More than oysters. Started with drinks and a variety of oysters. All were great and fresh. We shared the Surf and Turf special which included a filet and choice of scallops or crab stuffed lobster. The bartender recommended the scallops which did not disappoint. These were the star of the meal- so much so that we ordered another side of scallops. The service was ok- even with reservations they sat us at the bar instead of a table and service was a bit slow. It was a Saturday night but not too busy. Good for a date night but not with a big group.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$100+
Food: 4
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 4
Updated Review 02-25-2024
We really wanted some oysters tonight, so rather than "driving into town" we stopped by our newly found hidden gem for oysters in Cedar Park... Sweetwater Oyster Bar. You'll never guess, but we ate at the bar... LOL Zach was our bartender/waiter again and remembered us from last time. Zach provided excellent service again, start to finish. Thanks Zach!
We started this evening with a couple of Last Word cocktails, a fun combination of gin, chartreuse, maraschino liquor and lemon juice... Delicious! We make version of these at home, and this one was as good as ours. Good luck finding the Chartreuse liquor, not as much made by the monks anymore. In fact, we hear the monks now just pick all the mountain herbs used to make the liquor, and someone else has taken over actual production. Look it up online, it's out there, but you have to dig for it. We found our last two bottle in NY state and had them shipped. It makes delicious cocktails.
First course, of course, was oysters. One dozen super-plump, juicy and briny gulf oyster, served ice cold, on ice. Awesome oysters. Some of the best in ATX, IMHO. The oysters are prepared properly, meaning shucked and then cut away from the muscle that holds the oyster to the shell. We frequently run into oysters that are shucked but not cut from the shell. That makes them much harder to eat. The oysters at Sweetwater slide right off the shell. Presented with side of cocktail sauce, horseradish, vinaigrette, saltines and the tiny bottle of Tabasco.
We ordered from the Crudo section of the menu, the Nama No Sakana. Not sure what that means in Japanese, but at Sweetwater, it means 5 different sashimi on a plate: tuna, salmon, hamachi (yellowtail tuna), octopus and scallop. Served with lemon wedges, soy sauce and caviar. All of the fish was super fresh, expertly prepared. Definitely a dish worth having!
We finished up with another "new to us" dish, the Mediterranean Branzino. Topped with a couple of shrimp, couscous, grilled lemon and sweet potato puree. A well thought out and presented dish. Highly recommend Sweetwater!
Updated Review 02-04-2024
Stopped by Sweetwater Oyster Bar to give it another whirl... last visit (which was our first) was in May 2023. Tremendous improvement since the last visit. Bombay Sapphire martinis were the drink of choice, tasted great!
Our first plates were the ceviche and hamachi crudo. Both dishes were outstanding. All fish super fresh, and fine quality! Next up was a dozen gulf oysters, served ice-cold, and they were HUGE! At $2 each, a real bargain... We choose the burrata salad. It did not disappoint! Creamy, handmade burrata ball, melt in your mouth goodness.
We finished up the day with the scallop special, Moroccan scallops. The scallops were expertly prepared, tasty great. Cauliflower, carrots and couscous on the side, delicious.
We'll be back. Highly recommend Sweetwater Oyster bar this time around.
Original Review May 2023
We stopped by Sweetwater Oyster Bar for happy hour recently, our first visit there. The bar looked very inviting, so we sat there. Shout out to Brandon and Adam behind the bar, good guys, great bartenders, and excellent service, attentive but not intrusive. The place is very chic, great atmosphere! Much of the food we had was very good, but overall, not great, especially for the prices. If I was going to title this review, it would be "Hits and Misses."
Hits: Food highlights were the beet salad, the fried oysters, and the Greek octopus.
More Hits: every cocktail we tried was very good!
Misses: We also had the crab stuffed mushrooms, as well as the crab cake… both disappointing…. The gulf oysters also had an odd consistency to them, the taste wasn't necessarily bad, but the "mouth feel" was odd, not creamy like a really fresh oyster.
We will definitely go back, the "hits" outweighed the "misses," we'll be more wary of the shellfish next time around...
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$100+
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Was visiting from out of town and my BIL suggested we go for happy hour, the oysters, crab and cocktails were excellent. Prices were really good compared to some places I’ve seen in Austin. Service was impeccable.
Service
Dine in
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Fire in the Hole Oyster Shooter
Excellent peach martini and burrata appetizer were not enough to offset other mediocre facets of this visit. There are too many other places in CP and Austin area where $200 will get you a better experience.
Dinner for 2 with tip: 1 cocktail, 12 oysters (tried all varieties offered), burrata app, octopus small plate, branzino/shrimp entree, extra bread. Timing was rushed, courses arrived very quickly and before we had made headway with prior items. When the entrees arrived, there was no room on our high-top, so we asked the server to hold 5 minutes. Waitress appearances were erratic and perfunctory. As CT native and residents of Chesapeake Bay watershed, we found the flavor of the SOB oysters lacking. They weren't all that busy, and their reviews are generally positive. Maybe there's a reason for tonight's misfires....
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$50–100
Food: 3
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 3
Food and ambiance was fine, but the prices are crazy. Would rather take the time to go to Austin and pay for parking and babysitter more for a better, less expensive meal.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$100+
Phenomenal price for oysters during happy hour. Drinks and service were excellent as well.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Other
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Calamari
The best gulf coast oysters I’ve ever had! Jesse was great. Amazing service and food!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$30–50
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Everytime I go to Sweetwater I spend half of the meal listening to the staff tell us stories or about the restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, I m a talkative person- but last meal It prevented me from getting to actually catch up with the people I was dining with. It wasn’t just that waiter- it has happened many times I’ve gone there with others. Also the menu online, in person, and what is actually on the plate for the avocado toast are 3 different things.
Food: 2
Service: 2
Atmosphere: 4
This is the 4th time I have tried to come in and they have closed 30 minutes to an hour early. I love James and the whole place in general so I didn’t want to write this review but I always only come in for a round of oysters and a drink. So I never end up being there for more than 30 minutes. I pulled up today and I had two different wait staff avoid eye contact with me at the front door. Very disappointed tonight.
Service: 1
