In the vibrant city of Austin, where restaurants often come and go, one gem has stood the test of time: Manuel’s, which opened its doors in 1984. Just a stone’s throw from my salon, Avant Salon, it quickly became a sanctuary of warmth and flavor in an otherwise sparse culinary landscape. My first visit was […]

My wife and I knew that a friend of ours was on a blind date at Manuel’s. We decided to slip into the restaurant to spy on them. We hid at the bar and noticed that the date was off to a slow start, as they were both experiencing a cringey, awkward silence. My wife

My favorite Manuel’s memory does not actually take place at Manuel’s, but at the neighboring movie theater. Whenever I go to the movies, I order my Manuel’s-to-go, and I take it for my movie concessions. People sitting around me always ask where I got the fried shrimp or comment that they had not seen rellanos

We love our family dinners at Manuels, it is a second home and kitchen for us. The food is amazing and so is the service! We look forward to our next meal there, especially when its patio weather. From the Bressler’s.

After years of living in Austin, I moved just outside Fort Worth, and I want to cry because there is not one Mexican food restaurant that comes close to Manuel’s. It’s the gold standard. Here’s my Manuel’s story – As a young former UT student, I worked in the old Frost Bank building on Congress

Our memory is from the first day that Manuel’s opened during COVID. My husband and I found out the restaurant was going to be open so we said let’s go. When we got to Manuel’s there was a news station’ doing a story about businesses trying to reopen and stay afloat amid the pandemic. We

The look on our granddaughters face when she saw her first enormous chocolate parfait. WOW!! We have been weekly guests since. Thanks

My husband & I (married 32 years) used to go to the Manuel’s on Congress for our anniversary every year (chile relleno de elote every time!!!). It was one of the posher restaurants in Austin back then. We did not have much money, but my hubby knew to save up for that day. Eventually, we

I moved to Austin in 2008 and the first time I went to experience downtown was an evening of live music and across the street from where I was at was Manuels on Congress. Their food smelled amazing along Congress and I knew I had to go. I walked in and ordered the enchiladas and

In 1975 I graduated from Law School at UT. I always wanted to get back to Austin for good but work took me everywhere else. Finally in 2001 I jumped at the chance to run a business here. One of the first places I went was Manuel’s downtown. The food was so unique and delicious