Reviews

Comfort food done well. Excellent service and cool but relaxed ambience. Easy reservations and customer satisfaction is always a priority!

The service was very nice and setting also but we did not get excited about the menu. Wine list - OK, not great and none of it was inexpensive. I would like to go back and have a better experience - not sure if it will happen.

Based on others’ reviews, we had high expectations for Colleen’s. While we were reasonably pleased with the starters and sides, our entrees were far below expectation in quality and quantity for the price. Maybe we made poor choices, but it’s not a huge menu, so we expected every dish to be good. Additionally, drinks were very expensive (although there’s a discount during happy hour). $10 a glass for the least expensive red wine is too much to bear. Service was excellent, so I’ve bumped the review from 2 to 3 stars/dots.

This is a modern interpretation of a home cook meal. The restaurant has an open feel and the bar is comfortable but lively. The decor is modern but with art work that is a blast from the past. Drink wise, both the Moscow Mule and the French 75 were well presented, cold and delicious. As for the food, we were a bit disappointed with the fried tomatoes as the batter and the green tomatoes lack flavor. For the main course we had the Buttermilk fried chicken and the cornmeal crusted Redfish. The boneless fried chicken was juicy, tender and flavorful and you get three different dipping sauce with your meal. We also had a very well prepared redfish with mustered cream and smoked corn sauce. This dish is delicate with amazing flavors. We were overall very pleased with the excellent service and would come back again just for the fried chicken and their home made biscuit.

It’s like a French cafe with southern flair. Great food! Small portions, non shareable in my opinion. I ordered the redfish spread with a side of fried chicken and the bacon wrapped dates. Terrific! Fun for your everyday foodie wanting to play with flavors and textures. Great tea selection as well! I ordered the blood orange tea with honey. Divine!

The client service at this place is great and the decor is very pleasant. When I moved in from the outdoor bar to escape the heat they were very helpful and friendly/efficient at moving me to the bar to wait for a table, then moving my drink over to a table once one was available. I wish that the food were as good! While menu has a lot of interesting items on it, the execution was definitely very much off. From the weak, fake cranberry juice used in the cranberry mimosa to the order of shrimp that had to be sent back twice and ultimately taken off of the bill for being burnt crispy, charcoal-y black on one side all three times, to the truly terribe mixed drink that I went to as an alternative there wasn't a single thing that came from the kitchen that equalled the attentive service in quality. This as a shame, because I was very "ready" to enjoy this place, so to speak. I will have a chat with the owner and give it another try, mostly because I really want it to be good! But the kitchen will have to do a much better job. Like I said, service is great! But when it comes to the food and for the prices that they charge, they aren't even in the ballpark.

I went with family on a Friday and we had to make a reservation since it has been really popular since I went last time. Good for them, but it seems that the service had gone down and also the food wasn't nearly as good as the last time we went. What a shame since it was one of my favorite restaurants close by my home. The salad my daughter ordered had to be sent back, not fresh, not good, and my husbands hamburger was not great either, just good. I ordered a drink that never came and I had to cancel the order since the food was already arriving. Too sad!

Made reservations for four via Open Table for my husband's birthday. Overall an ok meal. Some of the food was way too salty. We started with the dates and the app is very small to share with four people. Two of us got the chicken pot pie and it was good but a tad blan. One person got the hamburger and it was huge. My husband got one of the steaks with the mash potatoes. They had way too much salt in the potatoes. We also got a side of mac and cheese and again too much salt. We all had about one bite and decided to leave it. That is how much salt was in it. We were there to socialize with our friends so it wasn't a big deal but the pace of the meal was very slow. They brought out three meals but not the fourth. It was a bit of wait and because we are polite we waited for our friends good. Then we could have all probably had one additional round of drinks but no one every came to ask us if we wanted one. Then the time we were done to taking our plates seemed like forever. Finally, they asked if we wanted desert. We all got something and they were nice enough to write "happy birthday" on my husband's plate. I got the banana pudding and I think it was the best of the group. We got the cookie sandwich, and then two of the cinnamon roll cakes, which were my least favorite of the group. The noise level is very high for such a small space. Décor is my taste. Glad we tried it but doubtful we will be back. Nothing blew us away and the service and noise isn't worth the drive from West Austin. Plus, now the city is charging for street parking in the Mueller area.

I’ve visited three times now and found waitstaff and hostesses very friendly and on top of their game. Andrea noticed it was my birthday and was surprised with what I would call a Girl Scout thin mint cookie ice cream pie! It was delicious! The bar food was great. On my first visit had shrimp and grits. Shrimp was definitely well seasoned but grits were bland. Needed a red eye gravy or something to finish the grits after all the shrimp are gone. Wasn’t impressed with fried zucchini but not a fav of mine anyway so may skew my judgement.

Excellent food and service Reasonable price Friendly staff. Convenient parking ( complimentary ). Fun atmosphere 4.5 stars

I had a thoroughly wonderful experience at Colleen's. I arrived earlier than my dining partner and sat at the bar. Had a wonderful conversation with the wonderful bartender while waiting. The host came over a couple of times to give me a status report on my table. All in all, I think we waited about 15 minutes on a very busy night. The food was delicious, and the service was terrific. My opinion is that this is an adult restaurant that offers children's entrees, but isn't really geared for families. It's just too darn nice! The menu has a distinct southern feel....the fried chicken was amazing, btw! Will definitely make another trip to Colleen's!

WE stopped here with our 2 year old granddaughter for lunch on the way to The Thinkery. The little one was given crayons and a paper menu of her own to draw upon. Service was cordial and helpful, and the food was top notch, Southern Style Comfort food. There is a full bar and an outdoor patio area. Interesting decor. My burger was messy, but quite tasty, and the little one enjoyed her mac'n'cheese. Overall, recommended.

This restaurant was recommended by our host, among others for the proximity to our place. The decor is very nice, spacious & cozy. The food was good, we had cheese hamburger & soup & salad. The servers were very nice & attentive. Regarding the burger, however, when you order a burger ask if it is a regular sized one as my husband got a slider-sized cheese burger which was tasty, but not what he had wished for. My soup was delicious & the green salad was good (just a bit too many red onion slices, but that's my opinion).

This place seriously has some of the best fried chicken and waffles I’ve ever had. Crispy, crunchy, decadent breading, juicy and flavorful chicken and fluffy, rich and perfectly browned waffles with pure maple syrup. Yum! We went for brunch. The breakfast frittata is very good but be aware that it is a bit of a small portion size. If you feel very hungry it may be a good idea to ask about portion sizes before you make your menu decision. Would also highly recommend the Oreo icebox pie— very cold, creamy and delicious. The waitstaff here are also super attentive and helpful. When our coffee was on the acidic/bitter side they brought us fresh brew that was much better. Would definitely recommend it!

Prior to visiting the nearby Thinkery we serendipitously stopped for lunch. It was excellent from start to finish. The decor is a very Southern motif and well laid out. The menu was quite concise: Southern comfort foods; biscuits, fried green tomatoes, fried chicken, an incredible broccoli soup of the day, and various fresh salad combinations, and a great burger (with a double Pattie). They were also generous with a slightly spicy pimento cheese that was served with chips and tomato jam, and with several of the entrees. A simple but exceptional menu that had something for all. The staff was most helpful to the kids and took special effort to acknowledge them before during and after the meal. While Colleen’s was full, service was quick and professional. Overall it was a wonderful meal, would like to see one in the NCR.

We ate here after visiting the Thinkery as do most of the diners for the morning and noontime meals. But they didn’t appear to be geared to parents and grandparents with young children, particularly on weekends. We were a group of four adults and four kids and half of us had to go elsewhere as they didn’t want to put tables together so we could dine together. Our kids both had the children’s waffles which were good but small Belgium style deep waffles. At $5 they were reasonable. My wife and I both tried the Cobb salads. Unlike any we had tried before as they were just lettuce, black eyed peas, corn, carrots and deviled eggs. There wasn’t a choice of salad dressing and we really couldn’t figure out what it was other than an oil and vinaigrette type. Well, as I said at the start, maybe we didn’t choose wisely. But next time, we will try a different place.

Colleen’s Kitchen. Southern style restaurant in Mueller. Kinda has that old southern Mississippi style mansion look inside. Cool outdoor bar area. Apps: Blue Cheese Potato Chips: 100% get these off the bar menu. The kettle chips crispy and salty, and come covered in tons of blue cheese. Delicious! - 8.8/10 Pimento Cheese: Comes with garlic toast and tomato jam. It’s not bad. Your average pimento - 6.5/10 Entrées: Colleen’s Diner Burger: 2 brisket short rib patties. Beef is perfectly cooked and flavorful. Love all of the topping, minus the onions. Solid solid burger. My one major complaint is the bun. It just isn’t good, it’s too small, and it comes apart (-0.5pts) - 7.3/10 Drinks: On the Rocks: Classic Margarita with the twist of Black Sea salt. It’s good, nothing to rave about - 7/10 Overall: 7.2/10

We made a reservation for lunch after our son's graduation. We arrived 10 minutes early but the table was not ready. We were seated close to the reservation time (perhaps 5 minutes late). Our waiter was pleasant and attended to us in a timely manner. However, after we placed our order, we waited an exceptionally long time for our food to arrive - both appetizers and main course. We were offered no explanation for the long wait until we asked. We were told the food was being plated and would be right out. It arrived 10 minutes later and some of the entrees were lukewarm or even cold and had to be sent back. The management apologized after the meal and brought complementary cookies for everyone. Perhaps most telling is that even when the restaurant validated our parking ticket for two hours, we still ended up having to pay for the third hour because we ran over time!

I generally do not give 5 stars unless it goes way beyond other establishments. Ever since I spotted the coming soon sign I and researched about this place and put it I put on my list to try. It was a nice weekend and was time to return to Mueller and finally eat here. I parked my vehicle in the garage and walked inside to find a 20 minute wait. I had forgotten I could have made a reservation but thought Sunday morning would be lite crowd. But I was wrong where is was packed. So I put my name on the list and sat at the bar to wait. I could have ordered food here but my wife wanted a table. So the bartender served us drinks and a short wait our table was ready. The decor was southern and elegant. Our waiter came by and took our drink orders. Turned out they were only serving brunch and got a mimosa. While at the bar I noticed this guy ordering a plate of Dough Boys so I ordered some off the starter menu. I also ordered the Colleen’s Breakfast Platter and my wife got the Buttermilk Fried Chicken + Waffles. The mimosa was good and then the Dough Boys arrived. I was gawking from the sight and smell where they looked really good. I took a bite and was in heaven. It was very delicious where it was very soft and with maple flavor. It even came with a cream cheese dipping sauce. It all tasted fresh and homemade. I see why it was a hit. After enjoying this signature item my food arrived. Based upon the Dough Boys I was ready to try the main dishes. And my eggs were unbelievably good. It was like fresh off the farm. The hash browns and bacon were great too. Just the whole plate was way above the rest. Now it was time to try my wife’s order. The fried chicken was so tasty, soft and juicy. The waffles were soaked in maple syrup. I kept grabbing more but she was protected her plate by putting it further away from me. Overall the food was superb and something you can sing song about. The staff comes by regularly to check on us and keep our drinks filled. I was extremely impressed by the whole experience. I still want to try both lunch and dinner since they have different menus. They also validate your parking but I think it was not much if you stay longer and walk around Mueller. Parking in the garage behind this place is cheap versus downtown. So if you plan to eat here then I suggest make a reservation.

One of my new favorite restaurants in Austin! Love their drink menu and their menu is awesome! Would go again any day.

If you are looking for a good place to go after taking your little one to the Thinkery - this might work - the children's menu is reasonably priced but the adult menu is a little more pricy. Still the little one will be happy with the chicken nuggets and fries and the fries are good - as well as the chips. I found the chicken well done, but overpriced and was surprised that I had to pay an extra $3 to swap out cole slaw for fries - oh well. That said you could not ask for a more attentive wait staff and hostess. So it made for a successful lunch. BTW, the chicken seasoning does have onion powder in it for those with food allergies.

Love Colleen's so much! It's only been open a short while but I've already visited several times...it's just what the Mueller area needed. The staff here is top notch - every server I've encountered has been incredibly friendly, fun, and helpful. Atmosphere is awesome - modern but adorably vintage at the same time...has a great feel to it, and I can't wait for patio weather to sit out on their beautiful patio! The cocktails are all great, and the food (and happy hour!) will keep me coming back regularly. Some favorites so far: pimento cheese, red fish spread, BISCUITS (love that tomato jam), fried chicken, cheese grits. Can't wait to try some items from the lunch and brunch menus soon!

Busy Sunday crowd - but we had reservations so not an issue. Oversized food servings. Toddler with us was not familiar with their children food - so Baby Biscuit not a hit there. Colleen's Cobb and Diner Cheeseburger were done very well - excellent. Waffles and Chicken - great waffles - everyone wanted a piece! Chicken was OK -

Bad grammar aside, this gem of a place is the high-dollar eatery occupying corner real estate in the trendy Mueller neighborhood, an eclectic planned community in northeast Austin with an array of restaurants. Like many restaurants that offer lunch at a lower price point, Colleen’s does too, but there’s no skimping on quality or portions. On a recent visit a friend and I made a meal of appetizers — smoked redfish spread served with toast points, house-made pickled leeks, jalapeños and soft cream cheese flecked with chopped chives; pimento cheese with pickled cauliflower florets and slivers of red onion; fried catfish bites with house-made tartar sauce; fried green tomatoes and tomato basil soup. My friend, visiting from Colorado, went with a Pinot Noir, I opted for a Malbec. While there were no disappointments, the fried green tomatoes were our least favorites. This is a lovely place for a quiet, special occasion dinner as well. The cornmeal-crusted redfish entreé is not to be missed. Any place that serves fish portions with the seared skin up has me as a friend for life. Carnivores can also dine happy — buttermilk- soaked fried chicken; bone-pork chops; chicken pot pie; steak, and, not to slight vegetarians, a delicious succotash. There’s even a very generous hamburger for those who want to keep it simple. There are also several sides that can easily be configured into a vegetarian plate. The kitchen will also accommodate gluten-free dietary restrictions. Dessert options exist but I haven’t been able to get past the sinfully splendid sea salt-topped chocolate chip cookie, Tthree to a calorie-laden order. If you want to be totally ridiculous, order vanilla ice cream too. We kept saying that we’d only eat half a cookie. We continued to say it until all three were gone.

Out-of-towers craving comfort food and online reviews said this was the place, but it was hit-and-miss. The fried chicken was under salted, the mashed potatoes were over salted. As long as you ate them together, it was good. Creamed mustard greens was a fail. Ham-biscuit had too much thyme. But the plain biscuits were great! Hot wings were fantastic. Cocktails were good as well as service. Bottom line: if you want fried chicken, just go to Popeyes.

We have been anxiously waiting for Colleen's to open in the Mueller Community--- SCORE !!! This is a very nice restaurant. It is comfortable enough to bring your young children and yet nice enough for a date night for a couple. The service was so pleasant and the food was really delicious. Our server, Lindsey, talked me into trying the "creamed mustard greens"--- I have never like greens, but her description sounded really good, so I took the plunge and ordered them. I'm so glad I did-- they creamy and full of flavor--- not bitter at all. I will return to Colleen's just to get another serving of those "homestyle" creamed greens. I also had the redfish. It was seasoned well and very enjoyable. My daughter had the succotash and really liked the "Colleen's Version" as they have made some positive changes to make it a more appealing dish. Cocktails were delightful and refreshing. Our two pre-schoolers loved the fried chicken bits and french fries, of course-- no complaints there either. We can't wait to go to Colleen's again so we can try some more of their menu items.

I believe they're still having their soft opening, but there was nothing soft about it. The place was PACKED. And, yet somehow they were still so helpful and quick with getting seats and our order. Honestly, some of the nicest staff possible too. They went out of their way to check on us and get our seats and everything. The bar is full service with food and drinks, their is a community table that (although it's not full service) you can order drinks and bar snacks from, regular seating, as well as a small "event room" that can be separated off for a party or whatever. There is also outdoor seating and an outdoor bar that I'm sure will be up and running when it gets warmer. The food is typical southern food but with a cleaner feel that doesn't detract from the taste. The fried chicken was honestly some of the best (if not THE best) fried chicken we've ever had. We also got the chicken pot pie, catfish bites, and house punch, which were all fantastic as well. Would HIGHLY recommend and will definitely be going back. They also validate parking from the parking garage!

I was expecting a diner-like experience based on the name and outside facade, but inside the decor was classy southern charm. It didn't look it when we first entered, but it was surprisingly child-friendly. We had two toddlers in our group and they had high-chairs, kids menus with crayons, and a large, nice family restroom. I only ordered their soup of the day (baked potato - absolutely scrumptious!) as I wanted to save room for desert. I ordered the mason jar banana pudding. It was delicious as well, but the portion was small - especially for something called mason jar banana pudding. I'd like to return and try the fried chicken. The prices were a little on the pricey side for lunch, but I suppose that's to be expected in the Mueller area.

We went here for lunch as it was very close to The Thinkery and we could walk. We had 4 adults and a 2 and 5 year old. Privces were rather high, as lunch cost us $120 including the tip. We had 4 iced teas and 2 kids milks. We also had avocado shrimp toast, which was ok. 6 large shrimp with a smattering of avocado on toast. A simply green salad with chicken on it, a Caesar salad with chicken on it and a roast beet salad. The children had PB&J and a little burger. The portions were not large, but ok sized, but nothing exceptional on the salads. Maybe we are spoiled as we live in San Francisco, but we expected more for the price. I doubt we would go back if we are ever in Austin again. I must say the servers were very nice though.

This place is small so Colleen’s can be hard to get a table at/seat at the bar but your patience will be rewarded. The service is friendly, knowledgeable and good. Multiple biscuit dishes, fried green tomatoes, deviled eggs and shrimp and grits highlight a Southern inspired menu along with poke, several salads and a cheeseburger to round it out. The bar has several creative cocktails including various Mules and a punch made fresh every day. The Mueller area is booming but there’s plenty of parking at Colleen’s which is part of the Alamo Drafthouse building.

Met my daughter and a dear friend for lunch and had an amazing time. Our waitress was delightful, funny, helpful. We had the bacon wrapped dates which were outstanding. We also had some biscuits which I didn’t think much of, but everyone else did, so, maybe it was me. I had the shrimp and grits, and I am an aficionado. The smoked cheddar makes for a delightful richness. The blackened shrimp were excellent. While I don’t like sweet chicken, it was cooked beautifully and the person who ordered it loved it. The hash was very good, and the week rich on the table...like I said...the worse was very good. Thick cut delicious bacon, a delightfully spicy Bloody Mary. It was as close to perfection as a restaurant can get. 5 enthusiastic stars

If you like a detail-oriented and flavorful and unique southern dining experience, go to Colleen’s! Everything is fresh and made with a touch of style to make each dish memorable, and stand out from the norm. The staff, and the bar staff are all friendly, knowledge and accommodating! Awesome place!

First everything was good and served hot. The service was excellent. The food was very good but not particularly special, except for the cinnamon roll coffee cake. We had chicken wings, chicken & biscuits, BLT sandwich with fried green tomatoes, an order of biscuits, shrimp and avocado on toast, and Mac & cheese. The Mac and cheese was disappointing. The Bloody Mary’s were excellent. Food atmosphere and on a Saturday morning, it was very family friendly. We might return, but no rush.

4 of us tried different dishes, and were delighted with most Started with fried zucchini and bacon-wrapped dates, all were wonderful. The biscuits were large, but a little dry. Fried chicken was the best ever, as were the shrimp and grits. Mahi-mahi special and hamburger were fantastic. But the chocolate cake was amazing! Noisy in the restaurant, but delightful on the patio

Our family walked to this neighborhood restaurant and enjoyed our meal. The service was also spot on. The punch was awesome and plan to go back for more!

Not a southern menu as I heard it described. I had the fried green tomato BLT sandwich. The tomatoes were over cooked to the point that there was no tomato flavor. I would not order this again. I also had the deviled eggs. The eggs were very good. The glass of water was served warm with no ice. The lemonade is priced per glass - no refills. The cup of Colleen’s punch would have been better served colder.

We came to Colleen’s kitchen a few nights ago as it’s walking distance and two blocks away. This is an upscale neighborhood and the restaurants and service should reflect this. We come to The restaurant and there are no seats avail so we go to the bar as we wait for our table. The bartender is making a few drinks but never once acknowledged us and after a few minutes i simply ask for a drink menu. She hands us two menus and does not say anything to us such as “ i will be right with you “ or a smile or anything. She had red hair and glasses. After about 6 minutes (yes i Timed it) , after she finishes her drinks then another blonde server comes over and a guy and they chat and laugh about something on one of their Cel phones , she ask what she can get us. We order our drinks and close our tab. No sense of customers waiting at bar for drinks. Bad service #1. We get our table after and sit there at least 10 minutes before a guy comes over and ask if we have been helped. We let him know that no one has been to the table but “ so and so “ was on her way. He gets our food order then our server comes and ask if she can take our order. Mind you the guy that comes to Our table was behind us at server station laughing and talking loud for at least 5 minutes before he came to our table. Food comes. Deviled eggs are absolutely horrible. Very off taste. We eat a few and leave one. Food comes. It’s not any better. Fried chicken looks burnt and taste burnt and horrible. Other food is just not good at this price point. This is a nice restaurant but the food needs to Improve big time. The service was just horrible. Coming from chicago and experiencing top service and food...austin has a lot to learn. Step it up Colleen’s. You have a beautiful restaurant inside in fabulous Mueller. This is not how a restaurant should be run. So disappointing and prob won’t be back for a while.

Great location so close to Thinkery and living areas Food was delicious and reasonably priced We did not have reservations (Sunday brunch time) but they were kind enough to squeeze us a small booth and it was perfect. Out waiter was attentive and made sure to validate our ticket for parking. Parents of little children will appreciate the small stairs for washing hands at the sink. I also appreciated the gender neutral bathrooms. Elegant and yet not pretentious and felt comfy bringing my kid.