die for.
Duck fat fries — It came topped with an egg and some sauce similar to what you would find on eggs benedict. Indulge yourself!

Excellent service and excellent food and drinks. Came for happy hour and had bubbly and wine and fried green tomatoes and brussel sprouts… all was excellent but was surprised by how good the brussel sprouts were!
We sat on the outdoor patio which was lovely. A really great happy hour. Even a vegetarian could find some good eats here ;)

I’m not sure I can add anything to what has already been said of this place. Great place to go during happy hour for the half price bites. It’s pretty loud and crowded though, so try to sit outside if its not too hot out, else you might have a hard time hearing each other.
Food we tried in order of liking:
1. Eggplant fries — non-​greasy, fried, flavor bursting eggplant. Think Steak fries meets eggplant parmesan. Pretty darn awesome.
2. Honey Rosemary Fried Chicken — that biscuit is pretty awesome and is perfect to mop up the sauce that comes with your fried chicken. The chicken is juicy and is complemented well with the honey sauce.
3. Duck Fat Fries — the egg acts as a perfect sauce for the rich duck fat potatoes. The texture is amazing — still good even 30 minutes into dinner. A bit too rich to finish by yourself though, so be warned
4. Brussel Sprouts — very interesting take on the vegetable. The brussel sprout flavor is very pronounced and fried. Perhaps a bit too greasy but you need a vegetable to go with all that other fried stuff right?
Highly recommend coming again — would want to try some of the dinner options too.

I haven’t been here in years and I don’t know why!
I love the outdoor patio. Don’t let the shared tables deter you. We’ve always struck up a fun, but brief, conversation with our table mates.
I recall the charcuterie board as being fantastic. And my memory was correct. A generous assortment of Yumminess with slightly toasted french bread.
I thoroughly enjoyed my duck breast entrée while my friend had crispy chicken thighs that were perfectly golden — and crispy! Another had the filet that, not bring such a challenge to find duck, I considered ordering.
If you have never been, make it point to go. If you’ve already been, make it a point to go back.

Wow. I mean, WOW. Salty Sow has to be one of the best bang for you buck restaurants in town. Cozy with a touch of sophistication and fine-​dining. Their three seating sections make it great for all occasions. Booth style seating for bigger parties at the front, lively open seating on the outdoor deck, and the dimmer romantic seating at the back. My wife and I came for a date night away from the kiddo and was blown away by everything they had to offer.
First things first. Come for happy hour between 4:30 — 6:30pm. You get to try some of their best appetizers and drinks at dirty cheap price. We got the Pork Belly Taco, the Deviled Eggs, and the Duck Fat Fries. EGGS ON EVERYTHING! Awesomeness! The duck fat fries were especially good with the poached egg acting as additional dipping sauce. The deviled eggs, omg.
For entrees, we got the Milk-​Braised Pork Butt and the Candied Pork Belly. I mean I really liked my pork butt. It was tender, flaky, and the milky exterior adds a unique twist to the flavors. It was all good… until my wife gave me a piece of her pork belly. Game Over. The pork belly looked so simple but had so much flavors and finesse to it that it completed overshadowed my pork butt. Sad pork butt. One suggestion though: remove the collard greens. Those were super acidic and didn’t go with the dish. We just left them alone. To end the meal, we stuffed ourselves with a delicious Bread Pudding.
The food was great. The service was great. The ambiance was great. Even the price was great. Delicious high quality food at Cheesecake Factory price! Needless to say, it was a great start to a relaxing date night. Make sure to get a reservation before coming though and have back up plans for parking around the area.

I’ve been here multiple times on most occasions I try to make it in for Happy Hour. It’s from 4:30 to 6:30 Every day! the Happy Hour menu selection is great, there are a lot of food options and drink options. I would highly recommend the Happy Hour if possible, that way you can try a bit of both menus. I tend to try to make a reservation as well, it can get busy. It wasn’t so busy when I arrived on this last time at 5:30, but it was also a rainy Monday.
There is a parking lot attached to the business, it’s right before you actually get to the building. It’s fairly large for being downtown, but it does get full pretty quick and hard to park when it gets crowded.
The atmosphere is outstanding, very Austin-​ish. The food is unbelievable. There are so many things on the menu to choose from, that picking just one is the hardest part. So I didn’t just pick one. I had a little bit of everything. The Triple Duck Fat Fries are outstanding and enough to share, the green chili grits and eggs were also delicious. The pork belly is so decadent that it is a smart idea to share that than to eat it all for a meal. The crispy chicken is so good as well. Everything is just fabulous,
The service is great as well for being a Austin Hot Spot. The dessert is so good that you have to get at least one thing. There is no reason to go and not to share there. Loved the whole experience, nothing that I did not enjoy. I highly recommend going here with friends or on a cozy date.

This place is pretty awesome. I first got a table inside and realized the AC was cranked up-​I don’t do well with AC so asked to be sat outside and they obliged. I sat at a long table that you’d normally share with other people but it was a weekday so the place wasn’t so busy.
My waiter recommended I start with the charcuterie and cheese board and a cocktail special. The cocktail had a block of ice in it with a jalapeño frozen in it. I don’t remember the name but it was awesome. The charcuterie and cheese board, awesome. Seriously awesome. I was totally amazed at how good it was. I totally recommend it to everyone. Completely finished it all by myself.
For my entrée I moved on to a different cocktail (again, can’t remember the name but it was awesome, recommended by the waiter, the flying pig?) and the lamb chop. So I won’t lie, the lamb chop was super underwhelming compared to the app I just finished. I told my waiter this and he felt really bad so he recommended their best dessert that night. Was a cake of sorts, I don’t remember the flavor-​sorry! But it was really awesome. Really did make up for my entrée.
So overall I was pretty pleased. Would definitely go back and try a lot more things off the menu and hopefully get the same waiter!

Great place for social. Ask for back porch seating during great weather. This place is huge with many different sections for groups or dates.
Crispy Brussel Sprouts and Veggie Antipasta are tasty for veg dishes by far.
Moscow Sow is a great drink.
Cheers to Austin!

I wish SO BADLY that I didn’t overstuff my face at lunch the same day I had a dinner reservation at the Salty Sow. This place is legit.
My friends and I all shared the charcuterie and cheese board and it was big and diverse, offering a little something for everyone. The chicken liver mousse was my favorite item on it, but I was mostly disappointed with the pastrami salmon. I wanted to try it so badly and at the end of the day, it simply tasted like salmon. No more, no less. Sigh.
Anyway, because I was so stuffed, I shared two small plates with one of my friends. We had the crispy brussels sprouts leaves which were excellent, and the cauliflower and wild rice casserole, which is basically a cauliflower and rice mac n cheese. Yum! I took a bite of the blackened redfish and it was simple, clean, and excellent. Though I didn’t get to try, the person who ordered the slow cooked pork shoulder was very happy with his pick.
Sadly we were all so disgustingly stuffed by the end of our main course we couldn’t entertain the idea of having dessert. However, the bananas foster beignets kept flying out of the kitchen and they looked BOMB. Next time, Salty Sow, next time.

I took my honey there for her birthday and we both loved it. We went there during happy hour and enjoyed $ 5 appetizers (chicken pâté and eggplant fries) as well as a very strong and tasty margarita and the house glass of cab.
We then moved on to the fried chicken, the pork belly and the delicious farm salad on special, full of unusual ingredients and very tasty. We wanted dessert, but the cake was waiting at home and we were really full already. All that for a very reasonable price. We’ll come again. This Manor road definitely has some gems!

This was our last stop in Austin and we were so happy it was!
My husband and I walked in at the start of happy hour (yay!)
Our server was Felix, who was absolutely amazing! He offered fast and very friendly service.
We decided to order:
*Sparkling Sangria ($ 5)
*Rosemary’s Piglet ($ 5)
*Honey Rosemary Dipped Fried Chicken ($ 6)
*Truffled Deviled Eggs ($ 5)
*Farm Salad
Everything was absolutely amazing! So so good! It was hard to pick which item we loved the most because it was all delicious. The ingredients were fresh and of great quality.
Towards the end of our meal, Felix comes over with two glasses of champagne for us. Apparently while I was in the bathroom, my husband had mentioned that we were in town visiting Austin for his birthday and Felix brought us champagne to celebrate. We were so surprised and thankful! Paying attention to the little things and going above and beyond to ensure our experience is a great one, is rare to find these days.
When the check arrived, they even comped our dessert! We left feeling so thankful and stunned at the level of services this establishment offers.
To the chef– thank you for such an amazing meal!
To management & Felix– you are awesome! Thank you so much for the amazing service and hospitality. We created a perfect ending to a great weekend in Austin and we can’t wait to be back!

We really enjoyed our dinner on a Saturday evening. We made reservations and were promptly seated upon our arrival. Overheard wait was 45 — 60 minutes for a table for two, so reservations are highly recommended.
Our waitress quickly greeted us and brought us cocktails. The cocktails we had (Garden Fresh Collins and Moscow Sow) were all an adaptation/​twist on something classic — fun and refreshing.
As for the food, for an appetizer we had the raved about triple fried duck fat fries with 110 minute egg. These were super crunchy on the outside while not being burnt. My husband enjoyed the egg and sauce served with it while I opted to eat the fries bare. I had the crisp chicken thighs for my entrée. I usually don’t eat chicken skin, but this was too tasty to pass up. The chicken is cooked and served deboned — nice for eating, but one of the two thighs was much drier than the other. My husband had the milk-​braised pork butt and loved every bite. He really loved the escarole and beans served as sides as well. For dessert we ordered the dark chocolate truffle cake — this is enough chocolate for a week! Imagine the super rich filling of a truffle but fluffier — that’s this cake. We were only able to have a couple bites and took the rest home to enjoy later. It’s super decadent.
Service was great and the atmosphere is a nice balance of fine dining that isn’t stuffy. We’ll certainly be back when in Austin next time.

Dinner review.
Duck fat fries — ³⁄₅
Bone marrow — ⁴⁄₅
Salmon pastrami — ⁴⁄₅
Green chile grits — ⁵⁄₅
Cauliflower & wild rice casserole — ⁵⁄₅
Candied pork belly — ⁴⁄₅
Chorizo stuffed pork belly — ³⁄₅
Slow braised beef shoulder — ³⁄₅
Banana fosters beignets — ⁴⁄₅
Overall, great pork themed dinner spot. «As good as it gets.»