Unfortunately can’t comment on the food. We walked in on a Sunday at 9:05 and were eventually seated. 5 minutes go by and the blonde waitress comes to our table and just didn’t really have a good attitude.
I asked what she liked on the menu and man, I’ve never had a less enthusiastic answer to that question, but whatever. I say we’ll need a few minutes and she then says the kitchen closes in about 30 minutes (they close at 10 and it’s 9:13). So there’s the reason for her attitude likely combined with being a poor waitress. I’ve been in the industry as a chef for 20 years, so I understand if we are walking in 15 til close, but 45 minutes before close you are telling us that?
We were just going to go ahead and order quickly anyway and deal with it, but noticed the $20 cocktails and decided not to spend a bunch of money on that experience. I’m sorry, you just can’t have people working for you that bring that level of unprofessionalism.
Service: 1
Steven Strazzullo
I miss ah sing den. Why an owner would change a successful business is weird but okay
Ranniel Floresca (Ren Anthony)
The place was neat and clean and the waitress was nice. The only thing about this place is it’s super inauthentic to Filipino cuisine.
Also take note: service was 5/5 and atmosphere was 5/5, the people are great. Just not the food.
Here’s what we all had: Sinigang wings, “lumpia”, chicken skewers, lechon, and flan.
I passed on Sinigang wings, so no rating on this because I’ll only have Sinigang as soup. Creative idea, my friend only told me it was alright, nothing spectacular.
The lumpia was super mid. Like no vegetables, I think they were attempting to do Lumpiang Shanghai but bigger, it was a big miss. I’d rather fry some frozen ones from a Filipino frozen section.
Chicken skewers were ok… but uncle makes it better and you can find more delicious ones at a Seafood City eatery.
The lechon was ok.. not super crispy. If you want good lechon, just go to Kapatad where they make it better and cheaper.
Lastly was the flan, it was burnt with cheese toppings. Resembles nothing to the original leche flan. I think this place needs a ton of work on their food. We agreed tonight: first and last. Definitely nothing on this menu is worth the price it’s sold for.
Sorry for the harsh words, but most inauthentic and mid-est attempt at Filipino food. If you want something more worth it- please trust me and just go to Kapatad where real authentic Filipino cuisine is served.
Absolutely loved Oko in Austin! This Filipino restaurant was so delicious — every dish we tried was amazing! The cozy ambience made it the perfect spot for catching up with friends or even a date. The music was such a vibe, and the drinks were delicious and well-crafted.
A special shoutout to our bartender Ozzy — he was the only one behind the bar and still handled everything with calmness and grace. He was so friendly, attentive, and made everyone feel welcome!
The manager and staff were absolutely wonderful — so kind, friendly, and always greeting guests with genuine smiles. You could really feel the teamwork and care from everyone!
We’ll definitely be coming back. Thank you, Oko, for the amazing service and incredible food! 💛🇵🇭
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lechon Kawali
Angelica Le
Rating: 4.2/5 [dine in]
The place is beautifully decorated with ambient lighting. I love the bar area and the cool bar seats. It’s definitely a spot with great vibes, but I do think their food and drinks are overpriced for the portions.
They were out of the papaya salad and dragon fruit ceviche when we went, which was disappointing.
Lechon ($30): Crispy pork belly with bang bang sauce, lettuce, and atcharra. The portion was small with about six slices, and while the outside was very crispy, it was actually too tough to chew through.
Kinilaw ($22): Thick slices of crudo hamachi. The fish didn’t taste very fresh and had a slight fishy taste. I’d recommend eating a whole piece in one bite though to get that flavor bomb effect with the ikura and seasonings.
Talaba Sariwa ($21): Comes with six fresh oysters and two sauces. My husband and friend loved them and said they were big and fresh. I didn’t try them myself.
We were going to get the Saturday Morning Cartoons cocktail ($20), which has ube and coconut, but our waitress mentioned it’s heavy and more like a dessert, so we opted for the Filippine Myth instead.
Filippine Myth ($21): Kasama 7yr, Poblano, Pineapple, Coconut, Orange. Really good cocktail that’s sweet but balanced. Just don’t let the ice melt too much or it’ll taste watered down.
1000 Miles North ($20): El Tesoro Reposado, Rosaluna Mezcal, Banana Demerara, Tiki Bitters. Not overly smoky, which I liked. It has a slightly sweet aftertaste and is very drinkable.
Pinoy Mezze ($17): Roti with mango pico, sarsang talong (marinated eggplant), and atcharra. I loved the roti since it had coconut flakes and was perfectly crispy. The sides were mild and not as flavorful as I hoped. I still prefer Mediterranean-style eggplant dips more.
Baboy Skewer ($6) and Manok Skewer ($5): The menu says “skewers,” but each order only comes with one which feels misleading. That said, both were juicy and perfectly seasoned.
Garlic Rice ($4): Looked plain white with no visible garlic bits, but you could definitely taste the flavor. I’m curious how they infused it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Amber Lee
OKO is bold, charismatic, and every bite is full of flavored and purposeful cooking. From the moment we arrived we were greeted and seated immediately and our waitress moved quickly. The setting is intimate and cozy giving a homey feel. We ordered a few items and the food was broken up into segments. Here’s what we ate:
Lumpia - perfectly crisped and salty outside. The inner pork filling tastes savory and delicious although the texture is a bit strange, almost hotdog like Pancit - delicious. The vegetables are cooked to perfection and the sauce is bold and savory allowing the noodles to soak it up Garlic rice - light and flavorful. Garlic rice is so simple of an idea but the execution here is spot on Baboy - the pork skewers are otherworldly. Flavored to perfection with the slightest char. The meat is juicy but not tough, the best item we had all night Halo halo - a towering desert with flan, ube ice cream, and the other usual toppings. It is so hard to find halo halo in Austin and not only do they have it, they pulled it off to perfection
From the food to the impeccable service, OKO stands out amongst not only the best restaurants in the area but of all Asian restaurants in the city. If you come to Austin and don’t stop by you are doing yourself a disservice. This is easily a 5 star restaurant and we hope to see it with some Michelin recognition soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Charles Tusa
Delicious food, fun presentation, and chic atmosphere
OKO Austin is such a welcome spot for Filipino food in the city! The ambience is warm and modern, and the service was absolutely attentive from start to finish.
We sampled quite a few dishes and had a mix of highlights and things we hope to see refined: -The grilled (inihaw) chicken was tasty and well done, while the grilled pork came out a little underdone and tough to get off the skewer. -The Oxtail Kare-Kare was rich and flavorful—served in a larger bowl, it would have been even easier to mix and enjoy every bite. -The lumpia was perfectly crispy and delicious, a definite winner. -The lechon had nice flavor but came out a bit underdone. The side of atchara was refreshing and paired beautifully with the heavier dishes. -For dessert, the halo-halo was colorful and fun, though the smaller bowl made it tricky to mix everything together (a tall glass or bigger bowl would have made it perfect). -The Kamusta drink, a non-alcoholic chai-inspired mix, was creative, but just not to my taste.
Overall, this spot nails the service, vibe, and creativity, and they’ve elevated several Filipino favorites wonderfully. A little fine-tuning—especially with the pork and plating—would take it from good to amazing. I’m excited to see how OKO continues to grow and will happily be back to explore more dishes!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Jeff Montesano
Loved this restaurant, such a unique experience in the Austin culinary scene. Everything was fresh, hot, delicious and bursting with flavor. We had the chicken, pork, and shrimp skewers which were all juicy and seasoned perfectly. We had some roti with delicious condiments (e.g. eggplant). The off-menu ham hock was to die for - haven't had it this good since eating it while in Munich many years ago. Dessert was a delicious and light coconut flan.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dafni Dimitriadi
Omg the best Filipino restaurant in Austin! Elevated atmosphere and the perfect display of traditional food with a modern twist. Favorite choice: secret item of the day(crispy pata definitely recommend!!)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Wings, Flan, Grilled Chicken Skewers with Sauce
Service and attentiveness - great. Wait staff knowledgeable Food quality- good Authenticity- poor. (1)Kare-kare taste failed. Peanut sauce in the kare-kare did not taste right. Not a true Filipino taste, bland. Looked like it was cooked with cream, not peanut sauce. (2) Lechón - 6 small pork belly pieces. Tasty but not an authentic roasted pig. (3) Halo-halo - a popular Filipino dessert made with shaved ice, makapuno and other sweet coconut, sweet beans, ube, flan (missing) - usually served in a big glass drenched with condensed milk and cream , was served with mainly a big mound of shaved ice. “Halo halo literary means “mix-mix”, where all the ingredients are mixed together before eating, so one can get a taste of everything. But it was served in a way that it cannot be mixed. You have to eat it layer by layer, so by the time you get to the shaved ice, there was nothing to mix with the ice. A bug mound of ice was left in the bowl. (4) garlic fried rice - good (5) sautéed cabbage -good (6) kinalaw - good and fresh (7) oysters- good and fresh with tasty dipping vinegar sauce (8) fried lumpia - good We were there for my birthday dinner, so we ordered quite a lot of food. My American husband and children thought the food, quality-wise was ok. I am a Filipina, and I was not impressed with the first 3 listed above. Price - very expensive. Though my children treated us to this birthday dinner, I almost choked when I saw the bill.
Amazing! The skewers were the best and all the ingredients were so fresh. The service was top-notch but the place could get a bit loud. Highly recommended in any case!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bella Drawe
A decent place with a good vibe. Staff was friendly. Every dish we got was good but underwhelming.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
D Davis
I was reading some restaurant suggestions and noticed that Paul Qui was the owner, that’s all I needed. The place is great, food , service, atmosphere, price point. The NYC chef he has is outstanding. Like other Austin restaurants, you leave thinking “ I wish we could have just one restaurant like this in our city “.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Ben Oliver
This place is a perfect representation of everything that’s wrong with the Austin food scene. The food was somewhere between okay and good, and it certainly wasn’t anywhere near worth the price. $14 for two lumpia (egg rolls)? $20 for three chicken wings? Every cocktail on the menu is over $20. Hamachi crudo was delicious, but $22 for four thin slices of fish is ridiculous. The worst thing we had was a “secret menu” item that was a somehow flavorless fried lechón that was so fatty it was hard to eat without feeling sick.
Unfortunately can’t comment on the food. We walked in on a Sunday at 9:05 and were eventually seated. 5 minutes go by and the blonde waitress comes to our table and just didn’t really have a good attitude.
I asked what she liked on the menu and man, I’ve never had a less enthusiastic answer to that question, but whatever. I say we’ll need a few minutes and she then says the kitchen closes in about 30 minutes (they close at 10 and it’s 9:13). So there’s the reason for her attitude likely combined with being a poor waitress. I’ve been in the industry as a chef for 20 years, so I understand if we are walking in 15 til close, but 45 minutes before close you are telling us that?
We were just going to go ahead and order quickly anyway and deal with it, but noticed the $20 cocktails and decided not to spend a bunch of money on that experience. I’m sorry, you just can’t have people working for you that bring that level of unprofessionalism.
Service: 1
I miss ah sing den. Why an owner would change a successful business is weird but okay
The place was neat and clean and the waitress was nice. The only thing about this place is it’s super inauthentic to Filipino cuisine.
Also take note: service was 5/5 and atmosphere was 5/5, the people are great. Just not the food.
Here’s what we all had: Sinigang wings, “lumpia”, chicken skewers, lechon, and flan.
I passed on Sinigang wings, so no rating on this because I’ll only have Sinigang as soup. Creative idea, my friend only told me it was alright, nothing spectacular.
The lumpia was super mid. Like no vegetables, I think they were attempting to do Lumpiang Shanghai but bigger, it was a big miss. I’d rather fry some frozen ones from a Filipino frozen section.
Chicken skewers were ok… but uncle makes it better and you can find more delicious ones at a Seafood City eatery.
The lechon was ok.. not super crispy. If you want good lechon, just go to Kapatad where they make it better and cheaper.
Lastly was the flan, it was burnt with cheese toppings. Resembles nothing to the original leche flan. I think this place needs a ton of work on their food. We agreed tonight: first and last. Definitely nothing on this menu is worth the price it’s sold for.
Sorry for the harsh words, but most inauthentic and mid-est attempt at Filipino food. If you want something more worth it- please trust me and just go to Kapatad where real authentic Filipino cuisine is served.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Flan, Lechon, Garlic Rice, Grilled Chicken Skewers with Sauce, Sinigang Wings
Absolutely loved Oko in Austin! This Filipino restaurant was so delicious — every dish we tried was amazing! The cozy ambience made it the perfect spot for catching up with friends or even a date. The music was such a vibe, and the drinks were delicious and well-crafted.
A special shoutout to our bartender Ozzy — he was the only one behind the bar and still handled everything with calmness and grace. He was so friendly, attentive, and made everyone feel welcome!
The manager and staff were absolutely wonderful — so kind, friendly, and always greeting guests with genuine smiles. You could really feel the teamwork and care from everyone!
We’ll definitely be coming back. Thank you, Oko, for the amazing service and incredible food! 💛🇵🇭
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lechon Kawali
Rating: 4.2/5 [dine in]
The place is beautifully decorated with ambient lighting. I love the bar area and the cool bar seats. It’s definitely a spot with great vibes, but I do think their food and drinks are overpriced for the portions.
They were out of the papaya salad and dragon fruit ceviche when we went, which was disappointing.
Lechon ($30): Crispy pork belly with bang bang sauce, lettuce, and atcharra. The portion was small with about six slices, and while the outside was very crispy, it was actually too tough to chew through.
Kinilaw ($22): Thick slices of crudo hamachi. The fish didn’t taste very fresh and had a slight fishy taste. I’d recommend eating a whole piece in one bite though to get that flavor bomb effect with the ikura and seasonings.
Talaba Sariwa ($21): Comes with six fresh oysters and two sauces. My husband and friend loved them and said they were big and fresh. I didn’t try them myself.
We were going to get the Saturday Morning Cartoons cocktail ($20), which has ube and coconut, but our waitress mentioned it’s heavy and more like a dessert, so we opted for the Filippine Myth instead.
Filippine Myth ($21): Kasama 7yr, Poblano, Pineapple, Coconut, Orange. Really good cocktail that’s sweet but balanced. Just don’t let the ice melt too much or it’ll taste watered down.
1000 Miles North ($20): El Tesoro Reposado, Rosaluna Mezcal, Banana Demerara, Tiki Bitters. Not overly smoky, which I liked. It has a slightly sweet aftertaste and is very drinkable.
Pinoy Mezze ($17): Roti with mango pico, sarsang talong (marinated eggplant), and atcharra. I loved the roti since it had coconut flakes and was perfectly crispy. The sides were mild and not as flavorful as I hoped. I still prefer Mediterranean-style eggplant dips more.
Baboy Skewer ($6) and Manok Skewer ($5): The menu says “skewers,” but each order only comes with one which feels misleading. That said, both were juicy and perfectly seasoned.
Garlic Rice ($4): Looked plain white with no visible garlic bits, but you could definitely taste the flavor. I’m curious how they infused it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
OKO is bold, charismatic, and every bite is full of flavored and purposeful cooking. From the moment we arrived we were greeted and seated immediately and our waitress moved quickly. The setting is intimate and cozy giving a homey feel. We ordered a few items and the food was broken up into segments. Here’s what we ate:
Lumpia - perfectly crisped and salty outside. The inner pork filling tastes savory and delicious although the texture is a bit strange, almost hotdog like
Pancit - delicious. The vegetables are cooked to perfection and the sauce is bold and savory allowing the noodles to soak it up
Garlic rice - light and flavorful. Garlic rice is so simple of an idea but the execution here is spot on
Baboy - the pork skewers are otherworldly. Flavored to perfection with the slightest char. The meat is juicy but not tough, the best item we had all night
Halo halo - a towering desert with flan, ube ice cream, and the other usual toppings. It is so hard to find halo halo in Austin and not only do they have it, they pulled it off to perfection
From the food to the impeccable service, OKO stands out amongst not only the best restaurants in the area but of all Asian restaurants in the city. If you come to Austin and don’t stop by you are doing yourself a disservice. This is easily a 5 star restaurant and we hope to see it with some Michelin recognition soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious food, fun presentation, and chic atmosphere
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Chicken Wings, Pork Neck Skewers
OKO Austin is such a welcome spot for Filipino food in the city! The ambience is warm and modern, and the service was absolutely attentive from start to finish.
We sampled quite a few dishes and had a mix of highlights and things we hope to see refined:
-The grilled (inihaw) chicken was tasty and well done, while the grilled pork came out a little underdone and tough to get off the skewer.
-The Oxtail Kare-Kare was rich and flavorful—served in a larger bowl, it would have been even easier to mix and enjoy every bite.
-The lumpia was perfectly crispy and delicious, a definite winner.
-The lechon had nice flavor but came out a bit underdone.
The side of atchara was refreshing and paired beautifully with the heavier dishes.
-For dessert, the halo-halo was colorful and fun, though the smaller bowl made it tricky to mix everything together (a tall glass or bigger bowl would have made it perfect).
-The Kamusta drink, a non-alcoholic chai-inspired mix, was creative, but just not to my taste.
Overall, this spot nails the service, vibe, and creativity, and they’ve elevated several Filipino favorites wonderfully. A little fine-tuning—especially with the pork and plating—would take it from good to amazing. I’m excited to see how OKO continues to grow and will happily be back to explore more dishes!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Loved this restaurant, such a unique experience in the Austin culinary scene. Everything was fresh, hot, delicious and bursting with flavor. We had the chicken, pork, and shrimp skewers which were all juicy and seasoned perfectly. We had some roti with delicious condiments (e.g. eggplant). The off-menu ham hock was to die for - haven't had it this good since eating it while in Munich many years ago. Dessert was a delicious and light coconut flan.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Omg the best Filipino restaurant in Austin! Elevated atmosphere and the perfect display of traditional food with a modern twist. Favorite choice: secret item of the day(crispy pata definitely recommend!!)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Wings, Flan, Grilled Chicken Skewers with Sauce
Restaurantji Recommends
Service and attentiveness - great. Wait staff knowledgeable
Food quality- good
Authenticity- poor.
(1)Kare-kare taste failed. Peanut sauce in the kare-kare did not taste right. Not a true Filipino taste, bland. Looked like it was cooked with cream, not peanut sauce.
(2) Lechón - 6 small pork belly pieces. Tasty but not an authentic roasted pig.
(3) Halo-halo - a popular Filipino dessert made with shaved ice, makapuno and other sweet coconut, sweet beans, ube, flan (missing) - usually served in a big glass drenched with condensed milk and cream , was served with mainly a big mound of shaved ice. “Halo halo literary means “mix-mix”, where all the ingredients are mixed together before eating, so one can get a taste of everything. But it was served in a way that it cannot be mixed. You have to eat it layer by layer, so by the time you get to the shaved ice, there was nothing to mix with the ice. A bug mound of ice was left in the bowl.
(4) garlic fried rice - good
(5) sautéed cabbage -good
(6) kinalaw - good and fresh
(7) oysters- good and fresh with tasty dipping
vinegar sauce
(8) fried lumpia - good
We were there for my birthday dinner, so we ordered quite a lot of food. My American husband and children thought the food, quality-wise was ok. I am a Filipina, and I was not impressed with the first 3 listed above.
Price - very expensive. Though my children treated us to this birthday dinner, I almost choked when I saw the bill.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Flan, Lola Benita's Lumpia, Garlic Rice
Amazing! The skewers were the best and all the ingredients were so fresh. The service was top-notch but the place could get a bit loud. Highly recommended in any case!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A decent place with a good vibe. Staff was friendly. Every dish we got was good but underwhelming.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
I was reading some restaurant suggestions and noticed that Paul Qui was the owner, that’s all I needed. The place is great, food , service, atmosphere, price point. The NYC chef he has is outstanding. Like other Austin restaurants, you leave thinking “ I wish we could have just one restaurant like this in our city “.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
This place is a perfect representation of everything that’s wrong with the Austin food scene. The food was somewhere between okay and good, and it certainly wasn’t anywhere near worth the price. $14 for two lumpia (egg rolls)? $20 for three chicken wings? Every cocktail on the menu is over $20.
Hamachi crudo was delicious, but $22 for four thin slices of fish is ridiculous.
The worst thing we had was a “secret menu” item that was a somehow flavorless fried lechón that was so fatty it was hard to eat without feeling sick.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Loading...