My husband and I went for lunch on a Monday. We waited 10 minutes for our water to come out, another 10 minutes for the waiter to take our order, and then 30 minutes for our food to come out. I ordered the Chicken Avocado sandwich. My cheese wasn't melted and it was cold!!! I also needed a new fork because mine was dirty...it still had food left on it. It took us over 90 minutes for lunch. Doubt we will ever be back.
(1)
Cam B.
They don't call this the Cheesecake Factory for nothing. The selection in cheesecake had me floored as far as every type of food on the menu you could possibly think of ranging from Mexican, to Italian to seafood etc... I had the White Chicken Chili which was really delicious with a slight kick to it that didn't overpower the dish. For dessert we had the Kahlua coffee chocolate cheesecake which was chocolatey without chocolating you out. I found it to be a really nice balance. The service was wonderful, the waitress was fun, and the meals were good portion sizes for what you pay.
(5)
Julia D.
Really wish we had discovered this place a long time ago! It was delicious. I had the Chicken Di Pana and it was very tasty and satisfying. The portion was very large as well. I love their breads and the service was excellent! I didn't catch our gal's name but we came about 2 weeks ago around dinner time Sunday evening. We will definitely be back to try the desserts!
(5)
Megan M.
Humongous Place, humongous menu, humongous portions- yet sometimes humongous doesn't always equal the best. What is somewhat spiffy about the Cheesecake Factory: -They're always very accomodating of large groups. I typically head in here with groups of around 20 or so for birthdays, bachleorette parties, etc. Rarely do I come in here with one other person or even just my family. -There's something on the menu for everyone- and I mean everyone.... UNLESS you're on a diet (even the salads have ridiculous amounts of cals in them). -The food isn't half bad and you'll definitely end up taking some home with you. The appetizers are generous for your party and they also have complementary bread for your table. What isn't so spiffy: -The service is kind of iffy. Some days you might get good service, others not so much. For every 2 good servers I've encountered, I've had at least 1 bad one. One time especially is etched in my brain where I went with just one other person one Sunday evening and we were put in an area all by ourselves and it almost seemed at times that our waiter completely forgot us since there were no other people around. When he'd come over, it'd seem like a big deal to him that we kind of lost our appetite and just wanted to leave pronto. I've also had instances in larger groups where the waiters kind of disappear for a while and we have to flag some other waiter down to bring more bread/get a refill/get a menu for a late party, whatever. -The wait time. Unless you have some kind of reservation, you can expect to wait anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour. What's nice, though, is that if you're there solely for the cheesecake, you can grab a slice and head out at their little cheesecake case. -The menu can be absolutely daunting for the unprepared- and in a large group, there's always somebody who has no idea what they want. At 200+ menu items, it just makes things that much harder for that person to figure out. -I guess it is just a personal peeve of mine, but I don't like that they box up your leftovers for you. Maybe that's just a fancy thing and I'm crazy, but I'm just not a fan of having someone else box up my plate. So overall, the Cheesecake Factory seems much more about the experience itself than the quality of the food- which is all right. If I had to recommend something, I'd say the calimari and the orange chicken are pretty good. You'll pay a premium, but you will get a lot of food for the deal.
(3)
Sunny P.
Very disappointed with the food and wait time for food. Our server was nice but it took her forever to bring stuff back to the table for us and it was only a two top. The chicken Alfredo had no taste to it!! At 18. Bucks a plate I would think it would be top notch. Then the steak n shrimp plates u get like 3 shrimp and about 4 pieces of small cut up steak for 21. Bucks unbelievable the biggest portion on that plate was the mashed potatoes..I think I'll take my money else where now the water was about the only thing good n fresh here tonight. 50 bucks down the drain but a lesson learned!!!!
(1)
Van D.
It was okay. I would have expected the price to be a lot less for the taste of the food. On their defense, I did get the brown rice with my seafood dish. My mom's brown rice is so soft and good, any other place's brown rice taste harsh and tough in comparison. As I love all cheesecakes, I can't complain. But I probably won't pay $7 for a slice of cheese cake here again.
(3)
Nancy P.
This is my second time at CF but I can't really count the first time. I was ill the first time so I don't remember what I ate even though it was only three small bites. It was the flu and not food poisening. So BF and I get seated immediately in the bar. We were told we couldn't have a table as they are reserved for a party of Teachers. Okay, so we sit at one of the Hightop tables. Not my favorites as I can't stand having my feet dangle and not touch the floor. This is a short person phoebia. The party next to us had two Hi-Tops together and kept ordering different Appys. BF and I looked at their Appys to see what looked good. Our waitress comes over and introduces herself. Her name is Melissa, and she pronounces it ME - lis-sa and not Mel-lisa. Okay, to each his own. BF gets his normal margarita and I try the JW Pink Lemonaide (Thanks to Cat T.) I enjoyed my drink but they did put a lot of ice in it. It was tangy and the raspberry flavor was promanate. The appetitizers we ordered arrived. It filled our Hi-Top. The Fried calamari was front and center, the Chicken Pot stickers in the back and the Crispy Crab Wontons right in front of me. So, of course, I dive into the Crab wontons. Be careful, these bad boys are HOT, I mean temperature HOT. Burnt my damm mouth on the cheese. More cautiously, I take a second bit. Creamy, the crab can be tasted, dipping sauce was sweet and spicy. Not bad at all. Onward to the calamari, and was very pleasantly surprised. They tasted good. They must have seasoned the batter as you didn't really need the tartar or cocktail sauces. Finally the pot stickers, interesting. It was like a small chicken meatball inside of dough. The filling was seasoned ground chicken and it was full of flavor but I loved the soy and ginger sauce with it. Of course we didn't finish so the To-Go containers are requested. BF said the calamari would be good as leftovers. He was only half right. They still tasted good but also became chewy. Oh, I forgot to mention, they serve you a free bread basket with some french bread and a dark whole grain bread. At this point we are stuffed but I remember Errol M. writing about a piece of Heaven on Earth. I talk BF into ordering a Chocolate Truffle cake to go. It was about an hour after we got home that I served this jewel. OMG, orgasmic. The moaning, the lip licking, the drooling, the come hither eyes, and the mouthful of creamy joy. YES, YES, YES, oh, thank you Errol.
(4)
Sandra O.
We've been coming here for a few years now but this last time was a total disappointment. Drinks were good and service was okay. I asked our server if the cooks deveined the shrimp and he said yes. Well my shrimp was not deveined and to me that's totally gross. I come to find out the next day that my mother's and brother's salad had hair in it. They didn't complain b/c we were celebrating my birthday. One thing I will point out is if they are going to automatically add gratuity to the bill then their servers need to be trained on menu items and actually earn their gratuity and not to rely on others to do their dirty work...and come back with a bs smile with check at the end of the meal knowing they're getting a tip regardless!!!!
(1)
Too Cool For School G.
BULLET POINTS: - Far too expensive considering their now only-okay food - Snotty and frigid morons on staff, almost exclusively - WONDERFUL tropical iced tea (if they still have it) - Excellent (if vastly overpriced) cheesecake - NOT WORTH THE COST OR THE WAIT Flashback to 2005. I was newly transplanted to our first apartment in Austin, hubby's lifetime home minus his stint in the Air Force. While looking for a nice place to celebrate our move, we came upon the Cheesecake Factory. We went in with our two children, and proceeded to have the most expensive meal we had ever eaten in our married lives. But it was worth every single PENNY! The food was incredible, the tea was amazing, and the service was exceptional. And that was then. Flash forward to 2007, the last time I set foot inside what I have come to refer to as the Asshole Factory. I had just gotten off of work, and our tax refund had come in that afternoon. Naturally, we were all very hungry and looking to enjoy a great meal as a family. We met up with my sister in law there at 4:30 in the afternoon on a Tuesday, and were greeted by a surprisingly large crowd of folks waiting to be seated. We were told that the wait for a table would be about 30 minutes, which we deemed acceptable. So we sat down. And as we sat, the crowd around us dwindled slowly. Then, folks started showing up who were arriving more than 20 minutes after us. Guess who got seated right away without a reservation? EVERYONE who arrived after we did! Since our 30-minute wait had elapsed, we went back to question the frigid bitch of a hostess who had quoted us that wait time. She said that it was getting to be peak time, and was probably going to be over 20 more minutes. (In spite of the fact that the assholes who got there less than 5 minutes ago, with parties the same size as or larger than ours, were being seated ahead of us? Yeah.) We had waited for an hour when I finally got super pissed off and demanded to see the manager. The manager said that we should have made a reservation when showing up at peak times. When I informed him that peak times didn't include 4:30 in the afternoon, he got that snooty "I think I would know" look on his face and pretty much dismissed us entirely. (At least, that was the vibe I got from his turning around and walking away before I was finished talking to his sorry ass.) I turned to hubby and told him that we were leaving. Made sure the hostess was watching as I smashed that stupid pager to shreds and tossed it in the garbage. Went across the parking lot to Serrano's and had a much more palatable meal in less time than we had waited to be seated at the Asshole Factory. Don't waste your time...they wouldn't know customer service if it kicked them in their holier-than-thou asses. (And oh, how I wish it would!!!!)
(1)
Jennifer Y.
There are many of these places all over the US but this one in particular has a really cozy feel to it. The workers are really "Austiny" type of people and they put a little bit of their character in everything that they do here. They make suggestions that seem sincere!! My date for the evening happened to be a vegetarian and our waiter brought over a "vegetarian expert waiter" to make suggestions and recommendations on entree's that we could substitute ingredients for the meat and etc!! What an awesome staff they have here. Thank you!!
(5)
Chad S.
The avocado egg rolls are to die for and the chocolate tuxedo cream cheesecake is simply heavenly! The grilled chicken tostada salad is more than enough for two people and is pretty good. Service is excellent and the building and bathrooms are very clean. Only down side is the price, but I'd still highly recommend it for a nice date night spot.
(5)
Christian H.
Despite good company, this place was a bit underwhelming. The menu appears like a Greek diner menu (pages and pages) till you realize half of it is advertisements. That said they have a huge menu, and I'm told some items are better than others. The atmosphere is a bit odd. Low lighting the floods every corner of the room and high ceilings with weird faux architecture. The light is supposed to be intimate and romantic I suppose, but it just makes it hard to see in a weird dusky sort of way. I had a spicy chicken sandwich with buffalo sauce. Very nice cuts of chicken and good lettuce, but beyond that the sandwich was just so so. The fries that came with it were laughable, but the waitress did warn me about that. At my companions urging I tried the avocado egg rolls. I'm a fan of fusion but abhor fusion-for-fusion's-sake things, and this reeked of it. Luckily I was pleasantly surprised. The filling had great flavor and the wrappers were chewy and tasty. The tamarind/cumino sauce with them was quite nice too! Lastly the cheese cake, for which the place takes it's name, was pretty mediocre. Nice presentation, but too stretchy. I prefer creamy to the cheesiness. It wasn't bad, but not revolutionary, and nothing to make me want to come back just for this, their "specialty." One good note, the waitstaff was very nice and helpful (and opinionated, I like that!) so bonus points there. This place isn't fantastic, I wouldn't go so far as to call it good. But it's definitely not bad. I had a chicken
(3)
Mina G.
I have visited this place on and off since it opened here, and this location has always given me horrible waitstaff. Another horrible moment was when I phoned in a to-go order and had someone go pick it up after fifteen minutes had passed, forty five minutes later and numerous phone calls from me trying to find out what happened to my disappearing food, I told him to just come home. We gave the place one last shot last month, the service was so horrible we went ahead and left before ordering our meals. Calls to management have seemingly fallen on deaf ears, they just didn't care about our business I guess. Several times I have been brought undercooked chicken, and once I had to return my bolognese pasta due to a sand-like crunchiness that was due to some error the management explained to me, although I've forgotten the reason. Funny thing was when I had mentioned the texture the response of my waiter and the staff was dubious and even patronizing until I made them taste it. Like I would complain for the fun of it. The carabonara pasta is too dry, the meatloaf doesn't taste like meatloaf per say, and while I love some lemon raspberry cream cheesecake, I don't feel it's worth $9 a slice. (the puree is extra)
(2)
Gus S.
The food was great, as usual and as expected. The service is what really set this meal apart. Near the end of the meal, my wife asked about "the song" and Alex told her - "we don't have a song, but we DID write you a poem!" He then proceeded to read a nifty little poem about teaching Amy, having fun and serving us. It totally capped the meal and service experience, and it did SO many other things. I wish I could get it and post it here. Alex, if you ever read this and still have it... Alex showed Amy that having fun with customers is ok, even acceptable. I've trained trainers for years and would hire him to train in one of my own organizations. He led by example, and also gently allowed Amy to do her job, albeit still only her first day in the "real" world. Amy shined as well, being very honest and personable, chatting with us about whatever we asked openly and candidly. They got the order right, gave us suggestions, and didn't make any strange judgments about us sharing - not always the case, by the way. Of course, I have no idea how a single human could eat that much food... but that is another posting.
(4)
Kerri B.
Definitely not worth the money or the wait
(1)
T S.
Awesome food! Incredible atmosphere! Pretty reasonably priced for the portions! I love this place!
(5)
Nathan S.
I've heard about this place so many times, I finally decided to give it a go. No bueno, translation, not good. The steak was extremely tough, the jambalya had noodles......really.....noodles? Rice is the norm with Jambalya, just ask BJ's Brewery...haha. Friendly service, below average food though. AND....what's up with the wait staff wearing all white? Maybe I'm just not experienced in the ways of Cheesecake. You be the judge.
(2)
Sajang Y.
This place serves horrible food. Once I ordered Angel hair with Shrimp, and the dish was cold and the sauce was not enough to mix with the pasta. The pasta became a big chunk and barely edible. I won't go again.
(2)
Jeanie D.
**disclaimer** i'm not writing about the service. i'm not writing about the prices. these are my staples, if/when i eat a meal here- although i usually hit them up just for dessert. i do always glance at the menu to give other/new items a chance, but there was never a chance. i love what i love. apps: -thai lettuce wraps. portions are so large, this alone can be your meal. it seems healthy enough, although i think it's safe to assume nothing at a place called "cheesecake factory" can be healthy. -chopped salad. seriously large even in appetizer size. seriously refreshing. apples, avocado, tomato, corn, chicken (hold the blue cheese and bacon, for me please) -sweet corn tamale cakes. delish! perfect variations of textures and flavors swimming around in here. entrees: -chicken marsala. (not for those who don't like mushrooms b/c they're plentiful in this dish) -thai lettuce wraps. (see above) -chopped salad. (see above) desserts: -stefanie's ultimate red velvet cheesecake. sometimes the cake layers are thinner than the cheesecake layers (boo) but still amazing and moist. -linda's fudge cake. the cake is oh so chocolate-y and moist. perfect with extra whip. the frosting is a bit much, but scrapes off easily. if only they'd replace the layers of frosting with whipped cream instead... -chocolate tuxedo cream cheesecake. my former flame, into my black book you go since you still cross my mind every now and then. **disclaimer** i have no idea who stefanie or linda are, but they're brilliant. i've traded in the one with the tuxedo and have found amazing replacements. it seems i have crossed over to the other side, and let me tell you, it's GOOD!!
(5)
Kyle P.
Good food as always and decent service...almost always busy.
(4)
Vanessa B.
This place is the result of letting teenagers run amok as "managers". We came here one night when I had a hankering for cheesecake. We walked in and were aurally assaulted by Top 20 hits bellowing out from the sound system. If it's too loud you're to old? I'm too old. Music in a restaurant should be a backdrop, not the main event. We got a table and asked our server if they could turn the music down a little. Honestly, it was that loud, I'm not some crusty old lady; we had a hard time hearing each other across the table. It never happened, so we actually left, and my exact thought was, "Eek! Methinks not."
(1)
John B.
I'm probably alone in this but I don't care about decor or menu marketing. I go to a restaurant to eat. I don't go to be seen, site see, because it is trendy or what is hot. I go to eat. I want good food and I want what I pay for. I hate french/european poser places with micro portions and astronomical prices. I've eaten in those places and this is not one of them. If that is your thing then this is not for you. If I go to a place more than once it is because I like the food and I get my money's worth. As others have said here the portions are huge. Yes the menu is full of advertisements. I don't eat menus, I don't pay attention to the ads. I have yet to find a restaurant that I could eat the decor, so guess what else I don't care about. The service is great and I don't mind paying for it. The food here is superb. I love the "SPICY AHI TEMPURA ROLLS". I recommend the "PEAR AND ENDIVE SALAD". Give the "MISO SALMON" a try you will not be disappointed. I like the "SHEPHERD'S PIE", but it is not done in a traditional style, but is tasty none the less. I cannot over recommend the "HIBACHI STEAK" with the Wasabi Mashed Potatoes. The Sunday brunch is a wonderful experience. The cheesecakes are very good to excellent and how I first experienced The Cheesecake Factory through their mail order service.
(5)
Ian A.
The Cheesecake Factory at the Arboretum is not a place you want to spend much time in - not only is it nearly always crowded and loud, but if you're here too often you may end up looking like one of the many sad, alone, and very overweight individuals who come here to dine in solitude. If the previous didn't depress you as much as it depressed me, or if you can overcome that image, go in with a friend and split an entree. The food really is good, although I can't vouch for everything on the 871-page menu, and the portions are almost disgustingly large. Follow that up by sharing a slice of cheesecake - yet again, I can't vouch for all 41 of them. If you can't get past the depressitude of the over-stylized architecture (including the faux-Roman inscription "MAX OCC. 444"), and the sad overindulgence of the patrons, just walk directly to the cheesecake counter to your left and order a slice or two to go, and kick it in the Barnes and Noble next door.
(3)
brook s.
if i ever come to power, this chain will be the first to fall. cheesecake factory is unfortunate. two of its locations ate two of my favorite places (arbor theater, and orange julius), and the times that i have eaten here were lackluster in the extreme. there is so much other food in austin, ever north-west austin, that there is no excuse for anyone eating here.
(1)
Laura D.
Good service , great food! Couldn't have been happier with our meal and service.
(4)
Rob M.
The Wal-Mart of restaurants. I would like to castrate the person who came up with the idea for The Cheesecake Factory. The menu has advertisements in it? When looking at a menu I don't want to find an ad for limo rentals. Obviously, this place caters to people who like crap and may need to find a limo rental when dining. Cavernous interior, menu way too big to do anything very well.
(1)
Ruth D.
I was craving cheesecake so I was excited to see that Austin had a Cheesecake Factory. It was about dinner time and my baby had just woken up in a bad mood 'cause she was hungry. We were told it would be a 30 min wait and well.. that is like thirty years in my baby's world so that didn't work. We went somewhere else to eat ,but we did come back to get a cheesecake to take home for Mama! Ok, so there's a cheesecake counter specifically for getting cheesecakes to go and it took freakin 20 minutes to get 2 cheesecakes! No what pissed me off was the portion. I paid $16 for 2 freakin cheesecake slices and it was so small and soggy. wtf! I know damn well the portions are twice as big than what I was sold. I used to go to the Cheesecake Factory in Hawaii all the time when I was preggers with my daughter! The Cheesecake Factory in Hawaii is bigger and busier and yet I got my cheesecake in less then 5 min.
(1)
David Z.
I love the place because it's so goofy. Faux Egyptian mixed with Art Deco. A real caravansery. I asked a waiter what kind of decor he thought it was and he said, "Maybe Gothic." Ah yes. The portions are huge, so it makes sense only if you are going to take half of it home or share it. If you're taking guests, it's awkward (especially if they're from out of town). Some of the entrees are fun. Maybe it's best just to go for a slice of cheesecake and a cup of coffee. The variety boggles the mind.
(3)
Stacy S.
I went to the Cheesecake Factory for the first time last Friday during the day. My friend had been there before. We had the avocado egg rolls, they were out of this world! The sauce was delicious.....I ordered the Shepherd's Pie...it was wonderful...I got the lunch portion and it was a big serving. I took half of it home and enjoyed it the next day! My friend had the corn tamales and liked them a lot. It is a bit expensive so couldn't go there often but what a treat!
(4)
Kristen V.
I have been to this place many times and always enjoyed the food and felt satisfied at the end of the meal. I love their Thai Lettuce Wraps, Chicken Madeira, Strawberry Lemonade, and of course the Cheesecakes. I've been here many times and only had one server that I didn't like so most of the servers were good. I also have ordered to pick-up and the food was ready to go when I got there and they provided lots of napkins and forks with it. The reason I'm giving this place 4 stars was because of the front lobby and lack of seating. Every time I want to eat here I have to make sure it's not during the busy hours because wait times are very long and there's never any seating in the front waiting area. They don't have enough available seating in the waiting area and you see a lot of people having to stand around invading each other's personal space for 30 minutes or more. Lots of people are forced to wait outside in the heat because inside is too crowded which is especially terrible and frustrating when you have kids. If their lobby was bigger and more accommodating then this place would definitely get 5 stars. I think it's impossible this will ever get fixed because it's already made the way it is. For future Cheesecake Factory restaurants they should make a more spacious front entrance with lots of seating since this is a popular place to eat. I hope they make a second one here in Austin.
(4)
John W.
Very disappointed with the take out person this past weekend. I called in to get a blue cheese blt burger (the only thing that really sounded good to me - been craving it for a while), which they apparently no longer have on the menu. I attempted to ask if they could just get a bacon burger and add blue cheese (clearly they have bacon and blue cheese there) - I would have paid any up charge for this - but before I could suggest this, I was repeatedly told they don't have it. The person on the other line seemed rude and was less than interested in taking my order... So I promptly ended the phone call. Very disappointed. I realize this was a Saturday night, but it was about 9:30 pm (or a little after) and not during the rush. I guess I was expecting too much - I previously worked in a restaurant where the motto was "the answer is yes - what is the question?" Guess I shouldn't expect wonders from a chain, but I expected more from TCF. I won't be back to this location.
(1)
Melissa C.
We waited for 1 1/2 hours to be seated. We were told it was a 20-30 min wait. The whole ordeal was very frustrating; they do not allow reservations. Since it was my sons birthday we chose to wait instead of ruin the evening. We finally get seated and get our food. My boyfriend was enjoying his meal when he suddenly began choking and hacking. Surprisingly, there was a silver dollar size piece of paper hidden in his mashed potatoes. Overall, we left unsatisfied and pretty grossed out too. We likely will not be returning.
(1)
Holmes S.
Everyone is bashing this place.. One person complained of a huge family in front of them taking a long time to order a cheese cake.. this has nothing to do with the restaurant. One person complained that they felt ill the next day because they ate so much... this is your own fault for being a greedy cow. The rest are complaining that it is a chain. They are probably writing this on their Apple laptops in Starbucks. If chains bother you, don't eat in them! Big chains are surviving because people are eatting there! Ok, now for my review! The portions are huge, the food takes pretty good. Yes there are Ads in the menu, which is a little weird. Taking one star off for that. I had shepherds pie which was good, but of course not near English standards. I enjoyed it.
(4)
Lawrence L.
you know, i'd forgotten how much i liked the cheesecake factory. it's an easy place to forget, with so many other fine establishments in austin. also it's not a very *cool* type of place to go to. for example, if in conversation you mention to a foodie of higher taste that you went to the cheesecake factory for dinner last night you would 8 times out of 10 receive in return a look of derision and pity. just because it's a chain. i say forget the h8rs. the prices are fair, the portions are huge, and it's tasty! so it might be loaded with oil and fat. don't go every night. if you're me you order the iced tea, it's sooo good. i like it because it's strong and not bitter. this time i ordered something i'd never had before: i don't remember the name, but it was basically two pieces of chicken piccata topped with prosciutto served over a linguini covered with alfredo sauce. it was delicious. the prosciutto wasn't mind-blowingly good (to be expected) but it wasn't terrible either. it was a very satisfying meal to have with 8 other friends on a late sunday night (bonus points! open til 11pm on sunday!) because i could go at my pace since the dish was so large there was no way i was going to finish. so i guess the answer to the question "how can you go to the cheesecake factory and not order cheesecake" can be answered with "if the entree is really really large".
(4)
Lenny S.
i couldn't believe it... i ordered 2 pieces of cheesecake to go... they gave me two little slices... really little... and they wanted $17!!!! ----- this is robbery!!!!!!!!!!!!
(2)
Edward P.
Good salad, great soup and bread. Huge portions and the cheese came was a little overwhelming with choice. Nice server.
(4)
Nicole J.
The food is to die for. If you have never been the Cheesecake Factory literally has a menu the size of a book. They have something for every price range, everything is delicious, and everything is a really good size so you always get your moneys worth. The decor is beautiful with some of the highest ceilings I have ever seen and the staff is always so friendly. We went their on Mother's Day and our waiter was attentive, had great suggestions for food and when we mentioned coming there for our rehersal dinner he immediately went and spoke to the manager and got a card for us. I have always loved this place and for good reason. And no matter how full you are, get some cheesecake, even to go. You wont regret it. Even "non cheesecake people" love their cheesecake. AMAZING.
(5)
John P.
We ended up at Cheesecake Factory because we wanted to goto Barnes and Nobles next door and I couldn't find my way out of the parking lot maze so we settled for Cheesecake Factory. Not to say Cheesecake Factory is bad, just not what we intended on. So when we first sat down we got a very grumpy waitress. She brought our water and then she disappeared. 5 minutes later we got a much cheerier waitress who took our order and got use some of that delicious table bread. The bread we got was probably the best I've ever had at a Cheesecake factory. So we ordered lunch salads and they eventually arrived. My wife got the Market salad which she's had many times at other cheesecake factories. Unfortunately when it arrived it looked like a used salad. Most of the greens were wilted and it looked like most of the good bits had been picked over. It was really a bit disgusting. My chopped salad was very good however. So we spoke to the manager and he gladly removed the salad from the bill and offered us free desert but we declined. His very generous solution and willingness to fix thing is why they get 3 stars instead of 2, because the food alone would have gotten 2. You should never let a salad like the one my wife got leave the kitchen, it was just gross looking.
(3)
Dolph M.
+5 stars for strawberry cheesecake. -10 stars for everything else. +6 stars because -5 stars isn't an option.
(1)
Bobbyray D.
I would sell your whole family on the black market just to eat here for a month... the food is intoxicating the dessert intensely soothing and decadent on your palete.... again i say." Yes ! I would indeed i will... and watch your ass, cause i will gag you and sell you and the cash will go to an amazing meal at cheese cake factory
(5)
m l.
High prices, average food, below average cheesecake - that pretty much sums up this place. In my view, a place that has cheesecake in its name damn better have the best cheesecake in town ; well this place certainly doesn't. the cheesecake portions are SMALL, the texture not firm enough and the prices are HIGH. As for menu items, all the things i have eaten have been average in quality and high in price. lots and lots and lots of better places to eat in austin than this chain.
(2)
Zafa R.
Date of First Visit: June 27, 2008 Some restaurants have a good, solid dependability. You go and know that whatever you will order will come out a certain way. Call it blandness, generic, whatever. We all have a hankering for these restaurants now and again. The Cheesecake Factory is such a restaurant. It is a very well-known national chain of restaurants. Well, it's more well known for its huge portions (and some might say, their cheesecakes) than for groundbreaking, nouveau cuisine. Although their portions are usually enough to feed a small army, they don't come cheap. I hadn't been to a Cheesecake Factory in about a year, so I decided to go check out the only one in town, which unfortunately means trekking to the Arboretum area. I wasn't very hungry and wanted something light, so I ordered the Thai Lettuce Wraps appetizer. There was definitely more than enough! My dining companion ordered the spicy and crispy chicken sandwich. We were both really satisfied with our meals, and ended by sharing the tiramisu (the actual cake, not the cheesecake). It definitely was a "pick me up" of a dessert! We went on a Friday night, so predictably, there was a wait, although it was bearable. As far as restaurants go, I don't think you can go wrong, as the Cheesecake Factory offers so many options on their menu that you're bound to find something you like. Again, my only caveat is that this is not cheap dining by any means. I have dined at other locations (mostly in Boston where I used to live) and tried the bar menu. All the appetizers are priced (and portioned) less. It's a great way to try all their appetizers without spending too much. I've had dinners for under $10 just by taking advantage of their bar menu, which is usually from 4:00-6:00pm on weekdays.
(4)
Steve L.
Quick review: I'll probably update this again after future visits, but this is based on 4 of us stopping by for some appetizers in the mid-afternoon on Sunday. First of all, the 3-star rating is based on what others had in our group. Also, the excellent service helped bring up my rating decision. As anybody who has visited can validate, the restaurant is clean, neat and comfortable. So...what did I have that pulled the score down? I had the "Factory Nachos with Spicy Chicken" Yeah, I know..."what were you thinking having nachos at a Cheesecake Factory?" However, this was the listing on the menu that caught my eye and the recommendation by the waiter that these are not your "average nachos" with cheese sauce, etc. Little did I know that, indeed, these were not average...they were well below average. Chips were plentiful although moderately stale; toppings were meager...including the "spicy chicken" which added ~$1.50 to the cost. Shortening the story: Don't order these...stick with other options. On positive side, one of our party ordered the "Tex Mex Eggrolls" and thoroughly enjoyed them. The other two split an order of Fish Tacos and also raved about them. Believe it or not...none of us had cheesecake. We could have gone to Sorrento's across the parking lot and a) saved money and b) had the same or better Mexican appetizers. As noted above, I'll update this review after our next "true" visit to the CF.
(3)
london k.
Ditto to everything Brandon B, and Carlos C. said, why is this place even in arboretum? the place does look very nice, and service is good. 3 stars.
(3)
Tri N.
So Its been a few days since i've last written a review, No i didn't starve to death, its just hard to write a good bad review sometimes. On top of that i've been on a lean diet so i don't expect places to have the best steamed spinach or egg whites and asparagus. Anywho, me and 19 others went to cheesecake factory to celebrate a bday. It was great that the manager was able to find us a table within 30 mins. The server was off the hook. But one thing that i really feel about the place is that the food is mediocre. Paying for good food isn't a problem, I mean it was edible but theres no "wow" factor. For a place that prizes themselves so much i would think they would at least have better food than cheddars but i guess i'll continue the disappointment until someone else decides to have a event here. All in all, its hard to avoid Cheesecake factory because of its name, and great cheesecake, but don't set high expectations it'll ruin the night.
(3)
R. W.
The food was so bland, even the "signature" dish was flavorless..... The prices were steep for the crappy flavor. Yeah you get huge portions for the price but when it sucks that's twice as much food I'll have to force myself to eat. 10 mins after leaving with my leftovers the smell alone was making me nauseous I threw it in the trash outside Barnes and Noble. Take a lesson from Robert Irvine- scale down the menu and make the remaining dishes delicious. This is the LAST time I eat there.
(1)
Anna S.
I'm a fan. Apparently some people here aren't. The service is great. As with all the Cheesecake Factory restaurants, the waiters/waitresses will wear white to show that they are hiding nothing. Any food stains can be easily seen I suppose, but here's the other catch. The lights are generally annoyingly dim, so even with a white uniform, I still wouldn't be able to see any food stains. Nevertheless, the servers are super friendly and make sure they get you what you want. One of the complaints here is that the food is really expensive, but honestly I think it is a reasonable deal because Cheesecake Factory provides you with so much. If you can't afford it, then share the dish with one other person and split the check. If you're still hungry, you can munch on the complimentary bread and butter. And let's not forget to order dessert. The Cheesecake Factory makes so many different delicious, mouth-watering cheesecakes. I usually choose the fruity ones. Overall, I would completely recommend coming here, especially if you like cheesecake.
(4)
Arnie K.
not bad
(3)
Tiffany W.
The Cheesecake Factory is like the maintenance guy you hire to do your plumbing, rewire your house, fix the shingles on the roof, do some landscaping in the front yard, repair the A/C, and put in the tile. He's able to do a lot, but isn't especially good at repairing any one thing in particular. The "menu" at TCF is better deemed a novel as they offer everything under the sun, from asian to italian, and pizzas to tacos. On the upside: Bring on the large parties! They're bound to have something to please everyone in the group. My favorites at TCF: - The (complimentary) pumpernickle and sourdough (??) bread with butter. This stuff is GOOD y'all. So good there is actually a facebook group dedicated to how delicious it is. I know the portions at TCF are ginormous and you want to save room for cheesecake too... but don't forget about the bread! - Calimari: Crunchy, crispy, and chewy! Plus, they give you TWO dipping sauces -- cocktail sauce & a mayo-based garlic sauce - Bang Bang Chicken & Shrimp: A spicy Thai-inspired dish with curry, peanuts, and toasted coconut served with white rice chicken and shrimp. - Red Velvet Cheesecake: A layer of cheesecake sandwiched between two layers of red velvet cake... need I say more?? NOM NOM NOM Service is always spectacular and the ambiance is great for dates and celebrations. My only complaint: the average/uninspired entrees due to the sheer quantity of items they offer. It's about QUALITY not quantity, TCF!
(3)
Leslie H.
I've been to this Cheesecake Factory multiple times over the past several years. I've never been overly fond of their menu, a little because it's just too damn big (that's what she said), and mostly because despite said expansive menu, nothing jumps out at me and says "eat me!" (that's what... nevermind). On our most recent trip here, which was just for dessert, I ordered my usual cheesecake, the Kahlua Cocoa Coffee Cheesecake, with brownie, Kahlua cheesecake, chocolate mousse, and chocolate ganache. I love it because I love chocolate and coffee, especially together. It's dreamy. My husband ordered the Fresh Strawberry Shortcake off of their specialty dessert menu, described as "our own shortcake topped with vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries, and whipped cream." My husband's definition of "shortcake" is angel food cake or sponge cake or something similar. This was a biscuit. He kept saying "this tastes like a biscuit" after each bite. Duh. The ice cream was tasty and super cold, like below 10 degrees cold. The strawberries were delicious, as was the whipped cream. So boo to the Cheesecake Factory for having a biscuit instead of cake in the strawberry shortcake! But kudos for being open super late during the week (11pm) for when I have a raging sweet tooth.
Charlie the manager on duty was amazing. Our waitress was great too. They brought out food on time. Hot made fresh. We even had a misunderstanding on one of the entrees and they took it off the ticket. Just great service. Great food. Will be back!!
(4)
Thomas B.
I can't believe they took the "Over the Top Meatloaf Sandwich" off the menu. It was one of the best and most unique sandwiches in town. What did they replace it with? "The Incredible Grilled Eggplant Sandwich." 'Nuff said.
(3)
Danny O.
Went back for my birthday lunch and was not happy. The waitress was a snooty stuck up little brat, my cuban sandwhich was tasteless, my cheesecake was weird tasting and just was not happy in general... don't think I'll come back.
(1)
Fox G.
Love the cheesecake but the cheesecake and food is pricy but I do love the cheesecake over all thx
(4)
Trish C.
This place never disappoints! Huge variety on the menu, nice atmosphere, quick friendly service, and fair prices. The kale salad is quirky and delightful. Variety of bread brought out to snack on. And more flavors of cheesecake than you could everimagine!
(5)
Jerry E.
BOOM goes the Cheesecake!! Went for the 1st time ever last night....ordered a Jameson on the rocks, the Warm Crab and Artichoke Dip appetizer and headed Straight for the Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake! B DAMN Son, talk about Tastebud Explosion! Everything was Delicious. The waitress Tashi was Excellent, she really knew her stuff and very friendly! I can't wait to go back and try something new!
(5)
gary w.
Decent food. Decent prices. Slow irregular service. There were people lined up to get in which I don't really get. It's a slight step up from Denny's
(3)
Nickie G.
You already know two things when you walk into a Cheesecake Factory. First, you will take a year to decide what you want because they have so many options. Second, you will get so much food that you cannot possibly finish it all. These are just givens. So I was surprised and pleased to notice that they have a new menu separate from the usual menu (yeah, like you need ANOTHER two pages of choices right?!). This menu is made up of smaller portioned appetizers, salads, and entrees. The waitress told us for the salads the portions were somewhere between the regular portions and the lunch portions. So still, a lot of food, but not just out of control. I opted for a salad - the Luau. It had grilled chicken, greens, cucumbers, red and yellow peppers, green beans, mangos, macadamia nuts and sesame seeds with a vinaigrette dressing. The lunch portion is what I ordered and it was just right...I had a little left over, but not a lot. Throw in a couple of pieces of their dark bread and it was a perfect light lunch. Our waitress was friendly, she was quick with the diet coke, and she gave us some good information about the menu items and sizes of those items. Overall it was an alright lunch, not bad. I don't crave the Cheesecake Factory (maybe because I don't like cheesecake) but I won't bitch too much if you want me to go to lunch with you there sometime.
(3)
Melissa S.
It's a chain, so you've probably been to one before. So I don't have to tell you that the portions are gargantuan,and that you'll wait FAR too long in order to eat overpriced mediocre food. Some other things that really bother me are the ad placements in the menu, and well, the menu in general. Especially the fact that the menu would be better classified as a short novel. I dislike anywhere that adamantly refuses to do half-portions. What a rip.
(1)
Cody R.
This place is good, but I have a few complaints. First, the menu is too large, it has at least 10 pages of options which is too difficult to read through. Also, the portions are ridiculous.... then they expect you to order Cheese Cake? They might as well attatch defibrillators to the end of the tables. Also, since you are at a place titles "Cheesecake Factory" you HAVE to order Cheesecake..... by the time you are done your stuck with a pretty large tab. The place isn't that cheap. But the foods good!
(3)
Steven N.
Bleh, For reasons I can't really articulate, I would never really *want* to go to this restaurant of my own volition. Maybe I'm just not excited enough about cheesecake? However, I went to meet up with the gang the other night to be social and get something to eat. The result - Worst $9 hamburger ever. Well - ok, maybe not worst, but not even close to being $9 worth of tastyness. The fries were pretty good (thin cut, golden nicely salted), but what the hell is up with serving a burger on a long baguette-style sourdough roll? Far too crusty for a good burger experience. They also cut the round burger into pieces to fit on the roll - which made it kinda fall apart when eating. Of course - this might just be a case of me always ordering the wrong thing. The pasta dish ordered by a friend looked pretty good. I doubt I'll return to give them a second chance though.
(2)
None N.
Horrid service and cold food. We had a group of 16 for my birthday celebration. My partner arrived an hour early to request the table because they said they did not take reservations on the weekend per the recommendation of one the hottest we spoke to on the phone.She had stated to come in and it should be fine. When he got there they told him he could not put his name on the list until the megority of the party was there. (What was the point of arriving an hour early) When we did get seated the server (mind you just 1 for a large party of 16) was slow and did not ask everyone if they had wanted an appetizer. Had I been ask I would have ordered. For the guest that did ordered one they came out cold. She didn't even check back to see if everything was OK. Second they had to auction off the food. For someone that has been a server this is not good. It gives the impression that the server does not care of how your personal expeirence is going. When it was time to wrap the food up, my partner said she could wrap up his and I wanted to do it myself. Big mistake, we ended you with someone else food and not the 18.00 plus entree he originally ordered. She didn't even ask if we wanted Cheesecake. HELLO It's the CHEESECAKE FACTORY! We ended up ordering it at the baker that took an additional 20 minutes to get. If you have not been don't waste your time. This is not what a "Cheesecake" experience should be like. Wait until you can visit a different location.
(1)
Bree J.
I love their cheesecake! My dinner came with a bit of plastic in it....notified our waiter and before I knew it, the manager, Charlie, came over to check on us. He got me a new entree and was very apologetic. He handled the situation great. Comped my meal.
(4)
Laurie S.
The service was good but the food was sub par. Very over priced for what we got. We won't be back.
(2)
Dallas B.
Ok, The Cheesecake Factory is a chain but I lean on it because it is consistent and I know I am not going to leave hungry. We had a great experience and service was both funny and attentive. She got my Martini spot on and even teased me because I wanted shredded Parmesan on my broccoli (don't judge me). The food was standard Cheesecake Factory fare but the service was great and I love how huge the restaurant is. Yes the desserts are pricey and I was thrown that my Martini cost as much as my entree but hey, life is short. Too bad the patio has a gorgeous view of a concrete parking lot but thats life. We go for the Chocolate truffle cake with the mousse over the cheesecake which wins hands down anyday.
(4)
Ryan H.
There is nothing inherently wrong with this place besides maybe the prices. Its just underwhelming. The prices are very high for what you are eating (typical appetizer in the $8-10 range and meals about $15 all the way up to $30 for a ribeye). The amount of stuff on the menu is overwhelming and leads me to believe they are mostly prepared from frozen food. Which leads to my other observation that many of the dishes are very salty. Obviously the cheesecake is great. It's what gets people in the door, and rightfully so. But beyond that, its a place that is expensive and specializes in nothing. Its probably good for a group of picky eaters because the menu is so large its hard to find something thats not on there. Especially being in the Arboretum, there are many other places to choose from.
(2)
Catherine T.
EIGHT BUCKS for ONE slice of cheesecake?? Didn't it used to be SIX BUCKS per slice? Even THAT'S too much! You suck! BOOM! Your fourth star totally supernovaed and disappeared.
(3)
Aaron H.
i actually came here two days in a row for lunch with my employees and had a great time. in CA, CCF usually involves a long wait no matter when so i was happy to see there were no wait smack in the middle of lunch hour. without a doubt my favorite dish is the jambalya....can't miss dish. our servers were very attentive and helpful. i loved the fact they brought my second glass of arnold palmer when my first glass was barely half empty.
(4)
Amy D.
Friday, February 1 Around 9 p.m. my family and I went to The Cheesecake Factory located in the Arboretum in celebration of my sister's birthday. I was excited not only because it was my sister's birthday (party of 16) but also it was my first time being at The Cheesecake Factory. It is a very nice place but after about 1.5 hours later we were finally seated. The food was pretty good. We left the restaurant around midnight and noticed several cop cars out front. We get to our truck only to find out we've been a victim of "ATTEMPTED AUTO THEFT." The thieves broke the lock to our truck and also jammed and damaged/broke our ignition switch. Our truck couldn't even start!! My family was stranded! I was in shock because this has never happened to us, not to mention we couldn't believe this actually happened in a "nice" part of town. So here is my question: Where was the mobile security patrol? Hmmm good question! We filed a police report and were told by officer M. Heyward that 4 trucks (in addition to ours) were also broken into ....WOW UNBELIEVABLE!! Result: So here is my little family, stranded with no option other than my husband calling a tow truck company from the town we live, which by the way is about 45 minutes away from Austin. I was in complete shock all weekend until Monday. I called Cheesecake Factory early Monday and spoke with manager Sherston to let them know what happened in their parking lot and felt someone should be liable for their customer's damaged property. Unfortunately, Sherston was quite insensitive and quickly referred me to Simon Properties. I called Simon Property early Tuesday only to be instructed to call back after 1 p.m. Conclusion: When customers visit an establishment, they should have a reasonable sense of security that their belongings will be safe. If something is damaged, there is such thing called insurance....but I find even getting to this point is almost impossible... so far. 2 stars because the cheese cake is excellent !
(1)
Isaac E.
The Cheesecake factory seems to be the same wherever you go across the United States. The menu does vary from location to location so what I can only judge this place off is the service and difference in the menu from what I've had in the past. The service was kind of all over the place for when I ate here. Our server was knowledgeable of the menu and what the menu items contained and was able to help us choose what we wanted for our meal (By the way if the Tomales are on the menu....order them!). But then service got slow after our appetizers and there was some confusion on what we ordered as well which backed a lot up in the long run. Otherwise I'd say it was a successful trip out to the Cheesecake Factory. I'll never say no to going here....ever.
(3)
Joanna F.
Extremely poor service. I requested a table outside and was told I had a wait a bit, which wasn't a problem at all. Shortly after a hostess walked me outside to the table not asking which one I'd prefer (one was only occupied), she didn't introduce herself - just slapped the menu down the table and walked away...she didn't even make an eye contact!!! I'd expect better in fast food restaurant. On that note, I completely lost my appetite and went back inside to share my experience with the greeter guy. I will NEVER be back there.!!!!
(1)
Marsha H.
Feeling blah, I decided to nerd out at The Cheesecake Factory. The price was worth it, although the low carb cheesecake with Splenda was partially frozen. The Skinny Drink Menu will keep me coming back, though.
(4)
Sara O.
I'm wondering if I'm an idiot for even trying this place. It's a huge chain, which is normally not my thing so maybe I got what I deserve. For $67 I wanted to scream at this meal. I got the endive salad to start. Blegh. I took the waiter's suggestion and got the salmon special. I don't normally order salmon, but I'm trying to eat more fish. So away I go. I get it and don't love it. I chalk that up to, maybe I don't really love salmon. As I take a few more bites I don't think that it's cooked all the way. BUT, I don't cook salmon so what the hell do I know. I become paranoid and quit eating it. It also just had this bizarre taste, I can only liken it to plastic. It also had some sort of coconut sauce that the rice was in and that was really sweet and just not good to me. BF got roasted chicken which came with some veggies and mashed potatoes. I ate his carrots and enjoyed them. The potatoes also just had this bizarre taste that I couldn't put my finger on, but it wasn't good. Still a little hungry, and thinking, well we are at the Cheesecake Factory, let's get cheesecake, we get two desserts to go (I'm ready to go home). We got the classic, cheesecake with strawberries, and a piece of Tiramisu. The cheesecake was rather soft, and had more of a sour taste to it than I am accustomed to. It was topped with fresh strawberries, but they were in some sort of gross jelly. The Tiramisu was pretty good. The price is what killed me, for a meal that wasn't good we spent seventy bucks. This is just food, no drinks. Honestly we could have just gone to Taco Cabana and I think I would have been happier.
(1)
Luis A.
Love the food, wait time was bad, intervals of 15 min between first seating, drinks and ordering
(4)
Tamara B.
Food has always been amazing. Unfortunately you have to wait a very long time to receive it. Service is consistently poor. We have returned in hopes that service has improved but it's not just service staff anymore. Manager came to our table after entire table received their meal besides my husband to say "I did not like the looks of your meal and presentation, so I'm having them re make it". Cannot he had been honest and said it was forgotten and it will be out as quickly as possible. Had to finally get up from table and refill water glass myself, waitress walked by table numerous times without looking or asking if we needed refills. We will not return , austin has many places to choose from fortunately.
(2)
Kim N.
There is a wide variety of food here. So it's a great place to go with a group that has a a vast difference in preference. The cheesecake of course is awesome! Entrees are a hit or miss. Some things are wonderful and full of flavor. Others need a little help on that end. Recommended items include the Asian chicken lettuce wrap, skinnylicious Asian chicken salad, Tuscan chicken and the grilled salmon. Service is also a hit or miss. 11:30 lunch for 4 can take up to 1.5 hours on a week day. Don't be too surprised to wait 5+ minutes even when there are plenty of empty tables available. In short, come here for the cheesecake and that's about it.
(3)
Kim P.
This is by far the worst customer service I've experienced in awhile. The girl who runs the to-go desk needs a lesson on how to treat people. I stood at the counter for 5min straight without ANY acknowledgement from her. I kept tapping my finger and I know she saw me. She finally says "I'll be with you in a minute." Well, then another employee comes over to chat with her. Five more minutes go by and two more people stand in line with me. By this time, I could not hide my frustrations. A guy finally walks up and starts helping us. Needless to say, I did not leave a tip and will think twice before ordering another cheesecake from here!!
(1)
Myranda Y.
Been to different Cheesecake Factories all over such as 2 San Diego locations, 2 Bay Area locations, Honolulu, and Seattle. None have seated me, got my drink, appetizer, or food to me so quickly on a Friday night. So far the best all around Cheescake Factory in my opinion. The only negative I would say is, if you get seated by the register screen.. it's gossip central for the workers.
(4)
Brittany J.
I really wish I didn't love the food so dang much! The interior, which is the same at all CFs I've been to, is over the top tacky and kitschy and awful faux Egyptian. And honestly, it's a little more than I like to spend on a meal (fortunately the meals are huge, so there's plenty to take home). But OMG, the food and the drink! The menu overwhelms me--if you've never been, it's so large they have to run adds to keep it in print--so I stick to my favorites: the famous chicken madeira or the cobb salad, and a well-mannered dirty martini. Blue cheese olives, I die! I mean, sure, they're not the only place to have blue cheese olives, but they have EVERYTHING and it is all SO GOOD! I've always had good to great service, quick seating (although I go during weekday lunch), and I've yet to have a cheesecake that is anything less than fantastic. I love the tiramisu, the anniversary, the banana cream, and the dutch apple something or other. So.freaking.good. ALAS it's a cheesy chain, so I try to keep my love mostly secret, but here I am, outing myself to the whole Internet. Busted!
(4)
N P.
Bad service. My friend and I waited more than 15 minutes for our waiter. The hostess noticed our attempts to get service and intervened. We finally got a waiter but he seemed stoned. He brought us no bread and took a very long to bring our food. He also made some inappropriate sexual comments to us.
(1)
Fizza S.
I was really disappointed with this location. We were a big party and the service was very accommodating and friendly but the food was nothing great. We had a preset menu and I ordered the fettuccine alfredo- it was way too heavy and made me feel a little sick afterwards. I ordered the dulce de leche cheesecake too. Most days I can swear by this flavor but this time around I didn't even like the cheesecake. I don't know if it was an odd day or just me but I was really disappointed. An extra star for the bread- it was amazing.
(3)
Michelle A.
went couple of years ago on national cheesecake day... saved my visit for any slice, half price. this year 2014, good for july 30th and 31st. dine in only, one slice per guest. enjoy!
(5)
Bo T.
Please indulge me for a trip down memory lane. You see Cheesecake Factory and Bo have a long history. My first memories of the factory were sitting in the original building on my uncle's lap listening to stories of old days in the factory. Now you probably hear stories of old Austin. Well my uncle was real old Austin. Sometimes he called it Waterloo out of force of habit. He worked in the factory in its heyday. You see the Colorado river (Townlake/Ladybird Lake for the kids) has changed course significantly since before the dams were put in place. The river used to flow as the very site of the factory. The creamcheese was barreled in Philadelphia and floated down river to Austin where it was processed before going to port in Galveston for export to Europe. My uncle rarely got to eat his own cheesecake, it was too precious. The money for one cheesecake in Europe would feed the family for a couple months. Well times have changed. We don't rely on the river to bring the raw cheese. But the building is in the same location, though obviously has been updated quite a bit. I hear that some of the old form pans for turning the cheese into cakes for storage are still in use from the old days. The cakes are just a rich and just a precious but lucky Austinites now get to enjoy it, and enjoy it we do.
(5)
Tarana P.
I always have a good time at this place, good reasonably priced food; I wouldn't recommend a pasta dish, not really a place to order that type of food. Salads, Pork chops or some avocado rolls are the way to go.
(4)
Jeffrey L.
cool ambiance, perfect arboretum location, widest menu selection you'll prob ever see, fantastic cheesecakes of many varieties....... but..... fat and broke are not my life ambitions, so I'll likely not be returning. when dishes from a place consistently place high on those lists of "most fattening dishes on earth", you've got to question whether dining there is a good idea. could it really be that a kids alfredo pasta meal has 90 grams of fat?? was I dreaming when I read that? does it even weigh that much? Isn't that like 5 days' worth for a shorty?
(2)
Autumn C.
My first visit to the Cheesecake Factory was back in August for my birthday and it was awesome. Then I had a little date there yesterday and I was reminded of why I liked it in the first place. We ordered the Firecracker Salmon Rolls and the Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes. AMAZING! The rolls were light, crispy and full of flavor. The corn cakes were awesome and had the freshest avocado on them. Everything I've tried there has been pretty dang good. But I am sad to say that I am always too full to get cheesecake, which kills me because I love cheesecake! Maybe next time I'll just do dessert:)
(4)
yung d.
What happened to this place??? Cheesecake factory used to be great! I get the same entree every time, Bistro Shrimp pasta for 16.75. After leaving Moonshine grills dismal buffet on Sunday, my boyfriend and I went to Cheesecake factory. I ordered my same dish and it came out with bland creme sauce that was salted and peppered - NO GARLIC piece in site- no garlic powder even. Some arugula and that was it. The shrimp was crisp and large. They were almost salad shrimp that were just seasoned. I was appalled and deeply saddened as I drove a long way to get this great meal. I will go to the CCF in Dallas from now on.
(1)
Shanna P.
This is one of two places I've ever eaten that I got sick with a "food hangover." It should be called the Gluttony Factory. Of course, it didn't help I had my first Cheesecake Factory experience (in San Antonio) with my ex's family of gluttons. But I left feeling sick as hell. I've been to this location twice--only because I was drug there for birthdays. The interior and ambiance are confusing--what are they going for? It just comes off kitschy and over-the-top. Neither of the two meals at this location were memorable, but it gets two stars because the lunch I had there was a saner portion and wasn't too bad. Pasta or something I think. I remember the service to be slow as hell that day though, which is fine when it means you're not at work, but the boss almost had a conniption.
(2)
Matt S.
Huge menu and giant portions for a high price. I had found one dish I really liked called the Chino Latino Steak (something like that).. it was really good so they took it off the menu.. For the price it just isn't good enough to keep coming back when there are so many other interesting and good restaurants in town..
(2)
Toby M.
Mediocre food, atrocious waits, so-so service, and expensive drinks. The only truly redeeming qualities are their Sunday brunch, the well decorated interior and what they're famous for.. cheesecake. I go when I'm in the area, but even then I'd rather go to Whole Foods and eat my weight in sprouts than forage on the food here. Get your cheesecake, get it to go, and you'll be far happier than if you stuck around.
(3)
LO L.
Went here with a friend for lunch one day because the place looks curious and it was by Game Stop and I guess we were feeling masochistic since we were in the Arboretum anyway. The interior design is tacky late-80s luxe Reno casino with the faux finishing on the walls to make them look marbled and the fake 50 foot palms. The perfect setting to show off your Z. Cavariccis to full effect. The food was terrible, maybe just what I ordered (chicken and biscuits), but I really should have known better than to expect something fresh from this place. The dish was gloopy and bland and tasted like baby food that had been frozen then reheated in a microwave. Sit down service wasn't bad but the service at the front was severely lacking. We ordered cheesecake to go afterwards from the walk up counter and it took 30 minutes to get a slice although there was one family in front of us and 10 utterly incompetent people behind the desert counter stepping on each other's toes and playing the "Two more minutes," game. I wouldn't go there again unless I was dying of want for a cheesecake and no other restaurants in Austin were open. The one good thing about the Cheesecake Factory is that now we have a lame little laugh when one of us says, "Whatcha want for dinner?" and the other suggests, "Cheesecake Factory".
(1)
anne r.
You really can't have your cake and eat it too... Having not been here for a few years, I now remember why I don't care for the place. We went for a "girls" night and to celebrate my birthday. It was a Tuesday so it was fairly slow at 5:00 but still very loud and it didn't help that although the place was close to empty we were seated close enough to look into the kitchen and across from the servers station. The call-outs on the overhead in the kitchen were disturbing enough but the constant clatter next to us was the "icing" on the cheesecake. I ordered a pomegranate mojito which was OK - a little too sweet, but OK. My friends were just drinking wine and beer so no real challenges there. The next obstacle is the bound book that they call a menu. Finally after reaching a decision - comes to find out that I couldn't order it the way I wanted so I opted for the eggplant sandwich and Caesar salad. The plate came heaped with lettuce heavily coated in dressing. It was so over powering I couldn't eat more than 2 bites... The sandwich was cold. The bun was way too big for the tiny 3 pieces of eggplant that was on it. There was actually more grill red onion than eggplant on the roll. (which I had also asked to be left off - why get it if you don't want to eat it?). I proceeded to eat the cheese and lack of other veggies on this $12 plate. The waiter came to clear the table and commented that it looks like I didn't like my food - I didn't. I commented on the salad and he said - yeah, I know.... What? Really?... to add more insult to the day, my friends "insisted" I ordered cheesecake for my birthday - after all it is the Cheesecake Factory. SO I did - and of course the one I wanted - they were out of, but he didn't tell me that until he was delivering the other two to the table. By that point I had no interest in trying to find a replacement - so stick the candle in the mojito and call it a day. Of course when the bill came, the cheesecake was still on it and had to be removed.... needless to say - If I don't go back soon - it's okay!
(1)
Michelle C.
I like this place in theory, but I just never want to go. The food is good, the cheesecake is amazing, but I'm just not into battling huge crowds and waiting for an hour or more for a table to spend a bunch of money on a meal at a chain restaurant when Austin has SO much to offer in terms of local restaurants that serve fabulous food at reasonable prices. We do sometimes swing by there to pick up cheesecake to go for dessert at home with friends, but after eating at the restaurant a couple of times, I lost interest in that and haven't been back.
(3)
Georgia K.
On a recent visit I was so terribly disappointed with the service, the food and the watered-down wine, I called the restaurant to let them know about my experience and give them an opportunity to explain themselves. But after they promised a replacement meal and I never got it, I see they are all talk and no action. Their menu offerings, their managers, all of it is a show. The only good thing at this place is the cheesecake. It is the only reason they still exist, and why they got the stars they did from me. A zero for food & service, a 4 for dessert, that's a two-star rating in my book. Save yourself the disappointment, choose a better place for your lunch or dinner meal, and just come here for the dessert.
(2)
Aissa S.
Worst waitress and restaurant ever. What a disappointment. The Cheesecake Factory was my favorite restaurant ever but I doubt I'll return to this location. I would rather drive an hour to San Antonio than return to the Austin location restaurant. First off, the hostesses let people cut in line to get our names on the waiting list. And Don't even acknowledge the mistake. We finally get called for our table and what do you know?, the table wasn't ready. Smh. We end up waiting in the middle of walking isle, in the way because the hostesses couldn't plan accordingly for tables that were or weren't clean. And of course more people that came in after us keep getting seated while we are still waiting. Now, our waitress....gosh, was she high?! We ordered a key lime cheesecake. She comes back repeats "so you wanted the Godiva cheesecake?" We told her no, the Key lime cheesecake. We think she's got it. She packs it, we pay and leave. Get home to find a coconut custard cheesecake. Epic fail. She needs to be retrained or given Hearing aids or ADD medication or a drug test. Ridiculous. This location has just lost a loyal customer.
(1)
Vicki G.
So much has been written about the Cheesecake Factory that I hesitate... but Yelping is my duty, and an honor and a privilege. So here I go. If you've been to the Cheesecake Factory, you know that it's overwhelming -- the faux fancy decor that reminds me of Vegas, the book-like menus (why are there ads in their menus? tacky!), the enormous portions. We just don't eat vast quantities of food, preferring quality to quantity. So, for lunch we split three "small plates": crab bites, dynamite shrimp, kale salad. Crab bites: surprisingly tasty, with real crab in evidence. Sauce: what was that, mayonnaise? Very little flavor and definitely did not enhance the crab cakes. Dynamite shrimp: tempura shrimp served with a "dynamite" sauce. Folks, what does "dynamite" indicate to you when you read it on a menu? Spicy, am I right? No spice here. Merely a different color of mayonnaise. Very little taste. Shrimp themselves were okay, but tempura batter absorbed a lot of grease (fried at too low a temperature?). Kale salad: disappointing. The apple had a floral overtone, and the creamy dressing overpowered the ingredients. Frankly, the kale salads at both Central Market and Whole Foods outshine this one by a long shot. He insisted on dessert, and ordered carrot cake. (I know -- it's the CHEESECAKE factory.) But the carrot cake was quite good. $7.50 a slice -- it should be good! It was large, but... In conclusion, I would return, but really, it's just not the type of restaurant that works well for me. Dessert may be their strong suit.
(2)
Jamie D.
My office won a company contest and our prize was dinner, where ever we wanted to go. We chose this restaurant because of the variety it offered. Big mistake! There were seven of us, but it didn't take long to seat us, so that was nice. Of course, it was only 4:30 in the afternoon, so it wasn't packed. We were seated at our table and given menus and then waited...and waited. Finally, we see the waiter and he asked for our drink requests. Once he brought the drinks out, he left...and we waited some more. He finally came back and we were able to order appetizers. He didn't ask us if we were ready to order the rest of the meal, he just left and we waited some more. We saw him a lot, at a table across from us, just chatting it up with those diners, but we had to stop him to give us more bread and refills and then finally order our dinner. He also forgot to put my co-worker's drink order in. By this time, we were pretty irritated, so I asked the hostess to have the manager stop by our table. This is where it gets inexcusable. About five minutes later, the manager stops by our table and asks us how we were enjoying everything. We told him how bad our service was and expected an apology or something to let us know he cared. He said he was going to check on our food and sure enough, it came right out, but we never saw the manager again. He never came back to check on us, to apologize, to rectify the situation, nothing. We are an office that works in customer service and this is totally unacceptable. I rarely go to chain restaurants because I prefer to give my money locally and local establishments seem to work harder for their customers. This experience reminded me why I should steer clear of the chains.
(1)
Lex H.
We ordered food to go and the staff at the counter was awesome! Very friendly and our food was great! I will definitely be back.
(5)
R H.
Went there today for lunch. Ordered a Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Got it, it was raw. Like frozen in the middle raw. Server took it back, and was bringing me another one, which presumably took forever because the cook was paying attention to the time it takes to cook a frozen breaded chicken breast all the way through. By the time I got my food, my husband was done with his lunch. He ordered a piece of cheesecake. The server left to get it. Twenty minutes go by. He finally brings it back. They say they are sorry and comp my raw chicken sandwich. On my way out a really angry young waitress is walking out of the hostess stand and smashes right into me in her haste. She doesn't even apologize. This place is horrible. Save yourself a bunch of money and calories and eat at Zoe's Kitchen next door.
(1)
Matthew H.
Who the hell is Cheesecake Factory's target demographic? Judging by the design of the interior and the size of the menu, indecisive, obese former Roman senate members who somehow traveled forward in time to eat bologna al fredo out of a dish that should be set out for a family of eight with silverware that feels like giant novelty versions of the real thing. If this were indeed a cheesecake factory, and judged only for cheesecake, then yes... they do pretty well. Although, calorie-wise, you'd do better eating three pounds of bacon and drinking the fat from frying it up afterwards to top it off. I'd give a better analysis of the food quality but I only made it to page 2,305 of the menu before blacking out and waking up with a congealing bowl of pasta the size of a small dog and breadsticks closer in relation to javelins than bread. ...No. Just No.
(2)
John N.
I went to this location for the first time on 3/29 and my experience was fantastic. My three friends and I had a little wait (~30), but we were moved in and seated promptly. Our server for the night was Melyssa. If you happen to eat at this location and receive her as a server, consider yourself lucky. She was absolutely outstanding! Melyssa was extremely nice, cheerful, responsive, and attentive. Everything was prompt with her; additionally, her demeanor was very positive. The other staff at this location were also excellent and so courteous. The service Melyssa gave my friends I has been some of the best I have ever received. I ordered the SkinnyLicious Soft Tacos with shrimp. The meal is something I would definitely order again. The three tacos were perfectly filled with the right amount of shrimp and other toppings. Additionally, the vegetables that are served on the side are great. They had just the right amount of flavor I thought. Between the service and the food, this location has more than warranted give stars. I also spoke on the phone to Charlie (I believe that's his name) who was a manager that night. The service and food was simply too outstanding to not thank someone in management. He was great on the phone and very friendly. Thank you to Melyssa, Charlie, and the entire staff for a splendid night!
(5)
Stacie G.
I love the food. Amazing cheesecake. But the service at this location is never good. Which is really disappointing.
(3)
Jordon C.
Holy jumbalaya pasta and herb-crusted salmon!!! Onion rings are the most amazing things I've ever had. Even better than a hooker licking my.... Anyway I would give it 5 starts but I'm still waiting on my cheesecake that I ordered. It is the Adams peanut butter cup fudge ripple. Hope it's as good as Helen Keller said it was in her diary.
(4)
M A.
Hibatchi steak enough said.
(4)
Darren B.
I am a fan of the cheese cake factory is business concept. A very attractive atmosphere with affordable food. The booths offer a lot of privacy. The interior design is beyond extraordinary..... I feel like I'm in the lobby of the Hilton in Houston it's quite grand. In fact I'd say if you took a grand hotel restaurant and made it larger and had itself cheesecake you would get precisely the Cheesecake Factory if you like that that's great I do. Place is very clean staff is very friendly and attractive. But they are a little bit disorganized. I called for a pick up order and it took 30 minutes and it was only a burger and I was on hold for about 8 minutes. It wasn't a busy time it was 11 o'clock in the morning. I was a little surprised. There's a lady named Kasey. Observing her multicolored nails and Super friendly attitude I became convinced she is quite rare and noteworthy. People in the service industry sometimes have an incredible amount of charisma and lift spirits of customers who visit. It's inspiring to see such socially gifted people.
(4)
John M.
They didn't have anything I asked for and the service was slow sloppy and overall terrible. I would recommend that you don't come here. After everything that you did you still charge us a ton of money. DONT COME HERE!!!!
(1)
Victor S.
Don't go here for New Year's Eve. Ordered a simple quesadilla for an appetizer and literally 20 minutes later the manager informed us that the first quesadilla was not perfect and the Executive Chef was on it. We chuckled because it shouldn't be hard to put two tortillas together with some stuff in the middle. After about 10 minutes the manager dropped off the appetizer and it was cold. We then had to send it back and with an embarrassed look the manager had to apologize yet again. The waiter was slow and did not even ask if we needed anything, we had to waive him down to get what we needed. Sure taking care of some portion of the check is good business but on New Years Eve it sure made for a terrible trip there.
(1)
Amanda G.
Like any Cheesecake Factory, it was good. This particular one did have a patio, however it was not covered but did have umbrellas. It was hot. And while the area has nice shopping, the view from the patio was a loading dock and parking lot full of cars. I had the lunch soup (baked potato), garden salad, and Asian chicken sand which. It was amazing, probably one of the best sandwiches I've had (still tasting it). The salad was just lettuce with tomatoes.
(4)
Misha S.
Is it bad that I really love the cheesecake factory? And by LOVE, i mean, I'll always, always go. I Love their novel-of-a-menu, their amazing amount of choices, their perky waiters, and their somewhat silly/mish mash decor. I even love their mountain-sized servings!! This isn't a place where you get blown away by culinary creations (though you may be wowed by the amount of whipped cream they add to your cheesecakes!). But its comfortable - I can bring all of my friends, we all find something we can like. I guess the only thing keeping it away from 5 stars is that, individually looked at, the food isn't amazing. But its good, hearty, and consistent. Also, Mmmm, cheesecake.
(4)
Caitlyn B.
I couldn't decide on a restaurant for my birthday. I needed a place that had lots of choices for all the palates in our large party. I settled on Cheesecake Factory, knowing there extremely large menu and building would satisfy both issues. I became, at first, slightly concerned by the reviews that were all over the place for this location. Then I got annoyed. Most reviews were about decor (that you don't eat) and menu size (you have to be extremely difficult to complain about TOO many choices.) so I decided to give it a shot anyway, having had excellent experiences with other locations in San Diego and Vegas. Our meal was perfect. Our party of 10 and 2 infants was sat immediately despite the after church crows (which is quite busy here in the South.) Between food allergies and picky eaters, we were not an easy group and our server Alicia handled it with ease. She was extremely attentive, but not annoying. She was quick on drink refills and ensuring we had everything we needed. Everything came out perfectly as ordered. I had a delicious piece of chocolate truffle layer cake (since I am sadly dairy intolerant at a place that specializes in cheesecake?) Overall, loved it, super happy, will be back and asking for Alicia.
(5)
Rochelle M.
Living in Austin it seems almost inappropriate to go to chain restaurants but Cheesecake Factory is just one chain I will always love. The wait can sometimes be a good 45-60 minutes but this is a perfect time to hop over to the bar and grab a wonderful mojito and appetizer! Their menu is quite large, it can feel as though you are thumbing through the pages of a extreme food catalog. They have so many options! The Louisiana chicken pasta is the best thing on the menu by far. The servers are always attentive and helpful on making menu decisions. Of course you must always top the meal off with a wondrous piece of decadent cheesecake that will not leave you with any room to breath! I personally will continue my visits to this lovely chain that never seems to let me down!
(4)
Matt P.
I have been to the Cheesecake Factory two times. The first, we had drinks and cheesecake to go. The second, we had drinks and apps. We sat at the bar both times. I had high expectations going both times due to all the hype Ive heard from friends and others. Both times we went, we had the same bartender, I believe Jackie is her name. She was attentive and fantastic both times we were there. Never a dry drink and quick with any requests we had. The cheesecake we had was "Adams Peanut Butter Fudge Ripple". Dont get me wrong, it was rich and very good, but when your namesake is such I expected life changing cheesecake, and thats not what I got. Our second trip we I wanted to try as many things as possible from the novel of a menu CF offers. We ordered small plates and apps that included the made to order guacamole, Parmesan Polenta Fries, Crispy Crab Bites, Dynamite Tempura Shrimp and Vietnamese Tacos. The guac was good and fresh, but I had to salt it 4 times before I felt like it was right. Guac is very simple, salt being one of the key ingredients. I thought it perplexing that there was little or none in ours, and at $10.95 I dont feel like a little salt is a lot to ask for. The parm polenta fries struck me as straight out of a frozen bag into a deep frier, nothing special here. The crispy crab bites had big chunks of crab in them which was nice, but they were slightly undercooked, pretty greasy and served with a side of what Im assuming was supposed to be tartar sauce. It was more like mayo with 4 peices of relish in it. The dynamite shrimp was a big let down. There was nothing dynamite about it. There was no heat anywhere in the dish and the flavors were pedestrian at best. The worst thing we had was the Vietnamese tacos. I had made it 3/4 of the way through the first one when I got to the part of the bun that was stale and hard as a rock. I didnt even attempt to eat the other two and asked to have it taken off the bill, which Jackie handled without hesitation. We took our leftovers to go, which promptly ended up in the trash as soon as we got home because I was not interested in eating any of it ever again. My model has always been to give a place two chances because anyone can have a bad day. The Cheesecake got their 2 out of me, and they will get no more unless it includes drinks at the bar only
(2)
Jeanette H.
I haven't decided if it is a blessing or a curse (or both) that I live so close to Cheesecake Factory. Even though I know the food is not healthy at all I still can't resist. I love the Adam's Peanut Butter (not sure the exact title) cheesecake. It has never disappointed me. It is heaven in the form of a slice of cheesecake. I also have enjoy the cheese quesadillas. You can't go wrong with oodles of cheese oozing out from between two tortillas. I will definitely return to this location whether it is for dine in or carry out.
(5)
Santiago R.
I went there for my first time the other day for my wife's birthday. It was nice inside, and not too long of a wait (15 mins) @ 630pm. We were seated and waited forever for someone to wait on us. When our waitress came, we ordered drinks, waited about 10 mins. She left, came back another 10 mins to see if we were ready. We said we were still looking, and as soon we said that, she started to walk away and I had to shout out "Ma'am!", because I was expecting her to offer us an appetizer. I ordered the app, another waiter brought us our food, and refills on drinks. Our app took about 10 minutes, and after about 5-10 mins of eating our app, the waitress comes to our table and says, " Let me get this app out your way" and starts to walk away again. I shouted at her and said we were ready to order. Wow. She takes the order, the food comes out by yet another waiter, and we eat. At the end, she doesn't offer dessert, and so we asked for a dessert menu, because after all, this is cheesecake factory, and we had told the waitress it was a special day. We get some cheesecake to share and they bring us the plate with a candle. All in all, it was an okay dining experience, but come to find out, they were supposed to bring us bread (in the beginning), and the service really sucked! Not very impressionable for me, it being my first time; not very impressionable for my wife, it being her damn birthday. I feel let down, and after tipping a large amount, feel ripped off. Good thing there are a lot of other restaurants in Austin is all I have to say. And I won't have to drop damn near $100 to be treated with mediocre service.
(2)
Aaron K.
First time at this location wait wasn't bad at all food was really good. My daughter had the club & loved it, my son had the kids pizza & liked it (but what kid doesn't like pizza), the wifey had the jambalaya pasta as it's her normal favorite, & I had the seared tuna tataki salad which was delicious (besides the tomatoes that had been sitting out too long & were sqishy & nasty hehe). All in all great great food & great service
(5)
Liza K.
Cheesecake Factories always remind me of Vegas. With all the ornate grandiose decor and big American portions it's kinda hard not to. I confess: I never really feel good about myself after eating here. But I can't fault Cheesecake factory for that. Though if you're feeling the need...this is definitely a pig out place. Portions are generous, things are prepared right, service is excellent! The menu is ridiculously long. Prepare to read a novel. This is good and bad. Good, why? well they have great options and you'll be sure to find something for everyone here, and Bad you say? if your to the point of starving then the menu is your enemy. So best to have a plan of attack if you plan to eat here. I'm not a fan of cheesecake but, I hear those who DO like cheesecake LOVE theirs. And if your not a cheesecake lover then there are other sweets to pick from. I am a fan of the lemonchello cake. This place is a great happy medium, but definitely not a place I can eat at every week.
(3)
Jasmit K.
Awful food... Hair in the cheesecake.. way too expensive for the service levels... They wouldnt even get us bread until we placed our order while waiting for the rest of our party to arrive Not worth the visit at all
(1)
Emily G.
Overrated. The service is horrible and we only drop by for the cheesecake. THE ONE THING THEY CAN GET RIGHT!
(1)
Dale S.
Has to be one of the best places in Austin to eat a quality meal with friends and family. The setting is typical, but intimate at best and quality food.
(4)
Leo S.
Always a good place to eat. Food portions are HUGE and the cheesecake is even larger! This is definately a place recommended by me. In moderation is the key at this place.
(4)
tim v.
Today was my first time at Cheesecake Factory. I'd never been there before because I always thought the best thing they had was cheesecake. On to the review. Very expansive menu got me thinking "well, what are you good at?" So I just ordered a burger. It was good, albeit with special sauce, which I asked they not add - so that irritated me a bit. The reason for 3 stars is that I just didn't feel welcome. If I'm going to spend $13 for a burger and $20 for salmon I expect the hosts and wait staff to at least pretend to be happy and act like they want to do a good job. The workers just looked like robots, as if they were just going through the motions. Our orders took forever and my burger was wrong, but in the end, its the customer service that sucked.
(3)
Aaryn P.
This particular CcF is dramatically beautiful - inside and out. Unfortunately, the meals, (mainly) ho-hum service and general experience did not match the grand decor of the place. We came in for lunch today and were seated right away which was a plus. Our waiter came by a few minutes later and took our drink order. In true CcF fashion, it took us about 15-20 minutes to pour over the exhaustingly huge menu. Our waiter came back and took our order - we had: 2 Pizza/Salad Lunch Specials 1 Wild Mushroom Bread 1 Order of Sliders 1 Order TexMex Eggrolls Everything came out fairly quickly and the food was alright. So, what was my big problem here? For some reason, our waiter had memory problems, and unfortunately they were directed towards one particular person in our party. This person initially ordered coffee. When he was done with his coffee the waiter came over and asked him if he wanted a refill, and he said, "No, but I think I'll switch to Coke." We waited for that Coke... the waiter even came back and refilled everyone else's drinks without bringing that Coke or re-asking the person if they wanted anything else to drink. So, someone had an extra water, and they gave it to that person... but there was no straw. The same guy asks the waiter for a straw...and we wait for the straw...and wait. His girlfriend finally had to ask a second time for a straw. It was just a little wtf, that's all. Anyways... I'd give this place 3 stars for A-Ok because..ehh it was anything special, but it was alright...but the service needs to improve before I add that third star. Meh, I've had better service.
(2)
Adam R.
I've never been here before. I feel indifferent to this place. I called them once and they did not seem interested in my cat's medical issues. They told me not to call again. A very generous two stars to you sir!
(2)
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Address :10000 Research Blvd,Suite 4602
Austin, TX, 78759
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner, Dessert Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Ann H.
My husband and I went for lunch on a Monday. We waited 10 minutes for our water to come out, another 10 minutes for the waiter to take our order, and then 30 minutes for our food to come out. I ordered the Chicken Avocado sandwich. My cheese wasn't melted and it was cold!!! I also needed a new fork because mine was dirty...it still had food left on it. It took us over 90 minutes for lunch. Doubt we will ever be back.
(1)Cam B.
They don't call this the Cheesecake Factory for nothing. The selection in cheesecake had me floored as far as every type of food on the menu you could possibly think of ranging from Mexican, to Italian to seafood etc... I had the White Chicken Chili which was really delicious with a slight kick to it that didn't overpower the dish. For dessert we had the Kahlua coffee chocolate cheesecake which was chocolatey without chocolating you out. I found it to be a really nice balance. The service was wonderful, the waitress was fun, and the meals were good portion sizes for what you pay.
(5)Julia D.
Really wish we had discovered this place a long time ago! It was delicious. I had the Chicken Di Pana and it was very tasty and satisfying. The portion was very large as well. I love their breads and the service was excellent! I didn't catch our gal's name but we came about 2 weeks ago around dinner time Sunday evening. We will definitely be back to try the desserts!
(5)Megan M.
Humongous Place, humongous menu, humongous portions- yet sometimes humongous doesn't always equal the best. What is somewhat spiffy about the Cheesecake Factory: -They're always very accomodating of large groups. I typically head in here with groups of around 20 or so for birthdays, bachleorette parties, etc. Rarely do I come in here with one other person or even just my family. -There's something on the menu for everyone- and I mean everyone.... UNLESS you're on a diet (even the salads have ridiculous amounts of cals in them). -The food isn't half bad and you'll definitely end up taking some home with you. The appetizers are generous for your party and they also have complementary bread for your table. What isn't so spiffy: -The service is kind of iffy. Some days you might get good service, others not so much. For every 2 good servers I've encountered, I've had at least 1 bad one. One time especially is etched in my brain where I went with just one other person one Sunday evening and we were put in an area all by ourselves and it almost seemed at times that our waiter completely forgot us since there were no other people around. When he'd come over, it'd seem like a big deal to him that we kind of lost our appetite and just wanted to leave pronto. I've also had instances in larger groups where the waiters kind of disappear for a while and we have to flag some other waiter down to bring more bread/get a refill/get a menu for a late party, whatever. -The wait time. Unless you have some kind of reservation, you can expect to wait anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour. What's nice, though, is that if you're there solely for the cheesecake, you can grab a slice and head out at their little cheesecake case. -The menu can be absolutely daunting for the unprepared- and in a large group, there's always somebody who has no idea what they want. At 200+ menu items, it just makes things that much harder for that person to figure out. -I guess it is just a personal peeve of mine, but I don't like that they box up your leftovers for you. Maybe that's just a fancy thing and I'm crazy, but I'm just not a fan of having someone else box up my plate. So overall, the Cheesecake Factory seems much more about the experience itself than the quality of the food- which is all right. If I had to recommend something, I'd say the calimari and the orange chicken are pretty good. You'll pay a premium, but you will get a lot of food for the deal.
(3)Sunny P.
Very disappointed with the food and wait time for food. Our server was nice but it took her forever to bring stuff back to the table for us and it was only a two top. The chicken Alfredo had no taste to it!! At 18. Bucks a plate I would think it would be top notch. Then the steak n shrimp plates u get like 3 shrimp and about 4 pieces of small cut up steak for 21. Bucks unbelievable the biggest portion on that plate was the mashed potatoes..I think I'll take my money else where now the water was about the only thing good n fresh here tonight. 50 bucks down the drain but a lesson learned!!!!
(1)Van D.
It was okay. I would have expected the price to be a lot less for the taste of the food. On their defense, I did get the brown rice with my seafood dish. My mom's brown rice is so soft and good, any other place's brown rice taste harsh and tough in comparison. As I love all cheesecakes, I can't complain. But I probably won't pay $7 for a slice of cheese cake here again.
(3)Nancy P.
This is my second time at CF but I can't really count the first time. I was ill the first time so I don't remember what I ate even though it was only three small bites. It was the flu and not food poisening. So BF and I get seated immediately in the bar. We were told we couldn't have a table as they are reserved for a party of Teachers. Okay, so we sit at one of the Hightop tables. Not my favorites as I can't stand having my feet dangle and not touch the floor. This is a short person phoebia. The party next to us had two Hi-Tops together and kept ordering different Appys. BF and I looked at their Appys to see what looked good. Our waitress comes over and introduces herself. Her name is Melissa, and she pronounces it ME - lis-sa and not Mel-lisa. Okay, to each his own. BF gets his normal margarita and I try the JW Pink Lemonaide (Thanks to Cat T.) I enjoyed my drink but they did put a lot of ice in it. It was tangy and the raspberry flavor was promanate. The appetitizers we ordered arrived. It filled our Hi-Top. The Fried calamari was front and center, the Chicken Pot stickers in the back and the Crispy Crab Wontons right in front of me. So, of course, I dive into the Crab wontons. Be careful, these bad boys are HOT, I mean temperature HOT. Burnt my damm mouth on the cheese. More cautiously, I take a second bit. Creamy, the crab can be tasted, dipping sauce was sweet and spicy. Not bad at all. Onward to the calamari, and was very pleasantly surprised. They tasted good. They must have seasoned the batter as you didn't really need the tartar or cocktail sauces. Finally the pot stickers, interesting. It was like a small chicken meatball inside of dough. The filling was seasoned ground chicken and it was full of flavor but I loved the soy and ginger sauce with it. Of course we didn't finish so the To-Go containers are requested. BF said the calamari would be good as leftovers. He was only half right. They still tasted good but also became chewy. Oh, I forgot to mention, they serve you a free bread basket with some french bread and a dark whole grain bread. At this point we are stuffed but I remember Errol M. writing about a piece of Heaven on Earth. I talk BF into ordering a Chocolate Truffle cake to go. It was about an hour after we got home that I served this jewel. OMG, orgasmic. The moaning, the lip licking, the drooling, the come hither eyes, and the mouthful of creamy joy. YES, YES, YES, oh, thank you Errol.
(4)Sandra O.
We've been coming here for a few years now but this last time was a total disappointment. Drinks were good and service was okay. I asked our server if the cooks deveined the shrimp and he said yes. Well my shrimp was not deveined and to me that's totally gross. I come to find out the next day that my mother's and brother's salad had hair in it. They didn't complain b/c we were celebrating my birthday. One thing I will point out is if they are going to automatically add gratuity to the bill then their servers need to be trained on menu items and actually earn their gratuity and not to rely on others to do their dirty work...and come back with a bs smile with check at the end of the meal knowing they're getting a tip regardless!!!!
(1)Too Cool For School G.
BULLET POINTS: - Far too expensive considering their now only-okay food - Snotty and frigid morons on staff, almost exclusively - WONDERFUL tropical iced tea (if they still have it) - Excellent (if vastly overpriced) cheesecake - NOT WORTH THE COST OR THE WAIT Flashback to 2005. I was newly transplanted to our first apartment in Austin, hubby's lifetime home minus his stint in the Air Force. While looking for a nice place to celebrate our move, we came upon the Cheesecake Factory. We went in with our two children, and proceeded to have the most expensive meal we had ever eaten in our married lives. But it was worth every single PENNY! The food was incredible, the tea was amazing, and the service was exceptional. And that was then. Flash forward to 2007, the last time I set foot inside what I have come to refer to as the Asshole Factory. I had just gotten off of work, and our tax refund had come in that afternoon. Naturally, we were all very hungry and looking to enjoy a great meal as a family. We met up with my sister in law there at 4:30 in the afternoon on a Tuesday, and were greeted by a surprisingly large crowd of folks waiting to be seated. We were told that the wait for a table would be about 30 minutes, which we deemed acceptable. So we sat down. And as we sat, the crowd around us dwindled slowly. Then, folks started showing up who were arriving more than 20 minutes after us. Guess who got seated right away without a reservation? EVERYONE who arrived after we did! Since our 30-minute wait had elapsed, we went back to question the frigid bitch of a hostess who had quoted us that wait time. She said that it was getting to be peak time, and was probably going to be over 20 more minutes. (In spite of the fact that the assholes who got there less than 5 minutes ago, with parties the same size as or larger than ours, were being seated ahead of us? Yeah.) We had waited for an hour when I finally got super pissed off and demanded to see the manager. The manager said that we should have made a reservation when showing up at peak times. When I informed him that peak times didn't include 4:30 in the afternoon, he got that snooty "I think I would know" look on his face and pretty much dismissed us entirely. (At least, that was the vibe I got from his turning around and walking away before I was finished talking to his sorry ass.) I turned to hubby and told him that we were leaving. Made sure the hostess was watching as I smashed that stupid pager to shreds and tossed it in the garbage. Went across the parking lot to Serrano's and had a much more palatable meal in less time than we had waited to be seated at the Asshole Factory. Don't waste your time...they wouldn't know customer service if it kicked them in their holier-than-thou asses. (And oh, how I wish it would!!!!)
(1)Jennifer Y.
There are many of these places all over the US but this one in particular has a really cozy feel to it. The workers are really "Austiny" type of people and they put a little bit of their character in everything that they do here. They make suggestions that seem sincere!! My date for the evening happened to be a vegetarian and our waiter brought over a "vegetarian expert waiter" to make suggestions and recommendations on entree's that we could substitute ingredients for the meat and etc!! What an awesome staff they have here. Thank you!!
(5)Chad S.
The avocado egg rolls are to die for and the chocolate tuxedo cream cheesecake is simply heavenly! The grilled chicken tostada salad is more than enough for two people and is pretty good. Service is excellent and the building and bathrooms are very clean. Only down side is the price, but I'd still highly recommend it for a nice date night spot.
(5)Christian H.
Despite good company, this place was a bit underwhelming. The menu appears like a Greek diner menu (pages and pages) till you realize half of it is advertisements. That said they have a huge menu, and I'm told some items are better than others. The atmosphere is a bit odd. Low lighting the floods every corner of the room and high ceilings with weird faux architecture. The light is supposed to be intimate and romantic I suppose, but it just makes it hard to see in a weird dusky sort of way. I had a spicy chicken sandwich with buffalo sauce. Very nice cuts of chicken and good lettuce, but beyond that the sandwich was just so so. The fries that came with it were laughable, but the waitress did warn me about that. At my companions urging I tried the avocado egg rolls. I'm a fan of fusion but abhor fusion-for-fusion's-sake things, and this reeked of it. Luckily I was pleasantly surprised. The filling had great flavor and the wrappers were chewy and tasty. The tamarind/cumino sauce with them was quite nice too! Lastly the cheese cake, for which the place takes it's name, was pretty mediocre. Nice presentation, but too stretchy. I prefer creamy to the cheesiness. It wasn't bad, but not revolutionary, and nothing to make me want to come back just for this, their "specialty." One good note, the waitstaff was very nice and helpful (and opinionated, I like that!) so bonus points there. This place isn't fantastic, I wouldn't go so far as to call it good. But it's definitely not bad. I had a chicken
(3)Mina G.
I have visited this place on and off since it opened here, and this location has always given me horrible waitstaff. Another horrible moment was when I phoned in a to-go order and had someone go pick it up after fifteen minutes had passed, forty five minutes later and numerous phone calls from me trying to find out what happened to my disappearing food, I told him to just come home. We gave the place one last shot last month, the service was so horrible we went ahead and left before ordering our meals. Calls to management have seemingly fallen on deaf ears, they just didn't care about our business I guess. Several times I have been brought undercooked chicken, and once I had to return my bolognese pasta due to a sand-like crunchiness that was due to some error the management explained to me, although I've forgotten the reason. Funny thing was when I had mentioned the texture the response of my waiter and the staff was dubious and even patronizing until I made them taste it. Like I would complain for the fun of it. The carabonara pasta is too dry, the meatloaf doesn't taste like meatloaf per say, and while I love some lemon raspberry cream cheesecake, I don't feel it's worth $9 a slice. (the puree is extra)
(2)Gus S.
The food was great, as usual and as expected. The service is what really set this meal apart. Near the end of the meal, my wife asked about "the song" and Alex told her - "we don't have a song, but we DID write you a poem!" He then proceeded to read a nifty little poem about teaching Amy, having fun and serving us. It totally capped the meal and service experience, and it did SO many other things. I wish I could get it and post it here. Alex, if you ever read this and still have it... Alex showed Amy that having fun with customers is ok, even acceptable. I've trained trainers for years and would hire him to train in one of my own organizations. He led by example, and also gently allowed Amy to do her job, albeit still only her first day in the "real" world. Amy shined as well, being very honest and personable, chatting with us about whatever we asked openly and candidly. They got the order right, gave us suggestions, and didn't make any strange judgments about us sharing - not always the case, by the way. Of course, I have no idea how a single human could eat that much food... but that is another posting.
(4)Kerri B.
Definitely not worth the money or the wait
(1)T S.
Awesome food! Incredible atmosphere! Pretty reasonably priced for the portions! I love this place!
(5)Nathan S.
I've heard about this place so many times, I finally decided to give it a go. No bueno, translation, not good. The steak was extremely tough, the jambalya had noodles......really.....noodles? Rice is the norm with Jambalya, just ask BJ's Brewery...haha. Friendly service, below average food though. AND....what's up with the wait staff wearing all white? Maybe I'm just not experienced in the ways of Cheesecake. You be the judge.
(2)Sajang Y.
This place serves horrible food. Once I ordered Angel hair with Shrimp, and the dish was cold and the sauce was not enough to mix with the pasta. The pasta became a big chunk and barely edible. I won't go again.
(2)Jeanie D.
**disclaimer** i'm not writing about the service. i'm not writing about the prices. these are my staples, if/when i eat a meal here- although i usually hit them up just for dessert. i do always glance at the menu to give other/new items a chance, but there was never a chance. i love what i love. apps: -thai lettuce wraps. portions are so large, this alone can be your meal. it seems healthy enough, although i think it's safe to assume nothing at a place called "cheesecake factory" can be healthy. -chopped salad. seriously large even in appetizer size. seriously refreshing. apples, avocado, tomato, corn, chicken (hold the blue cheese and bacon, for me please) -sweet corn tamale cakes. delish! perfect variations of textures and flavors swimming around in here. entrees: -chicken marsala. (not for those who don't like mushrooms b/c they're plentiful in this dish) -thai lettuce wraps. (see above) -chopped salad. (see above) desserts: -stefanie's ultimate red velvet cheesecake. sometimes the cake layers are thinner than the cheesecake layers (boo) but still amazing and moist. -linda's fudge cake. the cake is oh so chocolate-y and moist. perfect with extra whip. the frosting is a bit much, but scrapes off easily. if only they'd replace the layers of frosting with whipped cream instead... -chocolate tuxedo cream cheesecake. my former flame, into my black book you go since you still cross my mind every now and then. **disclaimer** i have no idea who stefanie or linda are, but they're brilliant. i've traded in the one with the tuxedo and have found amazing replacements. it seems i have crossed over to the other side, and let me tell you, it's GOOD!!
(5)Kyle P.
Good food as always and decent service...almost always busy.
(4)Vanessa B.
This place is the result of letting teenagers run amok as "managers". We came here one night when I had a hankering for cheesecake. We walked in and were aurally assaulted by Top 20 hits bellowing out from the sound system. If it's too loud you're to old? I'm too old. Music in a restaurant should be a backdrop, not the main event. We got a table and asked our server if they could turn the music down a little. Honestly, it was that loud, I'm not some crusty old lady; we had a hard time hearing each other across the table. It never happened, so we actually left, and my exact thought was, "Eek! Methinks not."
(1)John B.
I'm probably alone in this but I don't care about decor or menu marketing. I go to a restaurant to eat. I don't go to be seen, site see, because it is trendy or what is hot. I go to eat. I want good food and I want what I pay for. I hate french/european poser places with micro portions and astronomical prices. I've eaten in those places and this is not one of them. If that is your thing then this is not for you. If I go to a place more than once it is because I like the food and I get my money's worth. As others have said here the portions are huge. Yes the menu is full of advertisements. I don't eat menus, I don't pay attention to the ads. I have yet to find a restaurant that I could eat the decor, so guess what else I don't care about. The service is great and I don't mind paying for it. The food here is superb. I love the "SPICY AHI TEMPURA ROLLS". I recommend the "PEAR AND ENDIVE SALAD". Give the "MISO SALMON" a try you will not be disappointed. I like the "SHEPHERD'S PIE", but it is not done in a traditional style, but is tasty none the less. I cannot over recommend the "HIBACHI STEAK" with the Wasabi Mashed Potatoes. The Sunday brunch is a wonderful experience. The cheesecakes are very good to excellent and how I first experienced The Cheesecake Factory through their mail order service.
(5)Ian A.
The Cheesecake Factory at the Arboretum is not a place you want to spend much time in - not only is it nearly always crowded and loud, but if you're here too often you may end up looking like one of the many sad, alone, and very overweight individuals who come here to dine in solitude. If the previous didn't depress you as much as it depressed me, or if you can overcome that image, go in with a friend and split an entree. The food really is good, although I can't vouch for everything on the 871-page menu, and the portions are almost disgustingly large. Follow that up by sharing a slice of cheesecake - yet again, I can't vouch for all 41 of them. If you can't get past the depressitude of the over-stylized architecture (including the faux-Roman inscription "MAX OCC. 444"), and the sad overindulgence of the patrons, just walk directly to the cheesecake counter to your left and order a slice or two to go, and kick it in the Barnes and Noble next door.
(3)brook s.
if i ever come to power, this chain will be the first to fall. cheesecake factory is unfortunate. two of its locations ate two of my favorite places (arbor theater, and orange julius), and the times that i have eaten here were lackluster in the extreme. there is so much other food in austin, ever north-west austin, that there is no excuse for anyone eating here.
(1)Laura D.
Good service , great food! Couldn't have been happier with our meal and service.
(4)Rob M.
The Wal-Mart of restaurants. I would like to castrate the person who came up with the idea for The Cheesecake Factory. The menu has advertisements in it? When looking at a menu I don't want to find an ad for limo rentals. Obviously, this place caters to people who like crap and may need to find a limo rental when dining. Cavernous interior, menu way too big to do anything very well.
(1)Ruth D.
I was craving cheesecake so I was excited to see that Austin had a Cheesecake Factory. It was about dinner time and my baby had just woken up in a bad mood 'cause she was hungry. We were told it would be a 30 min wait and well.. that is like thirty years in my baby's world so that didn't work. We went somewhere else to eat ,but we did come back to get a cheesecake to take home for Mama! Ok, so there's a cheesecake counter specifically for getting cheesecakes to go and it took freakin 20 minutes to get 2 cheesecakes! No what pissed me off was the portion. I paid $16 for 2 freakin cheesecake slices and it was so small and soggy. wtf! I know damn well the portions are twice as big than what I was sold. I used to go to the Cheesecake Factory in Hawaii all the time when I was preggers with my daughter! The Cheesecake Factory in Hawaii is bigger and busier and yet I got my cheesecake in less then 5 min.
(1)David Z.
I love the place because it's so goofy. Faux Egyptian mixed with Art Deco. A real caravansery. I asked a waiter what kind of decor he thought it was and he said, "Maybe Gothic." Ah yes. The portions are huge, so it makes sense only if you are going to take half of it home or share it. If you're taking guests, it's awkward (especially if they're from out of town). Some of the entrees are fun. Maybe it's best just to go for a slice of cheesecake and a cup of coffee. The variety boggles the mind.
(3)Stacy S.
I went to the Cheesecake Factory for the first time last Friday during the day. My friend had been there before. We had the avocado egg rolls, they were out of this world! The sauce was delicious.....I ordered the Shepherd's Pie...it was wonderful...I got the lunch portion and it was a big serving. I took half of it home and enjoyed it the next day! My friend had the corn tamales and liked them a lot. It is a bit expensive so couldn't go there often but what a treat!
(4)Kristen V.
I have been to this place many times and always enjoyed the food and felt satisfied at the end of the meal. I love their Thai Lettuce Wraps, Chicken Madeira, Strawberry Lemonade, and of course the Cheesecakes. I've been here many times and only had one server that I didn't like so most of the servers were good. I also have ordered to pick-up and the food was ready to go when I got there and they provided lots of napkins and forks with it. The reason I'm giving this place 4 stars was because of the front lobby and lack of seating. Every time I want to eat here I have to make sure it's not during the busy hours because wait times are very long and there's never any seating in the front waiting area. They don't have enough available seating in the waiting area and you see a lot of people having to stand around invading each other's personal space for 30 minutes or more. Lots of people are forced to wait outside in the heat because inside is too crowded which is especially terrible and frustrating when you have kids. If their lobby was bigger and more accommodating then this place would definitely get 5 stars. I think it's impossible this will ever get fixed because it's already made the way it is. For future Cheesecake Factory restaurants they should make a more spacious front entrance with lots of seating since this is a popular place to eat. I hope they make a second one here in Austin.
(4)John W.
Very disappointed with the take out person this past weekend. I called in to get a blue cheese blt burger (the only thing that really sounded good to me - been craving it for a while), which they apparently no longer have on the menu. I attempted to ask if they could just get a bacon burger and add blue cheese (clearly they have bacon and blue cheese there) - I would have paid any up charge for this - but before I could suggest this, I was repeatedly told they don't have it. The person on the other line seemed rude and was less than interested in taking my order... So I promptly ended the phone call. Very disappointed. I realize this was a Saturday night, but it was about 9:30 pm (or a little after) and not during the rush. I guess I was expecting too much - I previously worked in a restaurant where the motto was "the answer is yes - what is the question?" Guess I shouldn't expect wonders from a chain, but I expected more from TCF. I won't be back to this location.
(1)Melissa C.
We waited for 1 1/2 hours to be seated. We were told it was a 20-30 min wait. The whole ordeal was very frustrating; they do not allow reservations. Since it was my sons birthday we chose to wait instead of ruin the evening. We finally get seated and get our food. My boyfriend was enjoying his meal when he suddenly began choking and hacking. Surprisingly, there was a silver dollar size piece of paper hidden in his mashed potatoes. Overall, we left unsatisfied and pretty grossed out too. We likely will not be returning.
(1)Holmes S.
Everyone is bashing this place.. One person complained of a huge family in front of them taking a long time to order a cheese cake.. this has nothing to do with the restaurant. One person complained that they felt ill the next day because they ate so much... this is your own fault for being a greedy cow. The rest are complaining that it is a chain. They are probably writing this on their Apple laptops in Starbucks. If chains bother you, don't eat in them! Big chains are surviving because people are eatting there! Ok, now for my review! The portions are huge, the food takes pretty good. Yes there are Ads in the menu, which is a little weird. Taking one star off for that. I had shepherds pie which was good, but of course not near English standards. I enjoyed it.
(4)Lawrence L.
you know, i'd forgotten how much i liked the cheesecake factory. it's an easy place to forget, with so many other fine establishments in austin. also it's not a very *cool* type of place to go to. for example, if in conversation you mention to a foodie of higher taste that you went to the cheesecake factory for dinner last night you would 8 times out of 10 receive in return a look of derision and pity. just because it's a chain. i say forget the h8rs. the prices are fair, the portions are huge, and it's tasty! so it might be loaded with oil and fat. don't go every night. if you're me you order the iced tea, it's sooo good. i like it because it's strong and not bitter. this time i ordered something i'd never had before: i don't remember the name, but it was basically two pieces of chicken piccata topped with prosciutto served over a linguini covered with alfredo sauce. it was delicious. the prosciutto wasn't mind-blowingly good (to be expected) but it wasn't terrible either. it was a very satisfying meal to have with 8 other friends on a late sunday night (bonus points! open til 11pm on sunday!) because i could go at my pace since the dish was so large there was no way i was going to finish. so i guess the answer to the question "how can you go to the cheesecake factory and not order cheesecake" can be answered with "if the entree is really really large".
(4)Lenny S.
i couldn't believe it... i ordered 2 pieces of cheesecake to go... they gave me two little slices... really little... and they wanted $17!!!! ----- this is robbery!!!!!!!!!!!!
(2)Edward P.
Good salad, great soup and bread. Huge portions and the cheese came was a little overwhelming with choice. Nice server.
(4)Nicole J.
The food is to die for. If you have never been the Cheesecake Factory literally has a menu the size of a book. They have something for every price range, everything is delicious, and everything is a really good size so you always get your moneys worth. The decor is beautiful with some of the highest ceilings I have ever seen and the staff is always so friendly. We went their on Mother's Day and our waiter was attentive, had great suggestions for food and when we mentioned coming there for our rehersal dinner he immediately went and spoke to the manager and got a card for us. I have always loved this place and for good reason. And no matter how full you are, get some cheesecake, even to go. You wont regret it. Even "non cheesecake people" love their cheesecake. AMAZING.
(5)John P.
We ended up at Cheesecake Factory because we wanted to goto Barnes and Nobles next door and I couldn't find my way out of the parking lot maze so we settled for Cheesecake Factory. Not to say Cheesecake Factory is bad, just not what we intended on. So when we first sat down we got a very grumpy waitress. She brought our water and then she disappeared. 5 minutes later we got a much cheerier waitress who took our order and got use some of that delicious table bread. The bread we got was probably the best I've ever had at a Cheesecake factory. So we ordered lunch salads and they eventually arrived. My wife got the Market salad which she's had many times at other cheesecake factories. Unfortunately when it arrived it looked like a used salad. Most of the greens were wilted and it looked like most of the good bits had been picked over. It was really a bit disgusting. My chopped salad was very good however. So we spoke to the manager and he gladly removed the salad from the bill and offered us free desert but we declined. His very generous solution and willingness to fix thing is why they get 3 stars instead of 2, because the food alone would have gotten 2. You should never let a salad like the one my wife got leave the kitchen, it was just gross looking.
(3)Dolph M.
+5 stars for strawberry cheesecake. -10 stars for everything else. +6 stars because -5 stars isn't an option.
(1)Bobbyray D.
I would sell your whole family on the black market just to eat here for a month... the food is intoxicating the dessert intensely soothing and decadent on your palete.... again i say." Yes ! I would indeed i will... and watch your ass, cause i will gag you and sell you and the cash will go to an amazing meal at cheese cake factory
(5)m l.
High prices, average food, below average cheesecake - that pretty much sums up this place. In my view, a place that has cheesecake in its name damn better have the best cheesecake in town ; well this place certainly doesn't. the cheesecake portions are SMALL, the texture not firm enough and the prices are HIGH. As for menu items, all the things i have eaten have been average in quality and high in price. lots and lots and lots of better places to eat in austin than this chain.
(2)Zafa R.
Date of First Visit: June 27, 2008 Some restaurants have a good, solid dependability. You go and know that whatever you will order will come out a certain way. Call it blandness, generic, whatever. We all have a hankering for these restaurants now and again. The Cheesecake Factory is such a restaurant. It is a very well-known national chain of restaurants. Well, it's more well known for its huge portions (and some might say, their cheesecakes) than for groundbreaking, nouveau cuisine. Although their portions are usually enough to feed a small army, they don't come cheap. I hadn't been to a Cheesecake Factory in about a year, so I decided to go check out the only one in town, which unfortunately means trekking to the Arboretum area. I wasn't very hungry and wanted something light, so I ordered the Thai Lettuce Wraps appetizer. There was definitely more than enough! My dining companion ordered the spicy and crispy chicken sandwich. We were both really satisfied with our meals, and ended by sharing the tiramisu (the actual cake, not the cheesecake). It definitely was a "pick me up" of a dessert! We went on a Friday night, so predictably, there was a wait, although it was bearable. As far as restaurants go, I don't think you can go wrong, as the Cheesecake Factory offers so many options on their menu that you're bound to find something you like. Again, my only caveat is that this is not cheap dining by any means. I have dined at other locations (mostly in Boston where I used to live) and tried the bar menu. All the appetizers are priced (and portioned) less. It's a great way to try all their appetizers without spending too much. I've had dinners for under $10 just by taking advantage of their bar menu, which is usually from 4:00-6:00pm on weekdays.
(4)Steve L.
Quick review: I'll probably update this again after future visits, but this is based on 4 of us stopping by for some appetizers in the mid-afternoon on Sunday. First of all, the 3-star rating is based on what others had in our group. Also, the excellent service helped bring up my rating decision. As anybody who has visited can validate, the restaurant is clean, neat and comfortable. So...what did I have that pulled the score down? I had the "Factory Nachos with Spicy Chicken" Yeah, I know..."what were you thinking having nachos at a Cheesecake Factory?" However, this was the listing on the menu that caught my eye and the recommendation by the waiter that these are not your "average nachos" with cheese sauce, etc. Little did I know that, indeed, these were not average...they were well below average. Chips were plentiful although moderately stale; toppings were meager...including the "spicy chicken" which added ~$1.50 to the cost. Shortening the story: Don't order these...stick with other options. On positive side, one of our party ordered the "Tex Mex Eggrolls" and thoroughly enjoyed them. The other two split an order of Fish Tacos and also raved about them. Believe it or not...none of us had cheesecake. We could have gone to Sorrento's across the parking lot and a) saved money and b) had the same or better Mexican appetizers. As noted above, I'll update this review after our next "true" visit to the CF.
(3)london k.
Ditto to everything Brandon B, and Carlos C. said, why is this place even in arboretum? the place does look very nice, and service is good. 3 stars.
(3)Tri N.
So Its been a few days since i've last written a review, No i didn't starve to death, its just hard to write a good bad review sometimes. On top of that i've been on a lean diet so i don't expect places to have the best steamed spinach or egg whites and asparagus. Anywho, me and 19 others went to cheesecake factory to celebrate a bday. It was great that the manager was able to find us a table within 30 mins. The server was off the hook. But one thing that i really feel about the place is that the food is mediocre. Paying for good food isn't a problem, I mean it was edible but theres no "wow" factor. For a place that prizes themselves so much i would think they would at least have better food than cheddars but i guess i'll continue the disappointment until someone else decides to have a event here. All in all, its hard to avoid Cheesecake factory because of its name, and great cheesecake, but don't set high expectations it'll ruin the night.
(3)R. W.
The food was so bland, even the "signature" dish was flavorless..... The prices were steep for the crappy flavor. Yeah you get huge portions for the price but when it sucks that's twice as much food I'll have to force myself to eat. 10 mins after leaving with my leftovers the smell alone was making me nauseous I threw it in the trash outside Barnes and Noble. Take a lesson from Robert Irvine- scale down the menu and make the remaining dishes delicious. This is the LAST time I eat there.
(1)Anna S.
I'm a fan. Apparently some people here aren't. The service is great. As with all the Cheesecake Factory restaurants, the waiters/waitresses will wear white to show that they are hiding nothing. Any food stains can be easily seen I suppose, but here's the other catch. The lights are generally annoyingly dim, so even with a white uniform, I still wouldn't be able to see any food stains. Nevertheless, the servers are super friendly and make sure they get you what you want. One of the complaints here is that the food is really expensive, but honestly I think it is a reasonable deal because Cheesecake Factory provides you with so much. If you can't afford it, then share the dish with one other person and split the check. If you're still hungry, you can munch on the complimentary bread and butter. And let's not forget to order dessert. The Cheesecake Factory makes so many different delicious, mouth-watering cheesecakes. I usually choose the fruity ones. Overall, I would completely recommend coming here, especially if you like cheesecake.
(4)Arnie K.
not bad
(3)Tiffany W.
The Cheesecake Factory is like the maintenance guy you hire to do your plumbing, rewire your house, fix the shingles on the roof, do some landscaping in the front yard, repair the A/C, and put in the tile. He's able to do a lot, but isn't especially good at repairing any one thing in particular. The "menu" at TCF is better deemed a novel as they offer everything under the sun, from asian to italian, and pizzas to tacos. On the upside: Bring on the large parties! They're bound to have something to please everyone in the group. My favorites at TCF: - The (complimentary) pumpernickle and sourdough (??) bread with butter. This stuff is GOOD y'all. So good there is actually a facebook group dedicated to how delicious it is. I know the portions at TCF are ginormous and you want to save room for cheesecake too... but don't forget about the bread! - Calimari: Crunchy, crispy, and chewy! Plus, they give you TWO dipping sauces -- cocktail sauce & a mayo-based garlic sauce - Bang Bang Chicken & Shrimp: A spicy Thai-inspired dish with curry, peanuts, and toasted coconut served with white rice chicken and shrimp. - Red Velvet Cheesecake: A layer of cheesecake sandwiched between two layers of red velvet cake... need I say more?? NOM NOM NOM Service is always spectacular and the ambiance is great for dates and celebrations. My only complaint: the average/uninspired entrees due to the sheer quantity of items they offer. It's about QUALITY not quantity, TCF!
(3)Leslie H.
I've been to this Cheesecake Factory multiple times over the past several years. I've never been overly fond of their menu, a little because it's just too damn big (that's what she said), and mostly because despite said expansive menu, nothing jumps out at me and says "eat me!" (that's what... nevermind). On our most recent trip here, which was just for dessert, I ordered my usual cheesecake, the Kahlua Cocoa Coffee Cheesecake, with brownie, Kahlua cheesecake, chocolate mousse, and chocolate ganache. I love it because I love chocolate and coffee, especially together. It's dreamy. My husband ordered the Fresh Strawberry Shortcake off of their specialty dessert menu, described as "our own shortcake topped with vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries, and whipped cream." My husband's definition of "shortcake" is angel food cake or sponge cake or something similar. This was a biscuit. He kept saying "this tastes like a biscuit" after each bite. Duh. The ice cream was tasty and super cold, like below 10 degrees cold. The strawberries were delicious, as was the whipped cream. So boo to the Cheesecake Factory for having a biscuit instead of cake in the strawberry shortcake! But kudos for being open super late during the week (11pm) for when I have a raging sweet tooth.
(3)Amy T.
Cheesecake Factory is the kind of place you have to KNOW what to order. What they make that is good, is great, everything else seems like filler to be honest. When you have a menu that is that HUGE, its hard to be great at everything. . .and u know half or more cannot be fresh. I ordered the tuna tartare the last 2 times I've been. Next time instead of an entrée I'm ordering 2 as my meal. This last visit I ordered a margarita flat bread ...it was eh. . the tomatoes were cut to thick so that's all you tasted, tomato, and it still tasted raw to me, or undercooked. The bf ordered the Navajo. no thanks, he said he'd never order that again. he said it was too big and difficult to eat. Next time he said he'd order chicken stuffed tortillas (basically quesadillas). We shared the red velvet cheesecake. never disappoints, never gets old. THIS is what they make great, and they know it. why waste calories on food and alcohol when this is about all I've enjoyed from CF. Not the drinks, not the pasta (every dish I've gotten just wasn't good), not the salads (I love cobb salad but theirs is just lettuce it felt like). And so to sum up, either or the tuna tartare, a pizza (the girl next to me had a pepperoni pizza that looked great. . .) or the cheesecake. Another thing that surprises me is the amount of people that order their own slice of cheesecake, way too much food for you to finish (which they never do) next time order just one and share. . you'll appreciate each bite even more. . :)
(4)Torie M.
Charlie the manager on duty was amazing. Our waitress was great too. They brought out food on time. Hot made fresh. We even had a misunderstanding on one of the entrees and they took it off the ticket. Just great service. Great food. Will be back!!
(4)Thomas B.
I can't believe they took the "Over the Top Meatloaf Sandwich" off the menu. It was one of the best and most unique sandwiches in town. What did they replace it with? "The Incredible Grilled Eggplant Sandwich." 'Nuff said.
(3)Danny O.
Went back for my birthday lunch and was not happy. The waitress was a snooty stuck up little brat, my cuban sandwhich was tasteless, my cheesecake was weird tasting and just was not happy in general... don't think I'll come back.
(1)Fox G.
Love the cheesecake but the cheesecake and food is pricy but I do love the cheesecake over all thx
(4)Trish C.
This place never disappoints! Huge variety on the menu, nice atmosphere, quick friendly service, and fair prices. The kale salad is quirky and delightful. Variety of bread brought out to snack on. And more flavors of cheesecake than you could everimagine!
(5)Jerry E.
BOOM goes the Cheesecake!! Went for the 1st time ever last night....ordered a Jameson on the rocks, the Warm Crab and Artichoke Dip appetizer and headed Straight for the Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake! B DAMN Son, talk about Tastebud Explosion! Everything was Delicious. The waitress Tashi was Excellent, she really knew her stuff and very friendly! I can't wait to go back and try something new!
(5)gary w.
Decent food. Decent prices. Slow irregular service. There were people lined up to get in which I don't really get. It's a slight step up from Denny's
(3)Nickie G.
You already know two things when you walk into a Cheesecake Factory. First, you will take a year to decide what you want because they have so many options. Second, you will get so much food that you cannot possibly finish it all. These are just givens. So I was surprised and pleased to notice that they have a new menu separate from the usual menu (yeah, like you need ANOTHER two pages of choices right?!). This menu is made up of smaller portioned appetizers, salads, and entrees. The waitress told us for the salads the portions were somewhere between the regular portions and the lunch portions. So still, a lot of food, but not just out of control. I opted for a salad - the Luau. It had grilled chicken, greens, cucumbers, red and yellow peppers, green beans, mangos, macadamia nuts and sesame seeds with a vinaigrette dressing. The lunch portion is what I ordered and it was just right...I had a little left over, but not a lot. Throw in a couple of pieces of their dark bread and it was a perfect light lunch. Our waitress was friendly, she was quick with the diet coke, and she gave us some good information about the menu items and sizes of those items. Overall it was an alright lunch, not bad. I don't crave the Cheesecake Factory (maybe because I don't like cheesecake) but I won't bitch too much if you want me to go to lunch with you there sometime.
(3)Melissa S.
It's a chain, so you've probably been to one before. So I don't have to tell you that the portions are gargantuan,and that you'll wait FAR too long in order to eat overpriced mediocre food. Some other things that really bother me are the ad placements in the menu, and well, the menu in general. Especially the fact that the menu would be better classified as a short novel. I dislike anywhere that adamantly refuses to do half-portions. What a rip.
(1)Cody R.
This place is good, but I have a few complaints. First, the menu is too large, it has at least 10 pages of options which is too difficult to read through. Also, the portions are ridiculous.... then they expect you to order Cheese Cake? They might as well attatch defibrillators to the end of the tables. Also, since you are at a place titles "Cheesecake Factory" you HAVE to order Cheesecake..... by the time you are done your stuck with a pretty large tab. The place isn't that cheap. But the foods good!
(3)Steven N.
Bleh, For reasons I can't really articulate, I would never really *want* to go to this restaurant of my own volition. Maybe I'm just not excited enough about cheesecake? However, I went to meet up with the gang the other night to be social and get something to eat. The result - Worst $9 hamburger ever. Well - ok, maybe not worst, but not even close to being $9 worth of tastyness. The fries were pretty good (thin cut, golden nicely salted), but what the hell is up with serving a burger on a long baguette-style sourdough roll? Far too crusty for a good burger experience. They also cut the round burger into pieces to fit on the roll - which made it kinda fall apart when eating. Of course - this might just be a case of me always ordering the wrong thing. The pasta dish ordered by a friend looked pretty good. I doubt I'll return to give them a second chance though.
(2)None N.
Horrid service and cold food. We had a group of 16 for my birthday celebration. My partner arrived an hour early to request the table because they said they did not take reservations on the weekend per the recommendation of one the hottest we spoke to on the phone.She had stated to come in and it should be fine. When he got there they told him he could not put his name on the list until the megority of the party was there. (What was the point of arriving an hour early) When we did get seated the server (mind you just 1 for a large party of 16) was slow and did not ask everyone if they had wanted an appetizer. Had I been ask I would have ordered. For the guest that did ordered one they came out cold. She didn't even check back to see if everything was OK. Second they had to auction off the food. For someone that has been a server this is not good. It gives the impression that the server does not care of how your personal expeirence is going. When it was time to wrap the food up, my partner said she could wrap up his and I wanted to do it myself. Big mistake, we ended you with someone else food and not the 18.00 plus entree he originally ordered. She didn't even ask if we wanted Cheesecake. HELLO It's the CHEESECAKE FACTORY! We ended up ordering it at the baker that took an additional 20 minutes to get. If you have not been don't waste your time. This is not what a "Cheesecake" experience should be like. Wait until you can visit a different location.
(1)Bree J.
I love their cheesecake! My dinner came with a bit of plastic in it....notified our waiter and before I knew it, the manager, Charlie, came over to check on us. He got me a new entree and was very apologetic. He handled the situation great. Comped my meal.
(4)Laurie S.
The service was good but the food was sub par. Very over priced for what we got. We won't be back.
(2)Dallas B.
Ok, The Cheesecake Factory is a chain but I lean on it because it is consistent and I know I am not going to leave hungry. We had a great experience and service was both funny and attentive. She got my Martini spot on and even teased me because I wanted shredded Parmesan on my broccoli (don't judge me). The food was standard Cheesecake Factory fare but the service was great and I love how huge the restaurant is. Yes the desserts are pricey and I was thrown that my Martini cost as much as my entree but hey, life is short. Too bad the patio has a gorgeous view of a concrete parking lot but thats life. We go for the Chocolate truffle cake with the mousse over the cheesecake which wins hands down anyday.
(4)Ryan H.
There is nothing inherently wrong with this place besides maybe the prices. Its just underwhelming. The prices are very high for what you are eating (typical appetizer in the $8-10 range and meals about $15 all the way up to $30 for a ribeye). The amount of stuff on the menu is overwhelming and leads me to believe they are mostly prepared from frozen food. Which leads to my other observation that many of the dishes are very salty. Obviously the cheesecake is great. It's what gets people in the door, and rightfully so. But beyond that, its a place that is expensive and specializes in nothing. Its probably good for a group of picky eaters because the menu is so large its hard to find something thats not on there. Especially being in the Arboretum, there are many other places to choose from.
(2)Catherine T.
EIGHT BUCKS for ONE slice of cheesecake?? Didn't it used to be SIX BUCKS per slice? Even THAT'S too much! You suck! BOOM! Your fourth star totally supernovaed and disappeared.
(3)Aaron H.
i actually came here two days in a row for lunch with my employees and had a great time. in CA, CCF usually involves a long wait no matter when so i was happy to see there were no wait smack in the middle of lunch hour. without a doubt my favorite dish is the jambalya....can't miss dish. our servers were very attentive and helpful. i loved the fact they brought my second glass of arnold palmer when my first glass was barely half empty.
(4)Amy D.
Friday, February 1 Around 9 p.m. my family and I went to The Cheesecake Factory located in the Arboretum in celebration of my sister's birthday. I was excited not only because it was my sister's birthday (party of 16) but also it was my first time being at The Cheesecake Factory. It is a very nice place but after about 1.5 hours later we were finally seated. The food was pretty good. We left the restaurant around midnight and noticed several cop cars out front. We get to our truck only to find out we've been a victim of "ATTEMPTED AUTO THEFT." The thieves broke the lock to our truck and also jammed and damaged/broke our ignition switch. Our truck couldn't even start!! My family was stranded! I was in shock because this has never happened to us, not to mention we couldn't believe this actually happened in a "nice" part of town. So here is my question: Where was the mobile security patrol? Hmmm good question! We filed a police report and were told by officer M. Heyward that 4 trucks (in addition to ours) were also broken into ....WOW UNBELIEVABLE!! Result: So here is my little family, stranded with no option other than my husband calling a tow truck company from the town we live, which by the way is about 45 minutes away from Austin. I was in complete shock all weekend until Monday. I called Cheesecake Factory early Monday and spoke with manager Sherston to let them know what happened in their parking lot and felt someone should be liable for their customer's damaged property. Unfortunately, Sherston was quite insensitive and quickly referred me to Simon Properties. I called Simon Property early Tuesday only to be instructed to call back after 1 p.m. Conclusion: When customers visit an establishment, they should have a reasonable sense of security that their belongings will be safe. If something is damaged, there is such thing called insurance....but I find even getting to this point is almost impossible... so far. 2 stars because the cheese cake is excellent !
(1)Isaac E.
The Cheesecake factory seems to be the same wherever you go across the United States. The menu does vary from location to location so what I can only judge this place off is the service and difference in the menu from what I've had in the past. The service was kind of all over the place for when I ate here. Our server was knowledgeable of the menu and what the menu items contained and was able to help us choose what we wanted for our meal (By the way if the Tomales are on the menu....order them!). But then service got slow after our appetizers and there was some confusion on what we ordered as well which backed a lot up in the long run. Otherwise I'd say it was a successful trip out to the Cheesecake Factory. I'll never say no to going here....ever.
(3)Joanna F.
Extremely poor service. I requested a table outside and was told I had a wait a bit, which wasn't a problem at all. Shortly after a hostess walked me outside to the table not asking which one I'd prefer (one was only occupied), she didn't introduce herself - just slapped the menu down the table and walked away...she didn't even make an eye contact!!! I'd expect better in fast food restaurant. On that note, I completely lost my appetite and went back inside to share my experience with the greeter guy. I will NEVER be back there.!!!!
(1)Marsha H.
Feeling blah, I decided to nerd out at The Cheesecake Factory. The price was worth it, although the low carb cheesecake with Splenda was partially frozen. The Skinny Drink Menu will keep me coming back, though.
(4)Sara O.
I'm wondering if I'm an idiot for even trying this place. It's a huge chain, which is normally not my thing so maybe I got what I deserve. For $67 I wanted to scream at this meal. I got the endive salad to start. Blegh. I took the waiter's suggestion and got the salmon special. I don't normally order salmon, but I'm trying to eat more fish. So away I go. I get it and don't love it. I chalk that up to, maybe I don't really love salmon. As I take a few more bites I don't think that it's cooked all the way. BUT, I don't cook salmon so what the hell do I know. I become paranoid and quit eating it. It also just had this bizarre taste, I can only liken it to plastic. It also had some sort of coconut sauce that the rice was in and that was really sweet and just not good to me. BF got roasted chicken which came with some veggies and mashed potatoes. I ate his carrots and enjoyed them. The potatoes also just had this bizarre taste that I couldn't put my finger on, but it wasn't good. Still a little hungry, and thinking, well we are at the Cheesecake Factory, let's get cheesecake, we get two desserts to go (I'm ready to go home). We got the classic, cheesecake with strawberries, and a piece of Tiramisu. The cheesecake was rather soft, and had more of a sour taste to it than I am accustomed to. It was topped with fresh strawberries, but they were in some sort of gross jelly. The Tiramisu was pretty good. The price is what killed me, for a meal that wasn't good we spent seventy bucks. This is just food, no drinks. Honestly we could have just gone to Taco Cabana and I think I would have been happier.
(1)Luis A.
Love the food, wait time was bad, intervals of 15 min between first seating, drinks and ordering
(4)Tamara B.
Food has always been amazing. Unfortunately you have to wait a very long time to receive it. Service is consistently poor. We have returned in hopes that service has improved but it's not just service staff anymore. Manager came to our table after entire table received their meal besides my husband to say "I did not like the looks of your meal and presentation, so I'm having them re make it". Cannot he had been honest and said it was forgotten and it will be out as quickly as possible. Had to finally get up from table and refill water glass myself, waitress walked by table numerous times without looking or asking if we needed refills. We will not return , austin has many places to choose from fortunately.
(2)Kim N.
There is a wide variety of food here. So it's a great place to go with a group that has a a vast difference in preference. The cheesecake of course is awesome! Entrees are a hit or miss. Some things are wonderful and full of flavor. Others need a little help on that end. Recommended items include the Asian chicken lettuce wrap, skinnylicious Asian chicken salad, Tuscan chicken and the grilled salmon. Service is also a hit or miss. 11:30 lunch for 4 can take up to 1.5 hours on a week day. Don't be too surprised to wait 5+ minutes even when there are plenty of empty tables available. In short, come here for the cheesecake and that's about it.
(3)Kim P.
This is by far the worst customer service I've experienced in awhile. The girl who runs the to-go desk needs a lesson on how to treat people. I stood at the counter for 5min straight without ANY acknowledgement from her. I kept tapping my finger and I know she saw me. She finally says "I'll be with you in a minute." Well, then another employee comes over to chat with her. Five more minutes go by and two more people stand in line with me. By this time, I could not hide my frustrations. A guy finally walks up and starts helping us. Needless to say, I did not leave a tip and will think twice before ordering another cheesecake from here!!
(1)Myranda Y.
Been to different Cheesecake Factories all over such as 2 San Diego locations, 2 Bay Area locations, Honolulu, and Seattle. None have seated me, got my drink, appetizer, or food to me so quickly on a Friday night. So far the best all around Cheescake Factory in my opinion. The only negative I would say is, if you get seated by the register screen.. it's gossip central for the workers.
(4)Brittany J.
I really wish I didn't love the food so dang much! The interior, which is the same at all CFs I've been to, is over the top tacky and kitschy and awful faux Egyptian. And honestly, it's a little more than I like to spend on a meal (fortunately the meals are huge, so there's plenty to take home). But OMG, the food and the drink! The menu overwhelms me--if you've never been, it's so large they have to run adds to keep it in print--so I stick to my favorites: the famous chicken madeira or the cobb salad, and a well-mannered dirty martini. Blue cheese olives, I die! I mean, sure, they're not the only place to have blue cheese olives, but they have EVERYTHING and it is all SO GOOD! I've always had good to great service, quick seating (although I go during weekday lunch), and I've yet to have a cheesecake that is anything less than fantastic. I love the tiramisu, the anniversary, the banana cream, and the dutch apple something or other. So.freaking.good. ALAS it's a cheesy chain, so I try to keep my love mostly secret, but here I am, outing myself to the whole Internet. Busted!
(4)N P.
Bad service. My friend and I waited more than 15 minutes for our waiter. The hostess noticed our attempts to get service and intervened. We finally got a waiter but he seemed stoned. He brought us no bread and took a very long to bring our food. He also made some inappropriate sexual comments to us.
(1)Fizza S.
I was really disappointed with this location. We were a big party and the service was very accommodating and friendly but the food was nothing great. We had a preset menu and I ordered the fettuccine alfredo- it was way too heavy and made me feel a little sick afterwards. I ordered the dulce de leche cheesecake too. Most days I can swear by this flavor but this time around I didn't even like the cheesecake. I don't know if it was an odd day or just me but I was really disappointed. An extra star for the bread- it was amazing.
(3)Michelle A.
went couple of years ago on national cheesecake day... saved my visit for any slice, half price. this year 2014, good for july 30th and 31st. dine in only, one slice per guest. enjoy!
(5)Bo T.
Please indulge me for a trip down memory lane. You see Cheesecake Factory and Bo have a long history. My first memories of the factory were sitting in the original building on my uncle's lap listening to stories of old days in the factory. Now you probably hear stories of old Austin. Well my uncle was real old Austin. Sometimes he called it Waterloo out of force of habit. He worked in the factory in its heyday. You see the Colorado river (Townlake/Ladybird Lake for the kids) has changed course significantly since before the dams were put in place. The river used to flow as the very site of the factory. The creamcheese was barreled in Philadelphia and floated down river to Austin where it was processed before going to port in Galveston for export to Europe. My uncle rarely got to eat his own cheesecake, it was too precious. The money for one cheesecake in Europe would feed the family for a couple months. Well times have changed. We don't rely on the river to bring the raw cheese. But the building is in the same location, though obviously has been updated quite a bit. I hear that some of the old form pans for turning the cheese into cakes for storage are still in use from the old days. The cakes are just a rich and just a precious but lucky Austinites now get to enjoy it, and enjoy it we do.
(5)Tarana P.
I always have a good time at this place, good reasonably priced food; I wouldn't recommend a pasta dish, not really a place to order that type of food. Salads, Pork chops or some avocado rolls are the way to go.
(4)Jeffrey L.
cool ambiance, perfect arboretum location, widest menu selection you'll prob ever see, fantastic cheesecakes of many varieties....... but..... fat and broke are not my life ambitions, so I'll likely not be returning. when dishes from a place consistently place high on those lists of "most fattening dishes on earth", you've got to question whether dining there is a good idea. could it really be that a kids alfredo pasta meal has 90 grams of fat?? was I dreaming when I read that? does it even weigh that much? Isn't that like 5 days' worth for a shorty?
(2)Autumn C.
My first visit to the Cheesecake Factory was back in August for my birthday and it was awesome. Then I had a little date there yesterday and I was reminded of why I liked it in the first place. We ordered the Firecracker Salmon Rolls and the Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes. AMAZING! The rolls were light, crispy and full of flavor. The corn cakes were awesome and had the freshest avocado on them. Everything I've tried there has been pretty dang good. But I am sad to say that I am always too full to get cheesecake, which kills me because I love cheesecake! Maybe next time I'll just do dessert:)
(4)yung d.
What happened to this place??? Cheesecake factory used to be great! I get the same entree every time, Bistro Shrimp pasta for 16.75. After leaving Moonshine grills dismal buffet on Sunday, my boyfriend and I went to Cheesecake factory. I ordered my same dish and it came out with bland creme sauce that was salted and peppered - NO GARLIC piece in site- no garlic powder even. Some arugula and that was it. The shrimp was crisp and large. They were almost salad shrimp that were just seasoned. I was appalled and deeply saddened as I drove a long way to get this great meal. I will go to the CCF in Dallas from now on.
(1)Shanna P.
This is one of two places I've ever eaten that I got sick with a "food hangover." It should be called the Gluttony Factory. Of course, it didn't help I had my first Cheesecake Factory experience (in San Antonio) with my ex's family of gluttons. But I left feeling sick as hell. I've been to this location twice--only because I was drug there for birthdays. The interior and ambiance are confusing--what are they going for? It just comes off kitschy and over-the-top. Neither of the two meals at this location were memorable, but it gets two stars because the lunch I had there was a saner portion and wasn't too bad. Pasta or something I think. I remember the service to be slow as hell that day though, which is fine when it means you're not at work, but the boss almost had a conniption.
(2)Matt S.
Huge menu and giant portions for a high price. I had found one dish I really liked called the Chino Latino Steak (something like that).. it was really good so they took it off the menu.. For the price it just isn't good enough to keep coming back when there are so many other interesting and good restaurants in town..
(2)Toby M.
Mediocre food, atrocious waits, so-so service, and expensive drinks. The only truly redeeming qualities are their Sunday brunch, the well decorated interior and what they're famous for.. cheesecake. I go when I'm in the area, but even then I'd rather go to Whole Foods and eat my weight in sprouts than forage on the food here. Get your cheesecake, get it to go, and you'll be far happier than if you stuck around.
(3)LO L.
Went here with a friend for lunch one day because the place looks curious and it was by Game Stop and I guess we were feeling masochistic since we were in the Arboretum anyway. The interior design is tacky late-80s luxe Reno casino with the faux finishing on the walls to make them look marbled and the fake 50 foot palms. The perfect setting to show off your Z. Cavariccis to full effect. The food was terrible, maybe just what I ordered (chicken and biscuits), but I really should have known better than to expect something fresh from this place. The dish was gloopy and bland and tasted like baby food that had been frozen then reheated in a microwave. Sit down service wasn't bad but the service at the front was severely lacking. We ordered cheesecake to go afterwards from the walk up counter and it took 30 minutes to get a slice although there was one family in front of us and 10 utterly incompetent people behind the desert counter stepping on each other's toes and playing the "Two more minutes," game. I wouldn't go there again unless I was dying of want for a cheesecake and no other restaurants in Austin were open. The one good thing about the Cheesecake Factory is that now we have a lame little laugh when one of us says, "Whatcha want for dinner?" and the other suggests, "Cheesecake Factory".
(1)anne r.
You really can't have your cake and eat it too... Having not been here for a few years, I now remember why I don't care for the place. We went for a "girls" night and to celebrate my birthday. It was a Tuesday so it was fairly slow at 5:00 but still very loud and it didn't help that although the place was close to empty we were seated close enough to look into the kitchen and across from the servers station. The call-outs on the overhead in the kitchen were disturbing enough but the constant clatter next to us was the "icing" on the cheesecake. I ordered a pomegranate mojito which was OK - a little too sweet, but OK. My friends were just drinking wine and beer so no real challenges there. The next obstacle is the bound book that they call a menu. Finally after reaching a decision - comes to find out that I couldn't order it the way I wanted so I opted for the eggplant sandwich and Caesar salad. The plate came heaped with lettuce heavily coated in dressing. It was so over powering I couldn't eat more than 2 bites... The sandwich was cold. The bun was way too big for the tiny 3 pieces of eggplant that was on it. There was actually more grill red onion than eggplant on the roll. (which I had also asked to be left off - why get it if you don't want to eat it?). I proceeded to eat the cheese and lack of other veggies on this $12 plate. The waiter came to clear the table and commented that it looks like I didn't like my food - I didn't. I commented on the salad and he said - yeah, I know.... What? Really?... to add more insult to the day, my friends "insisted" I ordered cheesecake for my birthday - after all it is the Cheesecake Factory. SO I did - and of course the one I wanted - they were out of, but he didn't tell me that until he was delivering the other two to the table. By that point I had no interest in trying to find a replacement - so stick the candle in the mojito and call it a day. Of course when the bill came, the cheesecake was still on it and had to be removed.... needless to say - If I don't go back soon - it's okay!
(1)Michelle C.
I like this place in theory, but I just never want to go. The food is good, the cheesecake is amazing, but I'm just not into battling huge crowds and waiting for an hour or more for a table to spend a bunch of money on a meal at a chain restaurant when Austin has SO much to offer in terms of local restaurants that serve fabulous food at reasonable prices. We do sometimes swing by there to pick up cheesecake to go for dessert at home with friends, but after eating at the restaurant a couple of times, I lost interest in that and haven't been back.
(3)Georgia K.
On a recent visit I was so terribly disappointed with the service, the food and the watered-down wine, I called the restaurant to let them know about my experience and give them an opportunity to explain themselves. But after they promised a replacement meal and I never got it, I see they are all talk and no action. Their menu offerings, their managers, all of it is a show. The only good thing at this place is the cheesecake. It is the only reason they still exist, and why they got the stars they did from me. A zero for food & service, a 4 for dessert, that's a two-star rating in my book. Save yourself the disappointment, choose a better place for your lunch or dinner meal, and just come here for the dessert.
(2)Aissa S.
Worst waitress and restaurant ever. What a disappointment. The Cheesecake Factory was my favorite restaurant ever but I doubt I'll return to this location. I would rather drive an hour to San Antonio than return to the Austin location restaurant. First off, the hostesses let people cut in line to get our names on the waiting list. And Don't even acknowledge the mistake. We finally get called for our table and what do you know?, the table wasn't ready. Smh. We end up waiting in the middle of walking isle, in the way because the hostesses couldn't plan accordingly for tables that were or weren't clean. And of course more people that came in after us keep getting seated while we are still waiting. Now, our waitress....gosh, was she high?! We ordered a key lime cheesecake. She comes back repeats "so you wanted the Godiva cheesecake?" We told her no, the Key lime cheesecake. We think she's got it. She packs it, we pay and leave. Get home to find a coconut custard cheesecake. Epic fail. She needs to be retrained or given Hearing aids or ADD medication or a drug test. Ridiculous. This location has just lost a loyal customer.
(1)Vicki G.
So much has been written about the Cheesecake Factory that I hesitate... but Yelping is my duty, and an honor and a privilege. So here I go. If you've been to the Cheesecake Factory, you know that it's overwhelming -- the faux fancy decor that reminds me of Vegas, the book-like menus (why are there ads in their menus? tacky!), the enormous portions. We just don't eat vast quantities of food, preferring quality to quantity. So, for lunch we split three "small plates": crab bites, dynamite shrimp, kale salad. Crab bites: surprisingly tasty, with real crab in evidence. Sauce: what was that, mayonnaise? Very little flavor and definitely did not enhance the crab cakes. Dynamite shrimp: tempura shrimp served with a "dynamite" sauce. Folks, what does "dynamite" indicate to you when you read it on a menu? Spicy, am I right? No spice here. Merely a different color of mayonnaise. Very little taste. Shrimp themselves were okay, but tempura batter absorbed a lot of grease (fried at too low a temperature?). Kale salad: disappointing. The apple had a floral overtone, and the creamy dressing overpowered the ingredients. Frankly, the kale salads at both Central Market and Whole Foods outshine this one by a long shot. He insisted on dessert, and ordered carrot cake. (I know -- it's the CHEESECAKE factory.) But the carrot cake was quite good. $7.50 a slice -- it should be good! It was large, but... In conclusion, I would return, but really, it's just not the type of restaurant that works well for me. Dessert may be their strong suit.
(2)Jamie D.
My office won a company contest and our prize was dinner, where ever we wanted to go. We chose this restaurant because of the variety it offered. Big mistake! There were seven of us, but it didn't take long to seat us, so that was nice. Of course, it was only 4:30 in the afternoon, so it wasn't packed. We were seated at our table and given menus and then waited...and waited. Finally, we see the waiter and he asked for our drink requests. Once he brought the drinks out, he left...and we waited some more. He finally came back and we were able to order appetizers. He didn't ask us if we were ready to order the rest of the meal, he just left and we waited some more. We saw him a lot, at a table across from us, just chatting it up with those diners, but we had to stop him to give us more bread and refills and then finally order our dinner. He also forgot to put my co-worker's drink order in. By this time, we were pretty irritated, so I asked the hostess to have the manager stop by our table. This is where it gets inexcusable. About five minutes later, the manager stops by our table and asks us how we were enjoying everything. We told him how bad our service was and expected an apology or something to let us know he cared. He said he was going to check on our food and sure enough, it came right out, but we never saw the manager again. He never came back to check on us, to apologize, to rectify the situation, nothing. We are an office that works in customer service and this is totally unacceptable. I rarely go to chain restaurants because I prefer to give my money locally and local establishments seem to work harder for their customers. This experience reminded me why I should steer clear of the chains.
(1)Lex H.
We ordered food to go and the staff at the counter was awesome! Very friendly and our food was great! I will definitely be back.
(5)R H.
Went there today for lunch. Ordered a Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Got it, it was raw. Like frozen in the middle raw. Server took it back, and was bringing me another one, which presumably took forever because the cook was paying attention to the time it takes to cook a frozen breaded chicken breast all the way through. By the time I got my food, my husband was done with his lunch. He ordered a piece of cheesecake. The server left to get it. Twenty minutes go by. He finally brings it back. They say they are sorry and comp my raw chicken sandwich. On my way out a really angry young waitress is walking out of the hostess stand and smashes right into me in her haste. She doesn't even apologize. This place is horrible. Save yourself a bunch of money and calories and eat at Zoe's Kitchen next door.
(1)Matthew H.
Who the hell is Cheesecake Factory's target demographic? Judging by the design of the interior and the size of the menu, indecisive, obese former Roman senate members who somehow traveled forward in time to eat bologna al fredo out of a dish that should be set out for a family of eight with silverware that feels like giant novelty versions of the real thing. If this were indeed a cheesecake factory, and judged only for cheesecake, then yes... they do pretty well. Although, calorie-wise, you'd do better eating three pounds of bacon and drinking the fat from frying it up afterwards to top it off. I'd give a better analysis of the food quality but I only made it to page 2,305 of the menu before blacking out and waking up with a congealing bowl of pasta the size of a small dog and breadsticks closer in relation to javelins than bread. ...No. Just No.
(2)John N.
I went to this location for the first time on 3/29 and my experience was fantastic. My three friends and I had a little wait (~30), but we were moved in and seated promptly. Our server for the night was Melyssa. If you happen to eat at this location and receive her as a server, consider yourself lucky. She was absolutely outstanding! Melyssa was extremely nice, cheerful, responsive, and attentive. Everything was prompt with her; additionally, her demeanor was very positive. The other staff at this location were also excellent and so courteous. The service Melyssa gave my friends I has been some of the best I have ever received. I ordered the SkinnyLicious Soft Tacos with shrimp. The meal is something I would definitely order again. The three tacos were perfectly filled with the right amount of shrimp and other toppings. Additionally, the vegetables that are served on the side are great. They had just the right amount of flavor I thought. Between the service and the food, this location has more than warranted give stars. I also spoke on the phone to Charlie (I believe that's his name) who was a manager that night. The service and food was simply too outstanding to not thank someone in management. He was great on the phone and very friendly. Thank you to Melyssa, Charlie, and the entire staff for a splendid night!
(5)Stacie G.
I love the food. Amazing cheesecake. But the service at this location is never good. Which is really disappointing.
(3)Jordon C.
Holy jumbalaya pasta and herb-crusted salmon!!! Onion rings are the most amazing things I've ever had. Even better than a hooker licking my.... Anyway I would give it 5 starts but I'm still waiting on my cheesecake that I ordered. It is the Adams peanut butter cup fudge ripple. Hope it's as good as Helen Keller said it was in her diary.
(4)M A.
Hibatchi steak enough said.
(4)Darren B.
I am a fan of the cheese cake factory is business concept. A very attractive atmosphere with affordable food. The booths offer a lot of privacy. The interior design is beyond extraordinary..... I feel like I'm in the lobby of the Hilton in Houston it's quite grand. In fact I'd say if you took a grand hotel restaurant and made it larger and had itself cheesecake you would get precisely the Cheesecake Factory if you like that that's great I do. Place is very clean staff is very friendly and attractive. But they are a little bit disorganized. I called for a pick up order and it took 30 minutes and it was only a burger and I was on hold for about 8 minutes. It wasn't a busy time it was 11 o'clock in the morning. I was a little surprised. There's a lady named Kasey. Observing her multicolored nails and Super friendly attitude I became convinced she is quite rare and noteworthy. People in the service industry sometimes have an incredible amount of charisma and lift spirits of customers who visit. It's inspiring to see such socially gifted people.
(4)John M.
They didn't have anything I asked for and the service was slow sloppy and overall terrible. I would recommend that you don't come here. After everything that you did you still charge us a ton of money. DONT COME HERE!!!!
(1)Victor S.
Don't go here for New Year's Eve. Ordered a simple quesadilla for an appetizer and literally 20 minutes later the manager informed us that the first quesadilla was not perfect and the Executive Chef was on it. We chuckled because it shouldn't be hard to put two tortillas together with some stuff in the middle. After about 10 minutes the manager dropped off the appetizer and it was cold. We then had to send it back and with an embarrassed look the manager had to apologize yet again. The waiter was slow and did not even ask if we needed anything, we had to waive him down to get what we needed. Sure taking care of some portion of the check is good business but on New Years Eve it sure made for a terrible trip there.
(1)Amanda G.
Like any Cheesecake Factory, it was good. This particular one did have a patio, however it was not covered but did have umbrellas. It was hot. And while the area has nice shopping, the view from the patio was a loading dock and parking lot full of cars. I had the lunch soup (baked potato), garden salad, and Asian chicken sand which. It was amazing, probably one of the best sandwiches I've had (still tasting it). The salad was just lettuce with tomatoes.
(4)Misha S.
Is it bad that I really love the cheesecake factory? And by LOVE, i mean, I'll always, always go. I Love their novel-of-a-menu, their amazing amount of choices, their perky waiters, and their somewhat silly/mish mash decor. I even love their mountain-sized servings!! This isn't a place where you get blown away by culinary creations (though you may be wowed by the amount of whipped cream they add to your cheesecakes!). But its comfortable - I can bring all of my friends, we all find something we can like. I guess the only thing keeping it away from 5 stars is that, individually looked at, the food isn't amazing. But its good, hearty, and consistent. Also, Mmmm, cheesecake.
(4)Caitlyn B.
I couldn't decide on a restaurant for my birthday. I needed a place that had lots of choices for all the palates in our large party. I settled on Cheesecake Factory, knowing there extremely large menu and building would satisfy both issues. I became, at first, slightly concerned by the reviews that were all over the place for this location. Then I got annoyed. Most reviews were about decor (that you don't eat) and menu size (you have to be extremely difficult to complain about TOO many choices.) so I decided to give it a shot anyway, having had excellent experiences with other locations in San Diego and Vegas. Our meal was perfect. Our party of 10 and 2 infants was sat immediately despite the after church crows (which is quite busy here in the South.) Between food allergies and picky eaters, we were not an easy group and our server Alicia handled it with ease. She was extremely attentive, but not annoying. She was quick on drink refills and ensuring we had everything we needed. Everything came out perfectly as ordered. I had a delicious piece of chocolate truffle layer cake (since I am sadly dairy intolerant at a place that specializes in cheesecake?) Overall, loved it, super happy, will be back and asking for Alicia.
(5)Rochelle M.
Living in Austin it seems almost inappropriate to go to chain restaurants but Cheesecake Factory is just one chain I will always love. The wait can sometimes be a good 45-60 minutes but this is a perfect time to hop over to the bar and grab a wonderful mojito and appetizer! Their menu is quite large, it can feel as though you are thumbing through the pages of a extreme food catalog. They have so many options! The Louisiana chicken pasta is the best thing on the menu by far. The servers are always attentive and helpful on making menu decisions. Of course you must always top the meal off with a wondrous piece of decadent cheesecake that will not leave you with any room to breath! I personally will continue my visits to this lovely chain that never seems to let me down!
(4)Matt P.
I have been to the Cheesecake Factory two times. The first, we had drinks and cheesecake to go. The second, we had drinks and apps. We sat at the bar both times. I had high expectations going both times due to all the hype Ive heard from friends and others. Both times we went, we had the same bartender, I believe Jackie is her name. She was attentive and fantastic both times we were there. Never a dry drink and quick with any requests we had. The cheesecake we had was "Adams Peanut Butter Fudge Ripple". Dont get me wrong, it was rich and very good, but when your namesake is such I expected life changing cheesecake, and thats not what I got. Our second trip we I wanted to try as many things as possible from the novel of a menu CF offers. We ordered small plates and apps that included the made to order guacamole, Parmesan Polenta Fries, Crispy Crab Bites, Dynamite Tempura Shrimp and Vietnamese Tacos. The guac was good and fresh, but I had to salt it 4 times before I felt like it was right. Guac is very simple, salt being one of the key ingredients. I thought it perplexing that there was little or none in ours, and at $10.95 I dont feel like a little salt is a lot to ask for. The parm polenta fries struck me as straight out of a frozen bag into a deep frier, nothing special here. The crispy crab bites had big chunks of crab in them which was nice, but they were slightly undercooked, pretty greasy and served with a side of what Im assuming was supposed to be tartar sauce. It was more like mayo with 4 peices of relish in it. The dynamite shrimp was a big let down. There was nothing dynamite about it. There was no heat anywhere in the dish and the flavors were pedestrian at best. The worst thing we had was the Vietnamese tacos. I had made it 3/4 of the way through the first one when I got to the part of the bun that was stale and hard as a rock. I didnt even attempt to eat the other two and asked to have it taken off the bill, which Jackie handled without hesitation. We took our leftovers to go, which promptly ended up in the trash as soon as we got home because I was not interested in eating any of it ever again. My model has always been to give a place two chances because anyone can have a bad day. The Cheesecake got their 2 out of me, and they will get no more unless it includes drinks at the bar only
(2)Jeanette H.
I haven't decided if it is a blessing or a curse (or both) that I live so close to Cheesecake Factory. Even though I know the food is not healthy at all I still can't resist. I love the Adam's Peanut Butter (not sure the exact title) cheesecake. It has never disappointed me. It is heaven in the form of a slice of cheesecake. I also have enjoy the cheese quesadillas. You can't go wrong with oodles of cheese oozing out from between two tortillas. I will definitely return to this location whether it is for dine in or carry out.
(5)Santiago R.
I went there for my first time the other day for my wife's birthday. It was nice inside, and not too long of a wait (15 mins) @ 630pm. We were seated and waited forever for someone to wait on us. When our waitress came, we ordered drinks, waited about 10 mins. She left, came back another 10 mins to see if we were ready. We said we were still looking, and as soon we said that, she started to walk away and I had to shout out "Ma'am!", because I was expecting her to offer us an appetizer. I ordered the app, another waiter brought us our food, and refills on drinks. Our app took about 10 minutes, and after about 5-10 mins of eating our app, the waitress comes to our table and says, " Let me get this app out your way" and starts to walk away again. I shouted at her and said we were ready to order. Wow. She takes the order, the food comes out by yet another waiter, and we eat. At the end, she doesn't offer dessert, and so we asked for a dessert menu, because after all, this is cheesecake factory, and we had told the waitress it was a special day. We get some cheesecake to share and they bring us the plate with a candle. All in all, it was an okay dining experience, but come to find out, they were supposed to bring us bread (in the beginning), and the service really sucked! Not very impressionable for me, it being my first time; not very impressionable for my wife, it being her damn birthday. I feel let down, and after tipping a large amount, feel ripped off. Good thing there are a lot of other restaurants in Austin is all I have to say. And I won't have to drop damn near $100 to be treated with mediocre service.
(2)Aaron K.
First time at this location wait wasn't bad at all food was really good. My daughter had the club & loved it, my son had the kids pizza & liked it (but what kid doesn't like pizza), the wifey had the jambalaya pasta as it's her normal favorite, & I had the seared tuna tataki salad which was delicious (besides the tomatoes that had been sitting out too long & were sqishy & nasty hehe). All in all great great food & great service
(5)Liza K.
Cheesecake Factories always remind me of Vegas. With all the ornate grandiose decor and big American portions it's kinda hard not to. I confess: I never really feel good about myself after eating here. But I can't fault Cheesecake factory for that. Though if you're feeling the need...this is definitely a pig out place. Portions are generous, things are prepared right, service is excellent! The menu is ridiculously long. Prepare to read a novel. This is good and bad. Good, why? well they have great options and you'll be sure to find something for everyone here, and Bad you say? if your to the point of starving then the menu is your enemy. So best to have a plan of attack if you plan to eat here. I'm not a fan of cheesecake but, I hear those who DO like cheesecake LOVE theirs. And if your not a cheesecake lover then there are other sweets to pick from. I am a fan of the lemonchello cake. This place is a great happy medium, but definitely not a place I can eat at every week.
(3)Jasmit K.
Awful food... Hair in the cheesecake.. way too expensive for the service levels... They wouldnt even get us bread until we placed our order while waiting for the rest of our party to arrive Not worth the visit at all
(1)Emily G.
Overrated. The service is horrible and we only drop by for the cheesecake. THE ONE THING THEY CAN GET RIGHT!
(1)Dale S.
Has to be one of the best places in Austin to eat a quality meal with friends and family. The setting is typical, but intimate at best and quality food.
(4)Leo S.
Always a good place to eat. Food portions are HUGE and the cheesecake is even larger! This is definately a place recommended by me. In moderation is the key at this place.
(4)tim v.
Today was my first time at Cheesecake Factory. I'd never been there before because I always thought the best thing they had was cheesecake. On to the review. Very expansive menu got me thinking "well, what are you good at?" So I just ordered a burger. It was good, albeit with special sauce, which I asked they not add - so that irritated me a bit. The reason for 3 stars is that I just didn't feel welcome. If I'm going to spend $13 for a burger and $20 for salmon I expect the hosts and wait staff to at least pretend to be happy and act like they want to do a good job. The workers just looked like robots, as if they were just going through the motions. Our orders took forever and my burger was wrong, but in the end, its the customer service that sucked.
(3)Aaryn P.
This particular CcF is dramatically beautiful - inside and out. Unfortunately, the meals, (mainly) ho-hum service and general experience did not match the grand decor of the place. We came in for lunch today and were seated right away which was a plus. Our waiter came by a few minutes later and took our drink order. In true CcF fashion, it took us about 15-20 minutes to pour over the exhaustingly huge menu. Our waiter came back and took our order - we had: 2 Pizza/Salad Lunch Specials 1 Wild Mushroom Bread 1 Order of Sliders 1 Order TexMex Eggrolls Everything came out fairly quickly and the food was alright. So, what was my big problem here? For some reason, our waiter had memory problems, and unfortunately they were directed towards one particular person in our party. This person initially ordered coffee. When he was done with his coffee the waiter came over and asked him if he wanted a refill, and he said, "No, but I think I'll switch to Coke." We waited for that Coke... the waiter even came back and refilled everyone else's drinks without bringing that Coke or re-asking the person if they wanted anything else to drink. So, someone had an extra water, and they gave it to that person... but there was no straw. The same guy asks the waiter for a straw...and we wait for the straw...and wait. His girlfriend finally had to ask a second time for a straw. It was just a little wtf, that's all. Anyways... I'd give this place 3 stars for A-Ok because..ehh it was anything special, but it was alright...but the service needs to improve before I add that third star. Meh, I've had better service.
(2)Adam R.
I've never been here before. I feel indifferent to this place. I called them once and they did not seem interested in my cat's medical issues. They told me not to call again. A very generous two stars to you sir!
(2)