The Belmont

We delighted in our Valentine Dinner at the Belmont. Mike had made reservations early, (January) and we got the best table in the house. Greeted at the door with a Red Rose for me and prompt seating at our table was exceptional service. Mike had the salmon, while I had the shrimp and cheese grits. Both were presented beautifully and tasted fantastic.! We have never been disappointed in any meal we've had at the Belmont but tonight they were really on their game. The wait staff was friendly and handled the crowded floor very well. We started our dinner with the calamari and I have to say I was impressed. Fried in a light cornmeal batter and combined with fried jalape?o chips it is heaven for the taste buds. Paired with a white sauce and a marinara, I have to say they get 5 stars from me on this dish. Dinner was topped off with complimentary chocolate covered strawberries and a free CD of music from their lounge. I have to say the only disappointment was the club upstairs was rented out so there was no dancing. That would have been a perfect end to a perfect meal. I would highly recommend The Belmont and if you have not discovered this Austin jewel then you are missing out. Try it for yourself! BTW: our two meals and calamari was only $45 bucks and was plenty of food. Top class with affordability ~ I promise we will keep returning. more

I heard a lot about the Belmont from the Chronicle and that critic on the radio all the time. We decided to go after they had been open a while. Here's the deal. We did not eat but went in for drinks on Friday 1/19. Valet was good, a little line at the door but no cover, so o.k. I went to the bar upstairs and ordered an absolute gibson and a taquerey martini. What I got was absolute in a martini glass with none of the little onions and on the second drink the bartender asked me what flavor gin I wanted. I said the clear one.... Pros: New place, nice inside Cons: incorrect drinks, smokey crowded tent outside more

Atmosphere as advertised, really enjoyed that, and cocktail service excellent on Friday night. The bartender sent our server back to our table to ask me what kind of bourbon I wanted in my Tom Collins. Whaaaat? Pros: Concept is working! Cons: Bartending experience ...? more

I've only been here once, but I wasn't too impressed. The crowd was older--I was probably one of the youngest patrons there, at 25. The music was terrible! It was definitely ""old people"" music--slow and pretty boring. My friend and I were served our drinks in small disposable plastic cups, while everyone else got real glasses. What is that about? Pros: nice outside bar area Cons: MUSIC, plastic cups more

Thinking I'd never get a reservation since The Belmont was new and trendy, I called on a Saturday and suprisingly, was able to get a 7:30 reservation. We arrived at 7:15, let the friendly valets park our car (nice not to have to worry about it), then walked in to find what appeared to be a fashionable crownd ranging from about 25 to 60. We're in our thirties, so this was a good thing. The bar was packed, but not uncomfortably so and the restaurant was full, save for a few booths. One of which was ours, so they really did honor the reservation. We sat down and noticed that at least two tables nearby were ""Girls Night Out"" groups. Pros: people watching Cons: food was on the rich side, but that's not necessarily bad for most more

I guess we expected this place to have better food. Not that it was bad we just thought it could be a lot better. The menu reminds me of an old steak house. So does the interior actually. Don't get me wrong this place is hip and cool but would be much better if the food kicked some butt which it doesn't. We won't be back to eat. Maybe for drinks though. Pros: patio area Cons: average food more

my husband and i are regulars at this new austin hot spot. we really enjoy the food as well as the atmosphere. from the time we walk in to the time we leave we are treated like kings. the valets are always friendly and are extremely good looking!!!! Pros: atmosphere Awesome valets more

Some friends I popped into the Belmont for dinner on a Friday night. There was a two-hour wait for a dinner table, but hey, it's Austin. We saw in the bar and ordered drinks. It took 20 minutes for them to arrive. Same problem with the next round, and at this point the place wasn't even that crowded. The beeper the restaurant gave us kept emitting a single loud BEEEEP! every ten seconds or so; the hostess claimed to have no idea what the problem was (though I found out the following week they knew damn well what was happening, since the same thing happened to sets of friends on other nights as well: someone there hadn't ordered a set of beepers with a wide-enough range, so the BEEEPs meant we were out of radio range, never mind that we were maybe 50 feet from the hostess stand). Pros: Scene, tasty drinks, great decor, valet parking Cons: Slow service, crowds on weekends, BAD food more

Last week I went to The Belmont with several associates of mine and had the best time. From the moment we arrived to when we left we were treated like royalty. A beautiful valet girl promptly greeted us when we arrived who was very welcoming. What an excellent concept I thought, girl valet greeters. Pros: wait staff, drinks, valet more

We visited last weekend for my husband's birthday. It was great to come in to a quiet, swank restauarant at 7:30 and enjoy a good dinner and appetizers for under $25. The service was good, unobtrusive, and friendly. Cappucino martinis were good, ambiance was excellent. HOWever.. Pros: Excellent location, beautiful patio, good food for the price Cons: Understaffed interior on cold nights more

Even if you just go to have a cocktail, GO! This place has an amazing outdoor entertaining area. There's a great outdoor patio and a rooftop bar/deck also. The atmosphere inside is nice, dim lighting, romantic. Highly recommend! Pros: It has it all, great atmosphere and look Cons: Food is pricey more

Love the belmont, just what the 'hood needed. It's upscale but with the relaxed austin vibe. Chris Walker mixes up the best drinks. staff is friendly and prices fantastic. Pros: prices, atmosphere, service more

Beautiful new bar downtown!!! lovely on inside and out, brought some girls by for happy hour last friday, our waitress was great, food great(wonderful burger),...but...valets: rude, for $6 parking, I at least expect a little service, oh well, everything else was wonderful! just recommend some new valet guys, i mean c'mon!!! Pros: Restraunt, martinis, service inside Cons: valet more

This is a great new bar with a fabulous patio and deck under the palm trees. Of course, the deck should have been facing the skyline and the servers wear these ugly, non-flattering white polos, but it otherwise has character. The food and restaurant service needs work, but the owner came by our table and was on top of things, so this might improve (it just opened summer of 2006). Pros: Fantastic bar, lots of people, place to be seen Cons: Food, food service, very dark inside more

My first time at The Belmont was a fabulous experience. Brought me back to my years of living in New York. It has that skwanky flair of sophistication in the midst of Austin's laidback 6th street. To eat, I had ""The Belmont Burger"", which to my surprise was not all that expensive and incredibly tasty. The service was quick and friendly...My only complaint/question was, Why the heck was their a line in the middle of the downstairs patio bar...to get upstairs to the balcony? I understand it could get crowded up there, but the chaotic traffic that builds in the middle of the downstairs area was completely distracting and took away from the overall ambiance. The stairs should have been placed in the back rather than plopped in the mid section of the bar as you first enter...but that's just me being picky. Other than that...if you like to dress up, have a little extra cash in your pocket to spend...this would be a great place to wine and dine your friends. Pros: Good Eats Cons: Another line in the middle of the bar, to get up to the balcony section more

The Belmont so far has good service and a comfortable, classy atmosphere as well as a nice selection of salads and sandwiches for lunch. The prices are reasonable for the sandwiches, but the salad prices are a tad high. I would caution a potential diner about the chef's definition of ""how do you want that cooked"". I asked for my burger to be well-done and it was medium. On another occasion, a friend of mine was persuaded by the waiter that her steak would be best if it was medium-rare on her salad and it ended up being more rare. Be warned that iced tea is the exorbitant price of $2.50. Yikes! more