May 25-We took the beautiful Hill Country drive to the Laurel Tree in Utopia to celebrate a birthday—it was undoubtedly an enchanting experience.
The restaurant is open on Saturdays for lunch or dinner service and features a prix fixe 5-course meal that changes each week. We did not know what the meal would be until after arrival, but fear not, the food was remarkable during our visit. The owner, Laurel Waters, is a Cordon Bleu chef and prepares each meal with fresh and seasonal ingredients. She was very friendly and stopped by each table during our visit to ask how the food was, thank guests for coming, and to answer questions.
The location features a custom treehouse available to reserve for private dining, a herb garden and greenhouse, and when in bloom, is surrounded by fields of poppies.
As an interesting fact, the treehouse was featured on Animal Planet’s Treehouse Masters Behind the Build with Pete Nelson. We booked the treehouse, that seats up to 6 people for lunch or dinner service, for a future visit and look forward to returning.
Jesse
Great place for a relaxing lunch. Food is good, service is superb and atmosphere was casual and relaxing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ryan Bain
A wonderful way to spend a Saturday evening. Booking was easy and friendly, and everything from start to finish felt warm and personal. The ambiance is cozy, quaint, and intimate—set against a crackling hearth watched over by a charming army of nutcrackers on the mantle.
The autumn-themed menu was the perfect finale to a day spent among the fiery November maples. The striped bass entrée was the highlight, melting beautifully on the palate with its Brussels sprouts topping and root vegetable sides.
Service was welcoming and attentive, though not quite as polished as the cuisine—but in this relaxed Hill Country setting, that only added to the charm. Since wine sales aren’t allowed by law, the BYOB policy is a nice touch. It made it easy to bring my own alcohol-removed wine, so I could still enjoy a thoughtful pairing.
Every detail felt crafted with care and love, creating a truly memorable dining experience. The Laurel Tree is a hidden gem with a quiet, timeless glow.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Aida Snell
Was amazing chicken pastry dish,soup was excellent. Barely had room for dessert but we managed.
John Barron
This place is wonderful from the drive to the staff and to Laurels cooking is great . Hope to see This magical place again soon .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marat Nizberg
We loved this restaurant. Food and overall experience was amazing. Laurel did a great job. The grounds are incredible. Well worth the drive
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
AXEL Frank BAEHREN
Prime downgrade due to not listing your Shrimp as lower quality "Farmed" nor the Country of Origin. Only upon questioning Laurel AFTER consumption were we informed not being the exclusive "Wild Caught. Those are triple in price! Since when does tgat matter? Quality only should natter…
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Axel Baehren
If you do not mind 'Farmed Shrimp', go for it. Not listed as 'Farmed', but always should be. 'Farmed' is IMO a downer as I will prefer eat 'Wild Caught' i/o mostly imported from Asia. Otherwise great food & service - Great Atmosphere & totally worth the quick drive from our Utopia Cabin!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Legitimate Strobe
Had a super memorable time here in July of 2015! We sneaked our Pomeranian puppy into the restaurant and no one ever knew! Scandalous! ;-)
Rick Chapa
It's so beautiful! The food was outrageous! The best service. Go experience it for yourself, I highly recommend it.
Great evening with family! 5 course meal was good not great…..definitely worth it for the experience. The owner and staff are amazing!
Nomadic Living (Klauberi)
I was told about this restaurant and looked forward to this experience for a number of months. We were celebrating two birthdays, and although the ambience and service were acceptable…the food was just plain disappointing. The chef advertised her menu and experience as a coursed meal yet none of the food was cohesive and felt as if it was thrown together last minute with no thought or care. Most of the meal tasted as if it was heated up frozen food, or leftover product that needed to be used. We also spoke with staff beforehand about a gluten allergy, and reminded them when we were seated but it still did not seem to be taken seriously or have any thought put into replacements. Out of the five people in our party, none of us were satisfied or happy with our meal and experience. As the chef was making her way around the tables towards the end of the meal, she noticed we didn’t really eat our food but did not ask or seem to care why. Taking into consideration the price of the meal, I would not feel okay giving this review more than 1 star. I give the service 3 stars, and the meal a 0 if I could. I will not be coming back or recommending this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Ellen Scott
1st time, and just impeccable detail to everything. Would highly recommend IF you can get a reservation for lunch or dinner on a Saturday only ? ?
Wheelchair accessibility: Easy pesy
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sauce, Candied Pecans, Spinach Soup, Pistachio Icecream, Baked in a Lightly Curried Cheese Sauce, Jumbo Lump Crab Artichoke Heart and Three Cheese Gratin, Roasted Summer Squash with Lemon Thyme, Tomato Soup, Sorbet, Baked in Puff Pastry with White Wine Sauce, Butterfly, And Lemon Butter, Baked in Puff Pastry, Both Served with Garlic Mashed, Citrus-Grilled Shrimp and Charred Cherub Tomatoes, Pumpkin Cake with Vanilla Whipped Cream and Mint, Olive Tapenade and Goat Cheese Tartlette Salami Strawberry, Mixed Field Greens with Pears, Soup
Brett H
Wonderful restaurant and experience, fine dining in the beautiful TX hill country, where you don't have much other option besides bbq and diners. Delicious food. Extremely friendly and accomodating owner and staff, beautiful dining room and property, I highly recommend and can't wait to go back next time we're in the hill country.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michelle Mickey
Our group of women went for dinner Saturday night and had a wonderful time. Food and atmosphere and service was absolutely wonderful! One of the women had a gluten-free allergy and the chef accommodated her beautifully! Highly recommend the experience!
May 25-We took the beautiful Hill Country drive to the Laurel Tree in Utopia to celebrate a birthday—it was undoubtedly an enchanting experience.
The restaurant is open on Saturdays for lunch or dinner service and features a prix fixe 5-course meal that changes each week. We did not know what the meal would be until after arrival, but fear not, the food was remarkable during our visit. The owner, Laurel Waters, is a Cordon Bleu chef and prepares each meal with fresh and seasonal ingredients. She was very friendly and stopped by each table during our visit to ask how the food was, thank guests for coming, and to answer questions.
The location features a custom treehouse available to reserve for private dining, a herb garden and greenhouse, and when in bloom, is surrounded by fields of poppies.
As an interesting fact, the treehouse was featured on Animal Planet’s Treehouse Masters Behind the Build with Pete Nelson. We booked the treehouse, that seats up to 6 people for lunch or dinner service, for a future visit and look forward to returning.
Great place for a relaxing lunch. Food is good, service is superb and atmosphere was casual and relaxing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A wonderful way to spend a Saturday evening. Booking was easy and friendly, and everything from start to finish felt warm and personal. The ambiance is cozy, quaint, and intimate—set against a crackling hearth watched over by a charming army of nutcrackers on the mantle.
The autumn-themed menu was the perfect finale to a day spent among the fiery November maples. The striped bass entrée was the highlight, melting beautifully on the palate with its Brussels sprouts topping and root vegetable sides.
Service was welcoming and attentive, though not quite as polished as the cuisine—but in this relaxed Hill Country setting, that only added to the charm. Since wine sales aren’t allowed by law, the BYOB policy is a nice touch. It made it easy to bring my own alcohol-removed wine, so I could still enjoy a thoughtful pairing.
Every detail felt crafted with care and love, creating a truly memorable dining experience. The Laurel Tree is a hidden gem with a quiet, timeless glow.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Was amazing chicken pastry dish,soup was excellent. Barely had room for dessert but we managed.
This place is wonderful from the drive to the staff and to Laurels cooking is great . Hope to see
This magical place again soon .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We loved this restaurant. Food and overall experience was amazing. Laurel did a great job. The grounds are incredible. Well worth the drive
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Prime downgrade due to not listing your Shrimp as lower quality "Farmed" nor the Country of Origin. Only upon questioning Laurel AFTER consumption were we informed not being the exclusive "Wild Caught. Those are triple in price! Since when does tgat matter? Quality only should natter…
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
If you do not mind 'Farmed Shrimp', go for it. Not listed as 'Farmed', but always should be. 'Farmed' is IMO a downer as I will prefer eat 'Wild Caught' i/o mostly imported from Asia. Otherwise great food & service -
Great Atmosphere & totally worth the quick drive from our Utopia Cabin!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Had a super memorable time here in July of 2015! We sneaked our Pomeranian puppy into the restaurant and no one ever knew! Scandalous! ;-)
It's so beautiful!
The food was outrageous!
The best service.
Go experience it for yourself, I highly recommend it.
Restaurantji Recommends
Great evening with family! 5 course meal was good not great…..definitely worth it for the experience. The owner and staff are amazing!
I was told about this restaurant and looked forward to this experience for a number of months. We were celebrating two birthdays, and although the ambience and service were acceptable…the food was just plain disappointing. The chef advertised her menu and experience as a coursed meal yet none of the food was cohesive and felt as if it was thrown together last minute with no thought or care. Most of the meal tasted as if it was heated up frozen food, or leftover product that needed to be used. We also spoke with staff beforehand about a gluten allergy, and reminded them when we were seated but it still did not seem to be taken seriously or have any thought put into replacements. Out of the five people in our party, none of us were satisfied or happy with our meal and experience. As the chef was making her way around the tables towards the end of the meal, she noticed we didn’t really eat our food but did not ask or seem to care why. Taking into consideration the price of the meal, I would not feel okay giving this review more than 1 star. I give the service 3 stars, and the meal a 0 if I could. I will not be coming back or recommending this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
1st time, and just impeccable detail to everything. Would highly recommend IF you can get a reservation for lunch or dinner on a Saturday only ? ?
Wheelchair accessibility: Easy pesy
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sauce, Candied Pecans, Spinach Soup, Pistachio Icecream, Baked in a Lightly Curried Cheese Sauce, Jumbo Lump Crab Artichoke Heart and Three Cheese Gratin, Roasted Summer Squash with Lemon Thyme, Tomato Soup, Sorbet, Baked in Puff Pastry with White Wine Sauce, Butterfly, And Lemon Butter, Baked in Puff Pastry, Both Served with Garlic Mashed, Citrus-Grilled Shrimp and Charred Cherub Tomatoes, Pumpkin Cake with Vanilla Whipped Cream and Mint, Olive Tapenade and Goat Cheese Tartlette Salami Strawberry, Mixed Field Greens with Pears, Soup
Wonderful restaurant and experience, fine dining in the beautiful TX hill country, where you don't have much other option besides bbq and diners. Delicious food. Extremely friendly and accomodating owner and staff, beautiful dining room and property, I highly recommend and can't wait to go back next time we're in the hill country.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our group of women went for dinner Saturday night and had a wonderful time. Food and atmosphere and service was absolutely wonderful! One of the women had a gluten-free allergy and the chef accommodated her beautifully! Highly recommend the experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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