Review Kerbey Lane Cafe - Northwest - Austin

When you’re in Austin it’s almost tradition to go to Kerbey Lane for a homey, filling meal. Kerbey always has a great seasonal menu and a fixed menu featuring breakfast (can be ordered anytime), Tex-Mex, and all American fare. This visit I was feeling like getting enchiladas and my friend got their seasonal Mac with chicken tenders. Food tastes just how you’d expect it to, and everything is priced reasonably. We had amazing service from Sean at this location, and he packaged our food to go with an extra side of chips and salsa without us asking. Thank you for the attentive and thoughtful service, and we’ll definitely be back to this Kerbey location!

Loved having breakfast here!! The pumpkin bread French toast platter was phenomenal!! Perfect fall breakfast. The breakfast potatoes side was a great addition the seasoning was perfect. My husband had the regular breakfast platter with pancakes and enjoyed his meal as well. I tried the pancakes which were so light and fluffy! Would definitely come back next time we're in Austin!

This place is AMAZING! The food is superb. They have local artwork on the walls and the staff is so nice. Definitely recommend for brunch (or any meal for that matter lol). Also they had Pumpkin Bread French Toast!

We just stopped for brunch and we were served by Chelsea. She made sure we had everything and she was super nice! Honestly we were pretty hungry so I actually forgot to take a picture as soon as the food came out, but it was really good. We got the French Toast Platter and the Crispy Chicken Benedict. I was just not a fan of the scrambled eggs I got, but it’s okay, the rest was pretty good! We also got the queso with chips and it was delicious! We first got seated inside but we thought the light was too dim so we asked if we could go outside on the patio and Chelsea was so nice and accommodating. Definitely recommend it!

Kirby Lane is a charming cafe with a cozy atmosphere and a diverse menu. The range of breakfast options is impressive, from fluffy pancakes to hearty omelets. Their friendly service and relaxed ambiance make it a great spot to enjoy a leisurely meal.

Stopped here traveling through for brunch. Loved all of the fresh vegan and vegetarian options! My kids loved the crispy bacon. French toast was amazing. Every one of us left happy and full!

Grilled chicken panini was real good. And the sweet potato fries must've been excellent because my grandbaby ate all that were on my plate. 😁

Our brunch at Kerby was delicious today! We had joined the wait-list on our way over, so we were seated pretty quickly. Our waiter, Hudson, was very attentive and constantly checked in to make sure that we were always having a good time. He was quick to bring out our drinks (and made some amazing iced mochas), and put up with our shenanigans pretty well! I ordered the Egg Francisco with poached eggs and it was delicious! The yolk weren't as runny as I'd prefer, but I can't complain too much since I've never poached an egg personally. Everything was fresh, hot, and satisfying. I will definitely be back!

Came here last weekend and our waitress, Bella, was very sweet and helpful. The food (breakfast) was delicious, fresh, and the overall experience was great. I wasn't very sure about the banana pudding pancakes, but I'm glad I trusted my gut because it was DELICIOUS! 🍌

Amazing mimosas. Super friendly. Lemon Poppy French Toast was out of this world. Love their famous omelet (forgot the name).

Food was great. Very busy but we were seated after a 10 minute or so wait. Server seemed too busy and never brought us sugar for our coffee. I will definitely be back, just maybe during not so busy hours.

My first time to this particular Kerbey. The place was empty due to Super Bowl. A grand menu with more than enough vegan and gluten free options to consider. We 4 were there so long that there was a shift change from Alex to Sofiya. A wonderfully attentive and sweet, intelligent and kind waitress at UTA. Thank you, Sofiya for a wonderful night at Kerbey. 👏👏👏

Stopped in here for breakfast and it was pretty good. My friends got the migas and a Benedict selection, both of which looked amazing and tasted great. I got the traditional breakfast, and it was pretty lackluster. Pancakes were good but the eggs were underwhelming and they only give one sausage or one piece of bacon.

Great place for breakfast and brunch! The queso is excellent to start with. Recommend adding the guac and pico! The signature hibiscus margarita was also very tasty. Our server was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. 5 stars is not enough! Highly recommend! Don't forget to tip!

Never had a problem here. Great food every-time I try something new. Highly highly recommend doing reservations before you go. It’s super simple on their website. They are always busy and packed during morning/lunch hours so having your name on the list helps move you faster than just walking in

An Austin Original! If you’re a fan of local eateries and getting the feel of a place through its food. This is a “must try” on your list. But, it’s also a popular spot for locals. Good food. At a good price. And family-friendly. I’m been coming to Kerbey Lane for years and would recommend to everyone!

Mostly empty restaurant. Mediocre food, lackadaisical service from a disinterested server. Didn't even bring everything that was ordered and had to ask to have the item removed from the check. Won't be going back.

Today a coworker had some chips and queso from Kerbey and asked if I had ever tried. I'm not from Austin, so I was unfamiliar with Kerbey Queso. Well, let me tell you....this queso is legit. After tying it, I decided to try out Kerbey after we finished working. <br/><br/>Being open 24 hours is a huge plus for me since I normally have to settle for fast food of some kind because I work late. I had the fried green tomato Fransiscan. English muffin, scrambled eggs, fried green tomato, bacon and avocado. All smothered in that queso. Pure heaven. <br/><br/>Lots of great choices on the menu! I'm looking forward to another visit very soon.

I love this restaurant. I am gluten intolerant, and they have a wide range of gluten free and vegan options. I've been here a few times, and so far my favorite dish is the gluten free pancakes. Most GF bread tastes like sawdust and cardboard, but Kereby Lane's GF sandwiches and burgers are so good that you can't tell the difference. I also love that this place is open 24 hours. It's great if you're looking for a midnight snack that isn't McDonald's or IHOP.<br/><br/>Service can be hit or miss. Sometimes I'm seated quickly and get my food at a decent time, other times I'm sitting and waiting and have to flag a waiter down so I can be served. It really just varies depending on the time of day and how busy it is. I feel the food makes up for this, though. It can also be a bit expensive, but considering how good the food is and the quality of ingredients, I consider it worth it.<br/><br/>I've only been to the Kereby Lane in Jollyville, so I can't compare it to the others, which I've been told are better. So far though, I don't have any major complaints.

Come for the queso stay for the pancakes. This place is the ultimate good comfort food spot. Great for groups and even better for kiddos. Come early because the wait tends to be 15-20 minutes. Breakfast foods are the best choice to me at least 😝 but you can pick anything and the food will be slightly above average

Good place for late night snackage.  Breakfast all day every day, and different specials.  If they have cinnamon pancakes, get them.  They stay in the fridge real well, and are like cinnamon rolls. But it's all good!

Worst customer service I have ever had at a Kerbey Lane. First I have to say once I was seated it was a good experience. Our waiter was lovely. <br/><br/>However, it took a long time to get seated. We came in before 11 am to get breakfast and was told it would be a 30 minute wait. It was actually an hour and 20 minute wait. Which is fine. Things happen. However how the front of house handled the crowd and the wait list was horrible. There was one girl in particular with long dyed red hair in charge of the list. First, when we walked up she had her head in her hands and wouldn't make eye contact, bad sign. Then she accidentally set people's pagers off and then told them they had to wait longer since she had made a mistake. After waiting 35 minutes and hearing a party say they were being seated because she skipped them ahead since they had kids we decided to ask how long the wait would be. She told us 10 minutes again without making eye contact or even looking up. 20 minutes later we asked again and a guy had to step in and answer for her. He asked us what pager number we had and then explained to the red headed girl that she had put down three different parties for the same pager number which had messed up the list. He took the list from her and then told us it would be another 20 to 30 minutes even though 20 minutes ago it had supposedly been 10. <br/><br/>We weren't the only party to experience this either. I saw many people go up to the girl and ask about the time and each time she would respond curtly without making eye contact or looking up. This girl has no business working in the service industry and as long as she works front of house I will not be returning to this location. Her rudeness and lack of courtesy and customer service was just uncalled for. It's totally worth the drive to go to the well run central location if you are craving kerbey lane.

Breakfast Only. If you're going here for anything but breakfast don't waste your time. I've had their breakfast and it's great, but we tried their dinner type entrees and it was so disappointing. Enough to send it back.

After many years of solid homestyle late nite cooking Kerbey finally succumbed to Californiosis and lost it's MOJO. I lived in Austin for 25 years and I have been to Kerbey hundreds of times - late nite, coming back from a live music show - you know the idea. And it was always a place you could count on. Nothing flashy but you got your beef fajitas sizzling on a plate and your night had nice closure. Well no mas. No more fajitas at Kerbey. And their fries that were always nicely cut and done potato wedges are now so dried up sticks bought at HEB and buried in seasoning. No more pastry to go either. What happened? Why did you decide to join the ranks of mediocrity?<br/>On a plus side service was good. But I will rather put some effort in finding other diners before going back to Kerbey. Old Austin is disappearing - first Artz Rib House and now Kerbey.

I was at the cafe recently, there was a server who asked me where I was from I said from Austin, he was like No where are you originally from, I said India, he then asked me if I lived in the land of slums, if there were elephants and snakes on the road roaming freely, if we had modern buildings and if the movie Slumdog Millionaire was real, I was shocked. I did not know what to say. In 3 years of living in Austin I've never come across a racial insult. Felt like slapping this person for insulting my country and reminding him that at this point in time he was serving us.I wanted to say 'Hey do you still live in the 80s? I wanted to give him a mouthful, but fortunately we Indians are taught to respect others and I left thinking it is a one off incident, then there was a second time we went in a group again and then the servers were whispering, then they were whispering to other customers, then I saw them laughing and we all felt awkward and left. This was the last time that I went and we saw empty tables, we were a group of six, we were sitting there for half an hour while they sat a group of two and then two groups of four. I was stopped by my friends when I wanted to ask them, we were seated but served after an hour! I swear I am not going there again or would never recommend any of my friends. If any of my friends suggest going there I refuse bluntly. The food wasn't that great either I wonder if anyone of them spit in it! Disgusting!

Worth waiting for. Kerby queso is unlike any other queso I have ever had. Yes, you will have to wait to get a seat usually. I have never waited over 20 minutes. Only had crappy service once out of the five times. Never had their pancakes, but look forward to eating some smores pancakes. Mimosas are 2 bucks!

Didn't even get a seat!. I went here for the first time today, a friend of mine always raves about this place and I knew that the service is often pretty bad, but I'm always told the food is worth it. I made a trip out to eat specifically to check this place out, and wound up eating somewhere else.<br/><br/>I got inside and it seemed fairly nice, the floor was freshly mopped and it looked clean. There was no one at the counter, though, and no sign to indicate if I was to seat myself or wait, so I waited. And waited. And waited. They weren't dead by any means, but they weren't really that busy either, it was around 2:30 PM when I was in. After about ten minutes, I had still not even been acknowledged by any of the staff, so I left. I'm super disappointed but 10 minutes without anyone even greeting/looking at/telling me someone will be with me soon isn't quite in the realm of acceptable. All it would have taken was some acknowledgement that I was there, or at least some signage so I knew if I was being stupid to wait instead of seating myself. I don't think I'll come back again, but I'm very disappointed at the thought of that. I really wanted to try the food I've heard friends rave about.

Seasonal Pear/Bacon Grilled Cheese is Awesome!. We went tonight for the first time, and it was very nice. I see some other reviews are saying bad service and all, but for us it was very polite and prompt so I don't know if we got lucky or what but they were super nice and helpful. I ordered the chicken enchilades with green sauce and it was even better than my favorite back in Alabama and so far it's the only "Mexican" I've really liked since being in Texas. Everything was really fresh. My husband had the pesto chicken panini and it was good. He didn't have much appetite and was annoyed because everything looked and tasted great. We got the seasonal pear and bacon grilled cheese for my son (figuring he'd eat 2 bites like usual and we'd finish the rest) and it was AMAZING. I am a big sandwich lover but only if done well, and too many times trendy/unusual sandwiches stink but this was absolutely delicious!! I would definitely go back!!

Service will always suck at Kerbey Lane. Kerbey Lane, no matter what location, has always felt that it is too important to provide decent customer service. The hipsters that are employed at Kerbey Lane all have attitude issues and teen angst. These hipsters have no respect or manners. All hipsters should receive severe beatings to improve their customer service skill sets. Thank You.

Ok it's good food but 3pan cakes +coffee+ 1 strip of bacon(cut into 2 pieces)= $10.88<br/><br/>They do have good food and service; but they have gone overboard with the up charges for small sides.... I don't care if the pigs did have an "all natural" smile on their face before they died.<br/><br/>Keep up the good work; but rethink some of your practices.

Great food. terrible service. 4/5 times I come here the service is so terrible I feel dirty after obligatory tipping. don't do it if you don't get good service. it's been so bad that Ive greatly limited my trips to this location

Had brunch here today. Service was awesome. Didn't care for the fried green tomatoes; didn't like the greasing and they were red! Server and manager were very responsive to our complaint. Rest of the meal was delicious. Can't wait for next time!!

Food good, service very spotty. I've eaten at all the KL's around town for years, and, while I enjoy the food and atmosphere, this one in particular has wait staff that are not consistent. Odd mistakes - wrong drink or food - are mixed with occasional too-long waits. Staff is pleasant, I'll give them that, but there's a general feeling that management isn't doing something right.

I have been here more than 10 times and every time i have horrible servers and service. we always wait for food an they tell us. no complimentary anything, and the food quality is low. dont eat at this kerbey lane!!!

Chili at the Bar. The way to beat the crowd; sit at the bar, order bison chili and drink local beers. tip the bar keep well

Food is decent. Service has to be the worst in town. Wait is ridiculous especially when you can see 20's of open tables. They say "15 min"...35 min later still waiting. Not worth it, won't be returning.

Food is decent, service is awful. Every server I have ever had here has been incredibly slow and usually pretty rude. With only 3 tables filled it shouldn't take over an hour to eat.

Food is good...service is terrible. I have been back multiple times and each time I'm disappointed with the service. This morning I went...not crowded at all. The guy at the hostess stand asked how many. I said one. He said you will have to wait. Really? There's no one in the restaurant. I sat and waited for 15 minutes waiting for the guy to come back to seat me...he never did. No one else came back. I left. This has happened before. I don't understand why this happens...especially when it's not busy.

Maybe try another Kerbey Lane - not this one.. I've gone to the Northwest Kerbey Lane about 3 times the last 6 months. It's closer to my home and I go there because of the good memories from the original Kerbey Lane. Each time the wait staff has been very slow and not what I expect when I go out for my meal - and it wasn't a busy time. But, what surprises me is the low quality of the meals. This last visit I ordered a portobello sandwich on sourdough with sweet potato fries. The sandwich was more bread than anything else. The fries were the crinkled kind that tasted and looked like they came from Ore-ida. Simply weak....spend your money elsewhere.

Just had a great lunch! Super fresh watermelon gazpacho to start followed by a yummy fried green tomatoe BLT with pancetta instead of your average bacon. Substituted the sweet potatoe fries which I would say could use a little work, tasted grease and potatoe seemed a little less than done in middle. Definitely needs a little better flavor...

More than just breakfast. So I have to say I haven't always been a Kerbey Lane fan. But I think it's because I love my breakfasts, and their's have never quite fulfilled my expectations. Once I started trying their non-breakfast items however, I became a fan. <br/><br/>My favorite 2 words at Kerbey Lane - cowboy queso! To DIE for!! Shed the diet and just give it a try - it will be worth every drop you try to lick out of the bowl! :) Their sandwiches have been excellent as well - one of my favorites being their seasonal fried tofu sandwich - mmmm... Love their tortilla soup too. Having dissed their breakfast, I do have to give props to their blueberry vegan pancakes - these are excellent and I am ever so thankful to find a dairy free alternative for my daughter with dairy allergies. <br/><br/>Their new location is not as cool as the old building that they used to occupy, but let's face it... the old place was pretty dingy and suspect, and this place is at least clean, and they did try to 'do up' the interior a little. Oh, and finally, kids eat free on Tuesdays! :)

Good, but they can do better. While visiting my brother and his family in Austin this past weekend, we challenged the rainy morning and went out for breakfast. After a small debate, we decided to go to our longstanding favorite Kerbey Lane. Hands down, their best location is the original location on Kerbey Lane, however this was much closer to my brother's residence and my first time to dine at this location.<br/><br/>First of all, the coffee from Third Coast Coffee Roasters was phenomenal and we could not get enough of it.<br/>For breakfast we ordered the California Omelet, which included cheddar cheese, olives, avocado, tomato, and a green chili sour cream sauce and this came with several side options upon which we chose the short stack of their daily special, blackberry pancakes.<br/><br/>When the food arrived, the appearance of the omelet was far from pleasing and even the garnishes looked a little weak. The green chili sour cream sauce was unappealing to look at as it sat in a dried almost crusty puddle on top of the omelet, and the orange slice was sad (see picture). Upon digging in, the sauce was almost un-notable offering almost no flavor in addition to it's unappealing appearance. The preparation and flavor of the omelet itself was just perfect, but the overall concept of this California omelet really cried out for a sauce that would make this omelet stand out. This sauce just doesn't do it and I would like to see a nice green color with flavor that substantiates green chili without overpowering the rest of the more mild ingredients. I ate the entire omelet so it was eatable; it just wasn't memorable in a positive way. Would I order it again, yes if I knew they had improved the sauce I would.<br/><br/>Now for the Blackberry pancakes, I enjoyed ever bite and when I ordered I really had to struggle to decide from their great selection Pumpkin pancake? Gingerbread pancake? <br/><br/>I still like Kerbey Lane, and the original Kerbey Lane location will always be my favorite, however I would eat at this location again. <br/><br/>Until next time...

Haven't found a better place to eat; kerbey is num nums.

Kerby lane is one of my all time Favs...veg friendly and a large selection of filling vegan meals

$10 ticket ended up costing $70. I looooooove Kerbey Lane. Really really love Kerbey Lane. But I HATE this location. I have never had problems at any other of the locations, but the Northwest one is just ridiculous. My friends and I went the other night and had the stupidest waitress on the planet. We asked her to give us separate tickets and to split the queso between them. We have requested this same ticketing many many times. She said she couldn't do it. Then we told her to just give us all separate tickets and put the queso on it's own. Couldn't do it. She brought us two tickets (there were four of us) one with the queso and one persons meal and one ticket with everything else. So we then spent the next five minutes explaining in detail what it should cost for each person, we even showed her the math. Couldn't do it. We went back and forth with her for a while, and she seemed to finally get some sense between her ears and said that she had it "all figured out, yo". Seriously, that's what she said. We give her our cards and she comes back with no ticket, just the card transaction for me to sign, but it wasn't the right amount. In the blank spot, I write the correct amount and sign it. I asked her if this was okay, and she says yes. I go on my merry way.<br/><br/>When I look at my bank account now, I have all of these pending overdraft fees.... get this...... because she ran the card six or seven times!!!! All for different amounts. Good news is, most are still pending and they are supposed to be fixing it. Bad news is, two of the charges went through and overdrafted, so now, instead of a $10 meal, I had an $80 meal.<br/><br/>The food is good, but the PEOPLE AT THIS PLACE SUCK!!

The management here must have gone to t.u. because they can't figure out staffing. A wait at 11:30pm on a Sunday. Nice job Bevo fans.

Dogfood! Absolute dogfood! Ordered steak and eggs, brought out 2 pieces of well done crap. Tried to eat it but couldn't get myself to. Sent it back and got undercooked and half was nasty gristle. Toast sucked. I normally do not complain but it was so bad I had to chime in. A real dump.

Vegan and veggie friendly! Amazing food. Great staff.

I love the Paris Texas platter. Migas and French Toast! Plenty of food too! Yummy.

Went to KL tonight, husband had the "gambler" which consists of 3 sliders of varying meats. He says no good, burgers REALLY small, overcooked, and sauces overpowering. On the positive tho, my peach cinamon pancakes were yummy!

No Mas!. We have a problem in our household: My wife loves Kerbey Lane, and I've had enough...at least, I've had enough of the Northwest Kerbey Lane. <br/><br/>The problems start as soon as you walk in, and are promptly ignored by the obnoxious, aloof, beret-wearing hostess. We've had instances where we've gone in and are the only ones in the lobby...only to have this chick pick up, and head back into the kitchen without even acknowledging our presence. When she eventually does grant an audience with you and seats you, she ALWAYS forgets to bring silverware with her. ALWAYS! <br/><br/>The waitstaff is very much hit-or-miss at this location. They fall in to one of two categories: Either VERY attentive and professional, or slow/unresponsive/forgetful stoners who apparently take a LOT of long breaks. However, the person tending bar ALWAYS has a serious attitude. No matter how long the wait may be for a table, stay away from the bar!<br/><br/>Like the waitstaff, the food as also become hit-or-miss. The breakfast items (pancakes/omelettes/migas) are still the safest things to order, but the standard dinner items are a risk. I've lost count of how many times things have arrived at our table (usually after 30 minutes of waiting) either stone cold, or completely dried out, almost as if it was sitting under a heat lamp while our seemingly baked-out-of-his-mind waiter was AWOL for 20 minutes. Also, for a typical "Austin hippie" restaurant that prides itself on organic & locally-grown vegetables, why are the salads ALWAYS limp and stale? All of the cut/chopped veggies on the salads (purple cabbage, carrots, etc.) looking very dried out, like they were pre-cut days ago. <br/><br/>Another really horrible thing about this location is the building itself. Unless you're eating out on the patio, be sure to bring some earplugs with you, because every room in this place is LOUD! I'm pretty sure this place was designed to actually amplify the sounds of ambient conversation and screaming children. When it's moderately filled, you'll barely be able to hear yourself think. When the joint is really hopping, though, you'll swear that your head is going to explode, like in that old movie "Scanners". <br/><br/>I'm really disappointed by this location. We were so excited to hear that the old Kerbey Lane off of Jollyville was moving to this nice, new location (with an actual paved parking lot). Unfortunately, they must have left most of the original juju behind in the old building. For now, when I really want those delicious Kerbey Lane 'cakes, I'll just have to suck it up and make the trek down south to one of the older locations, instead of suffering at this Kerbey Lane impostor

Done with this kerby lane. I have been a patron of kerby lane since high school. Always loved their pancakes, queso, and fresh vegetables. However, the last several years, the north location has disappointed, and since moving to the new location, I have gone for the last time. The service is really awful, and at 3 in the morning, that's fine, but at 8 in the evening, when they aren't even busy, it is unacceptable. My friends and I were once chased out of the restaurant by a server claiming we had shorted him on the tip- not the ticket the TIP. We had not (in fact we left more than 20%), he just did his math wrong. Either way, I don't ever think it is ok for that to happen. I called the manager the next day to explain, and it was obvious he did not care. The food is still fine, but the atmosphere is lacking with very poor service.

The food is delicious and the atmosphere is really cool! It's a fun place to eat and hang out.

What to choose?. I am a fan of many items on the menu so it's hard to pick what I will order when I go. I'm usually stuck on the french toast, melt in your mouth buttermilk pancakes, burger or chicken sandwich with home fries. Occasionally the home fries come out not cooked enough, but they are still pretty good and I manage to always eat them :-). This has recently become even more of a favorite spot for my boyfriend and me considering you are allowed to bring your dog. They even have dog bowls lol. Plus to top it off, the bill for two meals plus two or three drinks always comes out undert $30, which is wonderful! I admit I was crazier about their other location because of the atmosphere but this new location is still fabulous.

So many choices on the menu but I always get the eggs francisco no matter the time of day. It's my favorite dish there.

The breakfast is always great- and hands down one of the most beautiful women in Austin behind the bar.

Interesting dish. Off of the Fall Seasonal Menu - Meatloaf Trifecta<br/><br/>This savory meatloaf features ground antelope, lamb, and bison combined with mushrooms, sage and thyme. Topped with a caramelized onion and tomato gravy. Served with grilled asparagus, garilc mashed potatoes and a dinner roll.<br/><br/>The meatloaf portion is ample, however, the mashed potatoe portion was about the size of a large ice cream scoop. which I expect they used to serve them. The mashed potatoes were described as garlic mashed potatoes, but they were plain and rather bland. I used some of the gravy from the meatloaf to add a little flavor to both them and the aspargus. The meatloaf, on the other hand, was quite spectacular. The blends of the meat gave a unique taste and it had just the right amount of spice to give it the right zing. I can't comment on the diner roll ase I did not receive one.<br/><br/><br/>I ordered lemonade with the meal, but was suprised to find out that there were no free refills. So with two charges<br/>for the lemonade and tip the meal totaled $20.<br/><br/>I really liked the meatloaf.

Consistently bad. I've given Kerbey Lane waaay too many chances. Maybe it's because the original restaurant off 38th is still pretty good, but the location on Research just can't seem to get it right. <br/><br/>The service is always spotty and the food is just not as good as it could be given their dedication to quality ingredients. Fortunately their reputation keeps bringing people in, so they'll be fine. My advice is to skip it and go someplace else.