Counter 3. Five. Vii

A-​Ok review is a really sad review after the money we spent. I feel really bad giving it a poor review but I honestly think this place is overrated. My husband and I are «foodies» and enjoy trying different tasting menus and foods from all over. We have done many tasting menus and this was our least favorite we have ever done. I would recommend my friends to go somewhere else. Some really like the setup of the restaurant. While it is neat to see them cook your food, I missed the conversation with a server. We sat near the pastry chef and watched her make the same desserts for 2 hours while we ate our food. Definitely a place for couples to go. Conversation can be difficult for 3 or more since you are sitting in a row at the bar. We did not care for 3 out of the 5 courses, which is crazy to say at a place like this!

Do the wine pairing

Brilliant, tasty and fun. Book it.
You probably already know most of the basics. Small place above the Elephant Room on Congress. Parking not really much of a hassle, street lots on several corners of the block. Small front bar, for now beer and wine only, but an interesting selection of both. Action takes place in the back, dining area, 25 bar seats surrounding small kitchen. No wait staff, flat price plus set 18% gratuity.
Never presented with a menu, though they do keep online postings current as far as I’ve seen, with dishes regularly changing and every dish in the 3 the 5 and the 7 course offerings different. A half dozen chefs nearly all with tweezers in hand, the food is so carefully cooked and plated. Because of the small number of seats, the chefs aren’t at the frenzied pace you usually see in kitchens, they’re more thorough and organized and show great attention to detail in every aspect of food preparation.
Because the menu constantly changes, there’s no particular reason to call out specific dishes, so mostly I’d just report that in the current 7 course they all ranged from very good to absolutely brilliant. There was a king crab and bacon dish that I will seriously be dreaming about for years. I’ve usually found foie gras too rich and unctuous, but seared and placed on a bed of sweet potato it was just beautiful in its balanced flavors.
Do the wine pairings. The sommelier is very good, the selections interesting, fun and well thought out, and overall it may have been the best paired wines of any place I’ve done a pairing. Well worth it to have the full experience.
They’ll ask about allergies in advance, and there was an ingredient in the dessert we couldn’t eat. Instead of an adjusted version, something to just get arround the missing ingredient, which would be what I’d usually expect, the pastry chef proudly presented us with a brand new dessert she had just plated for the first time. She took a quick picture of the dish, served us and we were happy. That may have been the best example of the overall pride, pleasure and professionalism the team all appear to share at this restaurant.
We love Odd Duck, Qui, Uchiko, and Counter 3 5 7 is solidly there with them as the best of Austin dining.

YEAH!
As can be deduced from the title, there are three options for meals here: three, five, and seven-​course prix fixe options, all served at one long, U-​shaped counter. Clearly, the lack of creativity in naming the restaurant shows where the owner’s priorities are — to clarify, I mean this in a very positive way. The food, wine selections, décor, and service are all absolutely top-​notch.
Most important in any dining experience is the food. Last night the 3-​course option was selected with wine pairings. Initially there is always inherent apprehension about the quantities being sufficient when choosing the smallest option on any menu but there’s no need to be concerned here. Portions were absolutely plentiful and the presentation, flavors, and uniqueness made it worth every penny. Worth noting: Tues — Thurs before 6:30 the 3-​course option is discounted by 33%.
The utilization of a lot of local ingredients is always nice but so many chefs use this practice as a justification for blandness. This was not at all the case at Counter (shortening the name for ease of writing). Many of the herbs are grown in-​house and numerous meats and vegetables were mentioned to have been local but merely as a casual «oh by the way» comment.
A charred broccoli and fish dish was the first course, with the broccoli being one of the most memorable parts of both that dish and the meal. Mixed seafood (scallop, oyster, salmon) paella was next, then finished off with the third course of a bay leaf ice cream with three different preparations of apples over a panna cotta. The apples in the dessert, making up just a small portion of the dish, really showcased how much effort is put into every detail of every dish; one of them was marinated in a mead (also made in-​house), another mixed with a raspberry vinegar before being dehydrated and served, and the third was flavored in a way that I can’t recall but it was delicately formed into the shape of a rose for plating. All three wines paired quite well too, with all being from lesser-​known varietals. This was a welcome change from the usual «we’ll start you off with a sparkling wine, then perhaps a chardonnay, followed by a cab, then a port to go with dessert.»
One of the things that makes Counter so impressive is that none of the three meal options share any dishes, making it a total of 15 completely unique plates — with there being changes made every week, as the highly professional staff explained, more commonly to the five and seven course options. It was pointed out during this discussion that the two gentlemen a few seats away were regulars, coming in weekly and alternating between the five and seven to maximize uniqueness. They clearly have the right idea.

My wife and I have been dining here about once every 3 – 4 weeks since they opened. We just celebrated NYE there. They have continued to exceed our expectations with the menu changes. We love their 5 and 7 course menu just so we can try more dishes. The chefs and the staff are just the best… I recommend counter 3 five 7 to any one who loves great food.

This place is awesome! I went as part of a birthday for the 7 coarse meal on Friday night. It was great to try different foods I don’t normally eat and they are small plates — but fill you up. I had some food allergies and they made different plates for me, which were incredibly good. I also, really loved how they explained what each plate was. And, you could watch them make it — which was fun. All the staff was nice.
Parking can be tricky on a Friday night — but I parked in the self serve lot of the new JW Marriott — its near there.

This is the best fine dining in Austin. It is very pricey but worth it. Expect to drop a few bills here.
The staff are all employees and really take care of you. I’ve had the 7 course meal twice and both times it was amazing.
I don’t love their wine pairings as they seem overpriced for what you get, but grabbing a bottle you like or doing 2 full glasses of two different wines works out better for me.
Every seat feels like you’re at the chef’s table. If it isn’t busy they will spend a lot of time telling you about each dish and the special things they do to make it so delicious.
They have a microgram fridge that just looks cool regardless of the fact they actually use the greens.
The staff also goes out and forages for greens around town, which is awesome. If you’ve got money burning a whole in your pocket and want some awesome food, look no further.

How this place does not get 5 stars from everyone blows my mind. The space is perfect, the kitchen (where they serve from) is spotless and beautiful, and the creativity is as good as it gets.
If you are considering going here below are the following reasons why you should:
1. Everything is cooked perfect and you get to see exactly how your dish is made
2. You can interact with the chef and learn a little more about why they created what they did
3. If you like wine or wine pairings they are the best in town
4. The desserts are out of this world… even if you are not a sweets guys
Go here — you will not regret it.

Like many of the reviewers I was also looking for something different. Thankfully Austin has grown exponentially as far as the restaurant scene goes and our options are varied and rich (or at least better). I had heard very little about the dining itself, only the open kitchen seating and the coursed meal. I placed an assumption that it at least would be innovative.
We were lucky enough to be sat alone with the chefs for most of the meal so we asked many questions (we were very early for dinner). This was a culinary experience and if you consider yourself a «foodie» this would be a restaurant for you. It reminds me of minibar in D.C. but for a fraction of the cost. The only menu is the drink menu, which allows the chefs to be creative and allows you to enjoy the experience without the difficulty of choice.
There was one course that did not excite and was confusing, but everything else was creative and delicious. We had the full seven. The protein courses were exceptional. Everything is locally sourced and there’s an herb garden sitting in the kitchen.
Read a number of reviews complaining the courses are rushed. In retrospect, I agree. However, delivering courses like this are tough and it’s best to err on the side of being too quick than too slow. Imagine the complaints if there was too much of a wait in between.
Had a lovely dining experience with great service and tastes to remember. Looking forward to returning as the menu changes often. New Austin favorite.

We went here for my husband’s birthday and I would say it’s definitely one of the best tastings we had in Austin. We did the 7 course tasting. Doesn’t break the bank yet everything we had was delicious. I’ve been to many tastings and sometimes you get a few dishes you don’t like, but we enjoyed every single dish. Nice décor and staff. Highly recommend the wine pairing!

My wife and I were looking for a fine dining experience for our week in Austin, and had a lot of choices. We saw the menu for this restaurant while dining upstairs at a pub, and knew we had to visit it. We went with the 7-​course (only serves 3, 5, and 7 course dinners as the name suggests) because we liked the selections on the 7 course more — was more oriented to sea food, but not exclusively.
I can’t speak enough about the flavors. I’ve dined in a lot of restaurants around the nation over decades and this really tops the charts. I’m in my early 50’s, and frankly am growing tired of the same flavor profiles, the Ruth Chris butter and garlic profiles, even the French mainstays. Case in point, we later went and spent $ 300 at another steakhouse, and it was basically fat and butter dredged around steak, sea bass, veg, etc. I didn’t even really enjoy the meal at the other steakhouse, it’s just over done.
In contrast, each course at 3 Five VII was a unique experience. I really had flavor profiles that I’ve never come close to experiencing, never would have thought could be so harmonious and enjoyable, and some just frankly blew me away.
I’ve seen some reviews that talked about the pairings being overwhelming on the alcohol content — that 5 or 7 drinks is too much alcohol, but I didn’t find that to be the case and I am not a heavy (or even moderate) drinker. I highly recommend the pairings, they added tremendously to the meal.
Another element to note, in my 50’s I can’t put the food away like I used to. I find it quite hard to finish a whole meal with apps. Yet the 7 course experience didn’t over load me. I think it was just right, perfect in fact. That might mean for heavy eaters that you might still be hungry after this experience.
The menu changes by increments, so describing the dishes individually might be a waste of time. Frankly too, I don’t want to mislead anyone because some of the flavor combinations might make you think twice, but rest assured that I was very pleasantly surprised how fantastically their creations tasted. My favorite dish of the night was primarily a combination of two ingredients that I never would have thought would go together, and weeks later, I still crave it.
Sitting at the bar around the kitchen (the only option except for happy hour enthusiasts around the bar area), yes we could see the food being prepared for the most part, and had some interactions with the kitchen staff during that was enjoyable. That’s not usually something that would appeal to me, prefer a more private dining setting, but I did enjoy it and would do it again.
My only critique might be that I think it went a little fast. With 7 courses, as someone else said its about 90 minutes, or even less. As soon as we finished one course, the pairing arrived followed almost immediately by the next course. I found myself purposefully slowing down my consumption to slow down the pace. If I hadn’t, it would have gone even quicker.
All said, fantastic.

Interesting concept, but little flexibility. I came in after work for a quick bite before heading to a show and they 3, 5 or 7 course options were all not an option because just the 3 course takes an hour and a half. We resolved to bar bites at the bar — the options were pretty limited so we shared a cheese board. They use antonelli’s cheese and it was amazing with the bread and jam. I will have to come back with a plan to spend the time I need to to try the actual sit down course meals. Staff is chill, bar style seating not my fave. Interesting vibe in the place — almost industrial feel.

The hype. Was not real.
Service and presentation was awesome! But tasting wise… It just wasn’t all there. I expected a lot more for the price we paid. I much rather go to uchi instead. But it’s pretty awesome to see them make it in front of you. You’re seated at a counter with a great view of where the magic happens. I got the 7 course meal. Let me break it down.
We started with a amuse bouche. A soup with apricot in it. It was tasty, a good way to start our meal.
1) the crudo: fish did not taste fresh and it was warm. My friend says I was tainted because I just got back from Seattle and I’ve had fresh seafood. But raw warm fish just isn’t appetizing.
2) jamon iberico Is a fancy version of prosciutto in my opinion. The dates compliment the flavor, but the espresso did not. Not a fan.
3)oyster with the jasmine rice! Omg this was delicious! Who knew rice and oysters would taste so good together, with a Korean twist. My favorite dish by far! A great redemption!
4)the uni. I’m a uni lover. I love everything, and I mean, everything with uni. But the combination with uni and something that resembled a pound cake. Tasted very odd together. It didn’t compliment the uni at all. I would suggest eating the uni and pound cake separately. Separately they are fabulous. But together was not appetizing.
5)John dory with miso, honestly the taste was good. But the John Dory was pretty tough and over cooked. They should of picked a Chilean sea bass to match with the miso flavor instead.
6)akaushi strip loin. The cocoa did not enhance the flavor of the strip loin, instead it made me get tired of it very fast.
7) peanut butter dessert. It was pretty much peanut butter on the plate with a hard pastry with jelly inside, with a scoop of ice cream to make it look fancy. It was not the perfect ending to our 7 course meal.
All in all, my friends and I were not fans. Probably wouldn’t come back even though the experience was awesome. The combinations was just not very tasteful or appetizing to me. I would rather spend my pretty penny on something else.

My favorite fine dining in Austin! I love the pre-​fixe menu with an autograt. Since the staff are employees, you can really see the pride that each person exudes. I have tried the 3, 5, and 7 courses and love them all. Although, the 5 course is my preferred since it gives me the most variety for the price.
The counter style dining makes you feel like you are sitting at the chef’s table. You can watch your food being cooked and meticulously plated, with tweezers of course. On slower nights, you can really pick the chefs’ brains and they will happily indulge your curiosity. It would be difficult to describe each dish because the menu changes weekly, but one unifying theme is the use of micro-​greens grown in their awesome grow fridge and flower petals. I’ve always thought flowers tasted bitter, but the chefs here have shown me something new, and now, I want flower petals in everything! Also, they are really into foraging and some of the menu highlights the foraged plants.
A must dine at restaurant in Austin for inventive, global fusion.

WOW! What an experience! On a recent trip to Austin, my friends and I wanted to experience one nice meal and it was certainly a tough decision since the food competition is so strong in the city. After doing much research and reading a ton of reviews, we decided to go with Counter 3 Five VII. A very interesting concept, Counter 3 Five VII allows diners to pick either a three, five, or seven course meal from a prix-​fixe menu, and every seat in the house is at the chef’s table.
After our research, I was under the impression that the times of reservation are based on if you order the three, five, or seven course meal, however, they’ve either changed their practice or were very lenient that night because we had flexibility in making and changing our reservation time as well as dining with patrons who did not order the same courses. The variation turned out to be a treat because we were able to watch the chefs make multiple dishes and «oooh» and «ahhh» at dishes that were different than ours.
* Rainbow Trout– row, roasted hazelnut, asparagus
* Langue de Boeuf «Beef Tongue” — bitter greens, oysters, burnet
* Octopus– Japanese sweet potato, bok choy, house Lap Cheong
* Duck– Turnip, black garlic, crawfish alliums
* Khao Mahk– pineapple, coconut, cream soda
I really, really loved this entire experience. Watching the chefs prepare your meal, with their expertise, attention to detail, and craftsmanship, was such a treat. The food was extraordinary. I enjoyed the presentation of every dish as they were all beaming with creativity. Every single plate I had turned out to be a «favorite dish» so there’s really no reason for me to go into more detail beyond telling you that you’ll be in for quite a treat here. Love this place, and this hardworking team of perfectionists absolutely deserves every single one of those five stars!

I’ve dined here twice now, once for a 3-​course and again for a 7-​course. The food is absolutely exquisite, the service is unparalleled in Austin, and the environment just drips of cool. This restaurant deserves the highest praise.
Some of the more interesting features:
— They have a huge grow chamber where they grow micro-​greens. Pods, tiny fronds, and small flowers adorn nearly every dish. Some of the plants are brought in from the chefs’ personal home gardens.
— There is a Japanese-​style charcoal grill that burns smokeless «bincho» charcoal. I was in Tokyo only a couple of weeks before coming here, and saw identical grills at a really good yakitori restaurant.
— The counter itself is great for watching the entire process, like a giant chef’s table. It’s also good for people-​watching.
— The staff are all salaried employees — they don’t work for tips. There is an automatic service charge added to each check, and no blank for adding more gratuity. So the pricing is fair and direct, and the staff are all very friendly and professional.
— The wine pairings are thoughtful, featuring many unusual wines that pair very well with their respective courses.

Wow! This place was an amazing dining experience. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is because I believe an experience like this should be slowed down. Our courses came out too soon after each other.
Let’s start with the concept: no waiters, no tables (you sit at the counter), no tip. You choose 3, 5 or 7 courses with an optional wine pairing. You get to watch the chefs make your meals in front of you.
What I loved is the ability to talk to the chefs as they prepare my food and the ability to why they chose certain ingredients and how best to eat each bite.
We opted for the 5-​course meal. I skipped the wine pairing, and am glad I did. I saw another couple and it was generous glasses of wine! I did not need 5 glasses of wine. But I did have a nice granche blend to go with my meal.
If you are into big portions, this is not the place for you. This is all about the experience and enjoying a unique small dishes that you would not normally order.
All dishes have an Asian influence. The first course was a rainbow trout. Very nice. A bit salty, but nice.
The second dish was beef tongue with bitter greens, oyster and cucumber. The bitter greens were dandelions. I mentioned that I loved the tart flavor and the waiter said it is like kimchee– yes! That is what it reminded me of.
Dish three was octopus, Japanese sweet potato and bok choy. This dish reminded me of my childhood in San Francisco. My mom would order a squid octopus salad at a little place on the wharf. Then I had memories of the dried squid and octopus I ate as a kid. And the waiter knew exactly what I was taking about. He said he used to work in San Fran! And all the chefs were trained with an Asian fusion background.
Next up was the duck. My favorite. Again, it reminded me of china town in San Fran. That smokey duck flavor. It was so tender it fell part in your mouth.
For dessert, we were served the khao mahk, a fermented rice dessert with coconut shaving and a pineapple sorbet. This Asian styled dessert is refreshing and light. So perfect after the all the different flavors we just experienced.
We received a little bag of granola to take home to enjoy the next morning.
If you want a unique dining experience where you will be exposed to new flavors and chat with the chefs, this is your place. If you are looking for traditional food and larger portions, there are a 1000 other great Austin places to visit instead.
The 3, 5, and 7 course menus are always different. Each week one item will change. And the entire menu changes monthly. Counter 3. Five. VII will make our list every time we head to Austin!

What an incredible dining experience! We dined here last night for our 8 year anniversary celebration and was completely impressed. I made reservations online, chose the number of courses I wanted and selected a dining date/​time. The day of our reservations I received a call to check if we had any dietary restrictions or allergies.
We walked in and I completely did not recognize this as the former Dress Shop. The bar is a very sexy dark blue and black. The dining room counter in contrast is bright crisp white with silver. It is modern and comfortable yet felt fancy. The chefs work in perfect unison and are continuously preparing the next course. Guests dine at a beautiful counter that frames the open kitchen making for an intimate experience with the chefs. The chefs hand deliver each course and give a beautiful description. The sommelier and assistant sommelier checked in on us and brought our wine pairings out just in time for the next course. We opted for the 5 course. Sara’s amuse bouche to start the meal and dessert perfectly introduced the dining experience and finished it off with an exclamation point. The wine were unique and paired perfectly with each dish. The menu items will change so I wont go into to much detail about each dish. But I will say everything was perfectly plated and meats braised, brined and smoked to perfection.
Our 5 course consisted of:
1– heavenly smoked pecan rainbow trout
2 — tender beef tongue with mustard and caraway
3 — braised, brined and smoked octopus with Japanese sweet potato and bok choy from their garden
4 — lamb with decedent sweet breadsm turnip, fennel, olives and Meyer lemon
5 — a light and delicious carrot cake with coconut, oats, pecan and ginger
To sweeten our anniversary the pastry chef Sara sent us off with a little gift of «pig fat coffee» treats and decedent cheese biscotti latent with pig fat (in a good way).
I would definitely come back for a celebratory dinner as it is pricey but totally worth it! I would really like to give the 3 course a try for a more casual dining night.

Do you love food? And I mean reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllly love food? Yes? Then book your reso now.
Let me explain. 26 seats surrounding an impeccable kitchen, no waitstaff. What does this mean for you? It means that the people you interact with during your meal are the actual chefs. They prepare your meal right before your eyes all while they explain their inspiration for the dish, the source of the ingredients, the methods used to cook and prep… and more. And if you really love food, like truly love it, then there is nothing more you can ask from a dining experience than that. It’s perfection.
I opted for the 3 course just to give the place a test run. Which is totally a wuss move but I didn’t know if I wanted to splurge on the 7 course price because… what if I didn’t like the concept, I’d be trapped! Well this is when being risk adverse didn’t pay off. The experience and the food was exceptional, I didn’t want to get up. So definitely go for the 5 or 7 course! Our 3 course started with an amuse-​bouche of pepper cake with some kind of cream that I think Jesus hand crafted. Because GOD it was good!
Tip of the Review: I opted for the wine pairing for my courses which I suggest you do not skip as they complimented each dish perfectly!
First course was a seafood stew paired with a perfect white. When the chef’s place the plate in front of you every bite and execution intent is explained so you really taste the labor of love in each bite.
Second course was what I called «Chicken 9 way» a breast, a crispy egg, a leg and dark pâté, dressed greens etc but that potato cream purée! I have been eating wrong my whole life. I have never tasted anything like it. I want to fill my swimming pool up with it and lounge for the summer. Wow! This was paired with a Gamay Rouche that was outstanding. Whilst the course was happening I googled where to buy it on my phone and hit purchase… it was that perfect.
Third course. Marscapone cheesecake with strawberry jam and pickled radishes. Who would have thought that would be such an expert pairing. Second best piece of cheesecake I’ve had in my life. True story. Its the kind where you close your eyes so you can savor.
There is more of this story I could tell but why would I want to ruin your experience with the other little surprises that will take your breath away? That would be a spoiler (i.e. criminal). I feel I have told you just enough here to persuade you to make a reso and have an exceptional experience yourself!

Well, this place is just beautiful. I visited early on opening night for the three course, and me and my date were the first people to sit down for a meal, apparently. The hook here is that their menus are all prix fixe, you choose how many courses you want (3, 5, 7) when you arrive, and the menus change frequently. The dining room is a very intimate square bar around the kitchen/​prep area, with only about two dozen seats. You get to watch all the plating and prep work while you dine.
Each course is broken up by an amuse-​bouche. (Actually, one of my favorite dishes of the meal was the first taste, a square of spongy bread with black garlic and yogurt.) The actual courses were much larger than I expected for a prix fixe. I couldn’t finish the main course without completely spoiling my dessert! The food and the service were good, though I would like a bit more adventurous fare. I might try the seven course at some point.