- Cuisine: Mediterranean, including Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, and Greece
- Location: 1011 S Congress Avenue, Building 2, Suite 180, Austin, TX, 78704, 737-273-0199
- Website:https://www.abarestaurants.com/austin/
- Rating: 4.8/5
Austin’s culture has always been eclectic where people enjoy a broad expanse of foods and cuisines. The latest talk of town in Austin is Aba, the hip restaurant on South Congress with an amazing ambience, delicious Mediterranean cuisine with a memorable dining experience.
The restaurant is located in the mixed-use Music Lane development on South Congress, with a large, multi-level patio built around an old oak tree, offering several large group dining spaces and cozy intimate tables, semi-private mezzanine level, lounge- style group seating on the paseo, and a pretty big indoor dining room.
The restaurant flaunts a Mediterranean concept of Chef CJ Jacobson, a Top Chef alum with a style of cooking which has influences from the Mediterranean, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey and Greece. Their Signature dishes include shawarma spiced brisket confit, crispy short rib Hummus, Muhammara, Falafel, Jerusalem Bagel with Smoked Salmon Spread, Slow Braised Leg of Lamb wrapped in Eggplant, Lamb and beef Kefta, Black Garlic Shrimp Scampi and more. The bar program is crafted by Lead Mixologist Liz Pearce and apparently showcases rare Mediterranean-inspired wines and spirits. This is the second location of Aba after its immense success in historic Fulton district of Chicago. ‘Aba’ is coined from the Hebrew word for ‘father’.
The restaurant is so popular that reservations get booked two to three months in advance. But persistent calling the restaurant can get you a coveted table sometimes. We had the pleasure of dining at ABA for a weekend Brunch. We elected to dine in the beautiful ambiance of the outdoor patio under the oak tree. The weather in Austin is mostly pleasant which makes outdoor dining a lovely experience, especially if the setting is as good as this.
We opted to order typical Brunch dishes and started off with an appetizer of Muhammara, a spicy dip or spread made with roasted pepper, isot chili, walnuts, and pomegranate molasses, served with house made naan. This dip was so delicious, I checked out the recipes of this dish as soon as I got home with plans to make it too.
For the brunch entre I was intrigued to order the dish Kachapuri. Few years back in 2018 it was among the top food trends and I remember me and my students at the culinary school discussing in detail the heritage of the dish being either from Republic of Georgia or Turkey! I have read many a descriptive food trend essay of my students describing this Kachapuri as a molten cheese bread shaped like a boat filled with pool of melted cheese, egg yolk and butter and eaten by tearing out the leavened bread off the crust and dipping in the center. When I saw it on the menu I started talking about it so much, it was obvious I wanted to taste this dish after all its buildup. Aba in its version of Kachapuri had baked egg, crimini mushrooms, Graviera cheese and green onion, and matched my expectations from it perfectly.
The other entrée we had been planning to order was marinated olives and feta with naan but when we saw a very appealing charcuterie board being served to the nearest table with Jerusalem Bagel with smoked salmon spread, sumac red onion, tomatoes, capers, and labneh, we ordered the same and were happy with the choice. The bagel was fresh, soft yet toasted crispy and the salmon spread was scrumptious.
The dining experience was so memorable with the delicious food beyond our typical expectations, the beautiful ambience and very hospitable and friendly service with positive vibes, that almost immediately after our brunch, we booked a reservation for the end of this year for the whole family to enjoy dinner at ABA. We are looking forward to enjoy different dishes of the dinner menu and make good memories before the year ends.
Dishes Reviewed:
- Muhammara, a spicy dip or spread made with roasted pepper, isot chili, walnuts, and pomegranate molasses, served with house made naan.
- Kachapuri, cheese bread shaped like a boat filled with pool of melted cheese, egg yolk and butter, crimini mushrooms, Graviera cheese and green onion
- Jerusalem Bagel with smoked salmon spread, sumac red onion, tomatoes, capers, and labneh