Ranch 616

Name: Ranch 616
Address: 616 Nueces, Austin, TX, United States, 78701
Telephone: (512) 479-7616
Price range: $30 and under
Rating: 4.5

4.5

1161 Reviews

$30 and under

Southwest

Top Tags:

South Texas Ice House, "Texas Cuisine" Products from the Texas Gulf to the Texas Hill Country.

"The huge snake logo on the outside of an otherwise nondescript building -- created by Bob "Daddy-O" Wade, best known for the oversize boots that front San Antonio's North Star Mall -- is your first hint that this place might be a bit, well, different. Inside, cowboy kitsch, 1950s diner decor, and Mexican folk art mingle, as do workers from the nearby county offices, local movers and shakers, and anyone else looking for terrific food that, like the decor, defies easy categorization.

Call it South Texas gourmet. You can really taste the chipotle chilies in the tartar sauce that comes with some of the best crispy oysters this side of the Mason-Dixon Line, and the Gulf fish tacos are gussied up with chili lime aioli and Tabasco jalapeño onions. You get the idea -- lots of spicy dishes."

NEW Chilled Pistol Patio with NEW misters, to keep you cool all summer long.

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

Dec 4, 2022

7:00 PM

Booked 36 times today

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Cuisines
Southwest, Wild Game, Contemporary American
Hours of operation
Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–11:00 pm Sun 4:00 pm–9:00 pm
Phone number
(512) 479-7616
Website
http://theranch616.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Kevin Williamson
Private party facilities
Restaurant is available for buy outs.
Private party contact
Preston Nagel: (512) 479-7616

Location
616 Nueces, Austin, TX 78701
Neighborhood
Downtown
Cross street
7th
Parking details
Surface and Garage Parking available nearby.
Additional
Bar Dining, Beer, Counter Seating, Entertainment, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

Popular dishes

Quesadilla of the Day$12.00
daily protein or vegetables grilled inside a flour tortilla stuffed with roasted corn, pico de gallo, black beans, & ranch cheese
Fried or Grilled Frog Legs$18.00
served with house vinaigrette over roasted poblano mashed potatoes
Calamari$16.00
served with chipotle tartar sauce & green goddess dressing
Crispy Oysters$20.00
Named by Southern Living as "The Best Oysters in the South!". One dozen fried gulf oysters with chipotle tartar sauce & green goddess dressing
Texas Gulf Coast Crab Cake$18.00
served on a bed of crab & corn salad with homemade thousand island dressing
Camarones Rellenos$21.00
applewood-smoke bacon-wrapped Gulf Coast shrimp stuffed with ranch cheese, drizzled in green goddess dressing
The Don Combo$20.00
crispy oysters & calamari served with chipotle tartar sauce & green goddess dressing
Funeral Eggs$12.00
deviled eggs garnished with mixed greens & candied pickled onions
Fried Green Beans$9.00
served with tomatillo salsa
Ranch Slice of Ice$12.00
¼ wedge of iceberg sprinkled with bleu cheese, bacon, candied pickled red onion, cherry tomatoes, carrots, croutons & ranch dressing
616 Chop$16.00
applewood-smoked bacon, black bean, chopped egg, Texas pecans, feta, avocado, tomato, corn, pickled onion, & choice of dressing
Caesar Salad$13.00
romaine hearts, shaved parmesan, croutons & caesar dressing
Caldo de Pollo$10.00
hearty chunks of chicken breast & fresh vegetables in a steaming broth, served with lime
Patron Platter$60.00
calamari, crispy oysters, camarones rellenos, fried green beans, grilled quail

Sides

Spiced Green Beans with Crumbled Blue Cheese$9.00
Ranch Cheese & Bacon Mashed Potatoes$9.00
616 Tobacco Onion Rings$9.00
Southern Collard Greens$9.00
Steak Fries$9.00
Cheesy Grits$9.00

Entrees

Divorced Quail$26.00
one buttermilk-battered fried bird with ranchero sauce + one sugar-cured grilled bird with tomatillo sauce: poblano mashed potatoes & a side of sautéed vegetables
Pork Tenderloin 616$24.00
ancho honey glazed pork medallions served over poblano mashers, topped with roasted corn & sautéed Texas mushrooms
Ranch Ribeye*$56.00
16oz black pepper-crusted Ribeye drizzled with demi-glace atop bacon-cheddar mashed potatoes & fresh green beans
Texas Black Angus Tenderloin and Crab*$45.00
10oz Texas filet topped with sweet lump crab meat, placed over southern collard greens & cheesy grits
South Texas Mixed Grill$47.00
venison sausage, quail & petite chicken fried steak over poblano mashed potatoes & green beans with a side of demi
Chicken Fried Steak$22.00
10oz buttermilk-battered fried tenderloin topped with house gravy, served over bacon & ranch cheese mashers with fresh green beans
Jalapeno Maize Trout or Chicken$24.00
two trout filets or one 8oz chicken breast encrusted with tortilla chips, sautéed with jalapenos, garlic, cilantro; topped with chipotle tartar sauce & served with Spanish rice
Ed's El Camino Fish or Shrimp Tacos$18.00
three soft flour tortillas stuffed with fried fish or tiger shrimp piled with shredded cabbage, lettuce, chili lime aioli; side of Spanish rice & tobacco jalapeno onion rings
Grilled Market Fish$45.00
Texas Red Fish with prawns, coconut rice & vegetables, drizzled with Paula's Orange beurre blanc

What 1,161 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5

4.5 based on recent ratings

4.5Food
4.6Service
4.6Ambience
4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Austin
Hot spot
Austin
Hot spot

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L
Lulu
Central Coast
61 reviews
vip
4.0
61 reviews
Dined today
overall4food4service5ambience5
Friendly and competent service. Food was good. You felt a real Austin vibe there.
LB
LisaB
Austin
35 reviews
vip
5.0
35 reviews
Dined 1 day ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Great evening with friends
CT
CristinaT
San Antonio
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined 1 day ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
We’ve been to Ranch 616 many times. They have a great drink menu with many specialty drinks. Every dish I’ve had has been delicious and excellent quality.
T
Texasdiner
Austin
9 reviews
5.0
9 reviews
Dined 5 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Margaritas great. Food and service great. One of my favorite Austin originals.
JB
JeffB
San Francisco
3 reviews
vip
4.0
3 reviews
Dined on November 26, 2022
overall4food4service5ambience3
Super loud slightly inebriated crowds if you eat outside, so be sure that’s okay. But fun place, nice menu, great chops and quail.
A
Amanda78747
Austin
4 reviews
3.0
4 reviews
Dined on November 26, 2022
overall3food3service3ambience3
Food was under cooked, requested tan over 3 times service extremely slow. Just not what it use to be.
OT
OpenTable Diner
Austin
8 reviews
vip
5.0
8 reviews
Dined on November 18, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Dinner was fab! I never have a bad meal or a bad time at Ranch 616! Two words: Ranch Water😎
OT
OpenTable Diner
Austin
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on November 17, 2022
overall3food3service5ambience5
3 entrees ordered. Salmon came out lukewarm while other entree was steaming.
A
Austintuxedocat
Austin
4 reviews
vip
3.0
4 reviews
Dined on November 13, 2022
overall3food3service4ambience2
Well, our meal was just OK. Nothing special at all. And it was so noisy that it was almost impossible to hold a conversation. We will not be going back, which is disappointing because we used to love Ranch 616.
OT
OpenTable Diner
Houston
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on November 12, 2022
overall1food1service1ambience1
Horrible. Literally bug spray as drinks.
OT
OpenTable Diner
Washington DC
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 11, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Stellar. All round awesome. Service, good and atmosphere were all amazing. We had the fried oysters, fried frog legs, divorced quail and enchiladas. Killer - all spot on. Meagan was a fantastic sever. The urinal was cool too.
OT
OpenTable Diner
Tallahassee
1 review
vip
1.0
1 review
Dined on November 11, 2022
overall1food1service2ambience1
DONT GO HERE ITS GOD AWFUL. They charge you $9 for each side (side of rice, side of beans) and I got a chicken Cesar salad- there was entire leaves of romaine. Who can eat a salad like that? It was over $20. Such a waste of money I can’t explain how much I hated this place. My martini also was beyond awful- I spent $65 on 2 drinks and a salad. I’m so mad. Don’t come here unless you want awful food and drinks and if you want to spend a ton of money on disgusting food.
LB
LukeB
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on November 11, 2022
overall4food5service5ambience5
Adam the manager took great care of us. Love the food and atmosphere!
OT
OpenTable Diner
San Antonio
3 reviews
vip
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on November 9, 2022
overall5food2service5ambience5
We had burgers. The buns were too hard and made them difficult to eat.
OT
OpenTable Diner
Dallas
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 8, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Food was excellent & timely Service was excellent
C
Coug
Austin
26 reviews
vip
3.0
26 reviews
Dined on November 5, 2022
overall3food3service4ambience3
Since the chef of 20+ years left. The dining experience has not been to the standards of 616. They removed the quesadillas off the dinner menu, the pork chop was overly seasoned and spiced. Last evening, the chicken fried steak was dark , overcooked and the grilled vegetables were thrown on the plate. I believe the dark chicken fried steak was cooked earlier, and warmed then the gravy was dumped on the dark, cool, tough chicken fried steak. Not a good dining experience. It WAS one of our go to restaurants.
AM
AbbiM
Austin
2 reviews
3.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 3, 2022
overall3food3service2ambience4
The food was okay, chicken fried steak was over seasoned and overcooked. Service was not good, we waited 20 minutes to order and 45 to pay. Not worth the overall price.
l
lolly
Austin
34 reviews
vip
5.0
34 reviews
Dined on November 2, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Food and service was great!
RF
RobF
Dallas
3 reviews
vip
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on November 1, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Waitress was A+
c
chrish
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on October 27, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Amazing food, drinks! Loved every second of our night out
MB
MikeB
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on October 27, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
GoodTimes GoodFood & One Of The Best Spots Downtown ATX. Staff is wonderful… makes for a great customer experience!!!!
SW
SimonW
Warwickshire
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on October 24, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Fantastic night. Great atmosphere and steak cooked perfectly!! Mr Black & Blue 🙂
TS
TomS
Austin
3 reviews
vip
4.0
3 reviews
Dined on October 23, 2022
overall4food4service5ambience5
Really fun vibe on the outdoor patio, much more "hip" than I expected. The Fire in the Hole was a delight, as was the Divorced Quail. Would definitely come back
DK
DaveK
Omaha
6 reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Dined on October 18, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Great food and quick service in addition to a unique and cool environment.
L
Leigh
Los Angeles
1 review
vip
3.0
1 review
Dined on October 16, 2022
overall3food4service1ambience4
Server was not ever available or came by. She had dark hair and served the back right section of the patio. She was not pleasant and completely unavailable. I've been going there since 2000 when Kevin had just opened. Truly the worst service I've had in Austin in the last year.
OT
OpenTable Diner
Austin
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on October 14, 2022
overall3food3service5ambience4
Service was great, not a fan of the new menu. The shareable platter was basically an entire dish dish of fried stuff.
AA
AmberA
Denver
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on October 13, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Second time coming here and it's the best lunch time atmosphere especially outside! Can't wait to come back
DZ
DianaZ
Austin
2 reviews
vip
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on October 13, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Great service and food
OT
OpenTable Diner
Austin
2 reviews
3.0
2 reviews
Dined on October 13, 2022
overall3food3service3ambience4
Just okay tonight. Slow service, watered down cocktails and overcooked trout. Maybe an off night. It’s been better in the past.
NS
NSchn
San Antonio
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on October 8, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
I LOVE the ranch waters. The little topo chico on the side is such a nice touch. The salmon was delicious
AR
AldoR
Austin
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on October 7, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
It was awesome! Always a great experience at Ranch 616!
SF
SFCH
Dallas
2 reviews
1.0
2 reviews
Dined on October 6, 2022
overall1food1service4ambience4
New chef. Chicken fried steak was raw in the middle. On par with a meal at Chili’s at best…. We know the Ranch will figure it out, as this place has been a favorite for over 20 years. For now, though, 1 star. Please bring back the Divorced Quail!! Note- our waiter was great and felt super bad about the meal. We tipped him extra- not his fault. Hope everyone who finds themselves surprised by the food takes care of the loyal, long time staff while we wait for the glory to return.
OT
OpenTable Diner
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined on October 6, 2022
overall2food3service1ambience5
Great ambiance, good food, ok service, but the location is putting the team on its back.
C
Coug
Austin
27 reviews
vip
3.0
27 reviews
Dined on October 4, 2022
overall3food2service2ambience3
The Ranch was one of our go-to. We were regulars. We were told their chef of 20 years walked. The new chef has tried to maintain the Ranch quality. Last evening it fell short. The new pork entree was so spicy it was not edible. But by the time the server returned to the table, the rest of the party was finishing. The server was busy with several 8 tops and did not check on us. We needed to ask for S & P, another knife, AND another round of drinks. Would I recommend Ranch? No now. They need time to perfect food quality and service.
OT
OpenTable Diner
Denver
2 reviews
3.0
2 reviews
Dined on October 2, 2022
overall3food3service4ambience3
Food was just okay, drinks were also just okay. But the location was great for going out after. Ambiance inside is not great but outside looked awesome.
EC
EricaC
St. Louis
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on October 1, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Love everything about this place! Great location, great food, strong drinks and overall awesome atmosphere.
GP
GinaP
San Antonio
95 reviews
vip
3.0
95 reviews
Dined on October 1, 2022
overall3food4service4ambience2
More like a bar than a restaurant. Food was ok but I will not go back.
G
Glutenfree
Dallas
29 reviews
vip
5.0
29 reviews
Dined on September 30, 2022
overall5food4service5ambience5
Fun evening - great drinks and music on patio!
LS
LewisS
San Antonio
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined on September 30, 2022
overall2food2service3ambience4
Complete overhaul of the menu, food is now fair at best. Removed the best dishes, replaced the house tequila with a lesser quality, and gutted the soul of this once fine establishment.
OT
OpenTable Diner
Austin
4 reviews
2.0
4 reviews
Dined on September 28, 2022
overall2food5service1ambience3
Service was horrible, food was good but you can't have an enjoyable time without the other.

FAQs

Ranch 616 is rated 4.5 stars by 1161 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

Dec 4, 2022

7:00 PM

Booked 36 times today

616 Nueces, Austin, TX 78701

Additional information

Cross street
7th
Neighborhood
Downtown
Hours of operation
Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–11:00 pm Sun 4:00 pm–9:00 pm
Cuisines
Southwest, Wild Game, Contemporary American
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Surface and Garage Parking available nearby.
Payment options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Executive chef
Kevin Williamson
Additional
Bar Dining, Beer, Counter Seating, Entertainment, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://theranch616.com/
Phone number
(512) 479-7616
Private party facilities
Restaurant is available for buy outs.
Private party contact
Preston Nagel: (512) 479-7616

Ranch 616

Make a reservation

Additional information

74 Austin Restaurants to Love This Valentine's Day

Austin’s Most Iconic Restaurants

The Best Brunch Restaurants in Austin

Crispy Oysters

Chicken Fried Steak

Fish or Shrimp Tacos

Starters

Quesadilla of the Day$12.00

Fried or Grilled Frog Legs$18.00

Calamari$16.00

Crispy Oysters$20.00

Texas Gulf Coast Crab Cake$18.00

Camarones Rellenos$21.00

The Don Combo$20.00

Funeral Eggs$12.00

Fried Green Beans$9.00

Ranch Slice of Ice$12.00

616 Chop$16.00

Caesar Salad$13.00

Caldo de Pollo$10.00

Patron Platter$60.00

Sides

Spiced Green Beans with Crumbled Blue Cheese$9.00

Ranch Cheese & Bacon Mashed Potatoes$9.00

616 Tobacco Onion Rings$9.00

Southern Collard Greens$9.00

Steak Fries$9.00

Cheesy Grits$9.00

Entrees

Divorced Quail$26.00

Pork Tenderloin 616$24.00

Ranch Ribeye*$56.00

Texas Black Angus Tenderloin and Crab*$45.00

South Texas Mixed Grill$47.00

Chicken Fried Steak$22.00

Jalapeno Maize Trout or Chicken$24.00

Ed's El Camino Fish or Shrimp Tacos$18.00

Grilled Market Fish$45.00

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Sort by

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FAQs

How is Ranch 616 restaurant rated?

Is Ranch 616 currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information

Featured in

74 Austin Restaurants to Love This Valentine's Day

Austin’s Most Iconic Restaurants

The Best Brunch Restaurants in Austin