A new 70s themed diner on S Congress! I like how it's not in the heart of SoCo which makes parking so much easier. The space is small but I think they make great use of it, especially with the outdoor seating. We came on a Saturday around noon and got seated right away. I just love the aesthetic of the restaurant, it's very in theme, down to the sever uniforms. They had a special that day where we could get a free pancake and I thought that was a fun surprise. There's something for everyone on the menu and my friend and I shared the French toast and the fried chicken sandwich. Both were incredible! I did not expect to like the sandwich as much as I did and the French toast was huge and definitely enough for 2 people. I also thought the price point was reasonable and this is a good casual spot to grab brunch! I will be back for sure.
Ramin E.
Love this spot. Such quality food in a super cool atmosphere for a great price. Austin needed a diner and this place is 10/10.
Billy L.
Grate service it was such a good vibe it was so 70s diner the food was so great they had disco music playing we loved all of it!
Cayla G.
The food and service were amazing! For a diner joint, The Toasty Badger has a good mix of greasy spoon options and healthy foods. The pancakes were unique and had me wanting to lick the plate. The only con was that the outdoor patio is swarming with bees. Like, swarming!
Brandy C.
Love love love the decor/ uniform. I'd say it "brought me back", but I wasn't alive back when their decor was popular- unless it was in the very early 90's and I don't remember. Anyway, they definitely used up all of their real estate so, don't be surprised if you're sitting pretty close to nearby tables. Their menu options are great and I loved the Monte Cristo. It's topped with powdered sugar, so you get a little sweet and savory. They're cooking up some yummy stuff over there!
Jennifer M.
What a great find. They just recently opened up for dinner. Great options and absolutely delicious. We had a nice fresh salad and bowl of chili with cornbread dumplings. The Cold brew was tasty and they have a few cocktail options as well. We shall return for the famous brunch everyone is raving about!
Jenna F.
Love the Toasty Badger!! It is super cute and cozy inside and the food was delicious. I loved the avocado toast and my friend got the pancakes of the month, which were killer. I would definitely go back. It's got great vibes... you can tell it's beloved by locals.
Zach H.
yall this place is pretty sweet. its a great small diner experience with elevated offerings (i hate that i said that, but its pretty accurate i think). the service? incredibly kind and personable. i tried the salmon benedict, french omelette, french toast, and the pancake of the month (sweet potato w/ orange créme). all of it was great! the salmon was , the french toast was perfectly sweet without making me feel like Augustus Gloop. the only thing that was just okay was the side salad. maybe a tad more salt in the french omelette, but that could just be my gutter palette so im not docking any points here. the bloody mary was pretty good, but i was the only degenerate drinking in my group. the coffee was also pretty good diner drip.
Jimmy McMillan
Excellent breakfast, quick prompt and courteous service. A great alternative and worth a stop. There may be a wait on weekends, but it's worth it. They are quick if you need them to be quick, but courteous if you would like to sit back and read the newspaper and enjoy your coffee. Try the salmon eggs benedict, plenty of delicious hollandaise.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pollie Beasley
Love the alvacodo toast especially with lime juice, peach tea was great, not sure what kind of sausage was on other plate. Loved apple cobbler, lacking in dough and could be a little sweeter.
Love this place. Colette is usually my server and is super sweet and double checks with the kitchen about gluten and other ingredients. This has become a regular late lunch spot for me.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
tom ricks
Good service, mediocre food--and overpriced. If you want a great diner experience, eat at Phoebe's, a few blocks to the west on Oltorf.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
Alejandra B.
the food could definitely be improved, it wasn't great and it also wasn't bad 3/5. The service was great 10/10. I think the reason a lot of people visit or are drawn to visit is because of the aesthetic which is spot on it is literally a retro diner feel in there. Side note the dessert section of the menu is misspelled.
zander
my partner and i were super excited to try this new spot as it’s a cute new aesthetic to the neighborhood, however, my food was a massive disappointment. the service was also not great. i am a very easy-going, chill dude & it does NOT take a lot to make me happy (i’m very go with the flow), so I didn’t make a scene of anything - I ordered the “2 eggs brekky.” my eggs were extremely runny and soft & our griddle cake was so salty we couldn’t eat more than a bite WITH syrup. I was bummed! my partner’s avocado toast was a win and the one thing i loved were the hash browns! we also ordered a coffee to share, but the waiter wasn’t paying much attention so he brought us 2 out and of course we were charged for 2. I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews, so I’m not sure if it’s just certain breakfast items that aren’t hitting well, or if there is a significant issue with kitchen staff/cooks/who’s working that day. I may give this place another shot in 6 months time in hopes some feedback has enhanced the experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 3
Arianna Martinez
I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the cute diner vibe here, the food itself was great, portion sizes for a little shocking honestly. I would have ordered more if the waitress had suggested that it may be a good idea to order more, and I even would have done it myself had she came back around to refill our waters before we finished our food. Still great but I don’t know if I’d return unless I’m feeling very spendy and hopefully have a more attentive waitress.
A new 70s themed diner on S Congress! I like how it's not in the heart of SoCo which makes parking so much easier. The space is small but I think they make great use of it, especially with the outdoor seating. We came on a Saturday around noon and got seated right away. I just love the aesthetic of the restaurant, it's very in theme, down to the sever uniforms. They had a special that day where we could get a free pancake and I thought that was a fun surprise. There's something for everyone on the menu and my friend and I shared the French toast and the fried chicken sandwich. Both were incredible! I did not expect to like the sandwich as much as I did and the French toast was huge and definitely enough for 2 people. I also thought the price point was reasonable and this is a good casual spot to grab brunch! I will be back for sure.
Love this spot. Such quality food in a super cool atmosphere for a great price. Austin needed a diner and this place is 10/10.
Grate service it was such a good vibe it was so 70s diner the food was so great they had disco music playing we loved all of it!
The food and service were amazing! For a diner joint, The Toasty Badger has a good mix of greasy spoon options and healthy foods. The pancakes were unique and had me wanting to lick the plate. The only con was that the outdoor patio is swarming with bees. Like, swarming!
Love love love the decor/ uniform. I'd say it "brought me back", but I wasn't alive back when their decor was popular- unless it was in the very early 90's and I don't remember. Anyway, they definitely used up all of their real estate so, don't be surprised if you're sitting pretty close to nearby tables. Their menu options are great and I loved the Monte Cristo. It's topped with powdered sugar, so you get a little sweet and savory. They're cooking up some yummy stuff over there!
What a great find. They just recently opened up for dinner. Great options and absolutely delicious. We had a nice fresh salad and bowl of chili with cornbread dumplings. The Cold brew was tasty and they have a few cocktail options as well. We shall return for the famous brunch everyone is raving about!
Love the Toasty Badger!! It is super cute and cozy inside and the food was delicious. I loved the avocado toast and my friend got the pancakes of the month, which were killer. I would definitely go back. It's got great vibes... you can tell it's beloved by locals.
yall this place is pretty sweet. its a great small diner experience with elevated offerings (i hate that i said that, but its pretty accurate i think). the service? incredibly kind and personable. i tried the salmon benedict, french omelette, french toast, and the pancake of the month (sweet potato w/ orange créme). all of it was great! the salmon was , the french toast was perfectly sweet without making me feel like Augustus Gloop. the only thing that was just okay was the side salad. maybe a tad more salt in the french omelette, but that could just be my gutter palette so im not docking any points here. the bloody mary was pretty good, but i was the only degenerate drinking in my group. the coffee was also pretty good diner drip.
Excellent breakfast, quick prompt and courteous service. A great alternative and worth a stop. There may be a wait on weekends, but it's worth it. They are quick if you need them to be quick, but courteous if you would like to sit back and read the newspaper and enjoy your coffee. Try the salmon eggs benedict, plenty of delicious hollandaise.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Love the alvacodo toast especially with lime juice, peach tea was great, not sure what kind of sausage was on other plate. Loved apple cobbler, lacking in dough and could be a little sweeter.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Avocado Toast
Restaurantji Recommends
Love this place. Colette is usually my server and is super sweet and double checks with the kitchen about gluten and other ingredients. This has become a regular late lunch spot for me.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Good service, mediocre food--and overpriced. If you want a great diner experience, eat at Phoebe's, a few blocks to the west on Oltorf.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
the food could definitely be improved, it wasn't great and it also wasn't bad 3/5. The service was great 10/10. I think the reason a lot of people visit or are drawn to visit is because of the aesthetic which is spot on it is literally a retro diner feel in there. Side note the dessert section of the menu is misspelled.
my partner and i were super excited to try this new spot as it’s a cute new aesthetic to the neighborhood, however, my food was a massive disappointment. the service was also not great. i am a very easy-going, chill dude & it does NOT take a lot to make me happy (i’m very go with the flow), so I didn’t make a scene of anything - I ordered the “2 eggs brekky.” my eggs were extremely runny and soft & our griddle cake was so salty we couldn’t eat more than a bite WITH syrup. I was bummed! my partner’s avocado toast was a win and the one thing i loved were the hash browns! we also ordered a coffee to share, but the waiter wasn’t paying much attention so he brought us 2 out and of course we were charged for 2. I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews, so I’m not sure if it’s just certain breakfast items that aren’t hitting well, or if there is a significant issue with kitchen staff/cooks/who’s working that day. I may give this place another shot in 6 months time in hopes some feedback has enhanced the experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 3
I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the cute diner vibe here, the food itself was great, portion sizes for a little shocking honestly. I would have ordered more if the waitress had suggested that it may be a good idea to order more, and I even would have done it myself had she came back around to refill our waters before we finished our food. Still great but I don’t know if I’d return unless I’m feeling very spendy and hopefully have a more attentive waitress.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3