I hadn't been to Gene's in a while (shame on me) and was happy to see that they've added a second dining room -- muuuuch larger than the original seating area; I estimate about 12 additional tables. Over lunch, they had a blues guitarist playing nice, quiet music (completely easy to talk over), which added a lot to the already-comfortable ambiance. And the fried oysters are still amazing.
Pros: fried oysters, super friendly staff, east austin is cool
Cons: don't expect fancy, there may be a wait
more