If you love down-home, comfort food then the Bakehouse Restaurant & Bar in Austin, Texas, is an establishment you must try. Located on Manchaca Road in South Austin, the Bakehouse offers a dish for everyone in the family. With high ambitions to please, this friendly, casual diner serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner.
You might expect that the Bakehouse Restaurant & Bar would stick with their time tested favorites like the juicy hamburgers and delicious sandwiches. Hungry Texans love a warm bowl of fruit cobbler topped with a scoop of ice cream, so why not just run with that? Evidently the Bakehouse Restaurant felt a competitive nudge to keep up with local ethnic eateries. Customers with a flair for more eastern tastes will enjoy the Moroccan Cous Cous. Thai lovers can order Curry Chicken for dinner. Or how about the Cajun Shrimp Salad or Cheese Enchiladas for those who love Cajun and Tex Mex, respectively? Gordon Ramsay of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares would have a field day tearing apart the Bakehouse’s extensive menu, but somehow it works for this little restaurant. While I would not suggest that the Asian dishes are representative of what you might get at a real Thai or Chinese restaurant, you always have a safe bet with the American Southern dishes, and anything Cajun or Tex Mex.
Like many savvy, Austin restaurants, the Bakehouse loves serving Austinites breakfast, and the fluffy, light pancakes are to die for. A complete omelet menu is offered, as well as Tex Mex twists like Huevos Rancheros and Migas (Austinites adore these foods!). The biscuits are airy and moist, and can easily be paired with gravy, a Southerner’s delight. Hung over from a night of partying downtown? The Bakehouse is happy to serve up a refreshing Bloody Mary or Screwdriver quench your thirst.
For diners watching their caloric intake, the Bakehouse suggest a large realm of fresh salads, low fat sandwiches and vegetarian dishes. I am not kidding you – the Bakehouse aims to please just about everyone. The salads are fresh, crisp and extremely satisfying, especially during a hot, Texas summer. Sandwiches range from Barbecue Chicken to Philly Cheese Steak to Turkey Breast and Bacon. If you want a dish that will stick to your ribs, the dinner menu offers fish, poultry, pork, beef and seafood entrees.
Another surprising aspect of the Bakehouse is the full bar. If you enjoy a cocktail along with your Peach Cobbler, Bakehouse can fulfill that desire. Catering an event? The Bakehouse is happy to accommodate everyone from small to large groups, private or corporate, weddings, bar mitzvahs – you name it, the staff will take care of every detail. Prices are extremely modest at the Bakehouse – you could feed a family of four an entire dinner for about $70 (this would not include alcoholic drinks), minus a tip. That is not bad, especially considering that high end Austin restaurants are twice that amount.
All the menu items are made from scratch and are completely natural – no artificial nothing at this groovy eatery. What’s even more cool is that the Bakehouse is open every day of the year, with the exception of Christmas Day. Costs are minimal and while you won’t be eating a five star, gourmet meal, you will be satisfied and stuffed when you leave. Going to the Bakehouse Restaurant & Bar is not like eating at the legendary Threadgill’s, but it is decent food and worth the trip. Stick with what you know, order the favorites and enjoy!
