Barley Swine is one of our faves and we come here a few times a month at the very least. To be super truthful tho, even though we have been coming here for a few years now, we’ve never ordered off the menu– and have only done the pre-set tasting menu. I keep telling my husband I want to order off the regular menu, and he keeps agreeing– but we have yet to actually do it, lol.

The staff here is friendly and super knowledgeable, and there doesn’t seem to be much turnover. Over the couple of years we’ve been coming here, we still deal with the same staff we always have, and that’s something super rare here in Austin. We’ve got a hopping restaurant scene, and good talent sometimes pops from place to place and if you stick around Austin long enough, you end up seeing the same faces working at the hotspots.

The menu changes every few months or so, as the seasons change it seems– and we have never been disappointed. Even though we’ve been coming here so long, I don’t have a ton of photos. The restaurant is dark and trying to shoot appetizing pictures inside is a challenge.

It’s a cool, casual vibe here, with a large counter that overlooks the kitchen (one of my favorite spots to sit, to be frank). This is an awesome place to come on date night– but if you do the tasting menu, know that it takes roughly 2 hours to get through the meal.