Fino Restaurant Patio & Bar

I really do love Fino, it is a great spot for a nice date. We have come as a group, but I believe that it's a better date night spot. Sit outside when it's not disgustingly hot as they have a great patio! I really enjoy their drinks, bee's knees being my absolute favorite. The muhummara is always a great tapas to start with. The PEI mussels are a delicious small plate, as well as the quail. I always try to get the specials for that night. Expect to spend a little bit of cash to get a couple of cocktails, but they will not disappoint. more

A relaxed, romantic setting with Mediterranean and Spanish cuisine make this a perfect date spot. Call ahead for a seat on the patio when the weather's nice. more

Just ate here for the first time last night. The wine selection was great, the waitor recommended our meals and I enjoyed the chicken entree as well as the romaine salad. the pound cake dessert was awesome and the appetizer was also very tasty. We had the tortilla espanola, romaine and manchego salad buddys natural chicken and poached farm egg, wagyu beef cheeks. I would recommend this mediterranean resturant. the presentation was nice and the staff professional and on point. we really enjoyed our date. more

Okay let's start by saying whats good about Fino. Good: Decor, well thought out and has a great outdoor entertaining space. Parking: is convenient. Tapas: the dips are tasty, fried calamari done just right, stuffed peppers yummie, fried olives, all good. Now the BAD... (why the 180?!) for god sake we even sat at the ""chef's table!"" I don't know who was the chef that night but the food was atrocious. When you claim that you are sitting at the ""chef's table"" you have high expectations of a fabulous meal. Unfortunately this did not come to fruition. It seems the only things they can get right are the tapas. So on to the pre-selected menu...The endive salad was super bitter so/so the butternut squash soup was sweet and bland. The fish tasted fishy and injected with loads of butter to mask any flavor at all. Granted it said it was a brown butter sauce, HELLO? brown butter when properly browned should have a pleasant nutty flavor. This was just straight lazy clarified butter. The flank steak was better..marginally. With overly salted puree and a lackluster amateur red wine reduction, it was meh nothing I couldn't do at home. The dessert, a sorry excuse of a creme brule, the texture wasn't silky it tasted like a jello pudding cup with a hint of orange, with an uneven caramelized sugar top, kinda sad.. They also lack platting consistency. It's been a long time since I've had a really REALLY bad meal..the kind of meal that pisses you off, especially when you drop over $120 for a meal c'mon? seriously? that's the BEST you've got? Fino is a great place for Apps and drinks. The rest is risky foodie beware... Pros: decor, patio, tapas, parking Cons: sadly the entrees more

My husband (French) has been lamenting about vacations in Spain and the paella on the beach there for a couple of months now. So we went to Fino's last Saturday night for the first time. Immediately I liked the atmosphere - very hip, contemporary, lounge-y. We ordered a couple of cocktails with the artisenal cheese platter to munch on while waiting on the paella, which takes about 30 minutes. It was well-worth the wait! Now, this isn't an absolutely 'classic' version of paella, but I personally loved the idea of the aioli and fried eggs. Really interesting (and HUGE). I love any menu which includes half-bottles. Dessert was an incredible blood orange sorbet with sparkling rose. I wish that I could remember our server's name, because he was great. Can't wait to go back! Pros: Great cocktails, food and service Cons: none so far more

I found Fino online while searching for a restaurant to bring a group of our important clients to while in Austin for a conference; it was important that the quality of the food, beverages and service be 5 stars we were also looking for a relaxed ambience for the final evening of the event. Pros: Excellent for our group of 9 Cons: not easy to find for out of town guests more

Dined at Fino for the first time. Not thrilled with my choice. Ordered the chicken entree, with garbanzo beans and spinach (very salty), did not have the wine choice I requested, alternate white wine was good. My dining companion ordered the Halibut, he was pleased with his selection. We noticed there was really no ambiance, or substance to this restaurant. Nothing really stood out about the restaurant, except it being a bit pricey. Dinner for 2 was around $80. Review: 1 star. I will not return or recommend. Pros: Lots of Parking and Seating Cons: Food not all that appetizing more

Just to be concise, we went to Fino today, July 25, 2009. We were sitted in the bar, because apparently we did not make reservations for the main dininig area. The waiter was not particularly interested in us and rather indifferent to our presence in his restaurant?! The main thing is food of course, and it was merely not enough. Risotto as the only vegetarian choice was probably 1/4 of a cup, not more. There was also barely cooked zuccini/squash and something else in it which I could not recognize. Bread pudding was $9 for a tiny piece! The manager of both Fino and Asti came by, and I told him that the portions were to laugh about. He tried to expIain that usually people get full by ordering tapas.... HOw pretentious and how not European at all. BTW, if you visited Italy nowadays, the portions in their restaurants are now big, trying to satisfy us, Americans. The way to go and be happy. I left very angry and hungry. Would not recommend at all! The customer who weighs only 115 lbs, but still likes to eat and enjoys loads of best food! Pros: Quite expensive but rather miniscule portions more

Fino must think it's a tapas bar, but it's not really touted that way so it's confusing. Granted, the appetizers are pretty good - but when our risotto entre arrived with no more than 1/4 cup of the risotto rice, we felt gyped. Asking the waiter about it, he said that most people fill up on the tapas so they keep the entrees small. Hmmm. . . we didn't get the memo, and that's no ok with us! The crab and avocado bruchetta didn't taste like anything, the jambalaya was way over salted, and as I said-the risotto was almost non existent on the plate (the scallops were good). We would not go back - it's our second time and both times we were disappointed. Pros: Big porch for drinks before dinner, creative cocktails Cons: Don't think the food is very good, portions too small more

We went Fino for our two year anniversary dinner, hearing great things about this restaurant. We ordered some appetizers to start things off. We ordered a variety of dipping sauces to go along with some pita bread. We had smelt that something was burning in the kitchen. Well they actually delivered whatever was burning in the kitchen to our table. It was the pita bread. Bread is the staple of a restaurant and they delivered it burnt! The stuffed mushroom caps were nothing to write home about. Our entrees we ordered the paella which was very wet and runny. I know this a mediterranen fusion restaurant but come on with the paella!! There was no twist or fusion with the paella, it was just plain horrible. For our $100 tab for our dinner we were very dissapointed. I don't know how this restaurant got the reviews that it did. We will never go back to Fino again. Also, the service lacked something to be desired. Pros: Atmosphere Cons: Food & Service more

We used to like eating at Fino's. After a recent visit, we noticed the wrong tip amount was on our cc bill. It took three phone calls with the increasingly snooty management to get it corrected. Errors (?) happen, but admitting them and correcting them is part of good management. No more Fino's for us... Pros: Good food, pleasant outdoor seating Cons: O.K. service, snooty management more

gorgeous restaurant with a menu that sometimes sounds better on paper than they can actually pull off. Pros: awesome bartender Cons: occasionally underwhelming food more

this place has great tapas and paella. Their patio is really fun on a beautiful afternoon with friends. Pros: really nice atmosphere and surprising patio Cons: strange location more

Love this bar! The inside and outside. The outside patio balcony has comfortable sofas and lots of room to spread out with a lovely tree top view of central Austin. There are happy hour drink specials every night, which is why I am usually there after work. My champagne drinking friends and I like the 1/2 off sparkling wine special every day from 5-7. I highly recommend the fried goat cheese appetizer. more

I hate this restaurant. I went with a group of 8 friends on a friday night at 8pm, and can't really say I enjoyed any part of it. The tapas style items worked well for our large group, but everything was so absurdly overpriced we could hardly afford to pass things around. The ambiance and decor inside, described so majestically on this site's homepage, was like a Macaroni Grill. Plain green walls, one decorative carving on a center wall, and a few dim, square light fixtures. Oh, and the bathrooms (which are plain and public school-ish) are hidden by large cloud-grey curtains. So artsy! Pros: parking garage Cons: overpriced, average flavors, slow, boring more

I've come to Fino on a number of occasions and have always been impressed with both the quality of the food and the service I've received. The waitstaff is great about making recommendations if you are new - or just indecisive. I love the atmosphere! It's definitely a great place to go with friends or even a date. Give them a try and I'm sure you won't be disappointed! more

Great food...great space...great atmosphere! The food is delicious and the ambiance is relaxing, yet refined. Pros: ambience, good food, parking more

I went back last week. I am glad I did. Everything was prepared well and looked great. Keep up the good work more

I went to FINO with a friend after work and sat on their patio. We ordered the fried goat cheese which was fabulous. The sweetness of the jam and the honey with the combination of the saltiness of the cheese was mouthwatering! Yum, yum. We split the tomatoe risotto which was also very good and a bottle of wine. Our waiter was great at making suggestions and didn't miss a beat. We had a great time and the food was a wonderful compliment to a great evening. We will definitely return in the near future. We've found a new Austin favorite for sure! more

I LOVE FINO. It's a great place with great atmosphere. The happy hour is the best - one of the best in Austin. There are selections of small plates that you can order for half price. They do $5 martinis on Monday and the wine selection is good too. Definitely give this place a try if you are looking for high quality food that won't empty your wallet. Pros: weekly food and drink specials, atmosphere more