Chef Nic Yanes and team somehow makes Italian food new and exciting for me. Focusing on authentic Italian cuisine, specifically from the Northern region, it shines thanks to Chef Nic, who has traveled to research the region before Juniper was opened. Juniper dedication to pasta both traditional and new is apparent. This is the freshest pasta in the city and all dishes are made to order. Sit at the chef's counter bar for the best view of the action while snacking on the highest quality prosciutto imported from Italy or popping in their fun puffy potatoes. Watch as staff on the pastificio line meticulously assemble and grill quality cuts for meat for guest's orders.
The Gulf Shrimp was a must from my first visit and the stuffed quail from this visit, listed under the left hand section. And the shaped pasta is another must. From my fist Juniper experience the wok-fried squid ink shaped noodles with juicy squid and a hint of spice was an absolute must order. This is a very labor intense pasta to make! By sitting at the chef's counter again my second time, it was shared that every chef I had came across loved their pappardelle pasta the most! So that was what we ordered, and it did not disappoint!
When you enjoy well-made Italian food, you shouldn't hesitate to mop up the extra sauce. Everything dish ordered Thursday night was outstanding and left me yet again wanting to come back to try the other dishes we had not try!
Every single bite of every dish on the table was packed with flavor. Olives, those INSANE POTATO PUFFS, chicken, fish, carrots—every single bite. The mark of a truly great kitchen is making simple foods like roast chicken and carrots extraordinary.
That was our first visit and I cannot wait to return.
The space is elegant, but cozy and comfortable. Our server, Eric, was polished and professional but super friendly. We had a great night.
Juniper never disappoints! The food is consistently spectacular. We love the seasonality of the menu and the service is always on point. It continues to be a favorite dinner spot and I'll always recommend.
Visited for the first time last night - our fabulous server Scott took control (after our request of course) and brought us out all of his favorites. What an incredibly well curated menu - the warm spinach salad, the gnocchi, the risotto, and the after dinner "mint" were particular standouts, but the pork belly, whipped potato "tots", smoky squid and snapper were out of this world. Service was impeccable - the chef even came by to greet us despite a fully packed dining room! Cocktails were all perfectly balanced and light and fresh, with some meatier whiskey and tequila options as well. The only thing that can compare to the menu is the incredible ambiance - such an architecturally interesting restaurant. We can NOT wait to return for brunch next weekend.
Staff was amazing! Both front and BOH. Food was absolutely 🔥🔥🔥. Mark my words, Juniper WILL be the best restaurant in ATX. The potato tots are like eating clouds. FYI if you’ve never eaten a cloud.... you should, at Juniper.
This place was wonderful! My husband and are are in town for a while after Hurricane Irma and have been wanting to try this place since we lived in Austin years ago. It did not let us down. Great food and wine list. I had the oxtail pasta - so good! The bartender, Mark, was fantastic and Emily took great care of us as well. We will definitely be back! :)
Ate here once for my 27th birthday. Truly excellent meal courtesy of my server Ryan, who we delegated all ordering duties to. 7-8 dishes for two at a totally reasonable cost for a special occasion dinner. Gotta come back now that I'm just down the road!
Every course was perfection! So was the ambiance and service. Highly recommend sitting at the chef's bar.
This was spot on. Friendly service, good choice of beverage. The menu was varied and well proportioned. I would eat here tomorrow, were I in Austin.
There was a good selection of meat and vegetarian dishes, all reasonably priced.
Tammi Warfield Rollert
+5
Every single dish was spectacular. Cannot wait to go back!!
So good! All the starters are bomb af. :) so many flavors and all the damn breads/pastries they make are next level.
Fantastic dinner last night! The staff was some of the friendliest and genuinely excited to be there. Truly a great experience. Check out those Truffles!! �
Awesome experience! From the food to the atmosphere to the service, the experience was unforgettable. Scott was one of the best servers I've ever had. He was incredibly knowledgeable and did not hesitate to lead us through an evening of great food and wine. Servers for other tables were also incredible. Several servers stopped by to offer recommendations and refill our drinks. Management was incredibly courteous and went out of their way to ensure we had a great experience by offering recommendations and telling us about the origin of the restaurant concept. We will for sure be back! A true gem!
Our first impression of the restaurant was that it was very nicely decorated. We sat outside on a perfect fall day. However, I was bitten by unseen insects so I had to put on my long sleeve jacket. We did the prix fixe tasting menu with the wine pairing. The wine chosen by the waiter was always good but the food didn’t live up to the hype. The starter courses were better than the proteins. I found my short rib to be too dry. Also, the hamachi was a bit odd. Stick to a sushi restaurant if you want raw fish. The tomatoes, the salads and the starches were outstanding. We probably won’t return just because there are many other restaurants in the same price range that we’d choose over this one.
We had a great time celebrating our anniversary at Juniper. The services was the best and the food was really good, the atmosphere was really nice. We shared an appetizer and each got a pasta entrees and shared a second entree. I also would recommend the chocolate buldino… it is to die for! 🤗 a little pricey but for a special occasion it is worth the investment.
Small but balanced menu. Chose to sit inside, the outside tables have no atmosphere. Open kitchen vibe with a bar.
The appetizers were better than the main dish. I had the agnolotti they were good but not the best I’ve had! The baby lettuce salad was TOP!
My husband and I agreed this was the best meal we’ve ever had in Austin. We did the pre fixe menu, which is pricey but they make it so worth it. All the courses were fabulous, spaced out and thoughtfully prepared. The bread to start is delicious, the Cacio e Pepe and risotto pastas were so fresh, warm and tasty. The short rib was divine and our pumpkin pie (the smallest portion of the meal, TG we were so full at that point) was the best pie we’ve had. And my husband eats a lot of pumpkin pie. Don’t skip on the cocktails here either! Go for the pre fixe, 100% worth it to splurge for a special night.
Rachel Lee Studios LLC
+5
Michael & Christian made our night engaging and extraordinary. The food was decent. The price was decent for how much food you got. The short Rib flavor was not that great, and the meat was not tender. The plates were beautiful but the pasta was drenched in butter and oil. Salad was by far my favorite part.
Ambiance is dark and modern. At 6pm on a Sunday, it wasn’t too busy which is nice. We’ve been before on a Thursday / Friday night and it was packed.
Our server was knowledgeable about all the dishes and came by to check on us from time to time.
We ordered the 5pc prix fixe menu and the oyster.
The whipped ricotta on the bread was so good. And the bread seemed like it might have been a sourdough base which I like - chewier
We loved it all. The pei oysters, the Hamachi Crudo, the little lettuce all had amazing flavors from the delicious sauces they put on them. The Cacio pepe was super creamy just the way we like it. The short rib was very tender with a crab hy outside. And the milk and honey dessert was a perfect end to the meal.
My favorites were the oysters and Cacio e pepe.
They did forget my sablefish but I was already full so asked them to take it off the bill.
My birthday dinner choice this year and I'm relieved it lived up to my expectations! Sad or not, plenty of Austin restaurants hype you up and fail to deliver so this was nice:)
The grilled octopus was good but a bit too charred on several bites which took over and made it a little chewy but decent overall. The Paccheri was super tasty with some nice chili heat and saltiness from the olives. My scallops were spot on as far as season, sear and cook and the portion size was reasonable. The carrot chips needed to be crunchier, they were a bit bendy but the accoutrements to the dish were complementary but not overwhelming. I declined a birthday dessert, crazy right, but they offered a birthday gift box on the way out with some dried pasta, spice mix and the smallest loaf of bread ever! Very nice touch though!
If you're looking for the perfect date night restaurant that serves AMAZING Italian food, then this should be on your list!!
It's a beautifully decorated and welcoming atmosphere, I would recommend getting a table at the counter and watching the chefs in action. Starting with drinks, they were expertly prepared by Steve and offered a great selection of traditional and mocktails.
Starting from the top .. order the House Focaccia with whipped ricotta, it's pillow soft and taste like a dream! The Stracciatella had an amazing pistachio pesto and balsamic glaze, very unique but very good! The pastas are all made in house and they have amazing sauce parings. You won't have the traditional red sauce but you won't miss it either. HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Cacio E Pepe and the Paccheri, for a vegetarian option try the Aged Carnaroli Risotto (mushroom with roasted garlic). I wished we saved room for desert, the couple next to us ordered the Chocolate Budino and it looked beautiful!
Simply delicious cuisine! First time and did not disappoint. They have ala cart dishes suitable for two to share or pre fixed. We chose ala cart. Risotto perfect, ravioli in a butter lemon sauce to dessert.
One of the best Italian restaurants we’ve been to in Austin. Food was exceptional and the service was amazing, Thank you Frank R. you truly made the experience 100 times better, thanks for the back story on Juniper and your knowledge on the menu suggestions.
We ordered:
Complementary bread 10/10
Puffy potatoes 10/10 (do not like dijon sauce so won’t comment on that lol)
Beef carpaccio 8/10 (no arugula next time)
Bucatini 9/10 rich in flavor very lemony would love it with some salmon
Cacio e Pepe 10/10 very creamy and perfect
Chocolate budino 100/10 top desserts we’ve ever had totally recommend.
Nonalcoholic drinks:
Sicilian Punch 10/10 tasty
Fumo di fragola 10/10 perfection
See y’all next time 😊
Tried this unique and upscale dining experience while in Austin. The interior of the restaurant is very classic, dark with a cozy yet upscale vibe, there's also a chef's counter to watch them prepare the food. We had the prix fixe menu option and it was great. For an appetizer we had the hamachi crudo which was delicious and had tons of fresh herbs on top. The second pasta course was also delicious. We had the beef and the scallops. The scallops were delicious but there was a very small portion, however with the amount of food in the other courses it was plenty. For dessert we had the Milk and Honey, which is a mousse and gelato dish. It was good but would have preferred more of a chocolate dessert. Overall a great and chic spot for night out with friends!
This was a great experience, I totally recommend to try it out! We had the stracciatella cheese, linguine, bucatini and tiramisu. All the food is house-made and they cure details a lot. The cheese was served with peaches and mint which gave it a really fresh taste. The pastas where wonderful. The bucatini had a lemon sauce that was super fresh and blended really great with the pasta. The linguini was more traditional choice with pomodoro that was delicious as well. The tiramisu was really good as well. Proportions were pretty good and we ended up full. They also have a fix price menu that would be cool to try. The ambiance is cute, romantic, and intimate and the kitchen is open so you can see how they cook. Great place to visit!
Went here for a birthday dinner. We made reservations in advance, sat at the bar and had the 6 pc prix fixe dinner. I would recommend sitting on the left side of the bar where you can watch them prepare and put the finishing garnishes on the food. They’re all beautifully presented. The ambiance is nice and the staff were all attentive. The food was overall good but one or two dishes were a miss. I would come back. Their dishes are seasonal.
Completely enjoyed our Prix Fixe at Juniper. Good selection of items for vegetarians. The food tasted really good. Excellent and prompt service. Definitely a place to celebrate special occasions.
My girlfriend and I treated ourselves to a five course prix fixe for to celebrate our anniversary. Came out to over $200 after tip, and we just shared one drink. Vibes, service and food presentative were all outstanding. All of the dishes were very good, but none of them stood out as something that I'd absolutely want to order again.
We went to Juniper for a friends birthday. It was a great experience. The server was very friendly and the espresso martinis were tasty! I had the puffy potatoes, little lettuce, cacio e Pepe and scallops. They were all tasty, however I was not given a “wow factor” by any of them for the price point. The puffy potatoes were missing something. The scallops were definitely different than the scallops I have tasted on the east coast, maybe more of a fishy taste? Although the food didn’t knock our socks off, the ambience and experience was overall a 10/10. They provided a gift box of pasta, spices and ingredients for a dish to my friend for her birthday. We did request they put “happy birthday ____” on the menu 2 days prior and they did not.
What a dinner it was! The ambience is extremely nice and the waiters are professional and kind, moreover, everything is home made. The focaccia was accompanied with a slightly spicy sauce, which blent with the ricotta had a very nice taste. The Stracciatella had the peaches and the mint which gave it a very fresh feeling, even though the flavour of the mint was covering a bit the one of the mozzarella. The linguine were delicious, the tomatoes are fresh and very tasty! The bucatini were amazing, especially if you like citric taste. We concluded with a nice tiramisu. Definitely suggested!
We've been a few times and the food is always great. Fresh and different. Recently the gem lettuce and prosciutto starters were outstanding.
Great experience from start to finish.
Plenty of nearby street parking or $12 valet for convenience.
Ambiance of the restaurant is pretty great - modern chic with ideal lighting. Great for a date or special occasion.
Menu offers 5 courses for $75 which is a bargain for the variety you’re getting. Menu is fantastically curated with at least 3 options including a vegetarian friendly option. Quality of ingredients was noticeable.
Their focaccia bread with olive oil and whipped ricotta was also absolutely to die for.
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