1618 Asian Fusion - Asian fusion restaurant in Austin - 1618 E Riverside Dr, USA

Fancier and more elegant than I was prepared for! Asked me if I had a reservation as soon as I walked in the door, but they found us a table instead of a 30 min wait. Asian fusion is usually street food or some stop in a plaza/mall--which is what I expected from the outside. 1618 is located in one of those plaza strips with apartments behind it, but you walk in and it's a fine dining establishment. The whole shebang--wait staff in all black, hostesses in fancy dress, dark/low lighting you can barely see in, wine all over the walls--recessed lighting! The elegant inside does not match the patrons, though. Lots of men wearing baseball hats at the table and dressed in shorts. Such a contrast between patrons and the environment, so we were thrown off--felt like we should go change. Food is amazing, though. If you can get over the discomfort of seeing the elegant dishes, and the darkness that prevents you from easily seeing the menu, you'll love the food. We struggled with the dichotomy of an infuser kit to smoke whiskey wheeled out to the table of men in baseball hats sitting next to us. Maybe we just need to go to nicer places more often. The staff were incredible--as soon as I put a dish down someone was grabbing it off the table. Yvonne, our waitress, must be a magician. She was fantastic. Our appetizer and drink timing was perfect. As soon as we were finished with the appetizer, plates were removed and the entrees arrived. I was looking to see who was even watching to time our meal, and I have no idea how they did it--maybe it's the staff in all black blending into the darkness. The live music was nice, if you're into that. It was too loud for us, though. We were in the back, farthest from the music, and struggled to hear each other. They were playing modernish songs--just instrumental rather than vocals. We would definitely go again, probably at lunch when we can see a bit better and when there probably isn't the loud music.

Wow!!!! This restaurant is a GREAT!!! The food is so flavorful and the presentation nice as well. Then you add the perfect atmosphere and music, and you'll see why this place has high ratings. Our server, Dan, was so attentive and helped make our dining experience wonderful! We started with a smoked old fashion drink. Followed it with calamari, wonton soup, beef dumplings and sesame chicken. Yummmm!!!!

This place was on my Want-to-go list for a while. We had a reservation for 8pm and just to be sure we came a little early. There was quite a number of people waiting and magically we were seated at exactly 8:00pm. We decided on an 5 Sampler appetizer and a Whole Peking Duck. I've never had a duck that was so amazingly good with crispy skin and heavenly tender meat. And it came as a beautiful piece of art on its plate, too. It was my wife's birthday and when we asked for the check a perfect key lime pie was bestowed upon us. All of us enjoyed the food that in reality isn't at all expensive at the level of gastronomical perfection we have experienced. We'll come back to try many other tempting menu choices. It's our new favorite Austin restaurant!

THIS PLACE NEVER DISAPPOINTS!!! From the fantastic service, to the atmosphere, to the food! They pass every mark; flavor, portions, display! Everyone is super nice and gives great recommendations! Also if you’re looking for great drinks this is always great place to go! The Milky Way shot is to die for!

This place has quickly become one of my favorite restaurants in Austin. A fantastic experience, one of the best happy hours ever, and amazing food/cocktails. Yvonne was our server last night and she was incredibly kind and helped us pick out some of the handcrafted shots (which went down very easy!) and also created a fun experience with the flaming cheesecake (which you should definitely not skip if you’re a fan of cheesecake) overall I’ve thoroughly enjoyed both times we’ve gone and it is well worth driving into Austin from the Cedar Park/Leander area

This place is amazing, 100% recommend! If you’re celebrating ask for the “bubble shots,” you pick the base for the shot and the server will put an edible bubble on top of it. The dim sum is great for appetizers, we got the mushroom veggie ones, weird color but amazing taste. The chicken wings are also amazing, super spicy! The pineapple rice is a show stopper, it’s VERY spicy so be aware. The vermicelli bowls are huge and so fresh! The green curry is also so tasty and delicious! You can’t go wrong on any of the dishes! Also two drinks two appetizers and two entrees were all about $100, not bad for Austin!

Graham, our server was PHENOMENAL. He took time to chat at length about the menu and the best menu options for our specific taste. I chose the filet onion and it might be the best thing I’ve ever tasted. Vietnamese coffee was also absolutely delicious. I enjoyed everything about my meal and the service was incredible. My friends and I were meeting in this area that none of us were familiar with and happened upon a gem. We went just after Christmas and the atmosphere was incredible—Christmas trees, Christmas lights, absolutely beautiful. The live music was also charming and such an incredible touch to a wonderful evening. Everyone we encountered was helpful charming friendly and efficient. We will be back!

We dined at 1618 for New Year’s Eve and it was the perfect experience to round off the new year! Shaira, our host, was very attentive and had great recommendations. We shared the tasting menu between the table and ordered some of their dim sum dishes. I highly recommend the shrimp balls and the tom yum ka soup! The restaurant was beautifully decorated and the location is great for taking a walk on the shores of Lady Bird Lake.