North By Northwest Restaurant & Brewery

This place is so good! You definitely need to check it out for a beer soon! more

Great food. Great service. Excellent Staff! more

Unqualified General Manager = HORRIBLE SERVICE!!!\r General Manager Ben is inexperienced and unqualified to be a manager!!!\r \r This was our first visit. My husband & I attended a birthday celebration on Wednesday evening, Dec. 12. We arrived with the guest of honor and her family at about 7:30pm. Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted by all of her friends who were enjoying drinks at the bar. Within minutes we were seated in the dining room. This is where the chaos began...\r \r 10 seats instead of 20 were reserved at this very busy restaurant. Our party began with 13 & increased to 20 within about 30min. After 5min & no service, my husband waved at a server ( who didn't respond) & asked our bus boy if we could order a drink. Another 5min passed, still no server. General Mgr Ben came to our table to organize more seats and my husband told him that we were not getting any service. Ben responded, ""Take it easy."" (Great response, Ben!!)\r \r Without arguing, we went to the bar and got our drinks. Twenty minutes later, we were ready for our 2nd drink. We gave our server the signal that we wanted to order. He acknowledged us and then we watched him take orders from 3 guests at our table & walk away. (He was taking orders from our table, 2-3 guests at a time!) Shortly after 8pm, the server FINALLY took our drink order only to return empty handed. He said he was told NOT TO SERVE US!! I WAS FLABBERGASTED!!! He didn't explain why but i didn't bother arguing. Instead, i went back to the bar. \r \r Guess what? The bartender told me to go back to my table and order from the server!! Finally, General Mgr Ben met me at the bar & explained that they refuse to serve my husband because he was being aggressive with the server. (Since when is waving a server for service considered aggressive?!) I told him that my husband was not aggressive...he was just trying to get service. I further explained that the server was not doing a good job...taking only 3 orders at a time when he should be taking everyone's orders (yes, all 20 guests!) Ben responded with ""don't tell me how to run my staff"" & then he threw his hands up & said, ""It's not my fault your party reserved 10 instead of 20!"" (WHAT??) ""I'm a guest here, not the organizer,"" I said, ""& it doesn't matter how many people arrived, WE NEED SERVICE!"" \r \r Here's the KICKER...\r Ben continued with ""Go back to your table, take a seat, order some food and then we'll serve you a drink."" (WOW!!! The GM is telling me that I HAVE TO ORDER FOOD BEFORE BEING SERVED A 2ND DRINK??) I WAS APPALLED!! I said to Ben ""you're a GM & this is how you speak to your guests? I'm from the hospitality biz & our GMs would NEVER speak to a guest this way!"" Ben concluded with ""if you don't like it you can leave!"" \r \r PRICELESS!!! \r \r Obviously, I left. I fetched my husband and apologized to our friend, the birthday girl, who agreed that service was horrible.\r \r * Note that I have over 10 years experience as a Catering Mgr in fine dining. I have organized thousands of events with average guest count of 50. Situations where more guests arrive than planned are extremely common! As a GM, Ben should have assigned more than 1 server to our table to assist with initial drink orders. If no server was available, then Ben should have taken drink orders himself. Team work!! Instead, Ben left us dry with one inexperienced server who took 30 min to take drink orders. His actions are a perfect example of someone who is incapable of managing a restaurant of this magnitude!! more

This place was way too expensive and not worth it. more

I'm so happy they have trivia here, I live right across the street! Not only are the drink specials great, the trivia is super fun. Name that tune round is my favorite! PS. I love their beeeeeer :) more

- it's Yummy! - able to accommodate large groups with ease - plenty of variety in food and drink to please everyone - rustic, lodge like atmosphere - ample parking Pros: good 4 groups, friendly service Cons: location more

The menu never changes. Issues with an overly salty pizza. Love the bartenders! more

My husband and I were engaged and married at NX so we feel especially connected to this place. The staff is so nice and George's (Executive Chef) menu is so good. You can always find something tasty to dine on. Pros: Great food and staff more

The service staff is as good as is gets and their seasonal brews keep things interesting in a really good way. Saturday and Sunday brunches start early (10:30) so if you have kids the timing is perfect.\r \r For brunch the baked Huevos Rancheros, Breakfast Sandwich, Club Sandwich and my personal favorite on Sunday - the Meatloaf - are well worth the trip. The Chicken Fried Chicken special on Wednesdays ranks way up there as well... Pros: Beer, Service, Food more

Tried NXNW for happy hour for the first time and will definitely make it a regular stop! The half-price appetizer menu was full of good options that pleased our entire party. I especially recommend the spinach, capers and artichoke dip and the roasted garlic bulbs. As for the beer, I can't rave enough! I had never been to a microbrewery before but after my experience at NXNW, I will certainly make it a point to go again and again. Their pale ale and hefeweizen were particularly tasty. A few of my friends were not beer drinkers, but certainly were not left out. The frozen margaritas and peach bellinis also on the happy hour menu were delicious! Great food, great beer, great service! Pros: Beer, Food, Great Service more

Amazing food......simply delicious....been here 3 times... 1st time: Shrimp scampi...amazing! 2nd time: Rotisserie chicken...delicious 3rd time: Cedar plank salmon....yummy Will go again n recommend everyone.. just that its too crowded during lunch hours....evenings are better Pros: Amazing food Cons: Too crowded during lunch more

I come into eat here everytime my family is in from the north. Just recently I had to bring in a party of 15 and had an absolutely wonderful experience. All of my family loved their food and the atmosphere. Even though it is a brewery it is never really loud or barlike. It feels like a family lodge. I get to eat here only a few times a year and everytime the food and the service is outstanding and always consistent. The people who work there seem to really enjoy their jobs and almost everytime a manager has stopped by my table to ask how everything was. It is warm and cozy restaurant with a style of food original from anything else in Austin. The menu is extensive and the pricing is perfect. I would always recommend this restaurant to locals and out of towners!!! A+ more

Have never been disappointed with any choices from their menu. Service has always been prompt, courteous.\r Love the fireplace, warm, inviting. more

I had a dinner at North by Northwest today with a group of people (about 25 people) and the service was absolutely horrible. \r \r I ordered iced tea. I asked our only wait person twice for sugar. Never got one. A manager passed behind our table and I stopped him for sugar and I finally got it. More than 30 minutes have passed since we sat down. \r \r Then I ordered a large Lodge Soup . Our wait person brought me the soup of the day instead. Another 15~20 minutes have passed before he brought me the right soup. Lukewarm like it has been sitting in the kitchen for a while and no crackers. No apology from our waiter.\r \r Each of us received a bill. Mine showed $8.84 including the automatic 18% gratuity. I gave our wait person $9.00 cash expecting a change. He never gave it to me. I finally asked him and he said ok. He continued what he was doing instead of trying to give me a change. At this point, I had enough. I stood up and asked for a manager. \r \r The first thing that the manager said was something like ""We normally don't take such a large group unless a private room is reserved.""\r \r If that's the case, they should have sticked to their policy in the first place. I think it is crazy that ""one"" wait person takes care of 25 people. I have never been to a restaurant where ""one"" wait person handles 25 people. It is impossible to provide a good service.\r \r After all the bad service, our wait person never said ""sorry"" or anything. I really don't think he was worth 18% gratuity as all I got from him was a headache not a service. I just don't undertand why he assumed that I would give him more for all this. \r \r After I talked to the manager, I was hoping that he would talk to our wait person and come to say ""sorry"". I don't think that happened, either. As I was leaving, he was at the front area and never saw me or said anything to me. \r \r I am very disappointed. I won't go back again. This was a nightmare. \r \r \r \r more

The food was mediocre at best, overpriced as well. The meal was overcooked. Service was decent. As for the brewery, I wasn't really impressed with the beer. Their light pilsner tasted like Keystone and water. I wouldn't recommend it. Cons: Food, Beer, Wait time more

I recently dined at North by Northwest and had a fantastic dining experience. Upon arrival, the atmosphere in the bar was energetic and immediately a place you felt like you wanted to bring your friends. Dinner was delicious. The Bacon-wrapped Scallops were prepared perfectly, the field green salad was as tasty as it always is, and the beef tenderloin was one of the best steaks I have ever had. The food however is not the only plus for North by Northwest. Their beer is also something to look forward to! They have several different kinds to choose from and a couple even change every month so you could never get tired of drinking there. Overall, my fiance and I are very impressed and would recommend visiting this place whenever you get a chance!! Pros: Attentive servers, great food, GREAT beer more

I'm from Ca but before Austin I did 7 years in Portland, OR. Was very much looking forward to a ""taste of home"" last summer when we were homesick and new transplants to Tx. \r Food, sub-standard. Just not great quality. They had some funny names so at least the menu was NW like but the decor and actualy taste. Meh, not so great.\r I mean they did nail down the mediocre to poor service that Portland has...well they weren't that bad but the food was just not that good. Went a second round to make sure, 2 strikes and you are out.\r \r Wish is was better. I think what they need is Totchos. Oh yeah tater tots (prevalent in NW) and nachos - a place in Portland's Sellword sdistrict makes them - think tots with all the fixings of nachoes (real cheese not the velveta). Now that would make this place awesome right there. more

My wife and I have been going to NXNW since they opened during the DotCom hype. We have always loved the place and even with the constantly expanding and changing menu this local brew pub has preserved what it is all about and what Austin is all about. North by Northwest is a new take on Northwestern cuisine and the combination of food beer and a fairly extensive wine list (for a micro brewery) make this place special. \r As we have been there so often I would run out of space to describe all the delicious food my wife and I had at this place, or colleges and customers I have taken for Lunch and/or Dinner. I think the biggest secret about this place is chef George....the guys is PHENOMENAL! As I said for the last 5+ years the food is very consistent and always excellent. \r For Lunch I would recommend the rib special on Monday (divine) the best you can get. I have only had the same quality and taste once in a very upscale restaurant in Chicago that was almost as good. \r Any time of the day: The Burger! It is (at least for me) the BEST BURGER IN TOWN (yes, I have been to Casino El Camino, Dirty's and even the West Lynn Nau's Pharmacy)... this one for me beets them all!\r For Dinner: The Filet is excellent, try to change the order to have it with the blue cheese scallop potatoes...wonderful. The Duck is great and very inexpensive. \r Appetizers: The Calamari (great to share), the Cornbread (if you are not allergic against goat cheese) can also be a lighter meal, the Artichokes are very nice and the Crab Cakes......(I think are George's speciality)\r \r Aaahhh for get the recommendations, try anything you want and I promise you it will be good!\r \r Now combine this with some of the best beer in town (I'm from Germany and lived in the UK so beer is a big deal for me), try the DuckabishAmber, the Black-beer, I especially love the sour beers the brew master puts together (not something for everyone, but if you like it you... oh you will have to ask for it as well). Pros: Food, beer and wine selection, ambience, value -- short everything! Cons: Parking can be tricky -- but heh that shows you this place is very popular more

I love NXNW! It has fabulous food and a unique menu. They have a cozy, but chic decor and a fabulous patio. The patio is covered in lush grenery and white christmas lights. You can even catch music out on the patio from time to time. I hear the beer menu is great, but I'm not much of a beer drinker, so I couldn't tell you for sure. If you want to go somewhere for a memorable date or just to gather with friends on the patio. This is a great pick. Pros: Patio & Music, decor, food Cons: it can be loud more

The salads were very good but that was where it ended. I ordered the smoked salmon and my husband ordered the special which was beef and shrimp kabobs. The salmon was over cooked and otherwise about average. The real failure came with my husbands order. Half way through the beef kabob he exclaimed that the dish was extremely spicy to the point where it was over whelming the dish. After a few more minutes he was visibly sweating. He moved on to the shrimp hoping it had not been covered in the same spice. The shrimp still had not been devained, still had part of the shell on them so that they were crunchy, and some even still had legs on them! At this point he decided to stick to the vegetables and rice. As he was investigating the vegetables he realized that the green peppers he had been eating were actually jalapenos. At this point he was completely out of water and our waiter had not been by in over 15 minutes. My husband had to crunch on ice to calm the burning. When we waiter finally came back we asked for the check! Pros: The salads were good, happy hour all week Cons: quality of the food for the amount you pay, service was slow more