Barley Swine

  4.7 – 1,391 reviews   • American restaurant

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Foodie hot spot serving a fixed-price menu with seasonal American small plates & a deep beer list.

✔️Breakfast ✔️Brunch ✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in Barley Swine 78757

Address and Contact Information

Address: 6555 Burnet Rd #400, Austin, TX 78757

Phone: (512) 394-8150

Website: http://www.barleyswine.com/

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Reservations: barleyswine.com

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Barley Swine – a One Star: High quality cooking restaurant in the 2025 MICHELIN Guide USA. Free online booking on the MICHELIN Guide’s official website.

Reviews

Grant Lacey
Sat the chefs counter for the tasting menu and it was a really elite experience. The service was great, they gave us a supplement item for free (the pasta pictured, which was really terrific). The first himachi dish was my favorite with a spicy sauce. The steak was incredible. I wish I had gotten the beef rib as an add on but there’s always next time.

The best part of the night was sitting and watching them grill everything on a huge fire. Could even feel the fire at times when they stoked it.

Someone said this is the best restaurant in Austin and I can’t say for sure but I certainly can believe it if true.
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Rita Fennelly-Atkinson
My spouse and I just celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary and we wanted to do something fun. We have heard great things about Barley Swine and celebrated there! We did the tasting menu with the wine pairing. The entire meal from beginning to end was perfect.

Every single bite of every dish was perfectly balanced. Each dish had its own distinct profile that elevated the flavors of the ingredients in a cohesive and complimentary manner. It is literally the best meal I have had in my entire life so far.

The wine pairings were amazing as well. Every single selection had a lovely nose that elevated the experience. Each pairing was perfectly matched to the dish, in a complimentary manner in which neither competed with the other. I’m usually not a big fan of white wines or sake, and the selections challenged my conception of what an amazing pairing might entail.

Whether it was the presentation, the dish, or pairing, every aspect of this meal was perfect. I loved every bite, every spice, every drink, and the atmosphere! Our servers were absolutely wonderful. I couldn’t wish for a better experience!

PS I have a gluten sensitivity and they were lovely about it!
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Kristen Murphy
I visited Barley Swine for an anniversary. While the food was delicious, the experience overall didn’t stand up to my expectations or the price.

Upon arrival, we were seated in the lounge as our table wasn’t ready. However, no one came by in the 15 minutes we sat there to take our cocktail order. We didn’t get to order by the time our table was ready and we were now sat 15+ minutes late.

After that unfortunate start, the pacing of the entire rest of the meal was off. It took over an hour and a half to get 3 out of 8 dishes. We received the main “entrees” at almost 11PM for an 8:30PM reservation. I’m not sure if that is normal, but we asked to speed up the process and the service followed suit. I noticed other tables had their napkins folded for them when they went to the restroom and I didn’t even get a replacement napkin when mine was wet from a spill.

Besides those two complaints, our actual server was great and attentive. Our sommelier was the highlight. We chose the premier wine pairing and that was the best choice of our experience. The wines chosen were fantastic and the descriptions and presentations of each were perfect.

Overall, I wouldn’t return.
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Chance Riley
Incredible experience – truly a journey of flavor, with touches from around the world, yet all rooted in Texas. Every course was full of surprise and delight. All in all, the meal felt like a piece of music with eclectic notes but a strong through-line from beginning to end. And as pretentious as that sounds, the unassuming nature of it all may be the best part.

We sat at the chef’s counter, with the open fire grill keeping us warm all night and adding a great ambiance. Would highly recommended sitting here with the great view of the kitchen, just so you can see how easy the staff makes excellence look. We definitely left feeling both inspired and satiated.
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Monica Martinez
Had my birthday dinner here last night and it was such a great experience. The food was amazing, cocktails were awesome, and the service was excellent. Everyone was super friendly and they even personalized our menus with “Happy Birthday,” which was such a thoughtful touch. We sat at the chef’s counter and it was really cool to watch the kitchen in action. They also comped the brown butter cookies to take home for my birthday, and they were delicious.

The only issue was that several dishes came out lukewarm or borderline cold. The butternut squash dish, the steak, the rib cap, the shrimp and grits, and a few others just weren’t the right temp. The steak especially was just cold. Everything tasted incredible, but it happened on multiple courses which was disappointing for the price point (around $500 total with tip and deposit). I didn’t say anything in the moment because I didn’t want to make a fuss on my birthday, but in hindsight I probably should have.

Even with that, the food and service were great and I’d definitely come back. I just hope next time the temperature is dialed in because everything else was spot on.
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Justin Yancey
Really tasty food. It’s fine dining without the haughty taughty-ness that you usually get with Michelin star dining. The flavours are great and the service is too. Also, one of the dishes comes with a spatula, something I’ve always wanted to have when fine dining! Some dishes were “shared” so great spot for a romantic occasion!
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vincent xue
A 5/5 in service, food, and satiety. I also want to express my thanks for the complementary items for my belated birthday celebration. This was my first Austin pure tasting menu experience (outside of omakases and seasonal occasions), and I was more than happy with my overall experience.

For starters, I was given a champagne for my belated birthday. It was a wonderful sentiment and pleasant starter for what was to come.

My cocktail for the night was the Capo Rosa. It was a lovely mild, balanced drink with a slightly strong foam. It lasted me the whole meal, which was fantastic because I had many plates.

I’m a big fan of Crudo starters, and so the Hiramasa was right up my alley. Each bite had satisfying chews of savoryness and acidity, with moments of sweetness from the apples. My only criticism is the lack of a crunchy texture. Some greens, nuts, or even fruits can add another dimension of texture. However I was still content with the starter and would be delighted to have it again.

The Big Tree Oyster took me by surprise because I did not expect a savory raw shellfish. It deeply reminded me of a bacon wrapped h’ordevore, as supposed to a saline or cocktail infused approach. I don’t remember most oyster experiences, but this one will stay in my memory.

Next was the Butternut Squash with Quajillo Queso. The key notes of this plate were the smooth textures and slightly pungent flavours. The two blocks were surprisingly creamy, which was a good contrast from the starting plates.

The grouper was an introduction to the entrees to come, which is why it feels weaker in comparison to them. However this plate does check the things that I look forward to in a plate: a main ingredient, texture, and a flavour complexity.

As a Chinese person, I enjoyed Shiitake Dumpling, which is a take on the Soup Dumpling. As sacrilegious as it may sound, it’s interesting to have the vinegar aspect inside the wrapping instead of a sauce dip. The scrambled eggs is a pleasant addition, but I think it couldve used a little more salt, and think it would’ve been exceptional with some truffle. It’s not something to fall head over heels for, but I welcome the creation. Also I would like to thank the establishment for giving me this on the house as a belated birthday gesture!

The pig face carnitas is one of the best intensely seasoned meat that I have tried. Although it’s quite small, it’s best eaten in tiny bits because it’s incredibly packed with spices. The variety of additions surrounding it are just a plus, slightly changing each bites experience.

The Seared Duck Liver was also phenomenal. It was like a cooked eel, minus the sliminess and small bones. Definitely get this if you can, even if you dislike liver.

The Wagyu Tartare is a modest, crunchy bite of sweetness. It’s not on the menu, but is a nice starter for the rest to come.

Next came the Akaushi Ribeye skewer, dry aged wagyu, and scallion roll (plus smoked bone in rib if you get that as well). To save me from typing even more words, everything was simply splendid. Seeing everything plated and explained before me was breathing taking. Like most folks, I took the rest of the rib to go.

And lastly the Tarragon Whip, Sunflower & Miso Cake, and Grapefruit popsicle respectively came. The whip was a nice bingsoo-like starter, the cake was super dense in sweetness (a bit much for my liking), and the popsicle was a strong, bitter appetite cleanser.

In conclusion, the food is good, you can order to your stomach’s needs, and the staff was lovely. Definitely will be coming again.
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Sarah Wu
Barley Swine is a Michelin one-star restaurant, so expectations are naturally high. Maybe a little too high in my case, because while the experience was enjoyable overall, I didn’t leave feeling truly blown away by the food.

The space is cozy, but a bit dim imo. The incandescent bulbs flicker at the same frequency as my camera’s frame rate, which made taking photos surprisingly difficult (possibly my camera’s fault). We were there to celebrate an engagement and noted the occasion in the reservation, but it wasn’t really acknowledged beyond a small “congratulations” stamp on the menu. Not a big deal, but a little underwhelming for such a special night. Parking is bad on a Saturday night. Can’t find a space in the lot front or back.

Service was solid throughout the meal. My water glass was never less than half full, and the staff was attentive and professional. We skipped the wine pairing since I don’t drink alcohol.

The tasting menu itself was interesting but a little uneven. The opening crudo was very light, and I wished the hiramasa had been cold-smoked for more depth, since the apple gel dominated the flavor. The second dish was carried mostly by the coppa; I didn’t taste much kim, and unfortunately, I also found a small rock in my oyster.

The third dish with butternut squash was my favorite. The combination of queso, squash, and grilled onions was well balanced, and the crispy masa added great texture. This was the first dish that gave me the “this is why you go to a nice restaurant” feeling.

The tilefish was cooked nicely, with a pleasant wood-fired aroma. The persimmon curry underneath was tasty on its own but felt disconnected from the fish. A more Thai-influenced curry might have paired better than the Japanese curry, which didn’t contrast enough with the rich, fatty fish.

The carnitas dish again had very good protein and nice textures from the crispy carnitas and chicharrones, but the overall flavor balance felt rough. I didn’t care for the beans, and while the cabbage was fine, it didn’t add much to a dish that was already very heavy. The salsa cuts through the fatty meat nicely, but it on the other hand is too strong for the side veggies.

We were served beef tartare before the main course, which was enjoyable. The dry-aged beef itself was good but not especially memorable imo. The rib skewers were super tasty, and the foamy beef broth and rib jam with the scallion roll was rich and comforting.

The palate-cleansing dessert was light and refreshing. The marigold whip was delicious, and paired with the hibiscus jam it reminded me of a cold foam milk tea. The orange sorbet felt very cold, and I would have preferred something softer (like some fruity shortcake crumbles?) to match the rest of the dish.

The final dessert was also enjoyable. The peanut pastry and miso opera cake were both good, but the apple gel on top pushed the sweetness too far for me. The pastry and cake didn’t feel very connected, and it was difficult to eat them together. Feels like you could serve them as separate dishes. The fudge ice pop at the end was a cute finishing touch. We also ordered cookies to take away. Good cookies, nothing too special.

Overall, Barley Swine offers a thoughtful and well-executed dining experience, but considering the price and reputation, it didn’t fully meet my expectations. There are other tasting menus that have given me more surprise and satisfaction, though this was still a pleasant and enjoyable evening.
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Will Powers
Superb!!! 5 star all around, from the setting, service and top notch 10-12 course dinner. Small yet perfectly sized portions were all presented beautifully. 2.5 hour dinner that was presented more like an art show! Steak and grouper fish win the prize.
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janna k
Superb dining experience. The food just kept coming one course after another. It was all delicious. My favorite was the Shrimp and Grits, and the Hiramasa Crudo. My companion also enjoyed the Pork Cheek Carnitas with Eggplant Mole, as well as the Dry Aged Ribeye. My least favorite was the Black River Caviar accompanied supplement ($23). While the caviar was fresh, the sweet companion of the waffle cone was not a good mix of flavors. The Sunflower Miso layer cake was a delight. Not too sweet, and definitely refreshing. The wine pairings were exceptional and plentiful. The service was by far the best in town. It was casual, attentive, and left us wanting for nothing. We will definitely come back.
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