North By Northwest Restaurant & Brewery

We've been eating and drinking at NXNW almost since they opened. We take visitors from out of town there--friends and family. We eat dinner several times a year and go for appetizers and beer at least once a month. A few years ago we had a marginal meal during the holiday season, and the same thing the next year, a week or so before Christmas, but other than those two times it?s been right every time. I had lunch at the bar once, in the midst of a lunch rush, when the health inspector showed up and was dragging the staff around by their ears, and they still did a great job.\r \r The day-in, day-out beers are very good as are the montly special brews. You can buy a growler (large glass ?to go? container) and have it filled with your favorite brew and take it back for refills over and over. \r \r The appetizers are creative and well done, and it?s one of the few places in Austin that has good cuts of beef and doesn't charge belligerent prices for it. I grew up in the Midwest, land of corn-fed beef, and I know what I?m talking about. They add sauces and flavorings carefully and don?t overcook them so you can savor the quality. Their skillet-fried cornbread is obscenely good and the calamari is the best I've ever had and the mussels are great too! \r \r Last night we had a party of 6 (visitors from Europe) and everyone loved their appetizers and entrees. The specials were salmon with asparagus and basil risotto and pepper encrusted beef tenderloin. Both were excellent, as were the regular menu items: lemon shrimp linguini (always a favorite), orange chicken, beef tenderloin with mushroom risotto, and the appetizers and salads. \r \r The staff is generally friendly and attentive and provide good service.\r \r My only gripe is the parking lot gets full during the evenings and you often have to valet. That?s a tough one for me since I have a classic car and don?t let anyone drive it but my spouse. I?ve only had to valet it twice; the first time they let me park it myself ;-)\r Pros: consistantly good food and service, great real beer, good wine list Cons: parking lot crowded some evenings. more

I've eaten at NXNW three times; twice for dinner and once for lunch. I think its barely ok, sometimes less than. The food generally tastes like something you could easily get at any American chain. The grilled chicken penne pasta is overly sauced and the sauce is quite bland. Twice I've had the Asian Chicken Salad, and once it arrived without most of the ingredients mentioned on the menu. Boo.\r \r The service can be really poor, as in, your waiter will forget about you for 20 minutes at a stretch. The servers don't check back soon after the food has arrived, so if your dish isn't to your liking (as in that salad that didn't contain all the ingredients), well, tough. \r \r Overall, its a cool space in a nice location, and my husband likes their beers. But beyond that, I can't really recommend. Pros: Location, pretty interior Cons: Food, service, parking more

My hubby took me here for Valentine's Day and we've been back too many times to count since. Their goat cheese and roasted garlic appetizer is good enough to go just for that! Their pork tenderloin with wasabi mashed potatoes and red cabbage is amazing. The atmosphere is perfect, not heavy as a lot of restaurants here tend to be. In the summers they have live music on their deck that lights up with string lights as evening falls. In the winters they have a fireplace open on both sides with close seating. Their beer sampler is a steal and a blast to try all the different brews at once! The service has never impressed me, but their food is enough to keep us coming back as often as we can. This is our favorite Austin restaurant for food and atmosphere! Pros: Ambiance, Complimentary Valet Parking, Food Selection Cons: none! more

I recommend the sampler app to try all the different varieties of apps that are offered. I really enjoy the susage stuffed mushromms. The beer is definately good and they always have seasonal drafts. I highly recommned this place and they offer free valet parking and live music outside some evenings. Pros: Beer, Apps, Atmosphere more

I highly recommend North by Northwest! Great place! Great beer...Great Burgers...Great Entrees! Pros: Burgers, Beer more

I can't recommend dining at NXNW at peak times (especially Fridays after work). Go then and be prepared for parking-lot logjams, long waits and the maddening roar of the crowd. On second thought, don't -- stop by Sundays after 2 when things are easy and the service and food are bound to be more carefully rendered. On a recent visit the roasted-garlic-bulb starter (squeezed onto crostini by the server at table) was both theatrical AND a balm to any garlic lover; the grilled duck breast in marsala sauce with polenta was moist, flavorful and well-conceived; the sausage pizza, piquant and perfect. The huge burgers are always a good choice. The black beer is fine; I only wish NXNW would serve it about 10 degrees warmer so that the flavor could emerge! (This IS a brewpub, after all...) Atmosphere is Pacific Northwest all the way, and families are welcome. Pros: Food is improving, Great ambiance, Free valet parking Cons: Crowded most evenings, Noisy when crowded, Expensive at dinner more

Several previous visits to NxNW have always been rewarding, and I was looking forward to a nice dinner there tonight. Unfortunately, I found most of my choices quite disappointing. My French onion soup was lukewarm ; a slice of soggy French bread with a few strands of an indeterminate melted cheese floating in a salty broth. My spinach salad with roasted quail would have benefited greatly from less dressing, a better quality dressing, and the addition of some toasted pecans and goat cheese. The bourbon sauce on the cornbread pudding was poured with a stingy hand. The waitress, although cheerful and busy with our large table, disappeared for long periods of time and did not check back frequently enough for there to be an opportunity to correct anything. Pros: Good appetizers, Good margaritas Cons: , Inattentive service more

The ""Strip"" at North by Northwest was one of the best I've ever had. It was tender and had just the right amount of marbling to satisfy my carnivorous desires! The potatoes were plentiful and tasty...calling them mashers is a nice touch -- the garlic and the wasabi add just the right zing. The delicious surprise was the grilled vegetables..these were a TREAT! The best I've eaten in a town filled with restaurants that ""tout"" their grilled veggies! Do try the braised red cabbage! Pros: Service/Staff, Birthday desserts, Their dark beer Cons: , LOUD more

Order the Burger with Huntsman cheese and mushrooms, medium rare (Also can add bacon). The garlic fries that go along with are to die for. My husband likes Chipotle mayonaisse with his, but depends on your taste. Cannot go worong with this one, trust me! Pros: GROWLERS, BURGERS/Fries, Child friendly more

I had heard a lot of hype around North by Northwest before eating there. I went there tonight for the first time and was not as happy as I'd have liked to be. We started with the spinach artichoke dip which was way above average- Excellent. We ordered the beer sampler that sampled 6 beers- it was fun, about half of them were good. Our food was definitely below par. I ordered the salmon which smelled fishy and was drowned out in a molasses-type of syrup. The spinach and potatoes that were served with it were the best part. My boyfriend had steak with vegetables. He was not especially pleased and his steak was pretty bad. It is not that the food was awful, but for the amount of money you pay (our bill was about $60) there are many other restaurants that I would have rather blown $60 on. Pros: good appetizer, quickly seated, pretty good beer Cons: , food- so so more

Being from Boston, we were spoiled with great brew pubs. North by Northwest used be just a place for good local brews. They're getting the message. They've added cheaper menu items like sandwiches and burgers and made the menu more affordable. It's getting closer to Boston Beer Works but will never be the same. I've got to say that it's the best in Austin though. Pros: Good Beer, Great Happy Hour, Tasty pizzas Cons: Somewhat pricy still, Parking more

I hit 4 brewpubs in my 4 days in Austin, and North by Northwest was by far my favorite. didn't get a chance to eat there, so I can only say the craft brew was excellent. High quality across the board and a very comfortable atmosphere. more

A group of friends and I had been hearing about North by Northwest for what seems like ages and hed never been in to try it. I never realized it is locally owned and created. The menu has a great little story telling about it's origins. The food was absolutely fabulous. For appetizers, we had oysters on the half shell (a special that night) with an avacado horse radish moose, incredible. The entrees were equally excellent. We were told on Sundays they have a great burger special - 2 beers and a burger for $10. It's huge, with blue and cheedar cheese and these great garlic and parmesean fries. It may be the best burger in town. Beautiful atmosphere, great photos, and truly great craft beer. Better than any I've found in Texas. Pros: Food, Prices, Atmosphere Cons: Distance from home more

Best brewpub I've been to in Austin and one of my favorites anywhere. I've traveled all over the US and Europe and these guys are doing as good a job as anyone combining great beers and food. Not just your average pub grub - really first rate food. more

If you enjoy micro-brew beer, then you can't beat North by Northwest. And that's only the start! The menu includes tasty treats such as Pepper Crusted Beef Tenderloin and Smoked Pork Tenderloin. The people are friendly and the service is outstanding. I would go back anytime. I highly recommend it! Pros: Micro brew beer, Good service, Good food more

We love the beers but the food is average, nothing special. Pros: beers, beer sampler more

I think I enjoyed the price of the food at this restaurant once I downed all of the beer off the beer sampler thing they offer. I would HIGHLY recommend getting the Sampler if you are indecisive as I am about which brew to order (they are all good, light to dark). They're pizzas are EXCELLENT and nothing goes better than wood-burning stove pizzas then home-brewed beer! Yum! Pros: BEER, PIZZA, ATMOSPHERE Cons: foo-foo food, artsy-fartsy, the poor need not go more

For those people who live up north and don't feel like fighting the downtown crowd on a busy Friday night, North By Northwest is the perfect place to go. It's great for families, or a big single group looking for a place to let loose. The crowd is very different from the downtown scene, which I find refreshing. It doesn't have the snotty, pretentious regulars that some of the downtown restaurants have. The food is also excellent and at a reasonable price. It has a full bar with a recently updated wine list so there's something for everyone. Don't waste your time fighting the downtown crowds when there is something much better close to home. Pros: Inexpensive, Atmosphere, Service more