As long as I have had my list of 10 Favorite Restaurants in Berks County, Austin’s has been on it.
The restaurant was among our first reviews and has remained a favorite, even as our meals have transitioned from date nights to family dinners.
We visit Austin’s a few times a year, most times in the dining room, sometimes to pick up takeout. It’s a convenient stop for us being just a short drive from our home in Wyomissing Hills.
And the food and service are always very good.
That was again the case on our most recent visit.
We were seated at one of their booths – Julie, Jakob and I sat in the cushioned seats while Lukas sat in his high chair.
Not long after we were greeted by our server, a loaf of their famous honey wheat bread arrived on the table. While it is no longer complementary, we get it every time. The sweet bread with the honey-infused butter is the perfect start to any meal. And even as a family of four, there’s enough to take a few slices home for later.
I go back-and-forth between pasta dishes and barbecue on our visits. My favorite pasta dish is the chicken bruschetta pasta, which features tomatoes, bread crumbs and a balsamic drizzle. It’s delicious, but I can never finish a full order.
But that’s usually the case no matter what I order because the portion sizes are so large. But knowing that leftovers are coming home no matter what also makes it easier for me to order some of my favorites.
That’s why I got the chicken and ribs combo on this visit.
While Austin’s is not a typical barbecue joint, I absolutely love their ribs. The meat falls off the bone, and the half-rack is slathered in a deliciously sweet sauce.
I could just order a half-rack or full-rack of ribs, but I also love the Texas tenders. These fried delights have a breading unlike any other around. Each piece is so light and crunchy, and they are perfect for dipping.
Austin’s also has some excellent sides, both familiar and unique – some a combination of both. Their fries fit that description as they are some of the smallest cuts I’ve found. They eat almost like potato sticks rather than fries, but they are delicious. I tried to be “healthy” with my second side by ordering fruit in the form of cinnamon glazed apples. Of course the apples are served in a sugary, cinnamon sauce that takes away any of the nutritional value, but they’re oh so good.
Julie made a much more senisble decision by ordering salmon for her entree. It’s one of her go-tos at Austin’s. The fish came out with grill marks that made a beautiful criss-cross pattern across the perfectly cooked fish. It comes topped with a honey glaze for an extra bit of flavor that takes it from good to great.
For her sides, Julie chose fries (she, too, cannot resist) and a side Caesar. Of course because Austin’s portions are so large, the side Caesar is almost large enough for a meal. The salad comes topped with toasted homemade breadcrumbs, a light dressing, and freshly grated Paremsan cheese. It’s a small upcharge for a Caesar, but worth it.
If you find us at Austin’s, it will most likely be on a Sunday night. That’s because kids eat free every Sunday at Austin’s and its sister restaurant, Coastal Grille.
But it’s not just that we love the free meals, it’s that the kids love the food, too. On this visit, he had a cheeseburger with a cup of baked beans.
The cheeseburger is large enough that I could probably eat it for a main dish and feel satisfied, but Jakob still managed to eat the whole thing.
He didn’t particularly care for his baked beans, but I really like them. They are saucier than you’ll find at other places, a sweet barbecue-style sauce, and the beans are smaller so they’re a little different. The good news was that the burger, and a few of Julie’s fries, were more than enough for him.
For Lukas, we ordered mac and cheese. Of course, Austin’s doesn’t actually use macaroni and instead uses penne for their version of the dish. And the crock comes filled with them.
The cheese sauce tends to the settle to the bottom, but once mixed, the kids both enjoy it.
With the kids’ meals being free, we saved between $15-$20 on our visit. Our final total for the evening coming in around $60. When you also factor in that my Texas tenders came home for lunch the next day, we felt like we got our money’s worth and then some.
From the food to the portions to the family-friendly Sunday nights, there are plenty of reasons why Austin’s has been, and continues to be, one of our favorites.
BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Excellent
Ambiance: Very Good
Price: $$
Austin’s Restaurant and Bar
1101 Snyder Rd
West Lawn, PA 19609
More Restaurants Near West Lawn, PA
Original Review: February 9, 2014
It’s hard not to notice the lights.
The dining room is dimly lit. Small lamps at each table mimic the glow of candlelight. The dark brick walls, only partially lit by interspersed overhead lights, stand in stark contrast to the brightness of the kitchen, which sits in full view of customers through large glass windows.
A team of waiters and waitresses buzz by, their black clothing blending into their dark surroundings.
There is something romantic about the low lighting at Austin’s Restaurant and Bar. Though there are plenty of families there on any given night, it still feels like the perfect date night restaurant.
Austin’s is part of a small chain of restaurants in southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. The other three – located in Lancaster, Langhorne and Christiana, DE – operate under the J.B. Dawson’s banner.
The menus among the four restaurants are nearly identical. Burgers and sandwiches are popular, but so too are the surprisingly good barbecue selections like baby back ribs and pulled pork. Fresh seafood and pasta dishes, flatbread pizza and six different cuts of steak round out a menu that is so much more than bar food.
No meal at Austin’s is complete without a loaf of their signature honey wheat bread. Though no longer complimentary, the bread is well-worth the nominal charge.
The loaves are fresh-baked, served warm with a dab of honey butter. You can taste the honey, but it’s a subtle sweetness, not overpowering to the bread as a whole. I never would leave a slice of bread at the table at Austin’s like I would at most restaurants.
For your main course, it is hard to go wrong with any of Austin’s options. I enjoy the baby back ribs (all-you-can-eat every Monday night) and pulled pork, though they don’t reach the heights of some other barbecue joints.
Another go-to of mine (and on this occasion, my wife) is the Texas Tenders. The breading is different from any other fried chicken I have tried. It’s very thin, giving the dish a light and airy feel (which is the exact opposite from most fried chicken dishes) while still providing a nice crunch. The tenders blend perfectly with the house barbecue and honey mustard sauces.
Of course if you order chicken tenders, fries have to be the default side. Austin’s French fries are sliced exceptionally thin, which gives them a unique look and feel compared to other local restaurants.
Austin’s menu also includes a handful of pasta options. On our last visit, I ordered the Chicken Florentine Pasta: grilled chicken and penne in a spinach cream sauce, topped with diced tomatoes. The tomatoes were marinated in a balsamic vinegar, which blended well, never overpowering the richness of the cream.
The food was more than enough for two whole meals, so we packed up half of our meals to save room for dessert. We were not disappointed.
We opted for the banana cream delight. Essentially a deconstructed pie, it featured whole sliced bananas, graham cracker crumbs and banana custard topped with whipped cream and drizzled with caramel sauce. The graham cracker helped temper the sweetness of the other ingredients, adding a flavorful crunch that put this on par with a really good banana cream pie.
The ambiance of Austin’s may feel like fine dining, but the prices are much more reasonable. Our dinner for two, complete with dessert was under $40. There is always a long wait during the dinner rush, especially on weekends, but you can always grab a few drinks at the bar to pass the time or plan your trip for off-peak hours.
BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Very Good
Ambiance: Very Good
Price: Reasonable
