The Early Word on Chic Neighborhood Cafe Launderette

After much anticipation, Launderette officially opened in February. Chefs Rene Ortiz and Laura Sawicki, previously of Sway and La Condesa, turned the former laundromat into a neighborhood restaurant serving Mediterranean-inspired fare, with snacks, entrees, and drinks. Read on for the early word.

The food — The cuisine won diners over. Everything Chowhounder storefronteats had was great, describing the "fantastic, shared dinner" as "delicious." Yelper Isabelle E. loved the cauliflower gratin so much that she "wanted to dive in there, it was lovely." Yelper D.T. was wowed by the birthday cake ice cream sandwich, explaining it "transport[s] you back to all the best childhood birthday party sugar bombs you enjoyed." However, for Yelper Olivia S., the plates were bigger than she expected: "The portion sizes were deceiving larger than we assumed and the 6-7 plate reco[mmendation] from the server was way more than we could handle."

The service — After working for a month, the staff seem to know what they’re doing. Yelper Lynn R. described the service as "excellent and appreciative," especially when her table received extra bread without even asking for it. To Yelper Olivia S., the staff worked with the diners and "you never felt rushed." Yelper Jacqueline L. agreed about her server, too: "She was super attentive and extremely knowledgeable about the menu." Yelper Wennie H. was taken by the staff, so much so that when her server came over and "she leaned in and asked for my dessert order, I fell a little in love."

The decor — The pretty look of the restaurant sat well. Yelper Agi R. is a fan. For him, "The ambiance is cozy and just really fresh and clean—not overdone, which is soooo common with some of these new places." Yelper Wennie H. couldn’t get over "how adorably retro the interior is."

The atmosphere — Laundrette is the new hip place to go to be seen. Yelper Lisa J. explained, "We sat next to some Austin elite, so it seems that this is the current spot to go to ‘be seen.’" To prove that point, Yelper Madi F. dined when Aaron Franklin happened to be there, too, which made her happy: "if Launderette is good enough for royalty such as Franklin, then its definitely good enough for little ol' me." Yelper Lisa C. didn’t appreciate the restaurant at all. She described it as having "the ‘new’ Austin snobby feel" and that "we don’t need anymore over stylized places with average food."

The price — The quality of the food made the prices seem reasonable for some Yelpers. Yelper Vivian L. described it as "Downright affordable for the quality of food." For others, like Yelper Sharon W., while the dishes were excellent, it was still "a little pricey."