TLC Austin Reviews

It was time to experience this place. It was lunchtime around 11:00 A.M. and promptly greeted. I was given the rundown on how to order. You order food first and then find a seat where your food will be delivered to you. I ordered the Freddie Joe which consisted of Shredded Brisket and Ground Beef, Crispy Red Onions, Shisito Peppers, and Sloppy Sauce. I walked towards the bar with my order number in hand and found a place to sit. I looked to my right to see a game room with standup video consoles, air hockey, and a foosball table. There is also an outdoor sidewalk patio with more games to play like cornhole. I noticed this place is also very pet friendly. I saw a lot of local brews on tap and apparently change them out on a regular basis. I ordered a beer and the girl working the bar was super nice. My food arrived on a white metal pan. A nice big bun sandwich with meat pouring out and a side of garlic fries. It looked to good to eat. After one bite I was in heaven where the brisket and beef were a perfect match and delicious. I was impressed how soft and tasty it was, and started texting how good it was. The fries were just as good. This restaurant definitely will be added to my regular lunch rotation when I am in this area. Afterwards I finished my beer and a few more people showed up. I ask if this place gets packed and the bartender said in the evening and especially on weekends. TLC seems very inviting, great beer selections and a nice atmosphere.

I have dined here a few times when in Austin. I really enjoy the casual vibe. I order a boil which allows you to choose your "catch", "flavor", and "sauce". Order at the counter but they bring the food to your table. They have sandwiches, various sides, chicken fried steaks, and other things if you have non-seafood people in your party. Full bar too.

Finally checked out TLC on South Lamar last weekend and yeah, it definitely lives up to the hype. We went specifically for the seafood boil and it didn't disappoint. We got a mix of the snow crab and shrimp with the Texas Heat sauce—honestly, that spicy garlic butter situation is dangerous, I could almost drink it. Pro tip: you absolutely have to get the sourdough bread to soak up the leftover sauce at the bottom. The vibe is super chill, especially if you snag a spot on the patio. We brought our pup and the staff brought him a water bowl right away, which is always great. It’s got that open-air, communal feel with the arcade games in the back, so it doesn't feel stuffy like some other seafood spots. Also, if you can make it for Happy Hour, the deal on oysters is solid. Cold, fresh, and not too expensive. Service was quick and our server Emily was super nice even though they were packed. Definitely gonna be our new go-to spot for day drinking and messy crab legs.

Simply put, a great dining experience. Hard to find a boil in Austin, the flavors and options are the best in town. Same can be said for the oysters as well, great happy hour prices and selections. A great place for seafood in Austin, you won't be disappointed. One more thing, the DKR is just as good as the seafood, you won't be disappointed. Finally, a relaxed and casual atmosphere fitting for Austin.

I got fried shrimp and the rest of the family got boiled crawfish. Everyone enjoyed their food. Love the outside eating area. Parking garage close by. Clean restroom.

We did a late dinner to go and it was wonderful! Husband had the gumbo and we shared some crab legs that were huge and seasoned just right! Our daughter enjoyed her chicken as well. Very convenient if you’re staying at The Guild! Staff was pleasant too! We will return!

My daughter and I stopped in on a Monday night (which is happy hour all night) and we ordered the mussels and 1/2 pound of king crab legs with drawn butter. It was DELICIOUS. The staff was friendly and the food and atmosphere were casual and inviting. We will definitely return.

I went there about a week ago, & had the shrimp & grits - so good!! Service was great. Casual setting in downtown Austin. Will definitely be back.

The prices were great,service was fast and food was amazing!!! Love the chill,costal vibes I got from this place. Next time I’m in Austin I will be back for those charbroiled oysters!!

This is a nice spot. Everything was so yummy. I had the oysters Rockefeller and a seafood salad with the shrimp grilled, yummy!!! Can’t wait to go back and try more things on the menu!

super fresh, huge dishes of local food; games for kids; tons of beer taps; a great porch for dogs; open/clean dining space; quick counter ordering and friendly/high-touch food delivery; reasonable prices. If you can stomach these things, this is the perfect spot! Seriously, this place is a gem!

So, I am gluten free - not by choice - and this place is wonderful. Their deep fried pickles are gluten free and delicious, as is the chicken fried steak -- no kidding, right? Nearly the entire menu can be made gluten free, which for me is HUGE! I had the dungeness crab boil as well as the raw oysters and it was all Heaven. We sat outside and it felt like we were in another country - just free and easy. My only negative comment (and I mean the only one) is that I'm a wine snob and prefer Pinot Noir and they did not, at the time I visited, offer that:( I'm hoping they will have a change of heart!

Nice fresh oysters. Lots of good seafood. The food is served on large trays that make it look like you didn't order very much. I had the oyster sandwich. I thought there was too much bread and put all the oysters on half of the bread. Lots of tvs and beer.

This will be THE next hip restaurant in Austin. Forget Hopdoddy, Uchi, and Gourdough’s. Go to TLC for the best dining experience in Austin. Great menu: choose your catch, choose your flavor, and choose your sauce. The sandwiches are outstanding. The service is remarkable: although it is counter service, your food is brought to your table and multiple people are checking if you need anything or to take anything away (to make room for more, I hope.) On my first visit I had the crispy oysters Rockefeller, Brussels sprout corn hash, and the DKR sandwich (think French Dip Texas-style.) I cant wait to try the chili, gumbo, and the chicken-fry ribeye. Mark my words: Chef Jeff will be the next notable chef to come out of Austin, Texas. The location is great and convenient: next to the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar (Lamar Union.) Free parking in the parking garage. Go to Alamo for the movie, but to TLC for dinner. Don’t eat here. I don’t want to have to wait in line when I return tomorrow.

The food here is great! I've probably eaten at TLC a dozen or more times since first discovering the place last August. Although it gives the appearance of a sports bar, that's just an added benefit as far as I'm concerned. The gumbo is as good as any gumbo I've ever had, and that includes Louisiana! The Caesar salad is terrific, too. I would (and do) travel across town to eat here. Great service makes it the complete package.

Super yummy boils and $5.00 happy hour oysters. Plus they have craft beers on tap for those that are interested. Personally I'm there for the oysters and the crab boils. Pick and choose your flavor and butter. SO GOOD. Plus, you can hop on over to The Alamo afterwards for a movie or down to Lick for some yummy ice-cream.

I love TLC Austin. From the Texas Coffee Traders cold brew to the always-amazing DKR, everything hits. The space is open and welcoming, with good music always playing, which makes it an easy place to hang out. The last time I went, I had one of the strongest cold brews I’ve had anywhere in Austin, the bacon-wrapped shrimp made with Nueske’s bacon, and the Texan. The bacon-wrapped shrimp are out of this world. The Texan is a great burger and unlike anything I’ve had before. Beans and Fritos on a burger wouldn’t normally be my first choice, but somehow it absolutely works. They have a solid beer and wine selection, but I was especially into the draft cocktails — plenty of good options there. If you’re in the area, definitely give this place a try.

Terrible experience. This was my first experience at TLC, and it was dreadful. We came for a Thursday night dinner before a movie at Alamo across the street. We had 50 minutes for dinner and were almost late for the film due to terrible service. TLC is sort of a serve-yourself place, so 45 minutes should have been plenty of time for dinner. My partner ordered a salad, which was delivered in about 10 minutes. I ordered "red fish with jumbo lump crab meat and grilled asparagus." I was told my order would be delivered a bit later. 15 minutes later, I was told that maybe I should order something else. Then I was told "Ok, we can have the fish out in 10 minutes." Meanwhile, they brought out some asparagus. Was this mine, without fish? Oh sorry, they belong to someone else. Asparagus leaves table. 11 minutes later, my dinner came. I got a piece of batter fried fish (they have fish and chips on the menu for considerably less in price). With the fish, I got some flakes of crab (certainly not "jumbo lump crabmeat") and some tiny (maybe 1/2 cup), overdone/limp asparagus--all swimming in grease from the fried fish. The price was $28, and they asked for a minimum tip of 18% when you ordered. There are a lot of other restaurants in Austin where you can have a good dinner, at the same price or less. Don't go to TLC if you want a good quality dinner.

This is a knock it out of the park place for Austin. Great seafood and for me, lots of gluten free options. Staff is great, atmosphere is great, food is amazing!

I was looking forward to some seafood and this restaurant doesn't disappoint. I had the shrimp po boy and it was delicious. I also had the jalapeno margarita, $5 on happy hour prices, but $10 otherwise. It was very very good. The only thing is that I think this restaurant is a little pricey for what you get -- for instance, French fries did not come with my $12 sandwich. I also ordered the barbeque deviled eggs; I don't know what was barbeque about it but they had pieces of sugar coated bacon on top -- Yum! I will definitely visit this restaurant again.

Five stars! Big fan of the DKR Sandwich and Alaskan Red King Crab! Great service and great patio! Dog friendly as a bonus!

The most unorganized place I have probably been. We had five people and our orders came out late and mixed up. The food is very overpriced and not good. A very disappointing experience to say the least. Don’t waste you time or money.

We needed to get out of the house after 10 months of pandemic. Went to lunch there and it was great. It's a casual but pleasant atmosphere. You have to scan the bar code to get to their website for ordering online, the only way you can order. Of course if you just open the camera app on your phone like they ask, it doesn't necessarily get you to the URL, but it will take a picture of the QR Code. After a few tries we got to the menu. Whoever wrote their software didn't do a particularly good job with usability. It too a few tries to get the two lobster rolls and mimosa added to our cart. Checking out was a hassle too. The blank field for my last name didn't show up as anything but a blank field. After noticing our frustration, someone came over and pointed out that they needed that field filled out as well. The lobster rolls weren't cheap at $35, but they were huge. It appeared to be a whole lobster in each and we're happy we didn't order anything else because lobster is filling. We both finished ours easily but now, an hour later, it's sitting heavy (but nicely) in my very satisfied belly the way lobster does. Lobster is one of our favorites foods. This was cooked perfectly and about as good as it gets.

Every time we’re in town we stop at TLC. Great atmosphere and food. The Christmas decor is amazing and unique! We usually get the bacon flight or atomic shrimp for an appetizer with our entree (both are dynamite)! You can’t go wrong with anything you order off the menu! Staff is extremely friendly and professional.

Oh TLC how i use to love you. I was just here on Thursday night. Trying to support my local restaurant. We walk in and there’s at least 8 tables that need cleaning. Like we usually do we walk around looking for a table. This girl comes up to us and is like are you looking for a table and we’re like yes. She’s like you have to be on the waitlist and it’s about a ten minute wait. I look around and I’m like seriously? She’s like I have to clean the tables. My girlfriend loves this place so I’m like ok, I guess we’ll wait. So we have a seat and we’re there for a good 5-7 minutes and the same girl is walking around delivering food and just hanging out while she sees us sitting there waiting. I’m like oh no this is not happening. This isn’t some high end club on a Saturday night that I need to wait in like for. Needless to say we left. I’m at the point in my life that i shouldn’t have to wait in line to give someone my money. Especially when I know you’re just being lazy and don’t want to clean the tables.

They promoted a Crawfish Boil on social media, so we though we'd check it out. We waited an hour and a half in a line wrapping around the building before we could even order. There was only one person taking orders, but that may be by design to make sure they don't take more orders than they can process or exceed seating capacity. Here's the process: You place your order at the counter, take a number, find a place to sit and put your number on the table for the server to find you and deliver your food. The delivery system seemed haphazard with servers wandering around with trays of food looking for the appropriate numbers. After waiting another half hour and seeing people who were behind us in line being served, we realized there was a problem. Meanwhile, all the servers are gathered around the photo booth getting pictures taken. We finally got someone's attention to check on our order, only to find it was given to someone else! They remade it and gave us dessert on the house, but it shouldn't have taken 3 hours mid-afternoon to eat a meal! Interestingly, there was no signage or other indication at the restaurant that they were having this crawfish boil. The crawfish was o.k, but not prepared in a traditional Cajun style; the seasoning was sprinkled on the outside. The description on social media indicated The apple cobbler was awesome!

We recently visited after a Longhorn game. We found the atmosphere casual & friendly. We enjoyed the Chicken Fried Steak and the Boilof Shrimp, Mussels &Sausage. Our favorite was the mussels. The accomplishments of potatoes & Corn were average, nothing special.

I was waiting for a nail appointment next door and needed something fast and tasty, so the barista nearby recommended TLC as it just opened. They are really trying--everything was set up so cute (think mason jars and little crates), the soda machine had tasty local offerings like Austin prickly-pear lemonade, and my chili was delicious! Austin has a lot of completion out there, but I would definitely recommend this restaurant!

Ok, thats a bit overboard, but the place *is* seriously chill. The food is quite good (holy cow, those fried pickles!), albeit kinda fried, but that fits in quite well with the "we have many beers" vibe. Mind you, Gingerman this isn't - the beer list is quite carefully selected, as is the wine list (on tap! Trefethen! WAT). And yeah, there is an entire selection of games and whatnot to do, but hey, leave that to the frat-bros. Hang out at the bar, or the tables, partake of the beers, chill with your friends, and have a good time! (And yeah, the happy hour is excellent!)

Went here with some friends later on a weeknight, and I was impressed with the concept. Seafood AND country fried steak on the menu? Neat! My wife and I split a small shrimp boil, and hushpuppies and fried okra were ordered for the table. The boil was good, the hushpuppies were EXCELLENT, but I was a bit disappointed with the okra. My personal preference is for fried okra in pieces, and here they fry the whole pod. (Yes, I'm a traditionalist!). Some neat features here---foosball table, video games, etc. But the seating was bench style, which I am not a fan of. Good experience, but I feel there must be better options in a wonderful town like Austin.

At 9pm we were on a hunt for a place to eat allergy friendly after being denied or unaccomadating at 3 nearby places. we luckily found TLC... Their website says they accommodate for allergies. this place was amazing in every way. the minute we said allergy the kind person at the register said. " i wanna make 100 percent sure we can make this is possible.. she stepped into the kitchen. the owner, Carlos came to the register and with so much kindness and a smile said "I will make this order personally. the food.. so delicious.. and again allergy free... EAT HERE. I WISH WE LIVED IN AUSTIN. if you have ALLERGIES you will be safe and have a great experience along with a cool vibe with a bar along with pacman and few other games. Every employee is attentive and works as a team.

Had a fantastic time at TLC during their Christmas theme. They have totally covered every inch of this place in christmas decor. Came in, was quick to be seated and shortly after they offered my kid some window stickers to help decorate (awesome). We tried some of the Christmas items and some of the regular menu items - crab cake and chowder were both delightful and we really enjoyed the king crab and shrimp boil. Got talked into a massive bowl of banana split to finish it off. Everything was great and can't wait to come back after the holidays.

Taste great, the snow crabs, corn, shrimps. The environment is casual and the staff are very friendly

I actually visited with friends in Feb, March and April. The service is great. There’s a pretty good selection of seafood. My only dislike is that they toss the seafood/corn etc. in the seasoning after it’s cooked. Most places boil in a bag so the flavor seeps in. Still, the food is very good. There’s inside and outside seating available... located in a cool walkable area.