by Son Janz on Good drink, but it's expensive for Austin. A little yuppie-ish and seemed like it was loud even though we were outside. The bartenders were nice but took forever to recognize a friend and me. Yuck to the animal hyde rug. yuck.
by Maria M. on When I lived in the Heights, that whole stretch of Dyckman west of Broadway, where Mamajuana is, was pretty much just a way to get onto the West Side highway. Now, there's a couple really nice restaurants, and a very cool Irish bar as well in case you're ready for a dive after elegant Mamajuana. I had the pizza with chorizo and sweet platano. I loved the juxtaposition of flavors. Very inventive. And I finally got my yuca fries, which were very good. For the appetizer, we got the steak on skewers with a cheese fondue, which was pretty good, but the cheese could have been a tad richer. The paella was delicious, but it is really enough for two people, depending on how hungry. This is a good place for everyone in your party to get a different entree and sample amongst each other. The sangria was the best I've ever tasted! Yes, I should have had some mamajuana, but based on facts I learned later on about it, I'm glad I didn't touch it. Let's just say, I was not in the right company for one of its effects, and for the other, my fists of fury were not ready to come out yet. The service was great and the food came out quickly. The decor is elegant, very Spanish colonial, right down to the big, wooden doors at the entrance. Overall, a really nice experience, and a welcome change to that part of the Heights. I've been hearing about a bunch of great, new restaurants in this area. I guess the gentrification is really creeping up there, but now that I've tried a couple of these places, I'm not so sure it's a bad thing. By the way, I think the dress code here is slightly above casual. Everyone was looking so damn good!
