texas chili parlor

if you love death proof, you gotta check thisplaceout!. i'm a big fan of the movie death proof, yet i've never visited any of the austin locations it was shot in. that all changed this weekend. i enjoyed my time at the texas chili parlor, and it was quite a rush being inside there. it was a really fun place. the food was great, the prices were cheap, the staff was very friendly and polite, and the atmosphere was awesome. i'm hoping to become a regular. i loved walking around there, then sitting at the bar in the exact seat kurt russell sat in, and then looking at myself in the mirror. i spoke to the owner and chatted with him a bit about death proof and he told me some cool stories. in death proof, the texas chili parlor is located out in the woods...but in real life, it is actually located in the city side of downtown austin. in the movie, it was also shown having a jukebox, a parking lot and a back porch. in reality, the texas chili parlor doesnt have any of that stuff. that was a special detail quentin tarantino added himself for his own fictional version of the restaraunt. the porch scenes were filmed at another austin location and warren's vintage ami jukebox is owned by quentin tarantino. there was also no nacho grande platter's, club soda's or virgin pina colda's on the menu. but there were nacho's. when i drop about 15 pounds, i'll go back and sit at the bar while eating nacho's for sure. anyway, the texas chili parlor was fun, austiny kindaplaceand the type of restaurant i'd highly recommend any out-of-towner check out, as well as anyone who loves the movie death proof.

ah the old chili parlor. what can be said that hasn't been said before? with it's incredibly long history and proximity to the capitol, it has served as a gatheringplaceand meeting forum for famous texas politicians, musicians, cowboys and the like. at any given night you can see the cream of the crop, a who's-who of the austin administrative district ranging from attorneys to legislators. part of the charm is in the dark, welcoming atmosphere. part of it is in the steaming hot plate of golden, sauce covered enchiladas or the spiciest bowl of chili you've ever laid tongue to. a quality eating and drinking establishment and a texas institution. bring your friends.

as a big tarantino fan, i wanted to check thisplaceout. i ordered the xxx chili, didn't think it was very good. seemed that all it had was beef, chili powder, cayenne, and water. i had to add a good bit of salt just to make it palatable. enchiladas with white pork chili were good, as was the guacamole. service during lunch was excellent.

what a waste. i tried thisplacenot too long ago. the service was awful, the food was pretty good, the atmosphere was cramped. i wouldn't return to this restaurant if they paid me to eat there.

great surprise. my boyfriend and i stumbled upon thisplacewhen we were starving after checking out the capitol. best decision ever.
i actually used the urbanspoon app and we decided on this place. it's a quirky littleplaceand has big time flavor with its food.
my boyfriend got the venison chili, which was awesome. great heartiness and gaminess to it and the raw onions topped it off perfectly.
i had the chicken enchiladas and a small tasting portion of the mild chili. both were excellent. the chili was great and i wished i had gotten a full portion of it instead of the chicken haha.
clearly the chili is the star here and it is super good. don't be fooled by the appearance of it outside, it might look a little shabby but the food packs a ton of flavor for sure.

enchilada special. really liked the chili in thisplaceuntil i had lunch with a group from work. a co-worker had ordered the enchilada special and it was taking some time to be served. when we asked the server what the delay was, she told us "sorry about that, our microwave is not working properly. we'll have it out as soon as we get it warm." draw your own conclusions from this.

i walked in and immediately thought “this is the kind ofplacewhere you have to drink beer.” my thoughts were confirmed by the revulsion in a waiters voice, when he called out to the bartender one diner’s order of chardonnay. (chardonnay and chili sounds awful, anyway).

service was excellent. this was my first time to tcp.placewas packed and we barely could fit in the door. had to wait about 10 minutes for a table and started a glass of wine at the bar.

service was quick and efficient. chili was a excellent. i'll be back for sure.

thisplaceis a must see when visiting austin. great littleplacewith lots of character. great beer, better chili, and even better service.

love this place! bar food but good burgers and (of course) great chili. the vibe is very laid back and chill but greatplaceto grab a burger and a beer.