el monumento

gone downhill. since they have changed their menu the food has gone downhill and it has become an overpriced chuys. where are the duck tacos and braised beef cheeks? these dishes made them stand out. we use to bring friends from out of town there formexicanfood. guess we will have to find a different place so disappointed

total addiction. not sure what the deal is with these other reviews, but they don't look legit. we've been to el monumento every day for the last 10 days since moving to georgetown, and eaten most of the menu. everything has been perfectly prepared and the flavors are on par with the best food in the austin area. some of the bestmexicanfood we've ever had, and before lupe tortillas was our favorite. the restaurant always has a delicious smell like a wood-fired grill and tasty meats cooking. the bar is fantastic and the drinks are really well prepared and innovative. all of our servers have been really cool and we've never had much of a wait for service on any night, although we try to avoid the very peak hours of friday/saturday. the desserts andmexicancoffee are ridiculously delicious, some of the best key lime pie and churros i've ever had. it's a relief that el monumento exists, because it's the only food in georgetown that can compete and beat austin's food.

good food, excellent drinks, attentive staff. this was my first visit to el monumento. i live nearby and decided to give it a try. the complimentary chips and salsa were very good. the chips seemed to be made in-house and were very tasty. the salsa was a bit on the spicy side but not overwhelmingly hot. i had the beef tacos which were good. they were not the best tacos i've ever eaten, but were still tasty. i also tried their cucumber margarita which is now my new, favorite adult beverage! it did take a very long time to get my drink, but the waitress explained that the drink menu was new and the bartender was still getting used to it and had to ensure that he made it right. it was well worth the wait. after dinner i decided to have desert and coffee. i ordered the churros with chocolate sauce and themexicancoffee. the manager came out and let me know that he was not happy with the churros' flavor and consistency that day, and did not feel right about serving them. for that, he gave me a complimentary desert. i chose the flan which was very delicious. themexicancoffee came with a mini carafe of liquid sugar and a dish of mottled cream. the coffee was excellent, but i didn't pay attention to the menu (which explained that it was an entire french press full of coffee) before i ordered it. it was more than i could consume. overall, this was a great dining experience and i plan to make it my friday happy hour spot. i highly recommend this restaurant. it has good food, good employees, a very nice atmosphere, and outstanding service.

nice atmosphere, food was good service could be a lot better. we are in the area to check out places to live. we wantedmexicanand close to hotel, but not a chain. after researching, i found that the prices weren't bad and it looked nice. the moment we stepped into the courtyard it was gorgeous! we had a party of six, 4 kids and 2 adults. told 45 minute wait, but it was really 20. i decided to get 2 austin ambers for hubby and me. i went to the bar and had my money out. at least 3 bartenders saw me and didn't say a word. kept on waking by. finally a busy boy got me my drinks and had a bartender ring up the sale. that wait was around 10 min. then my kids wanted water because we were brought chips and salsa, but no offer of drink in courtyard. so they went to the bar to ask for water and no one helped them. hubby went up after 7 min and he waited and finally he had to say very loudly "excuse me" before any help. so then we get seated and our waitress was pleasant. but we had long wait for appetizer. she was apologetic. food was good and portions decent. i just think the bartenders were rude. and the place wasn't insanely busy. there appeared to be enough bartenders and they even have a separate one for the restaurant.

el monumento just keeps getting better. around 13 of us drove from central austin to georgetown for another visit to el monumento. friends from california were visiting and we knew they would appreciate the beautiful architecture and the amazing food here. they were impressed with the building itself but the star of the show is the food--and cocktails. i started with my usual old fashioned---they have the best bartenders and the best selection of cocktails but all those who stuck with margaritas raved about them. you have to start with their guacamole with grapes and mangos creating little bursts of fruity goodness in each bite! while my favorites are still the duck mole (incredibly succulent duck quarters and mole---yum!) and the shrimp relleno---yes, shrimp relleno, i tried their new addition, a salad with mixed greens, perfect pears all in a delicious dressing made with a chile that they soak to extract all its spicy goodness. who knew you could eat a healthy salad with such a delicious kick? as always, the desserts were delicious. they make the best chocolate and you can have it on just about anything, for example-churras! i love their tres leches cake with strawberries and you have to order the coffee---that is a real treat, their own el monumento blend served up in a french press.
we all appreciated the attentive and friendly wait staff---a party of 13 is not easy but they did it with grace.
can't wait for my next trip to georgetown to dine at the best restaurant in town.


-----16 oct, 2012-----

el monumento is worth the drive. we drove from austin to try out this newmexicanrestaurant in georgetown. i can say, without reserve. this place is worth the trip. we walked into this gorgeous courtyard that transported us into another world. lush plantings, serene ponds, and amazing architecture. then you walk into the restaurant which is a feast for the eyes. i've never eaten at a restaurant where the kitchen (an amazing large, open kitchen) is just as beautiful as the dining room. but the star of the show is the food. i have never tasted guacamole like this. fresh, spiced just right with a fruit surprise. i have never, ever liked mole but i'm now sold after trying the duck mole dish. succulent duck----i will eat this again. the other surprise was the napolita salad. this was such a fresh and tasty side dish! my favorite of our choices was the amazing shrimp chile relleno. the shrimp was just the right kind of spicy and the sauce----perfection. they had an amazing variety of dessert choices---we loved the churras and the key lime pie. but the after dinner treat was actually the coffee--a mix ofmexicancoffee and espresso served elegantly at the table in beautiful french press with cream (that had been slightly whipped) . and the whole evening was made more charming by the attention we received from the friendly and helpful wait staff.
there is no restaurant like this in austin. we will definitely come back and sit outside on the deck overlooking the river. it looks like a great place for intimate dining as well as large groups.

great food in a wonderful setting. the rammed earth wall makes a great impression as you walk up to the entry. you go through a courtyard with fireplace and outdoor bar which would be wonderful on a fall evening. our group ate inside which also had a fireplace. the menu is very inviting and the variety is very nice especially since this is a relatively small town (we are from dallas). the waitstaff was very helpful and accommodating, and mr. gibson was a great help choosing just the right tequila. during the evening we met the various bar and restaurant managers who strolled through making sure everything was running correctly. this is always a good sign. needless to say the food was wonderful, just as other reviewers have noted. what you want to do is make sure you try the house blended coffee with cream (real cream in a dish) with sugar (liquid form). we will go back here just to have coffee. the other thing that other reviewers left out is the chocolate cake which i suspect has some cinnamon in it resembling a more traditionalmexicanchocolate. again we would go to just have chocolate cake but combine it with the coffee and you have a wonderful way to spend the evening sitting by one of the fireplaces.

unexpected. this is not mexican, but it was still good. the only kind of enchiladas they serve have swiss chard and sweet potatoes in them. their mole is served over duck. there wasn't a singlemexicanin the place lol. the restaurant and outdoor dining area are absolutely beautiful.

good first visit. my wife and i had different dishes.

she had sweet potato enchilada, and i had vgulf shrimp pobano pepper dish.

they were both excellent.

themexicancardonnay wine was good.

tasteless food. el monumento is clearly the nicest new restaurant in georgetown. the food though was a huge disappointment. the flautas were tasteless and the empanadas didn't have anything in the them. it is fufumexicanat best and will not survive with this menu. everything has the same blah taste except for the guacamole which is really good. after two meals here we won't be back. darn shame. hope they figure it out.

i loved this restaruant the first time i went. we went in the evening the first time so maybe they have different chefs for lunch???? the salsas, beans and rice are very bland. have tried the guacamole, queso flameado, veggie enchiladas, puffy tacos, tree leches and chocolate cake. for those looking for truemexicanfood or tex mex, this is not the place to go. the architectural aspects and ambience are wonderful though. however, a restaruant can not thrive on that alone. had the same food with friends at lunch as we did in the evening the first time. it seemed like a completely different meal. less flavour, less sauce, etc. if they want to do well they are going to need consistency! will give it another try later on down the road and hopefully they will fix the gliches.

my wife and i decided to try this new restaurant owned and operated by the same owners of the popular monument cafe located nearby. the restuarant is a new building located along the san gabriel river near the center of georgetown. the menu isn't that extensive and main course meals average around $12.00.
my wife ordered the chicken flautas, which were over fried and generally tasteless. the rotisserie chicken used to fill the flautas tasted strange. she turned them back because they were not really edible. to the wait staff's credit, they attempted to make things right by replacing her course with another choice. she decided not to push her luck and declined their offer. i had the puffy beef tacos with green rice and charro beans. the main dish consisted of three rather small fried taco shells formed as bowls each filled with about a tablespoon of lightly spiced ground beef topped with a generous supply of diced tomatoes and onions with a single slice of canned jalapeño as a garnish. needless to say, the dish was less than spectacular. i could have done better and cheaper making my own with a box of old el paso shells, a pound of ground beef, and can of rotel. the charro beans were just ok and came lukewarm. the green rice was slightly green and without any real taste.
my wife inquired about chips and salsa which were not initially provided and our waitress apologized profusely and promised to bring some to us. another inquiry later and we finally received our chips and salsa. the chips were a little overdone and the salsa was watered down.
i know the owners are pushing this place as a haute cuisine interior mexico dining establishment, but our experience tells us they are way off the mark. ifmexicanis what you're after, save yourself some money and aggravation and either head to el charrito up the street or dos salsas across town. sure, you won't experience a river view from a post modern industrial motif restaurant sipping a $10 margarita, but you'll damned well eat bettermexicanfood for less money.