Clark's Oyster Bar - Austin

"Update: pro tip sit at the inside bar facing the kitchen. I went back for a late lunch and had the most spectacular view, food, and time. The ambiance hits way more inside (even if outside is where to “be seen”.) Javier was leading the kitchen while I ate and even spoke directly with me to address a food allergy question. I got to watch the seamless transition to the Chef, when he arrived and caught this cool cooking sequence where you can see the full prep of the grilled octopus! This is dinner and a show. Excellent service. Cute atmosphere. Very noisy location outside. I loved my waitress - she is what made me feel that I was getting an upscale experience (other than the price). I had the lobster roll (hold the bread). It was very tasty. Also - the lobster was cooked perfectly! There was a decent amount of lobster (which is not guaranteed) and it felt like they really picked out the meat fresh (vs bought prepicked lobster meat frozen). The slaw was… there? I feel like the slaw was a missed opportunity. Great people at the outside bar went a long way to making the experience an amazing one. Parking is terrible. But. This is Austin - so it is more news when there is good parking, I guess. Lol."

"This might be one of the top 5 places to go in Austin, Texas. The level of service, the attention to detail, and The atmosphere at this restaurant is unmatched. Austin, typically has a slower pace, and Clark’s is elevating the quality of service throughout the city. If you are into Crudo, make sure you place an order. The clams, muscles and oysters were also outstanding. My friends and I had so much fun. We ate brunch Saturday and went the following Sunday."

"The question "Have you had the burger at Clark's?" was recently posed when discussing Austin burgers, a hot topic of conversation in my group of friends. Fast forward to today, we hit Clark's 3 - 5 pm happy hour that boasts both half price burgers and martinis, a win-win. The burger is indeed delicious and served with fun straw like fries. Albeit a little hard to grasp, they are quite tasty and I loved the crooonch. The burger also comes with special 24 hour pickled cucumbers, slightly sweet paired with the vinegar of pickling. Today we capped the meal with an affogato, my all time favorite dessert. Clark's version is served with a salty sweet chocolate chip shortbread with sea salt. Yes, yes, yes. We were seated in the bar area as we hadn’t made a reservation. The space offers a communal table as well as bar seats facing the kitchen. Our server was idyllic, friendly yet gave us space to chat and eat, even linger over the dessert. She seemed to be working the entire bar area and was able to provide good service to all. In past experiences at Clark's I've enjoyed dishes from the cold bar including the crudo plate, ceviche, steak tartare, shrimp cocktail, as well as some of the veggie sides. I prefer my seafood raw and sadly am not an oyster fan, I do keep trying them every year in hopes this changes. I do hear they are good here :) PS: While writing this review I've learned that on the ala carte menu there is a grilled cheese with sofrito that I'd like to try."

"I met a friend at Clark's in Austin for lunch a few weeks ago. Clark's is one of my favorite seafood places in Austin, and I absolutely adore their lobster rolls. My friend had the tuna melt sandwich, which was huge! She took half of it home as leftovers. My recommendation would be to go for Happy Hour, which starts early at 3pm and has 50% off drink specials and 50% off their burger, which is also excellent."

"Clark’s is a trendy restaurant and I believe there are several locations. I liked the scene and atmosphere. I had a cocktail and ordered clam chowder and a crab cake. Both were excellent. I was in Austin for business and ate at Clark’s by myself. I can see how much fun it would be to go with a group and share some starters, have drinks, and make an evening of it. Will go there when I’m back in Austin. It is pricey but an indulgence."