Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine Restaurant – First Pass Review
Restaurant name: Roy’s Restaurant
Phone: (512) 391-1500
Location: 340 E 2nd St, Austin
Cost: Expensive! See their menu here: http://www.roysrestaurant.com/. Menu found at http://hosted.where2getit.com/roys/
Service date: Sunday, 10 May 2009 at about 12:45 PM.
Service: Excellent! with one side note. It almost turned into a disaster, as we had requested a booster for our 3 year old son. We asked the host for one, and the drink server, and they apparently forgot with all the business going on for Mother’s day. However, the waiter made up for it all. When we advised him that he was the third person we asked about a booster, it was immediately resolved– the rest of the dining experience was excellent. The wait staff was truly professional. I’m chalking up the delay to the Mother’s Day rush.
Comments (PRO):
- Very service oriented. This is the high-end chain restaurant, and the service is commensurate with the price.
- The food is excellent and unique, although you can get the tried and true here as well, with a European-Hawaiian Fusion taste.
- Online reservations available (I made my the day before Mother’s day for my mother, and I got in just after the prime lunch slot at 1:00 P.M.).
- Fixed price menu if you desire
- For Mother’s Day, the restaurant actually gave all the mothers at our table a gift card of $20 each.
Comments (CON):
- The high price (this is a high-end chain restaurant, so this was expected).
- If you want Austin, or Austin Weird, this is not the place for you. However, you can arrive in jeans and button down or polo shirt, so it’s not too bad.
Food Quality: High
Appetizer: Since it was Mother’s Day, we splurged (quite a bit), and all four of us (myself, my wife, and my parents) got the Mother’s Day Brunch Fixed Price Menu which came with an appetizer, main course, and dessert. My wife got the Yamaguchi Suchi “Sunrise at Haleakala” Roll, and she loved it (I’m not a big sushi guy). I chose the Crunchy Golden Lobster Pot Stickers, and they were excellent– nice and succulent, not overdone, and not underdone.
Entrée: For the meal, I chose the Yama Mama’s Meatloaf with Two Eggs over Easy. This is the first time I had eggs on top of my meatloaf, but it won’t be my last. The eggs were done perfectly, and the meatloaf was prepared perfectly as well. However, the taste wasn’t anything spectacular– my mom does just as good a job if not better at times.
Dessert: For desert, I chose the Kona Coffee Chocolate Bavarian Mousse. Very good. Again, many other venues have comparable food, but everything at Roy’s was very good.
Family friendliness:
Lunch: Yes. Kid’s meal available (though a bit expensive), and the waitstaff attempts to please by accommodating guest requests (in meal preparation, and child requests).
Dinner: Yes (qualified). I haven’t eaten at Roy’s for dinner with a child– I believe they would be fine, as the wait staff seems very professional, even if busy.
Expecting/New Mother Friendliness: The restaurant was very accommodating with our requests concerning our three year old son, if a bit slow. They did not seem to mind the requests at all– they were just absent minded I assume, based on the quick reaction by our waiter when brought to his attention. If you have special food requests (soy milk, etc.), I would suggest you call before you make your plans.
Austin Weird: No. I’m sure you’d get the same experience in Plano or other Roy’s locale.
Summary: Roy’s Restaurant (European-Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine) is a fine place to dine out in Austin. If you’re upscale, this is probably not a new place to you– it is corporate in feel, so it’s not Austin Weird. However, the service and food are excellent– but they should be for the price of the meals. I would recommend Roy’s to go to for someone that wants reliably good service and reliably excellent meals if price is not a major concern. The cost for a full meal (appetizer, course, dessert) will range from $30 to $45 without drinks.
The AFR Score: I like Roy’s Restaurant. It started off with a small hitch with our need for a child booster being ignored by the hostess and drink server, but was immediately addressed by our waiter who displayed the appropriate sense of urgency. The food was excellent– all of it. The price however, is a bit more than this reviewer would like to pay– I might even say that the food is overpriced, but you’re paying for the food and service. I’d give Roy’s an eight and a half on a scale of ten with ten being perfect for experience. I’d give them a 5 on price alone, unless you know that you’ll be paying for the service (and that doesn’t mean it’s a built in tip). For a party of two, expect $40 per head, plus 20% tip.
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