Beautiful spot not too far from Austin! We loved our food, the wine and the view! The artichoke fritters were light and not greasy. My friend's fish was the best dish on our table. Perfectly cooked and full of flavor. The osso busco was the next best. Very tender. While I liked my risotto, it was not my favorite. If you have the time, allow for more time to sit outside and enjoy the garden seating area.
Review Source:We dined here celebrating our wedding anniversary. Everything was perfect from the fountains on the grounds, to the sunset view on the veranda, to the food. We were seated on the veranda overlooking the vineyards which was a perfect view with the backdrop of the sunset and hills in the distance. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer which was lightly dusted and perfectly seasoned with a light crunch and two dipping sauces. My husband ordered the 'chefs special' which was the (4?) cheese ravioli... oh my goodness! Â We will be calling back to see when they have this and go back just for that. Â It was melt-in-your mouth good! Â I had the Shrimp and Lobster Linguine which was okay, but nothing in comparison to the ravioli. We had the Sea Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake for dessert which was rich, but very good! Â I loved the bread which we grazed on through the entire meal. Â I would definitely go back, mostly for the atmosphere and the quiet and romantic feel of being in a far away place. The quality of food was a definite plus...
Review Source:I've NEVER in my entire life had a restaurant manager go out of his way to make a guest happy as this one did!
He contacted me after reading my review here and on another site. Â He said he wanted me to have another go and that the chef would make the dish I was missing. Â
I was able to go again with the same couple and baby in tow as last time. Â We were seated at a much better table to position the baby. Â
Unfortunately, the new chef could not make the dish I was longing for but everything else was great. Â
The manager was so determined that he actually tracked down the recipe for the dish and emailed me! Â NO JOKE!
I've never had anyone go this above and beyond. Â I will continue to be a loyal customer.
This is a gem out in the middle of nowhere, but not so far from Austin that you can't make the trip. If you don't mind the drive to Salt Lick, this is just a little big further. I had the pasta with mushroom & prosciutto. My husband had the pasta special (risotto & redfish). Both were outstanding & very reasonably price ($14 & $20 respectively). Everything on the menu looked wonderful. They have salads, pastas, pizza & fish. Service was perfect. Our meal started with warm focaccia with olive oil dipping sauce. We didn't try dessert because the meal was so filling & large (we took some home). But if the desserts were as good as the dinner, I'm sure you can't go wrong. As a bonus, this place is a winery. So, if you go before 6pm you can have a tasting. They also have a playscape for kids and bocci ball for the adults. Â There wasn't anything I didn't like about this place except for maybe it's not close enough for me to go every weekend.
Review Source:We arrived last Saturday around 2pm and was surprised to find the restaurant only about 20% full.
Three of us ordered pastas. All were very good.
The pizza our fourth person ordered was ho-hum. It was aided by the fact that the restaurant grinds the crushed red pepper condiment on site. A nice touch to spice up an unremarkable meat pizza.
The price points for the food were reasonable. Not so for the wine. Cost per bottle more than doubled since our last visit. Some lower priced options should return to the menu.
Service was outstanding.
Please refine the pizza. I would pay more for a pie with high quality ingredients.
This amazing Italian restaurant in the Texas Hill Country was the highlight of our girls weekend a couple weeks ago. Â Every single thing we ordered was absolutely decadent and the service was perfect!
We sat at the gelato bar because we had forgot to make reservations, but I think this made the experience all the more fun. Â We got to watch the cute chef behind the bar prepare appetizers and deserts and he was also very sociable with us :)
Two of had pastas and my other girlfriend had a pizza and absolutely nothing disappointed. Â The waitress recommended a really nice bottle of local white wine and we decided to splurge at the end each order our own desert because we wanted to try everything. Â The gelato was perfect!
Highly recommended if you're looking for a nice dinner in the Texas wine country!
I went here for New Year's Eve. We had a very large party. It took a while for our food to be served but no longer than expected on a crowded Holiday. We all took turns sharing bites of each others food, and not one thing was just ok. Everything was cooked so perfectly; the beef, the seafood, the pasta, the bread, the appetizers, and the wine. The ambiance is amazing. It was a little loud but I'm sure that was due to the Holiday. Service was impeccable. I'm looking forward to going back on a slower night, in a smaller party.
Review Source:Trattoria Lisina is a place you will arrive to after a pilgrimage of what feels like hours from San Marcos. Nestled in the beautiful Texas hill country with a fantastic atmosphere, stellar landscaping, and located next to a winery, what else could you ask for? Well, I could ask for a few things...
Driving up, you will see a stately restaurant that faces a nice little vineyard. They have a great playground with picnic tables for the kids and a great garden out front with a fountain to admire. Music flows throughout the air outside. Being at a place as stately as this, you can expect there will be several pretty pretty but airheaded and careless waitresses there. Be careful on who helps you.
Thankfully, our server was great and we were promptly served. Well...as promptly as you can expect. We had a sweet potato ravioli that was stunning, and their meatballs are great. I had their roasted chicken with oven-roasted potatoes and pan sauce. It was simple, rustic, and as delicious as chicken gets. Our first visit was quite charming.
And so was our second. We came on my mother's day to share some appetizers outside on a picnic table before we left to try out a new Italian place that was absolutely horrible (see my review). We were served by a blonde gal who could not care less about anyone around her. She came out to our table with a bag saying, "did you order takeout?" We asked, "well, are there meatballs and some bread in there along with some ravioli?" She actually said, "I don't really know, they just told me to bring this out here. I don't know if it's yours but y'all can have it." WOAH. So, we enjoyed some Pellegrino, wine, and, thankfully, our correct appetizers. We ordered another round of appetizers through the stunningly friendly, knowledgeable and efficient sommolier in the lobby who personally delivered our second round of appetizers to us. He asked us, regarding the twit that served us previously, if at any point she said to us "I don't know," because that seems to be the only three words in her vocabulary. Ha! At least SOMEONE at that place knows what is going on.
The food here is really great, but just because the place is nice does not give them a free pass to hire idiots for their waitstaff. I have had better service at Burger King.
Also, they don't serve the wine from the vineyard next to them. Our waiter told us they were unable to work out a deal with them. Hm, I wonder why?
Wanna get away from the hustle of Austin? Need a romantic date location? Want to get drunk on some great wine? Dudes, want to get lucky? Take your lady here. If you've answered "yes" to all these then I've got the place for YOU!
A group of us decided to take an adult field trip to Trattoria Lisina. It was heavenly. The drive was nice and it wasn't terribly far. The entire compound whisked me away to a little piece of Italy..way little but use your imagination.
The food was a pleasant surprise. Everything came out perfect. The Anti-Pasta plate was delicious. I had the special which was seafood risotto. Yea, I took a risk and the reward was certainly presented. Perfectly seasoned with a creamy tomato base and lots of fresh not overcooked seafood :) SO GOOD!
Went here last night following our tour of Garrison Brothers distillery for a belated anniversary dinner and had a really nice time. This was our first time eating at the restaurant, we had been to the neighboring winery before.
Our server Travis was great and had the table set with a candle and nice tablecloth to make it stand out from all of the other tables. We started out with the artichoke fritters and mussels and both were delicious! I could have made a meal out of appetizers alone. For entrees my husband got the osso bucco which fell off the bone and melted in my mouth. I got the lamb chops which were equally tasty; they were slightly overcooked but that didn't effect the flavor. I wish they would have been served with a different kind of vegetable since I really don't like bell peppers but no big deal. After the meal Travis brought us a dessert on the house to celebrate. The only thing that would have made this meal better was if I could have tried some wine off what looked to be a unique wine list.
Can't wait to go back at some point.
We just got back from a wonderful Anniversary dinner at Trattoria Lisina and were very impressed with our experience overall.
Pulling up, the place comes out of nowhere - and it was pretty busy. It seemed that there was a wedding and maybe some other events going on there. We were pleased to find parking right up in front of the restaurant! The grounds are truly beautiful - a lot of stone work, a fountain, many buildings, a play area for kids and of course, great vineyard scenery with plenty of grape vines.
When we walked in, they found our reservation immediately and took us to a very nice table towards the back with a great view of the grounds. I really liked the nice big windows that brightened the area we were in. Our waiter was along shortly offering to bring us bread and water.
When he came back, he took our wine order and went over the many specials of the day. It was really refreshing to hear two different salad specials, the ravioli and risotto of the day plus a a special fish dish, (Alaskan halibut) of the day. The bread was very good, and interesting. It was a little bit crunchy and a little bit soft - with a lot of flavor. I found that I didn't even need to dip it in the olive oil - it was great on it's own!
We chose two different types of wines - he a Chianti which he felt was good, but I felt lacked any deep notes, and I the pinot which was very light and refreshing, and went well with my meal.
We ordered the Roasted Cherry Tomato Caprese for our appetizer and were very pleased with it. The waiter mentioned that they only recently started making their own mozzarella in house and it was fantastic.
For our entrees, we both had specials. My husband had the lamb ravioli, which we both though was excellent...a lot of rich and distinctive flavors going on, truly well done. I ordered the halibut which had a peach/wine reduction sauce, roasted vegetables and prosciutto. The halibut itself was very good, but a little watery, which in turn watered down the sauce - very unfortunate. The roasted vegetables were excellent. Our waiter informed us that there had been a sudden change in the type of sauce on the special dish - I may have been the first to receive it this way, so maybe the kitchen hadn't gotten the sauce quite right before it went out - it definitely needed to be thicker.
We couldn't pass up dessert - so we ordered the Gianduja Mousse Cake, and the Tiramisu. The mousse cake is rich - like a giant truffle. It was wonderfully decadent. The Tiramisu was some of the best I have ever had, and was definitely high up on the list of Tiramisu's my husband has ever tried too....we were really glad we indulged.
All in all we had a great evening here - you really can't beat the surroundings. Our server was well educated on both wines and the menu, and his timing from water to check was impeccable. I'm reserving a star for the unfortunate watery sauce and fish. We will definitely be back, however, and I'll venture try something different - Â probably something on their daily menu.
The drive was not too bad from Austin, this place is just past the salt lick.
The food was fabulous, the service was exceptional and it is a nice place to walk about.
There is the winery and a huge shaded play scape. If you have kids, you might let one parent hang at the play scape with the little ones until your food comes as it takes a while to get food, and they can work up their appetite after the long drive.
We had the Veal Osso Bucco, the rabbit, the pork schnitzel, pastas with bolognese sauces, pesto sauce, kids pizzas, the lamb, and the chicken and it was all wonderful. The schnitzel was the most tender, osso bucco was 2nd place...
They do not have a Sunday Brunch which was surprising, but food was still wonderful.
Plates are about $25 per person, so you may want to do this for a special occasion, or make a dining and winery trip if you have the time.
one of my favorite places in Texas! Matt the manager is always very friendly. Sat at the bar on Saturday night and it was a real treat. Cody who mans the brick oven is such a pleasure to talk to. They all seemed to be having such fun in the kitchen. The food was perfect as always. Matt says they're changing up the menu in a couple of weeks. That's perfect because in coincides with my birthday. see y'all soon!
Review Source:This is my favorite Italian restaurant and glad it is so close to my home. The atmosphere is unbelievable here where it makes you feel you are in Italy, and the staff always makes you feel welcome. Â We were here for lunch so we felt comfortable by not being dressed up, but for dinner I would recommend it. This day I order the Ravioli Giorno and a glass of wine. Â We were also provided bread to snack on and tasted very good. Â Where my food arrived it tasted unbelievably good and did not want the experience to stop even when I was done eating. Â So I order a cup of coffee and gelato. Â Everything here is made in house and with the freshest ingredients. Â I can't wait until the next I return.
Review Source:If you plan a winery tour in this part of the Hill Country wine trail, a meal here is a great way to end your tour. The staff is professional and friendly - very knowledgeable about the menu and attentive (yet not annoying). The views are beautiful - you can sit and view the vineyard on the premises (almost giving you the feeling of being in Italy!). I went here with my parents after an afternoon of wine and olive oil tastings. We started with and shared the Roasted Cherry Tomato Caprese and Insalata Mista...enough for us to each enjoy both without being overwhelmed. My dad, a lasagna fan, ordered the Lasagne Bolognese and didn't leave any of it on his plate. My mom ordered the Ravioli del Giorno, which was a mushroom ravioli that day, and she brought some home and enjoyed it as much the next day. I had the simple, but delicious Tagliarini al Pachino. We shared a bottle of the Mandola Montepulciano d' Abruzzo 2010 and it was great - we enjoy Montepulciano wines and this one certainly met the mark. Be sure to make reservations on Open Table - they seemed to have a steady stream of traffic and while the restaurant is large, always good to have a reservation on hand!
Review Source:We had a lovely Saturday lunch here recently with a family group. Â We tried their salmon specials and lamb chops and cheese pizzas for the kids. Â All were yummy although I would stick with personal size pizzas for the kids vs. splitting a normal sized one. Â
The service here is excellent but I would say leisurely, probably more like would experience overseas so if you have impatient children, be prepared to have someone take them out to the nice playscape once or twice.
I'm definitely a fan. Â We've been coming out here for years, and will continue to come back.
The grounds are beautiful, with ample room for the kids to run around and explore. Â (great playground for the kiddo's as well). Â We always enjoy a pre or post dinner stroll.
The food is always great. Â Our new favorite is the Osso Buco. Â Tender veal shank braised with aromatic root vegetables and served with their awesome parigiano garlic mashed potatoes. Â We like to start with a glass of wine, and the Insalata Mista, which is a simply dressed salad with greens, fresh fennel and olives.
My gluten-free son gets the Sausage and Peppers as an entree. Â It comes with some delicious and cheesy polenta. Â The girls get the Ravioli del Giorno. Â They used to split it, but have moved on to their own.
I have had the Lasagne and it is pretty solid. Â The Lamb chops are really good, as is the Saltimboca. Â Frankly, I have not had a bad meal here.
Desserts are always a winner. Â The kids all love the gelato (especially pistachio!) and I love the Affogato (gelato topped off with espresso, yum), my wife loves the Tiramisu, and the even have an outstanding Gluten free Italian cream cake. Â The Gianduja chocolate mousse is gluten free as well, but I haven't had it.
One thing I miss is the Porterhouse for two. Â It was a tremendous steak, about three inches thick. Â My father-in-law and I used to split it. Â Now that my wife eats meat, we would probably always get it too. Â It was a fantastic treat.
The last time we came, we were treated to being served by the manager, Matt. Â He was filling in for a late server, and he did a great job. Â Well spoken, knowledgeable and an all around nice guy. Â Thanks for the wonderful hospitality and great dining experience!
Well......our family of seven had dinner at Trattoria Lisina tonight. Â What a disappointment. I made reservations through Open Table and noted that it was a birthday celebration for three in our party. Â What was to be a festive evening was ruined by the service.
We arrived promptly at our reserved time and waited at our table for about 10 minutes before our server even spoke to us. Â We asked for a couple of bottles of Pellegrino for the table and then waited another 15 minutes for that. Â She told us that she was going to bring us some bread while we looked over the wine list.
Another 10 minutes go by. Â She returns, without bread, takes our wine order and is gone for another 10 minutes. Â She returns....not only do they not have the one wine that we ordered...they don't have any in that category. Â She recommended another....told us she would be back and then left us to take the next tables order. Â She was at that table talking for 8 minutes.
She returned and  took our second choice wine order and appetizer orders.  15 minutes later our appetizers arrived.  Still no wine or bread.  Wine does come...after appetizers.....then bread....
Finally she takes the dinner order. Â It arrives.....served by someone else....in three trips.....with time in between so that we all got to wait about 5 minutes for everyone to be served. Â Of course the entrees were all mixed up....nothing was put in front of the person that ordered it but they were the right ones at least.
Not once....not once....did our server come back to the table to ask if everything was okay. Â The dirty dishes sat and sat until someone else picked them up. Â At the end of the evening she delivered the check and graciously told us that she had removed the two desserts because she was such a horrible server. Â So sorry....removing two small desserts does not make up for the botching of our meal.
Honestly this has the makings of a good restaurant but unless they get serious about service it is a waste of your time and money because everything the kitchen does is negated by the wait staff.
We celebrated our anniversary with dinner at Trattoria Lisina last month (our first visit). Â The service and food were both wonderful. Â They gave us complimentary dessert for our anniversary--the tiramisu is delicious!
From my blog post:
At Trattoria Lisina, I devoured the Fettuccine con Prosciutto e Funghi (a.k.a. mushrooms) and Mandola Chianti. Â My husband enjoyed the Costolette di Agnello alla Griglia (Texas grass fed lamb chops grilled over oak and pecan with a reduced balsamic glaze) and Real Ale Brewing Company's Lost Gold IPA (brewed in Blanco, Texas). Â We were so stuffed that we only ate half of our complimentary Tiramisu and took the other half home.
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We had a miserable experience at the Trattoria Lisina yesterday. Â We were a party of 7 (with a 7 month old baby) and arrived for lunch at about 1pm. The restaurant wasn't too busy at the time...there were many empty tables around and no big parties in the large group room. Â We ordered simple lunch items...pasta for some, one special and two shared plates and waited, and waited and waited. Â Keep in mind we had a 7 month old with us who was getting fussier and fussier. Â
45 minutes after waiting and seeing TWO other tables that came in after us get served I went and found our waiter and asked where our food was? He shuffled around, acted like he wasn't really interested and just said it "wasn't his fault" and was just "waiting on the kitchen". Â Now, at this point we really should have gotten up to leave but we were in the middle of the hill country with no real other close choices and a baby so we decided to just tough it out. Â Another TWENTY minutes went by and we were finally served 1 HOUR and 5 MINUTES after we ordered. Ridiculous. Â Right before we were served the waiter also made the comment that "our salad courses had delayed the main course"...WHAT?? Â Plating some lettuce and dressing delays main dishes by an hour??
At no point until we were walking out the door did a manager come out to apologize or ask about our situation. Â I could SEE them looking at our table and talking about us with our waiter! Â In fact, the waiter copped an attitude and began rolling his eyes at us every time he walked by. I truly couldn't believe the horrible service we were experiencing at this highly rated winery!
The food we received after waiting so long was average at best...have you ever had "angry pasta"? Â It felt like it was rushed to completion and tasted sub-par for a place like this. Then our bills were thrown on the table...no comps were offered...paying full price for food and service like that really made me angry. And FINALLY, as we were literally walking out the door a manager came over and said he was sorry and was there anything they could do? Â LOL, maybe about 45 minutes ago! Â Truly shameful customer service and appalling treatment at a place you really have to GO to out in the country. Â We will never be back and we will tell anyone who will listen not to go either!
We have been here many times and the service is almost always poor. Â It must be really hard to get decent help to drive out this far. My guess is they are mostly hire students from Texas State. The food is usually good but this time our entrees were much too salty. The mussels as our appetizer were great as was the calamari. This is one of the closest restaurant to our house so I am sure we will return.
Review Source:Italian food in a Tuscan style building. Very welcoming atmosphere and Southern hopsitality all around. The portions are huge, so pace yourself and don't eat all the complimentary bread - it's really good.
Between two of us, we ordered the rainbow trout (fish of the day), a side of polenta, the pea & prosciutto risotto (risotto of the day), accompanied by some brussel sprouts. We had enough food to feed the two of us again for another meal - so be wary of the portions.
A cute place to go after wine tasting. Very savory food.
Trattoria Lisina is always five stars. I go at least once a month, and the food and service are always excellent. There have been one or two times that there's been a goof, but the staff have always made good on it and more than compensated for any inconvenience.
A perfect date night, to me, is heading over to do a wine flight at the Duchman Family Winery (on the same property), then dinner at Trattoria Lisina!
First time visitor... cannot wait to try this one again!
My sister, a friend from Louisiana and I decided to tour some different wineries this weekend. Â We usually take the western side toward Fredericksburg, but this time we took the eastern route between San Antonio and Austin.
About halfway through the day, we came to Duchman winery ( pronounced DUKE-man) and Trattoria Lisina. Â
Let me tell you... the smell when you first enter the restaurant was incredible. Â Then you pass the antipasti bar. Â The meats (duck and veal...) were delicious. Â I wish they had given us a bit more marinated mozz, but it was just delicious.
Then we moved to the main portion of our meal for the day. Â The three of us split two pizzas. Â Margherita and Tagliata. Â The basic Margherita had such beautiful flavors. Â BUT... let me just say right now... the Tagliata was heavenly. Â There just aren't many dishes that make me stop, mid-chew, and savor every flavor. Â Maybe this was the perfect storm of some of my very favorite flavors... roasted garlic, carmelized onions, fontina cheese, gorgonzola butter, and paper-thin beef tenderloin. Â It was delicious... truly.
My only regret is that this is about a little over an hour from my home, which means I can't just run over and try out something different on the menu.
The location is gorgeous, the service impeccable, the wine list good, and the food was excellent. We had the pork belly confit, braised rabbit, Texas lamb chops, and tiramisu for dessert. Though we live in San Antonio, it was worth the 90-minute drive; it's much closer to Austin.
Reservations are recommended; it was very busy on a Saturday night, and I felt sorry for the young family that showed up and had to wait an hour or more to get seated.
They have a chef's table if you want to watch the kitchen at work.
Four stars instead of five because the menu, while excellently prepared, is not particularly innovative but rather more traditionally Italian; if you're looking for a nouveau cuisine experience, try somewhere else: come here if you love good Italian food in a beautiful setting, or a romantic experience with that special someone.
Disappointment extraordinaire! Bad Service, bad food, expensive prices for said bad food/service! Let's start from the beginning: 6pm, walked in with a party of 8 including an infant...had to find and install our own high chair because no one offered to get us one or notice we needed one, ordered tea, got a 3/4 full glass, and had to harrass the inept waitress for a few straws after she had us pass down our drinks because 'she couldn't reach that far'...I guess her legs were broken or something. (Tip to owners: how about not having a young novice waitress sell/serve $35 plates! That takes skill and quality which we'll get to) So 1st course ordering, we were upsold way more food than we needed at the waitress' insistance. Pfft had better at Macaroni Grill. 2nd course comes: burnt pizzas topped incorrectly, fishy tasting prosciutto and sauce that tasted like Olive Garden. Reordered pizzas, 20 min later, still burnt and mistopped! Waitress: "sorry I'll tell the kitchen" great! because it made a huge difference the first time you told them right?. Mr. Gattis is better, and that's saying something. Â
Flavorless bland fare, that tasted like it was on it's way to being rotten. Managers with a devil-may-care attitude only outdone by the waitress' complete ineptness. Â I've dined at fine italian restaurants owned by world class chefs (Frank Stitt's) and the prices were equivalent to those found there, unfortunately the food embarrassingly fell short. I don't mind paying for good food (example: Uchi!), but I didn't find it here; still paid like it was though. This place consists of hype and the price tag must be because it's 30-45 minutes outside of Austin, meaning you must be paying for the food to be shipped over there, because that was about the most special thing I saw. They get one star becasue they had a changing table in the men's room, had it not been for that I couldn't even give them 1 star. Save yourself some gas, time, money, and disappointment and try Gustos on Burnet. Shame on you guys for not paying attention to the dining experience. (2nd tip to owners: get a handle on your staff! they ruined this experience front to back.)
Great outing/day trip if you want to get out of Austin for a little bit. Â Not only is it a restaurant, but also a winery!
The grounds are beautiful and have lots of picnic areas, if you want to mainly visit the winery and tasting room.
The food is better than your average italian restaurant and I think they make a lot of it fresh onsite. Â The gelato is definitely made fresh every day, and so delicious! Â
The last time that I ate here, we were with a large group. Â The best looking dishes were:
*Shrimp risotto - I didn't get to try it, but it looked delicious and was packed with shrimp! Â
*Red Fish - everyone that ordered this seemed very happy
*Artichoke Ravioli - smelled delicious and I kind of wished I had ordered that.
Overall all the dishes were huge and were pretty good.
Service was also great and very helpful in making suggestions and picking out wines. Â As I mentioned, we had a large group and they were very accammodating.
C and I arrived here to find the parking lot packed. Â With an hour and a half wait ahead of us, we headed to the winery (formerly Mandola Estate Winery but now called Duchman Family Winery...which is odd since it shares the same property at the Mandola-owned restaurant) and got a bottle of sangiovese to sit by the fountain and enjoy...
...and enjoy....
And finally, once the sun had set and we were the last ones by the fountain, our number was up! Â Inside, the place was warm and bustling. Â I'd been here before a couple times while going to wineries in the area. Â Once, my birthmom Lisa and I sat at the bar facing the open kitchen (I love open air kitchens! Â And this is a loooong food bar that spans the length of the kitchen) and had gelato and sfinci (Sicilian-style donuts). Â She was really excited that Damian Mandola was actually there at the time. (and begged me to go over to his table and got him to sign her cookbook!)
The property and the restaurant itself are beautiful. Â I also love the cute placemats, which say "the stars at night are big and bright, deep in the art of Texas" but in Italian!
The focaccia they bring to the table is dangerous, let me tell you. Â After waiting so long to eat, I had all I could do to stop myself from polishing off the basket. Â Then we had the calamari, which was standardly good, but didn't knock my socks off.
For our entrees, we decided to split two things. Â The osso buco (braised veal shanks) was tender and succulent, served over flavorful Parmigiano mashed potatoes. Â MWA! Â *insert Italian kiss gesture here*
The gnocchi al ragu di cinghiale (gnocchi in wild boar ragu) left much to be desired in the way of the pasta. Â I am a HUGE gnocchi fan and I also know it's not very difficult to make... so I really thought it would be outstanding here. Â Instead, the pieces were small and rather chewy, instead of the airy pillows of yum I expected. Â The wild boar ragu was well-seasoned and had a good texture, but I was already bummed about the gnocchi. Â However, in all fairness, we were part of the last round of tables, so perhaps the gnocchi had been sitting for a while at that point....
I really wish I'd had room for dessert because theirs are pretty awesome. Â However, I did expect the other food to taste as good as the place looks (and for the pretty lofty prices too!)
beautiful location, about half way between austin and wimberley.... sort of. Â we travel between those two places about 2x a week and finally made the side trip. Â my wife read all the negative yelp reviews aloud as I drove, she also noted the three $ signs and complaints about price. Â expectations were low and we were seriously dehydrated and a bit dirty (had been working out in the heat.... OK I was really dirty and stinky).
the building and fountain sort of diffused the her mood, but we were still thirsty. Â hostess were very friendly and we quickly made it to the table, but I had a quick diversion to the generous sink in the bathroom for a quick hobo shower. Â I arrived at the table all clean (maybe just cleaner and less stinky but it was an improvement.
our server was right on us and filled our water glasses. Â WATER! Â I downed half a pint and was heading towards the bottom when I realized the taste... Â "where do you get this water?! Â it doesn't taste like municipal sourced water?" Â the waitress gave me a BIG smile and said "we have a well, it's well water". Â and that is just how I remember the water tasting from the well water from our family farm. Â that well water was the best part of summers at the farm. Â
our server was so attentive and informative. Â we had some peroni and antipasto for two. Â everything on that plate was delicious. Â and that parma cheese.... Â well my family realized I'd been cutting corners by serving them cheap wisconsin parmesan. Â I was instructed to get some of this good stuff when I have the choice.
we ordered one pizza tagliata and one special pasta. Â and the kids had two gelato to close the meal. Â three kids, two hungry and thirsty adults and the bill was around $50. Â
this place is not as expensive as the reviews here seem to indicate. Â I saw some of the more expensive entre'. Â each one of those plates were more like family style portion. Â that lasagna looked like it was nearly a cubic foot! Â don't avoid coming here because you think it will set you back a weeks salary. Â there are manyh delicious options for us regular folk. Â
our waitress stopped us as we left, "my manage just complimented your order, he said it was the best order of the day! Â he loves that tagliata pizza!" Â so there you have it, even the manager knows the best stuff on that menu is not necessarily the most expensive. Â
my kids have been bugging me to take them back. Â and that is ok by me.
I'd say the food is really three stars, but the setting is a five - so we'll settle on 4. Â
Lisina really is a lovely place to spend a few hours. Â The landscaping is stunning and sitting by a window with a view of the vineyard, you feel transported.
Food wise, the best thing we had was the tomato and mozzarella, thanks to the spectacular tomatoes from Rowdy Roots. Â Everything else was serviceable, but not memorable. Â Despite that, we'll certainly by back.
Trattorina Lisina was our second stop of a day trip date of the Texas Hill Country. It's a gorgeous restaurant, nestled in beautiful gardens and surrounded by vineyards. The decor is warm and inviting, and delicious aromas assailed us as we entered. The menu, too, was inviting, and if I have criticisms, they are these: no lunch menu, and the food was all pretty heavy for a hot Texas summer day. However, everything was FANTASTIC. We shared an antipasto platter --- a table showing all the goodies was sitting right by the front door (well played, Trattoria Lisina! Well played!) --- and the waitress had no trouble accommodating our request to put the meats on a separate platter, since my husband is vegetarian. Â The bread they serve is incredible, as was the flavorful, fruity green olive oil for dipping.
I opted for the chef's special risotto with fig and prosciutto. I would have liked to get a salad as well, but given the prices, I decided to have my veggies at home. It was slightly sweet, very rich, and absolutely divine. Half of it went home with me for tomorrow's lunch, and the only thing that stopped me from scarfing the whole thing was the desire for dessert!
Hubby got  the trennete primavera. I didn't taste it, but it looked delicious and he was very happy with it. Both dishes were also served piping hot, which I really appreciate.
For dessert, we shared the Sicilian Pistachio Cake with a scoop of homemade salted caramel gelato. The cake wasn't very sweet but was incredibly flavorful, and the gelato made me swoon.
I would have liked to enjoy a glass of wine with lunch, but we were doing wine tastings so we skipped. The next time we go, I'd like to go in the winter or on a cool fall day. The atmosphere is so cozy and the menu is on the heavy side, so it'd be perfect for cooler weather. This is a great date or special occasion destination!
Wonderful Italian food next to a beautiful vineyard in the heart of Texas. Â What's not to love? Â For Father's Day, my Dad decided it had to be Trattoria Lisina for dinner with a pit stop at the Duchman's Winery literally right next door. Â The building itself is beautiful and exudes Italian countryside. Â I thought, this is what Olive Garden is trying to mimic and failing miserably. Â
We had reservations at 5:30 and arrived about half an hour early but were seated right away. Â For starters, we ordered artichoke fritters which were amazing! Â It came with an aoili sauce and another one which had a spicy kick, both delish. Â Wine-wise, you aren't going to find very many options under $10 a glass but I had a Prosecco for $9 that was damn good. Â
Their menu has full-on entrees, pizzas and a rotating variety of raviolis and risottos. Â My Dad ordered the special which was a tenderloin with some sweet wine-reduction sauce and it was fall-apart tender and while the flavor was very sweet, it went well together. Â I ordered the Margherita pizza and for $12 this thing was huge! Â So, so good, I had to swat my Dad's hand away a few times. ( I know it was Father's Day, but I have my limits.. ) Of course we had to get a dessert and Dad chose the Marscapone Cheesecake. Â Very, very thick. Â I think only true cheesecake lovers would appreciate it.
The service was amazing (for the price, it better be!) but I thought having a bathroom with only two stalls was kind of ridiculous. Â I don't associate high-end dining with waiting in line to go to the bathroom. Â Also, there was an obscene amount of children there. Â This place has no kids menu, it's pricey and right next to a vineyard but still every other table had two or more kids. Â Kind of out of place, y'know?
Beautiful drive to get to this hidden gem. We purposefully arrived an hour before our reservation so we could enjoy the winery (The Duchman) and sit out under the huge trees at a picnic table. It was absolutely beautiful! The dinner was amazing. Every dish we ordered was subpurb. We weren't rushed and ended up with an exceptionally long meal and had a wonderful time (even though it was prom night).
Definitely would go back!
Been here a couple of times before and absolutely loved it. Ok, so we went on the night before Mother's Day and it was also, Uh Oh, Prom night. Made a reservation and it was honored on time. The place was full of big prom parties, we had 8.
As usual, the food was great. I had the Osso Bucco and it was devine..the mashed potatoes creamy and light, Brick chicken was a large 1/2 chicken and the breast was a little dry, Seafood Risotto was good with ample seafood, Artichoke Fritters were unique and taste. Food overall very good.
But...the service was horrible. Not bad or rude or stuffy but unbelievably slow. I mean 3 hours and 15 minutes for dinner should be illegal. The slow slog through dinner was topped off by a 15-20 minute wait for coffee..exasperating.
In talking with them and making our reservation, it was obvious they knew they would be busy. The wait staff seemed very well trained just overwhelmed. Guys, next time staff up to meet the demand. I'll certainly give it another shot but not on a traditionally busy night.
We were incredibly disappointed.
We got the lamb chops ordered medium-rare. They came out completely gray (what a crime!). Â I sent them back (for a $26 plate, I expect it to be cooked correctly). They came out the second time VERY rare, and were hard to cut and unpleasant to eat. The thin, small chops were fatty and full of gristle. The main problem was the low quality cuts of meat they tried to pass off as gourmet. Thin, gangly little chops that either cooked through completely in no time, or didn't get cooked at all. No wonder they had trouble. The mashed potatoes on the side were liquidy and bland (did you mash them in a blender?). The vegetable side was cooked peppers that lacked any kind of imagination. They were mushy cooked peppers. I've had better on top of a sub from a mediocre sandwich place.
I tried my sister's dish, the veal. It wasn't bad. It wasn't great either though. The waiter was kind of a dick when she asked what to do with the bone marrow and small fork.
Speaking of the waiter, he treated us like second class citizens. My fiance and I were there with my mother and her friends for her birthday. They ordered bottles of wine. The waiter poured everyone else wine, and completely ignored us. My mother ended up getting up and pouring us wine for the toast. Granted, I look a little young (I'm 24), but he should have asked, or at least been more tactful about it. Especially after we asked for drink menus and ordered drinks ourselves. He ignored us for the entire meal until I flagged him down about the ruined lamb.
The overall price for the food and wine was astronomical. There are MANY better places in Austin where you can get the same atmosphere, with better food, for much cheaper.
The place was very pretty, and did have a bocce ball court which was fun. I will not ever go back though.
I wobbled back and forth between three and four stars for this review. Â Located about 40 minutes outside Austin in the Texas Hill country, I'm not sure Trattoria Lisina is a "wow" enough experience to be a destination restaurant, which four stars might imply. Â But, if you're in the Texas Hill country and in particular if you've ended your day with wine tasting at Duchman Family Winery right next door, this is a good place to have a tasty Italian dinner. Â
In the context of an overall dining experience, we'd lean to three and say don't make a special trip to Driftwood. Â But in the context of location here for convenience if you're looking for dinner in the Hill Country with a reasonable drive back to Austin afterward, Â we'll give it four.
FOOD:
Owned by Damian Mandola, of the family that owns Mandola's deli and restaurant in Austin, the food here is very similar to the offerings at the other restaurant for starters, pizza, and pasta. . Although here there seem to be  a broader choice of carne option entrees.
We started with bread and antipasta which we found to be identical here to what we'd had at the Austin deli location. Â
The pasta with seafood entree I ordered was good for flavor, but the pasta was undercooked.  I say this as someone who is married to a Sicilian guy and who appreciates al dente for sure, but this was that.  My husband thought the pork belly served with an onion - port sauce special he ordered  had good flavors.
WINE:
A good list of wines by bottle and glass, with emphasis on Italian varietals, at maybe the most reasonable prices we saw during our nearly three weeks of visiting Texas. Â We chose one glass of Ripassa Valpolicella and one glass of Arneis.
Interesting to note that although the Mandolas were once partners in the Duchman Winery next door, and it was at that time called Mandola Estate Winery, they do not offer Duchman wines on their Trattoria menu. Â Particularly since Duchman bottles several Italian varietals. Â Duchman tasting room staff do, however, recommend Trattoria Lisina for dinner. Â
SERVICE:
Top notch. Â Our server knew the menu, could make recommendations, and timed each course perfectly.
AMBIANCE:
We found the space too cavernous as Tuscan Villa meets everything is bigger in Texas. Â But we imagine this might be a very popular place as Texas Hills tour bus destination and they probably fill up the big space at peak times. Â We were fortunate on our late January weeknight visit to find the restaurant probably only a third full and we walked in without reservations. Â If you want to avoid crowds, mid week winter seems like the ticket.
VALUE:
Prices are reasonable considering the setting. Â The menu is broad enough that diners can easily control the cost of their meal here by choosing things like pizzas and lower end pasta over higher priced entrees and specials.
ACCESSIBILITY:
Accessible from parking in lot through level in door and restaurant all on one floor.
Wine Tour Package - thank you, Morgan. Â Party of 13 had a great time. Â
Here is what we liked:
~ Â Gorgeous "getaway" kind of view.
~ Â Winery on site.
~ Â Table was ready (and pretty) per reservations.
~ Â Waiter was friendly, efficient and knowledgeable.
~ Â Every single person raved about the food and drink - the coffee was definitely no exception.
Here is what we (strong emphasis on I) did not like: Â
~ Â The 25% discount offered was not deducted from the entire bill as implied with the wine tour (may not be their fault, but still a representation of them), it was only deducted from 1 entree per person - no appetizers, no salads, no sides etc. Â To make matters worse, I had to ask more than once to get the discount applied. Â Please don't make me beg for my discount that you advertise so proudly.
~ Â A birthday gelato mix was offered to the birthday girl for her birthday. Â She got to choose 3 flavors. Â It was delicious. Â It was cute as hell with the candles and cookie, too. Â We were charged for it. Â Please don't pretend to be giving someone something as a gesture of kindness and then charge them for it. Â That's just straight up SHITTY.
First, all, the location is awesome. And I don't mean it's centrally located. It's not, and required a bit of driving to get to. But it's worth it. It's in the middle of nowhere (Driftwood, TX) that's in what looks like some rich guy's estate, next to a vineyard. It lets you know immediately that you are not in the city anymore. I like the ambiance but it's not exactly intimate. By that I mean there is a decent amount of noise from people talking and the decor is not one to tuck at your heartstrings. It's fine for a casual date or just enjoying a nice meal with friends or family though.
My friends and I had the garlic bread (Fettunta) for appetizer. It's thin and crispy, reminds me a bit of bread on a nice panini. I had the Linguine allo Scoglio, which is "pasta with shrimp, mussels & scallops, extra virgin olive oil, white wine, garlic & fresh tomato." Having just moved here from Boston, I'm a bit concerned about the freshness of seafood here. The waitress assured me that they only serve fresh seafood, and will throw them out if they are deemed no longer fresh. I decided to forge ahead with the dish. It turned out to be very good. Perhaps not comparable to the best seafood I've had in Boston, but certain the best I've had in my brief time in Austin.
The highlight of the evening is the dessert though. I got the Tiramisu (see my picture). It's deliciously moist and fluffy. I can definitely taste the alcohol in it. The portion is pretty big too, and I had to save half of it to go. Definitely a great way to cap off a nice dinner!
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