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 Hickory Street Bar & Grille
(512) 477-8968
800 Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78701
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Editorial Description by Citysearch
Expansive, efficient downtown buffet brings in office workers for fast-paced lunches.
Rated 9.3 out of 10 by Citysearch.
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2 Reviews
of Hickory Street Bar & Grille
in Austin
...Write yours here!
Buffet is good 
I have eaten here many times but cannot recall ever ordering something off the menu. But I do love their all you can eat buffet.
The salad bar is huge and has lots of variety. And it's kept well-stocked with fresh ingredients. There is also a spud bar, soup, bread, and ice cream.
If you're looking for something not too trendy foo-foo downtown, go here.
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Wow! 
First off, let me say that the reputation of this place has sucked for the last several years. When an out of town guest wanted to go to some place that was "Austin", I reluctantly took them back here expecting horrible service, decent food, but with an extensive history of what Austin was about nonetheless.
To my shocked and incredible suprise, this place has apparently gotten a second wind. Not only were there misters on the patio, free live, local music, and the cheapest pints in town (2 bucks for like, 8 different kinds), but the menu had expanded to include a half dozen more burgers, specialty salads, and the best wings I've put in my mouth since Hooters (...which makes me wonder :) ). Anyway, the employees all had Hickory Street shirts, seemed to care about how empty our drinks were getting, and were the most attentive I've ever seen since going there a couple of years ago.
Needless to say my friend was very impressed, what with the waterfall, the patio, the eclectic, artistic bunch that seem drawn to this place....
At last, it seems, that Hickory Street is realizing its full potential. They even put in the ORIGINAL bar from the Driskall Hotel.
Don't get me wrong, this ain't fine dining, the table tops are sticky, the building is funky, but if that doesn't just add to the ambiance of what Austin is supposed to be, then I don't know what does.
Kudos to whoever is turning this thing around.
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Skip it
This place has horrible service, terrible food, feels dirty, and basically misses the mark on quality. The only positive is the location. Avoid going here if you want to be impressed.
Posted 07/24/08 at 12:03pm
Worst place ever!!!
RUDE RUDE RUDE!! The waiters and waitresses were so rude to us!! They passed in front us about 5 times and never bothered to ask if we would like to be seated.
The service totally sucked so we just left!!
I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE OUT THERE!
Cons: rude waiters
Posted 06/12/08 at 5:08pm
Everything you'd expect from an Austin original
So i recently moved here from denver and work downtown. Looking for something "austin", my collegues told me about hickory street. This place is really cool, except right now, since apparently the a.c.'s are under repair and it's a bit hot inside the main dining area. The food was exceptional, the portions were big, and the heat made the margaritas go down really easy. Look, this place isn't fancy, a bit grungy, and it seems like you have to have a tatoo to work there, but that all just makes it part of the experience. As a first timer, to everyone else reading these reviews, just realize this place is what it is. The impressive selection of menu items will have me coming back for some time now, and i'll keep posting my experiences whether good, bad, or in between. For people who've written bad reviews, you're reading too much into what this restaurant is. For now, i think it's pretty awesome the way it is, flaws and all.
Pros: Big portions, wide selection, cheap drinks, friendly service
Cons: none for now.....
Posted 05/28/08 at 1:01pm
This place is BAD and not in a good way
Waited for over 30 minutes for food and then the order was WRONG. The waitress took the order then disappeared, came back about 10 minutes later with the drinks and disappeared again, came back about 10 minutes later promising to refill glasses and never came back until the food was served 35 minutes later from the time it was ordered. Now how hard is it to cook a Breakfast TACO???? When I explained my order was wrong, the waitress just walked away. Poor service and bad cooking what more can you ask for in real terrible restaurant.
Posted 05/23/08 at 8:04am
Disappointed
I've been a frequent customer at Hickory Street Bar & Grill for several years as I work within walking distance of the restaurant. The last year or so, they've undergone some changes which I didn't think were too bad (although I preferred it the way it always had been).
Today, I went with a co-worker and the first thing I noticed was how hot it was in the restaurant. I asked if they could turn the A/C cooler. He checked with the manager and the reply was that whenever someone walks in, it lets all the warm air in. I could either try to move somewhere else or get closer to a vent.
(Wasn't crazy about this answer)
I proceeded to eat my salad, bowl of soup & then my fruit. As I was eating my fruit (end of the meal), my friend sitting across from me noticed the side of my bowl. There was "stuck" chocolate pudding on the side of the bowl. You could tell it was old and I only had fruit in this particular bowl.
I asked to speak to the manager who came over about ten minutes later (not sure what took so long) and brought this to his attention. He replied with - Sorry, I guess the dishwasher didn't do a good job - Sorry about that. That's it ! He didn't offer to comp my meal, didn't give me any discount, anything. That's not the way to run business.
This restaurant is in a prime location; however, its quickly going downhill. They defintely need new management and new "dishwashers' and someone that cares.
A disappointed customer who has no intention of returning.
Pros: Location
Cons: Lacking in cleanliness and customer service
Posted 05/19/08 at 11:58am
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2 reviews –
