Whip In Parlour Cafe

There's something about Austin... no other city I've lived in just accepts a convenience store with a giant beer selection serving Indian/Texan food without batting an eye. But in Austin, weird is normal.

I very much wanted to love Whip In. Maybe if conditions were right, if I were a beer lover, if... well, anyway, I tried to love it. Both times I've been, there has been no seating available inside and it's been sweltering hot outside. Now, obviously, somebody is getting the inside seating, so you might get lucky.  I didn't. It's also a very confusing set up. When you first walk in, you will likely enter into a crowd, which is disorienting. The line for ordering food is at the end of the bar nearest the front door. You may be able to maneuver through the crowd to the coolers in the back, where you are able to buy a beer to have with your meal, or just buy beer to take with you. I'm a novice, so I'll just say all signs indicate they do have a good selection. So, let's say you've managed not to be in the way of the trendsters ordering at the bar and milling around while you try to study the menu on the chalkboard above the bar (I'd study the menu online before even going).  You'll order at the aforementioned register near the door, and you will then be given a number. They will magically find you and bring your food to you, whether you sit at the community-style long picnic tables outside, or if the gods were smiling and you found a seat inside out of the 112 degree heat.

We had the Spicy Red Curry Chicken and Potatoes ($11) and the South Asian Frito Pie ($13). Their chili is made with Bastrop Cattle Co stew beef and Lone Star beer. The beef is in nice big chunks and is tender and flavorful. The dish consisted of Fritos (which had gotten a bit soggy, as they tend to do with soupier chilis), lots of black beans, plenty of cheese, a generous drizzle of sour cream, and a pleasantly fresh cilantro chutney. I enjoyed the flavors, but in the end, it would have tasted better inside in the air conditioning.

The parking is limited, and you will likely have to parallel park on the adjacent street. In spite of the ordering confusion, the guy taking my order was very nice and helpful, and the food came out pretty quickly. You're on your own getting water refills or anything else. And, although these two issues might have been one-offs, beware of people who think it's a good idea to take a baby stroller in this tiny little place. And the live entertainment of the evening did the single worst rendition of Neil Diamond's "Cracklin' Rose" that has ever been done in the history of that song. Maybe I should drink more beer.

Spicy Red Curry Chicken

South Asian Frito Pie