Compass Rose Cellars

Wow! We had a wonderful experience at Compass Rose. The staff was friendly, knowledgeable, and genuinely glad to have us. The tasting experience was one of the best I have ever had. It was not too rushed, full of information about the wine and great stories to go along with it. This was my first wine tasting that was paired with food. The bites were incredible and perfectly paired. I can’t believe it was on $ 20! I have already sent people their way and can’t wait to go back and enjoy another bottle and the incredible view. Oh and the café food looked amazing so that is in the agenda as well. Keep up the great work!

By far he best view in all of Austin!!! Breath taking views and beautiful patio. They also have a phenomenal tasting room that is quaint and rustic. Perfect for an intimate tasting. Their wines are delicious and their staff is top notch. The couple that owns this winery love each other and they love the art of wine making. Definitely a must do in any successful wine tour!

Best winery I’ve experienced ever. And I’m including Napa wineries. The food was excellent, the wine was amazing and the scenery was fantastic. I will be back!

Months before our wedding we contacted the owner of Compass Rose about having a family dinner at Compass Rose on the night that we were exchanging vows. It was going to be a Friday evening with 20 people. Initially the owner was enthusiastic and bubbly, telling us how they could do a custom family style menu (we did not ask for this — it was offered and all his idea) and how they could set up the outdoor pavilion for us, etc, etc. He assured me that he would talk with his chef and send us some menu ideas. It seemed like it was going to be great.
Days turned into two weeks and we heard nothing. I emailed. No response. I called and left a voicemail (the owner had given me his cell number). No response. I called again and finally reached the owner. He told me they had been busy but he’d be seeing his chef that night and they’d get something to me. Again days became weeks and nothing. I called and emailed again and left another voicemail. I let him know that I was getting nervous b/​c of the timing and that nothing had been ironed out. Nothing. Our wedding was now about three weeks away. My fiancé called and got the owner on the phone. He launched into a tirade about how his employees were stealing from him and he’d lost his chef. Complaining about all of HIS woes and never commenting on his lack of response to us. Even tried to say «we’re not really a restaurant and not set up for this.» What??? He ended the conversation that he was outside on the property but he would call my fiancé back that evening because they did «have our reservation». Needless to say we did not get a phone call back. At this point it was evident that Compass Rose and its owner had no interest in being part of our wedding day. We did not try to contact him further and obviously did not show up there after we exchanged vows.
The worst part of this is that the owner’s Facebook page is pretty open and after trying to reach him through the Compass Rose Facebook page and seeing his personal posts there, we could tell that he had been «active» enough to have received our inquiries and simply decided not to do the decent thing and call us back.
So, the wine is fine and the food is fine too, but don’t waste your time going to this business because it’s clear that the owner has no interest in being ethical or even nice. So why give him business? After we made other arrangements, I did mention this to two other local business owners and it sounded like they were not surprised at our experience.

Not only was the wine amazing, the views are killer. Loved the whole experience. They have a very «at home on my back porch» feel. Heaters, blankets. Can’t wait to go back.

A group of 8 of us had lunch and the wine tasting here. It was gorgeous with great wine and great food. Very nice owners who are very knowledgeable about wine. Amazing views of Texas Hill Country. I highly recommend.

Love this place! Fantastic views and lovely patio to enjoy them from. The wine is great, especially like the Walking Home red blend. Was happily surprised to learn they serve dinner. Very nice, simple but excellent menu! Hye is becoming our favorite hill country place, and CR fits right in!

I was looking for a special place to propose to my girlfriend and trusted the other Unilocalers here about the amazing views, wine, lunch, service, and small winery feel at Compass Rose. They did not fail me. A week before our visit I reached out to Mark with my plan to surprise my then-​girlfriend with a proposal. He didn’t hesitate to help us make it a special visit. We communicated throughout the week and when we arrived he had everything set up perfectly. We moved here from San Francisco and have spent more time in Napa/​Sonoma than I’d like to admit, and Compass Rose Cellars is by far our favorite winery among the Texas Hill Country Wineries.

This is a long overdue review of Compass Rose Cellars and it’s crew. We held an incredibly special family event there in late May, and it was made all the more memorable by the entire staff.
My daughter and her fiancé chose Compass Rose as the place where they would stand before their closest family members, and share vows to spend the rest of their lives together. We met with Mark in early April, right when he and the rest of the staff entered their final push to officially open — building the pavilion, landscaping the back lawn area, getting the kitchen online, testing menu items, finding vendors, etc., etc., etc.
The level of service, including responsiveness, thoughtful suggestions, and flexibility was absolutely amazing! They committed to, AND delivered on having several construction projects done in time for our small event.
The venue was perfect, the food was amazing and the wine was divine! We will be back because this is a very special place for our families, but I will not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who is looking for a small oasis in the Texas Hill Country that has incredible food (really, Chef Bryan is Awesome Sauce!) and a lovely selection of delightful wines. Chin Chin!

Greatest place so wonderful. Great food wine and environment. The best place. We loved it!

We found this place one weekend while we were out wine tasting trying to avoid the 290 jame packed shuffle. Dillon one of the servers helped us and is very informative and helpful. Its good to see owners being on site and learn the passion that led to the vineyard. Overall excellent wine and joined their wine club. Came back 2 months later and they remembered us (!!)-that would never happen at some of the busier wineries. Dillon helped us again another wonderful experience and we are looking to more visits in the future.

Food was good. Red Fish, Oysters, and Ribs were fantastic. Like the Tempranillo is my fav. All were good.

Pretty nice place to spend a Saturday afternoon. We sat out on the patio and enjoyed the great view. The wines are all nice and very drinkable, especially for Texas wines. The Tempranillo was our favorite We also had a nice pairing of wine with mussels. The chef came and chatted us with for awhile. I would like to go back and try dinner. the menu looked very interesting and not the usual Hill country menu. The only concern was the wait staff. They are all college kids who could use some additional training. First our waiter told us they get 50,000 gallons of wine out of a barrel. We pointed out to him that we thought he meant 50 gallons. He then said he was really tired because he’s going to summer school. Latter when he brought our bill he had forgotten to charge us for two orders of mussels. We pointed it out to him and made sure he re-​did the bill. This could have cost them a lot. As we left we told the owner and he did say Thank you but it would have been nice if he would have offered a discount to come back or seem to care that we had been honest. it really didn’t seem important to them that we pointed out the mistake. I think they still have some bugs to work on the service side of the business. The food is good and the wine is nice. Just be sure to check your bill and also watch the facts given to you by the waiters..

Delicious flatbread and great wine. Don’t pass up this gem, the drive is worth it. Be sure to take on the amazing view outside.

Oh, how I love Compass Rose! It’s the only winery in Hye I ever go to because we go there first and then get so relaxed and happy that I don’t leave. I’m actually hesitant to leave a review of how awesome they are because I don’t want anyone else to find out about them :)
Last night we ate dinner there for the second time. It was phenomenal! I had the soft shell crab BLT and my mom had the hoison jalapeño pork ribs followed by an apple pecan tart and grilled mango with strawberries and mascapone with mint. So delicious. The wait staff is attentive, nice, funny and friendly. The atmosphere is serene. The view is just gorgeous.

Great Winery, amazing staff, and the food is DELICIOUS! 5 stars! Highly recommended. The menu is fantastic and diverse. Beautiful views.

Had an awesome visit found it by chance on the way back from touring the distillery down the road. We did wine tasting all were tasty. Also ordered hummus a little thin but yummy flavor. Shrimp topped Mac & cheese I love a good Mac and cheese this one was delicious. Shrimp was good and the noodles and cheese sauce heavenly. Just being out there made me want to come back.

Best place for wine tasting. The owners are very accommodating and fun. You don’t need a reservation. They have a great patio. Food is delicious! And most importantly you get to sit and taste their wine. All the other places on our wine tour make you stand and come to the bar to taste their wine. Such a great stop!

Our favorite stop on a recent wine tour. Small and quaint. Great wine. Sat outside with heaters and blankets provided on a cold day, I imagine it would be beautiful on a better weather day. Food was great, do not miss the hummus and homemade garlic bread (yum!). The mocha truffles and toffee were also delicious! The owners were passionate and eager to share their love of what they were doing. Definitely worth a visit!

My husband and I visited this charming little winery! We loved it and will be back on our next visit. The Syrah was delicious. The best red wine we tasted during the entire 4 wineries we toured. Can’t wait to get home and drink our bottle we bought.