Simi Estiatorio - Austin

When we arrived at the restaurant with our guests, it was shut down. We hadn’t received any notification from either the restaurant or Open Table that it had go... read more When we arrived at the restaurant with our guests, it was shut down. We hadn’t received any notification from either the restaurant or Open Table that it had gone out of business the day before. This was supposed to be a special occasion, and we specifically chose Simi over many other options. Instead, we found ourselves left standing outside at 8:30 PM on a Saturday night with our two guests. We are equally disappointed with Open Table for not informing us about the restaurant’s closure.

The restaurant was closed, and I attempted to send a message to OpenTable. However, it was so complicated that I eventually gave up. read more The restaurant was closed, and I attempted to send a message to OpenTable. However, it was so complicated that I eventually gave up.

After a first visit a few months ago I was ready to go back and sample more of their menu, as the overall food and dining experience was quite favorable. Sadly,... read more After a first visit a few months ago I was ready to go back and sample more of their menu, as the overall food and dining experience was quite favorable. Sadly, our expectations were not met in the least. Lovely decor and seating, but even up against the back wall our table was simply too noisy and I could not hear the person right across from me. This only got worse as the restaurant got busier. I actually had a sore throat from trying to talk over the noise. And no, I don 't have a hearing problem. Appetizers including kebabs and octopus were artfully prepared, yet somehow both bland and over seasoned at the same time. The mains were incredibly disappointing however. Branzino was unevenly cooked and under seasoned, and not entirely deboned. Lamb chops were dry and bland and the Greek fries were mushy. Seafood yiouvetsi was overpowered with salt and fennel, and the lobster was still in the shell making the diner have to dig it out and try not to get sauce everywhere. On top of that, the kitchen forgot the salmon dish and side potatoes, so they were rushed out after everyone else had to start eating, so the salmon was hurriedly overcooked and the potatoes were cold. Our server said some perfunctory apologies, but was more intently focused on selling more wine. He forgot to bring pens to sign for the separate tabs, and then failed to inform us that our take home bag was at the hostess station. This led to us sitting longer than expected, so that the hostess had to basically evict us, and apologize for the mix up. Also of note are the incredibly high prices even compared to other fine dining places in town. No one minds as long as the food and service are at least good. Neither happened here, so the value element is very low. I would not recommend this place for anything other than the astonishment of having such bad food at such high prices, as long as one can afford it.

Restaurant was permanently closed. read more Restaurant was permanently closed.

This place is completely closed! I’m not sure how we even managed to make a reservation here. read more This place is completely closed! I’m not sure how we even managed to make a reservation here.