Restaurants near Travis County Exposition Center

What a memorable night! It was worth the wait of having to make a reservation months in advance. We dined on a Friday evening and there was such a synergy to the entire restaurant. Even the Chef on expo looked so at ease with tickets flying in, he stopped and said hi to a smiling baby. Our server Kevin made us feel welcomed and as if we were the only table he was serving, just flawless. The steak cut like butter, it was perfect and highly recommend. The gnocchi reminded me of the last time I was in Italy, just delicious fluffy pillows. Our 9 year old had the Bolognese and it was bursting with flavor which was unexpected but delightful. We also had the meatballs and garlic bread, a perfect way to start the meal. Save room for dessert, you will not be disappointed. The only criticism was that our table was by the entry door and it was drafty and cold. I had to keep my jacket on during dinner, but other than that we look forward to returning in March!

The food is amazing. I had the short ribs, fried green tomatoes, collard greens(a lot of sugar in them), & the biscuits. I cleaned my plate(s). I will go back as soon as possible.

I had high expectations and Aba still far exceeded them. Such unique menu items. The short rib hummus was phenomenal. Great service and ambiance.

Our dinner last night was so lovely. We're parents of a toddler so we don't get out much. We had a babysitter and decided to use a gift card for one of our past favorite restaurants. Everything was absolutely delicious. We started with the rosemary sourdough bread with butter, escarole and Frisee salad, and Polpette meatballs. The bread has a great flavor and good texture. Every aspect of the salad was incredible - the dressing, the grapefruit, the honey Aleppo almonds. And the Polpette were some of the best meatballs I've tried. We really enjoyed the chicken milanesa and the black pepper Pappardelle dish had amazing texture (all their pastas are made in-house) but I feel could have had a more interesting flavor. I had really wanted to try the Tiramisu, one of my favorite desserts, but we were so stuffed. All the wine and cocktails were tasty. We sat on the patio since we wanted to order off the A la carte menu but it was so quiet and dead outside. Some music or something piped outside might have been nice. We used to frequent L'Oca d'Oro before the pandemic and before having kids, but we hadn't been back since Fall 2019. I was happy to see the ways in which the restaurant pivoted during the pandemic and all that they have done to care for their employees, very admirable. Overall, we really loved our meal and we will happily be back!

Waiter was extremely nice!! Definitely recommend this place if you’re out for the day with your animal as they have a dog food option as well as pet-safe foods on their regular menu (and super pet friendly!)