MoCo Events MoCo Music

Happy Hours in Rockville

Review of Austin Grill

MCR Rating:

The rating usually hits places that generally have nothing going for them, but one or two good aspects lift the rating from the bottom of the barrel. Use in case of alcohol emergency.

Mediocre

36 Maryland Avenue, Unit A Rockville, MD 20850

Google Map

301-838-4281

Venue Website

Specials		Drink	Food
Monday	2pm-7pm	$2-$3 drafts, $5 margaritas	$3 sliders (2), tacos (2), wings (6), quesadillas	No
Tuesday	2pm-7pm	$2-$3 drafts, $5 margaritas	$3 sliders (2), tacos (2), wings (6), quesadillas	No
Wednesday	2pm-7pm	$2-$3 drafts, $5 margaritas	$3 sliders (2), tacos (2), wings (6), quesadillas	No
Thursday	2pm-7pm	$2-$3 drafts, $5 margaritas	$3 sliders (2), tacos (2), wings (6), quesadillas	No
Friday	2pm-7pm	$2-$3 drafts, $5 margaritas	$3 sliders (2), tacos (2), wings (6), quesadillas	No

Special is available in the restaurant area.

Performance

Food:Mediocre
Service:Good
Atmosphere:Good
Price:Average

Vitals

Capacity: Medium # Bars: 1 # Floors: 1 # Draft Beers: 7 Wine selection: Some Liquor selection: Full Only in MoCo: No

Themes/Styles: American / Mexican / Restaurant w/Bar Parking Accessibility: Tolerable Approximately 1.5 miles from I-270 Exits 5 or 6. It’s in the Rockville Town Square, so the best parking is in the garages around the area, which will cost you $1/hour.
Metro Accessibility: Easy Across Rockville Pike from Rockville Metro station (Red Line) and Rockville MARC station.

What is Austin Grill?

Austin Grill is a Tex Mex restaurant located in the middle of the Rockville Town Square. The bar area, sandwiched between the front seating section and the main restaurant portion, has booths, tables, and a stage area for live entertainment. Outside Area: No. Entertainment: No.

Our Review

As a place to hang out, Austin Grill has a lot going for it. The bar is a good size with comfortable stools, and the tables and booths are set up in a nice way to mingle with others. The room is colorful and warm with relaxing lighting, and the music is a perfect volume for both enjoying the rock mix and the conversation with the person next to you. And with the quick and pleasant service, the overall vibe tells you that it could be worth being a regular there. However, the area that Austin Grill seemed to stumble was in the food and drink offerings. Although you can’t go wrong with $2-$3 drafts, the $5 margarita was too steep for a small portion (too much ice in a small glass) of a ho-hum mix. The $3 appetizers might sound enticing, but the quantities are scaled down for happy hour so the deal is not really a deal. The two tacos were somewhat unfulfilling with a lack of fixings, and the quality rivals that of Taco Bell. The wings were fairly bland and grossly undercooked (I couldn’t eat two of them due to the still-pink interior). No wonder “nobody does wings like Austin Grill.” The worst part was the reaction after pointing out the wing situation: “aw man, sorry about that” and then walk away. I’m not one to make a scene and demand refunds, but even after nicely advising the bartender to let the manager know that the chicken is getting undercooked to avoid problems with future customers, no effort was made to do this or to make up the fact I paid for sloppy preparation where I couldn’t eat a third of my food. So although they do a good job with making the place a joy to visit, my stomach has informed me that it has little desire to return.

The Run Down

The long happy hour and inviting atmosphere makes the Austin Grill a good place to relax and enjoy some beer. Unless your digestive track is glutton for punishment, it would be wise to plan your afternoon snack somewhere else.

Reviewed by Lee on Monday, May 19, 2008.