Review Olamaie - Austin

Wow! Amazing service. Folks welcoming and the atmosphere was great. Not too loud. Good for an intimate dinner. Had the blackened red snapper in a crab sauce. It didn’t look like much but was so delicious. Best thing I’ve eaten in a while. Would definitely recommend. The biscuits are amazing also.

Olamaie is an amazing dinner experience. We sat at the bar and received some of the best and most memorable service from Sam the bar manager. They were attentive and friendly and made the dining experience a 10/10. Every dish was beautiful and delicious! If you don’t see a cocktail you want on the menu they’ll make you something custom. Sam was able to craft a delicious whiskey sour and old fashioned for us. I’ll definitely be bringing friends and visitors here, can’t wait to come back.

My favorite restaurant in Austin! It feels slightly upscale but not overly pretentious, and hits that sweet spot between comfort food and fine dining just right. Dining in the outdoors area is nice in a breezy afternoon as well. They also offer a selection of decent cocktails, even though I don’t enjoy drinking.

In a word - WOW :) From the moment we walked in w no reservation and were graciously seated at the bar; to the delightful conversation we shared w the incredible Ari; to each & every single bit of food and drink we consumed … just pure class and elevation at every turn. (This place did not come up in any of my searches; my husband found it randomly as we were trying to stay close to Moody for a show … this is a hidden gem!) Kudos to the whole staff for churning out a complete experience from start to finish!

Elegantly executed dishes. Try the vesper-inspired martini! It’s a beautiful rich cocktail that sets up the dinner beautifully. The beef tartar was perfectly balanced as were the mains, but what really stood out was the dessert. I will preface this by saying neither of us are dessert people and we typically skip it altogether, but the peach cobbler with passion fruit semifredo was ethereal. We’ve never in our life loved a dessert as much as this. Regardless of whether you think you like dessert or not, you cannot miss this when dining there. It is magical.

Great vegan options! The smoked cabbage had an interesting flavor and was unlike any cabbage dish I’ve had before. The service was great and the servers answered all my questions well.

The biscuits here are amazing! Good: - Biscuits are SO GOOD. The honey butter adds a layer on top of the normal biscuit and it’s so buttery and tasty - Cabbage - 10/10- the best cabbage I’ve had, the flavors are incredible - Tartar - similarly amazing and just perfectly made - staff were nice Bad: - Pretty expensive place - Pork ribs were okay, but were just a lot of meat and I couldn’t finish it in the end - Food took a while to get to us - Fairly simple but old school interior and ambiance Overall this place was nice! I wouldn’t come again though

This is one of only a handful of top rated restaurants in Austin and the surrounding areas that didn't disappoint me in some way. Everything we ate was fantastic and the staff was wonderful. They recommended sharing different meals, and I would recommend the same. Some of the food is really rich in a good way, but eating the entire thing might be too much, share, and enjoy something special together. If you go by yourself, I'd recommend getting food that would be considered lighter on the palate.

Really a wonderful dining experience. We were brought to this location as the guest to a company that had brought us into town for a meeting. Fresh takes on farm to table ideas, with really great flavor pairings. Wonderful craft made cocktails and the service staff was really impressive. Some of the atmosphere was added, most likely due to the company in which we were adjoined since it seemed they would frequent this place which we were able to benefit greatly. I look forward very much to going back when I'm in Austin the next time.

Came here to celebrate our wedding anniversary and boy did it not disappoint. Drinks were solid and the southern fare sent my tastebuds into bliss! Everything was so full of flavor. We actually sat by one of their pastry chefs who was having dinner there and she gave us the play by play of all of the layers of the crumble! They also add gratuity/wellness to the check so their employees are taken care of. Appreciated that. Will be back for other special occasions!

We got Belle of the Melon Ball, Cornballer, The Long Goodbye, and Whiskey A Go-Go. All of the cocktails were really good. For the first course we got the the Gulf Crudo (tuna), Beef Tartare, and Hush Puppies with Onion Dip. The crudo was amazing. The Hush Puppies were fresh and tasty. The tartare was a little different than normal tartare. It had a beet sauce that was good but not what I think of when it comes to tartare. I might not order it again since we enjoyed the others more. For dinner we ordered a biscuit and the Blackened Dayboat Fish (snapper). The biscuit with honey butter was excellent as always. The fish was just kind of OK and could have used some more seasoning and salt. The rice/risotto with blue crab sauce that came with it was really good. Next time we would probably give the pork chop a try instead. For dessert we got the Kentucky Butter Cake based on our waitress' recommendation and it did not disappoint. Olamaie is definitely a restaurant to try but it isn't in our top Austin restaurant rotation.

Olamaie is really good but not perfect. The place is very cute and romantic. It is rather loud, so it can be a bit difficult to have a quiet conversation. The cocktails were very nice and the first course items we had, smoked beef belly & shrimp w/ red rice were amazing. The biscuits are also crave worthy. The main entrees we tried were good but could have been a bit better. The grilled pork chop was nice and thick but a little over cooked. The beef cheeks were nice but the grits were a bit lumpy and the tomato sauce was kind of bland. The sweet potato side was also amazing. The service was great and I would go back. Next time I would just order some first course items, biscuits, and sides. Their portion sizes are really good.

I would give this place one Michelin star if I could. What a joy of tastes. I highly recommend basically everything. But to help, I had three dishes. The butter beans balanced the density of the beans with the creaminess of the butter. The result is an elevated take on Southern butter beans that I could have eaten all day. The sourdough was presented as a cracker much like how I would sometimes use a saltine on a bean soup. With the lighter crunch I get the right slight texture change to go with the butter beans. The tiny Tabasco bottle was an excellent touch. Normally I see hot sauce and douse the bean dish in it. By going small, the chef forces me to first and often eat the beans on their own. This I end up learning: good bean dishes you want to dash hot sauce on the spoon, not in the bowl. Excellent. The red rice and gulf shrimp had excellent shrimp but the star to me is the sofrito. I want to learn how to make sofrito as a result of this dish as it made red rice the absolute star. Tangy, salty, garlicky, peppery, herby, my goodness. What a way to take red rice, usually the Robin to shrimp, to the level of Batman. The third dish is the best lamb dish in Austin. The curried lamb terrine is tremendous. Like I had to finish even though I was full tremendous. The jerk came through in exactly the right amount: strong but not burning, spicy but not dominant, tasty but not deadening. As a result I could taste the lamb too and oh wow. Lamb neck confit is so tender and flavorful. Working that with curry meant the curry tasted better (b/c oil) and the meat tasted better (meaty but not gamey). To top it off with peppers and beans instead of a starch meant your pause bites were a healthy dose of texture change. The best dish I had and far and away the best lamb in Austin. We came here after a conference and Olamaie is on a non-descript street in a gap between campus and downtown. I knew it was a restaurant because it was the only place up and down that had valet. Walking up the ramp to Olamaie is a physical transport to a wonderful place. The service was so attentive and the atmosphere so pretty. Like I said at the top, Amanda Turner and this crew deserve a Michelin star for being this good

Had a wonderful dinner on their patio last night, celebrating our 5 year anniversary. Stunning evening with incredible food. Apps - Smoked Beef Belly and Gulf Crudo Entrees - Blackened Dayboat Fish (Red Snapper) and Curried Lamb Terrine. Dessert - Buttermilk Biscuits! Everything was delicious with a special shout out to the biscuits and the Blue-crab sauce accompanying the dayboat fish. We appreciated them being upfront about the employee wellness charge of 20%. Feels more honest than the song and dance of a ‘gratuity’. Happy to take care of everyone that helped with making that experience special. Ultimately, this is a special occasion place for most… unless money has no meaning to you or your work is footing the bill. 🤣

What a fabulous meal! Flavorful dishes, cocktails were balanced, and the service is attentive without ever making us feel rushed. Such a great venue in a historic home. Highly recommend.

On the outskirts of downtown Austin rests a small ranch home converted to one of the better restaurants I’ve been to in some time. At first, I was getting a bit frustrated as our reservation was as for 8, but we didn’t get sat till around 830 on this busy Friday evening. But the flaws stopped there. We were greeted by the most friendly and accommodating server I can remember having lately. If you’re making a reservation ask for Hope. She went as far at the end of the meal to write down recs for us where the locals like to go for drinks, tacos, etc. a perfect touch. The menu isn’t large, but offers a fantastic variety of southern fare with options for all. The beef tartare and tuna crudo were outstanding. Both were perfectly prepared. Tender, flavorful and worth repeating. The beef belly, similar to a pork, had a lovely smoked flavor, but being even fattier than a pb, it was a heavy dish that was a bit rich for me this evening. The stars of the night were their house biscuit with honey butter and the pork chop. Both of which possibly ruined all other biscuits and chops for me going forward. These two items are worth the visit alone. The chop was as tender as I can ever remember having with a insane mushroom gravy and fabulous smoky flavor as well. My only regret was not trying the butter cake for dessert. There was just no room after all the other goodies.

Best biscuit I have ever eaten in my entire life. Also a fantastic peach cobbler.

Went to Olamaie last night. Not for me. I had so been looking forward to going. The food was really, really SALTY and not well prepared. I ordered a chilled crab salad, and had to pick shell out of it every other bite. Our waiter wasn't very friendly, not rude but not welcoming either. The menu is very short and mostly consists of steak (I didn't think it was a steakhouse?) and everything was way overpriced for what you get. Also an extremely limited wine list. We specifically asked for the biscuits, since they were voted "best in the city" by Austin Monthly magazine. They were warm and fluffy, probably the highlight of the meal. However, the waiter acted like he didn't want us to have them because "they are meant to come with the second course." Well, we weren't having a second course, so...The atmosphere was nice. It is a beautiful place, but did not at all live up to the hype. I was expecting a lovely Southern style eatery but this is more of a business guys out to dinner, regimented courses place. Bummer.

I just finished a meal served at a private event for Southern Foodway Alliance. It was quite possibly the best meal I have ever eaten. Everything was delicious and the service was top-notch.

The food was delicious and the service was top notch. All the sides were awesome and the ribeye was cooked to perfection, not your average menu. Nice to have something new and delicious to enjoy! Will definitely be back and highly recommend to all!

It's the best Jerry, the best. Service was fantastic, food was yummy and the drinks were orgasmic.

The food and service at Olamaie are exceptional. Highly recommend this restaurant and appreciate the very thoughtful sourcing of ingredients.

Expensive but the food was great and service impeccable .. lovely restaurant .. the biscuits are to die for... worth every calorie

Excellent five star service and amazing biscuits. Food is delicious- we aren’t huge fans of southern food to begin with but we’d go back simply bc the staff is terrific.

Great dining experience all around! The food was excellent, most notably the pork chop and amazing biscuits. Service was friendly and on point. Decor is homey yet sophisticated. Had an awesome birthday dinner there!

Best restaurant in Austin! The quality of uniques dishes is like a journey for your taste buds. I absolutely love how friendly and welcoming the staff is!

To my good friend Chef Mike, thank you for the outstanding food and service. My friends and I were very impressed with everything, it was a great experience, thank you for everything. We highly recommend your restaurant!

Great experience. The food and service were top notch. Really enjoyed the field peas.

First time at Olamaie and is now on my list to come back to. Great restaurant for nice dinner and excellent food.

This place is awesome - every single dish was tremendous, but I really have to say, the craft cocktails were truly out of this world. The mixologist, Erin, crafted each cocktail uniquely to what we were looking for. It was amazing, adventurous, balanced and surprising. Will DEFINITELY be returning soon!!

An incredible dining experience. Upon entering, we were warmly greeted and offered a seat in the lounge area while our table was prepared. Our table was perfect with a thoughtful birthday message for my husband. The service was impeccable. The small bite from the kitchen prior to starting our meal was a wonderful way to begin our dining adventure at Olamaie. Well done and thank you for the attention to every detail along the way. We'll be back for sure.

It was amazing! The atmosphere, food, drinks, & service all superb. Definitely recommend it!

Food was anazing, service was on point! You have to ask for the biscuits, they are not on the menu. So worth it!