Truluck’s Seafood, Steak and Crab House

By far hands down the best service I’ve ever experienced! Our waiter was truly amazing and professional. If you’re a meat lover, the bone in ribeye was delish! To top it off, we had the baked Alaska dessert and I have to say the presentation is on point. A must try! Thank you Truluck’s for providing us such an amazing experience!

Loved dining here!!!
We hosted a client dinner so of course I wanted everything to be perfect. I did not go wrong with choosing Trulucks! The entire experience, from making the reservation, the great location of our table and the hospitality when we arrived and throughout our meal was exceptional. A big thank you to Kelly, Brooke, Andrew, Riley, Mitch and Lori! We could not have been more pleased with the service and the quality of the food. Thank you Chef Chris! Oh, and I can’t forget the talent of the piano player/​singer which added a very nice touch. We will definitely be back soon!

Will definitely be back… the sides were a salty for my taste but the Chef’s filet — main dish was amazing!

Came here for a special occasion and so ecstatic that we did! This place oozed sophistication and transcendency from the minute we entered through the front door. From the fabulous live piano music playing Adele melodies in the parlor to the different fruit offerings for our waters to the steamed towels and the amazing flaming Baked Alaska dessert presentation, you better believe that every person in our party was truly impressed.
Of notable mention, our server Mat (or Pip as he is known) was exceptional. He made us feel very comfortable and pampered and took his time to ensure every one of us felt taken care of from start to finish. 5+/5 for the perfect polished service and ultimately why this averaged out to be a ⁵⁄₅ in my book.
For food, we ordered a bunch of apps and entrees and dined semi family style. For our apps round, we tried the tuna tartare, escargots, soft shell crab lettuce cups and a couple of crab cakes. So succulent and delicious, I can’t really say I’ve a favorite here. All are worth recommending and I’d order it again in a heartbeat. ⁵⁄₅
For our entrees, we ordered the 36 ounce bone-​in ribeye, Alaskan king crab legs and a couple Miso glazed Sea Bass plates along with a bunch of sides. The Alaskan King crab legs were so meaty and sweet, it was just a beautiful thing to see and taste. No need to dip it in any of the many melted butters they had simmering on our table. ⁵⁄₅
The Miso glazed Chilean sea bass was also an excellent pick. Cooked perfectly and flaked off the fork oh-​so-​delicately. 4.5÷5 but ⁵⁄₅ if they used just a pinch less salt.
The bone-​in ribeye special was a sight to behold. The presentation (pic available) made all the girls salivate when the plate was placed on our table. Meat was tenderly prepared a perfect medium rare and sliced through like butter. Although I didn’t try it personally, others commented that it was of great cut of steak and delicious but could’ve used a little less seasoning as the area near the bone was pretty salty.
All in all, a wonderful classy meal to top off our adventures in Austin. Thanks Truluck’s for the unforgettable experience!

Poor service for take out. Inattentive staff, excessively long wait time. Took over 30 minutes longer than suggested on the phone. Food is also offensively overpriced. Flavors are simple and glutinous, classic excessive steakhouse — except their execution is no where close to where a steak house of this price point should be.
The inside resembles the cross between a ruby Tuesdays and a Hampton inn lobby and the people eating there resemble the after party of a Hinder concert.

The food and service are truly outstanding. The seafood is utterly delicious.
Get the Redfish Pontchartrain. Amazing!

I came in tonight with 2 girlfriends for a celebratory dinner for my friend celebrating a new job. Kathy was so fantastic! She presented the food very well, explained the wine when we needed options, and checked in and had a fun girls night with us! We will definitely be in to see her again! Thanks kathy!

We celebrated our 5^th Wedding Anniversary on a busy Saturday night before Father’s Day. The ambiance, live music, view, & delicious food was very impressive.
We were truly delighted by the complimentary dessert & service. Highly recommend this location for all occasions!
Taylor V.

They were ready for us right away the host was very nice the atmosphere was beautiful and elegant !!! Great service the food was amazing and prompt over all wonderful experience !!! We were celebrating my daughter’s 17^th birthday they were all very kind and acknowledged her time and time again not even asking for anything special they came out with a beautiful chocolate writing with her name on the plate and a very cute ball like cake that lit up

Love this place! Great date night place, excellent food — spectacular service and delicious cocktails!!! Worth every penny

Truluck’s has become one of my three favorite restaurants in Austin, everything is done perfectly across-​the-​board from the service, to the food, to the ambiance. I’ll review each below:
Food:
The seafood is as fresh as you can get here in Austin. Having moved here from California I was afraid I would have to say goodbye to seafood, and I’ll be honest, most of the seafood I’ve had in Austin is terrible. Truluck’s does seafood right by getting incredibly fresh seafood, yes — you’ll pay a premium for it but I’d say it’s worth it to enjoy great seafood this far from the source.
Service:
Truluck’s could write the book on how to do five-​star restaurant service right. Seriously, go look online at the elements of a five-​star restaurant and Truluck’s has nailed all of them. I’ll give a great example — two weeks ago we were going to the ballet, we only had 45 minutes to eat which would be impossible for most restaurants to accommodate. Truluck’s not only expedited our order, but they did it with a smile on their face and involved a number of people so we knew we were being taken care of.
Ambiance:
It’s hard to beat live piano music and vocals and the inside of Truluck’s is beautiful. A relaxing and enjoyable place to enjoy a meal and I always feel a bit like I’m inside an old restaurant in Chicago or Boston. Step out of the city and into Truluck’s, it really is a whole new world.

Coming from Chicago where we have dozens of wonderful and not so wonderful seafood and steak houses I was very excited to try Truluck’s and — now that I’m back in Chicago — I know where I would recommend anyone wishing to go to Austin — and it’s this restaurant.
I came in my my cousins, aunt, and uncle as I was on a family visit. It was easy to Valet during the construction going on downtown. Once entered (and a reservation is a must) I saw a busy bar area, and was greeted by the host and he acted like he knew us for years. He welcomed us to wait for the second half of our family with out any pressure but also said we can sit and wait for them at our table.
Once seated, we were greeted by our fabulous waiter, Austin. Always love meeting an Austin from Austin even though it has only happened once. He apologized for not asking us if we want still water instead of tap as tap as what he brought and I knew right then that we will be well taken care of.
Truluck’s had that fine service as it should– from the napkins being refolded, new silverware being brought out, fresh bread again and again as requested, perfect temperature of foods, great timings for everything, presentation (tea gets presented in the most beautiful presentation box), quiet relaxing environment. It was nice to be on the second floor with a view.
Austin did a fine job explaining in detail each portion of the menu. Being honest and sincere of his own favorites to whats most popular. He was humble when giving advice on how to eat the stuffed lobster tail (which was fabulous)! Most of the family ordered Miso-​Glazed Seabass and unless you return again– I do recommend it. The only reason I didn’t get it was because I knew that I could get some tastings in! I was happy with lobster tail as it came with the crab cake– AND — It’s the best CRAB cake I have ever had in my life. I have tried so many but the perfect amount of sweetness with so much moisture– I was beyond impressed. I would definitely order it again– and for the table! We ordered many things for the table but not going to list them because I’m telling you– just get what you like and you won’t be disappointed.
We didn’t order dessert as we were going to continue the night with another outing for it but my cousin who has special needs asked about dessert. All though we didn’t order– we had signed our check too– our waiter brought out a dessert especially packed for him. This made my cousins night as the waiter got a huge hug from him– and Austin, our waiter, truely deserved that.
Ended the night with a family picture by the same host that greeted us so our experience from entering to leaving was amazing. A manager called my cousin the next day to see how our experience was (she was the one that made the reservations) and it was nice to know that Truluck’s really cares!

Fiancée and I were here for our 2^nd anniversary. From beginning to end it was hands down the BEST restaurant experience we’ve EVER had. The concierge and greeter were very attentive, noticing us as we entered. Offering to take our coats. And introducing himself. Then having the hostess seat us at our table upstairs. I wish I remember our servers name. He was exceptional. Catering to our every whim. Treating us like royalty. He definitely made our night. Then the food arrived. Hers was swordfish. Mine was a steak but too well done. Turns out the gentleman seated adjacent to us ordered the same thing and received a steak too underdone. Likely mine. I’ve worked in several kitchens, watched all the cooking shows and know that mistakes happen. But the manager more than compensated with the elegant, delicious desert on the house. The night couldn’t be more memorable.
We will be returning every Anniversary, and possibly birthday that we can. Soon we’ll be driving from 3 hours North just to get have the same experience again.
Don’t forget to get desert. Whether it’s the chocolate cake or Royal Carrot Cake.
Worth it. Worth every penny.

I’m late writing this review, and finally getting around to it, but I went to Truluck’s for my first time on Saint Patrick’s Day.
It was amazing
Their happy hour is absolutely awesome.
But let’s talk about the service.
Eddie behind the bar, that man makes a mean old fashioned! And his knowledge of the menu, the drinks, and food and beverage in general was just impressive. Clearly he cares about and takes pride in what he does.
And that can be said for the entire staff.
Every manager made sure we were good, and one of the servers even took us on a guided tour of the renovations just because he saw us looking.
And speaking of servers, let me tell you about Ashley.
I ordered Oysters. I’ve had oysters maybe twice.
Ashley not only told me how to eat them, but stood with me as I did so and guided me through it step by step. Though it may have been she was waiting to see my cry from putting so much «Atomic» horseradish on my oyster. She was disappointed though, as I eat atomic horseradish on the reg yo!
Food was 5 stars! We ordered a bunch of different apps since they’re half off during happy hour, and the live music was great too! The woman singing had an amazing voice (apparently she was on American Idol).
Anyhow, I’ve been looking for a reason to go back — and then i realized i don’t need a reason to go to a place so awesome!
If you haven’t been, go!

Excellent food as usual. We were particularly impressed by the level of service given by the manager Pedro Lopez. It is people like him that really build the brand for large companies. Definitely get the carrot cake as it is quite a show stopper and one of the best cakes you will ever taste.

Came here for dinner with my mom and everything was delicious. She had the rib eye steak and I had the miso glazed salmon with crab fried rice. However it’s a pretty pricy place so the quality of food is expected. I really like the ambience of the restaurant as my mom and I were seated upstairs overlooking downtown. It’s a beautiful restaurant and a great place for a date or special occasion dinner.

We try and find a Truluck restaurant wherever we are traveling to. Visited the Trulucks in downtown Austin and it was such an enjoyable evening. Our waiter Patrick and his colleagues were outstanding with their attentiveness and just being kind and patient with our requests. The food is delicious and we were never rushed.

This place is amazing! We celebrated our 1 yr wedding anniversary here and they treated us like royalty! Our waiter, Ian, well very knowledgeable about everything we asked and even had wonderful recommendations. The food is amazing and the atmosphere is incredible with the window walls looking out into the city. We will spend our next anniversary here!

If you sit upstairs your experience will be 4+, this review, however, is for dining in the bar area.
Note that a $ 400 dinner bill gets you the same quality food regardless of where you sit. And the food is excellent.
Service … Not so much.
My personal opinion is that when a dinner for two goes above the $ 200 mark, everything should be very good and details like napkin color, how often they change your fork and when things arrive very much matter.
We sat for quite a while with empty glasses, or finished plates. Far too long between courses. I think the icing on the cake (no pun intended) was when we placed our order for coffee and dessert. It should have been coffee THEN dessert based on the time spent looking at an empty cup between cappuccino and my carrot cake.
Here’s hoping the servers downstairs figure it out.

My husband and I decided to go here last minute. It was a great choice. We were greeted as if we’d been going there our whole life. The atmosphere was upbeat, luxurious, but not stuffy. The entire staff worked as a team from the hostess, servers, to the managers. Our server, Brenner, was friendly, knowledgable and made us feel at home. The food… and the food… it was phenomenal! Go here for the experience, eat there for the food!

For Austin this is probably one of the top destinations for quality seafood and shrimp that doesn’t taste like rubber. This is also one of the rare finer dining establishments in the area as well but people still dress pretty casually here. The service is generally attentive and professional and the bar is a nice environment to enjoy yourself.
Unfortunately this place is also a small chain which makes it suffer the corporate blandness that happens with such groupthink that constrains such establishments from reaching complete gastronomic realization of their foods potential. You will find a consistent and well regulated experience here with most of the food being good but you will not find yourself amazed or gleefully delighted. With a few exceptions I find most dishes here to veer safely into the bland zone and in need of more spice, flavor and just sheer BAM.
They probably do some of the better renditions of some classic New Orleans seafood dishes in the area but it seems they tweak the recipes a bit with their own spin that leaves me feeling it a bit lacking in the important flavor and spice components. I’m used to paying $ 6 a dozen for raw oysters in NOLA so the sticker shock of oysters here is substantial. I really find their boiled seafood needs a great deal more spice added to it. Of course I’m very spoiled being accustomed to New Orleans amazing cuisine so my expectations are very different than the target customer of this establishment.
Overall I find it typically doesn’t offer a good ratio of value for the price here so just visit me in New Orleans instead.

We have dined at this location on three separate occasions. Once prior to the remodel and twice since the beautiful 2^nd floor addition. Service has always been great. However, this review is in regards to the outstanding NYE service we received last night. PS. This is my second time dining here for NYE, the first time being just as memorable.
I’m always curious when restaurants have a prix-​fixe menu for special holiday celebrations. You never know if the menu will live up to the hype, if the service will be good due to customer volume or if the tables will be packed like sardines to stuff as many patrons in the restaurant as possible. Trust me, I’ve had this happen at Flemings, III Forks and Roaring Fork — we were practically sitting with our neighbors. Anyways, I’m hoping this helps those that are on the fence about dropping $ 125+ per person for dinner. We have also enjoyed Perry’s for NYE and gotta say Trulucks is far better.
We were seated promptly at our reservation time and greeted by name at the 2^nd floor hostess. They take your name at valet and radio to the two hostess stands, impressive. One of the managers was walking around pouring complimentary glasses of champs. Nice way to start the night. There was a photographer taking complimentary Polaroids to commemorate the night. Cute touch.
The menu had plenty of options to choose from for our 4 course meal. I opted for the stone crab appetizer which includes 3 large crab claws, the velvety smooth lobster bisque, the huge lobster tail and chocolate malt cake. Everything was delicious! We ordered two bottles for the table (there were four of us) and were later comped a round of drinks from Manager Luke. We received a round of complimentary champagne to toast at midnight… Drinks were flowing into 2016.
They ran out of mashed potatoes, BUT Manager Luke came by to apologize and offered to comp a round of drinks. He also asked if we would be open to substituting crab fried rice. My husband joked if they could make mac n cheese, which was not on the menu, and he said he would make it happen. Not only was it mac n cheese, but it was crab mac n cheese and two huge portions for the table. We were so appreciative and pleasantly surprised.
The waiters provided outstanding service as well. Professional, yet fun and engaging and very attentive despite the busy night. The tables were not overcrowded. In fact, I dined here in July for my birthday and the tables were set up just the same, no additional tables added. Nice to be able to enjoy your party without being a part of your neighbors conversation.
The singer downstairs carried upstairs and it was a great mix of current and old hits. It complimented the evening without being overbearing. I can’t wait to go back for our next celebration.
A big thank you to the staff and Manager Luke for a fantastic evening!

Awesome dinner experience!
Chris, Brennan and John were awesome.
Highly recommend for a special night out.

This is one of those elegant spaces that makes me feel like I’m in an old timey movie. I walk in half-​expecting to see a sequin-​clad woman stretched out on a piano, though sadly there never is. I don’t like the ‘Proper Attire Required’ sign on the door, because well, this is Austin, and there’s no place for that here, but I can get past that. Their happy hour is just that good.
There’s deep discounts on wine, cocktails, and food. The seared tuna sashimi is one of the best things I’ve had ($ 9), and the martinis are insanely affordable. The bar is beautiful, the service is over the top, and it’s just such an incredible space at an affordable price (during happy hour). I like that the specials start at 4:30, and on any given day you’ll probably find me sitting alone at the horseshoe shaped bar, merrily drinking bubbles, and munching on beautifully presented seafood. I haven’t been for a proper dinner, but any potential suitors with enough space on their credit cards to take me for a proper dinner should enquire. ;)

Really freaking good food, but really freaking expensive. Excellent atmosphere and service but I not sure the quality of the food is quite worth the price tag.

This is the 1^st bar that I have been to in Austin that even remotely compares to a San Francisco bar experience. I thouroghly enjoyed the business attire only atmosphere, swanky décor and dark lighting. The happy hour was pretty awesome as well. I personally enjoyed the Red Door coctail.
I can’t attest to Truluck’s dinner menu, because I only visited for drinks and light apps, but I can say I will be back to try it out.
Truluck’s bar is a great place for a date or night on the town with friends. Dress to impress, because let’s be real, how often do you see anyone in Austin doing that? ;)

Out of over 700 restaurants in Austin, we chose Truluck’s for the seafood options while in town. It is in a very good location and the atmosphere is incredible. I do recommend dining on the 2^nd level overlooking the street. The live music was wonderful from the lower level (great speaker system) and upon walking in, the bar is very sleek looking and inviting.
Unfortunately, the service we received did not match the atmosphere. It was lacking in a few areas but we thought overall, it was a good choice for dinner.
The calamari was wonderful and a surprisingly large portion. I would get this again as well as the miso sea bass. It was flaky and delicious — gets high marks. The $ 50 dynamite filet was not as good. the parm. mashed were amazing but I have had better steak at many other places. It was tough whereas a filet should never be and the bottom of the meat was way over seared. The seafood was sparse but the accompanying sauce was very good.
The host acknowledged us in a welcoming way, knew it was our anniversary but nothing was done to celebrate it in any way — small piece of dessert? Small glass of champagne?
The prices are very high for what you get but the atmosphere almost makes up for it.
Would recommend.

Truluck’s had a physical and a menu makeover since my last review, so an update is in order. Whereas the happy hour menu before was stuck in the dark ages of cuisine (you know, the 90s) and the venue was dark and staid as well, the makeover is a brighter, lighter, and more modern take on upscale seafood. I went to full-​on dinner after my first review of happy hour and was not impressed but I figured I’d give happy hour another shot to see if it was worth trying full-​on dinner again sometime, but sadly, all signs point to «no».
I want to like Truluck’s but there really is no point to having a happy hour that reflects poorly on the restaurant as a whole. When I went for happy hour, I got the Bubbles & Oysters happy hour deal: 6 featured oysters and a glass of bubbly for $ 16. The featured oysters are from Cape Cod but they also featured a ton of shell in each one. The bartender tried to say it’s «nature» but I think it had more to do with shucking process than nature as I really have never been served oysters with that much nature in them, especially at an upscale seafood restaurant.
I also tried the Tuna Tartar Tower. Which sounds like a tower but literally looks like what Gordon Ramsey would call a «dog’s dinner»: it’s tuna tartar stacked with seaweed salad, and avocado, in the shape of an Alpo can. And it tasted about the same. After a generous and needed salting, I could tell it wasn’t the choicest pieces of tuna even on the day it was first cut. Meh.

Trulucks’ is AS GOOD AS IT GETS when it comes to seafood in Austin. This place is incredible — from the food to the service to the ambiance. I absolutely love going to Trulucks and recently went to celebrate my birthday. The staff at the restaurant were so accommodating and took such great care of my husband and I. They went out of their way to help us celebrate and all of the staff were very friendly. The food, of course, was amazing.
Thanks Truluck’s for being a great place for date night, birthdays, or just a delicious dinner!

Much as I love Austin’s laid back flip flop wearing vibe, sometimes it’s nice to go somewhere a little more formal.
I was surprised by quite how personal the treatment is (in the UK and France we’re used to more standoffish wait staff!) — but we loved being so well taken care of. It’s a great combination of the best of American and European — laid back almost-​fine dining
Huge amounts of utterly delicious food. We over ordered horribly — but ate it all… The tuna tartare appetiser (my favourite thing on the menu so far) is definitely big enough for a main for a medium sized person!
And then I went back and had more crab instead of desert…
Just missing the 5^th star because the menu’s not particularly innovative. But we will absolutely be back!

I took my mother here to celebrate her birthday. I requested a window seat, but unfortunately it wasn’t ready by 7:30 (our reservation time). Since my mother was starving, we opted for a booth seat which still gave us an excellent view out the window.
Our waitress was attentive and very good at interpreting what my mother was trying to convey with her broken English and gestures. She made sure that my mother’s needs were met! Excellent service throughout the course of the meal! Truluck’s even gave me a call the next day to ensure that I was satisfied with my experience!
The entire meal, my mom could not stop raving about how delicious the food was! We got the Rib Eye steak which was cooked perfectly and was what I would expect from a steakhouse of this caliber. The star of the meal however was the Miso Glazed Sea Bass. The sea bass was melt-​in-​your-​mouth amazing. The miso flavor complimented the Sea Bass’s buttery flavor perfectly.
I had an amazing time at Truluck’s, and I’m definitely swinging by to check out their HH

I took my wife for Valentine’s Day. They sat us right in the upstairs corner with the huge windows and amazing view. Our waiter was amazing. Attentive and kind. Great with suggestions. Everything about our meal here was sensational. We tried the stone crab claws and the crab bisque for appetizers. Both were to die for. Then we both did steak for our main entrée. Again, some of the best we have ever had. So good. My wife had the red door and I have to admit it was probably the best cocktail we have had. Then we got the chocolate bag for dessert. Holy cow. So good. So rich and humongous.
The cost is definitely worth it and this is an amazing place for special occasions. We will be back for sure. Also I hear their happy hour is great, so we will probably try that on just a normal date night. The drinks and dessert alone are worth coming and the ambiance makes this the perfect date spot.
Also they gave us a mix cd of love songs for Valentine’s Day. Definitely put the proverbial cherry on top.
Great time. Highly recommended.

Happy Hour here is where it’s at. Came here for a friend’s birthday in December and we had a blast. It was a Saturday night and we sat at the bar.
Our bartender Jeff was amazing. He was attentive and made great drinks. I started off with a Moscow Mule, because Oprah says it’s good, and birthday girl Danielle F. ordered the Red Door. I tried her drink and it was good so I knew that had to be my 2^nd order. She also got another one because why mess with a good thing?
For food we settled on happy hour appetizers: oysters rockefeller for Danielle (I’d try it but my doctor says it would kill me, or maybe just make it hard for me to breathe, who knows), shrimp cocktail and calamari. Seafood galore. The calamari was a huge serving so I made Danielle help me eat it. For whatever reason, I cannot bring myself to eat the baby squids though. Does any place not give you those? They just freak me out lol. I tried her shrimp cocktail and it was really good, and I don’t even like shrimp that much.
We were even surprised with a birthday dessert that they proceeded to light on fire as well as a birthday card for Danielle that all of the bartenders signed — that really impressed me.
There even was entertainment while we enjoyed our time at Truluck’s. Both the guy and the girl had amazing voices and they really won me over once he started singing a Billy Joel song — the key to my heart, I tell ya.
We had a great time here celebrating her birthday. I can’t wait to return although I may give the one on 183 a try since it’s closer to home.

Excellent 180 degrees view of downtown Austin from the restaurant dining upstairs.
Parking isn’t too bad with parking garages nearby at $ 7/​$ 10. They also offer valet services.
Truluck’s had fantastic customer service:
From accommodating us with reservations with Open Table to being seated at a preferred spot. The ambiance is incredible. I was here for a birthday celebration and will be coming here again!
I chose the ½ lb Alaskan Crab & the 10 oz Filet that was perfectly cooked to medium rare. The crab mac & cheese, although a favorite of many reviewers, wasn’t my favorite. It was good, but I like the garlic mashed potatoes as a side more.

From the moment you walk in, you know you will be treated well.
We were greeted by a host, then a bar manager who introduced us to all of the bar staff and gave us menus to peruse the happy hour specials at the bar. Erin ended up serving us and he was great and on point, as well as being very personable. We were there in search of oysters and cocktails. Wow!!! They did not disappoint us! We also got the calamari which was perfect. I don’t remember the area the oysters were from, but they were super fresh and briny like we like ‘em!!! They are served with the classic horseradish, red sauce, lemon, and a champagne peppercorn sauce that ended up being my favorite. They are $ 2 each during HH, so it didn’t break the bank. Drinks were $ 6 during HH too and were pretty outstanding.
I can’t wait to come back to get my oyster fix and a delicious spicy margarita!