Victory East

Drinks were amazing. As far as the food it was okay. The side dishes such as the greens and rice were not the best although then fish was fried perfectly. The jerk chicken with the coco bread was delicious. The service was great. Our waitress was great.

My daughter and I went for my daughter’s birthday and my goodness the food was EXCELLENT and did not take long to come out. We had lamb chops, lemon pepper fried chicken, oxtails and mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, mac and cheese, fried fish, and candied yams. On top of the food and drinks being amazing, we had the BEST costumer service from all the young ladies! Tierra waited on us, came and checked to see if we needed anything service was A-1! A special thank you to the hostess. She made my daughter’s whole night! She was friendly, she took great videos and pics for my daughter. Showed us the other side which was just as nice as where we dined at. We will definitely go back and I highly recommend Victory!!!! Thank you all!!

Victory East has been on my bucket list for a while. It is a historical place that has been around for a very long time and was part of the chitlin circuit. They have hosted some pretty popular music artists. My birthday is on Juneteenth and I decided that this is where I wanted to go for my birthday dinner. I was able to make reservations ahead of time for 5:00 p.m. which was a perfect time to get there as they opened at 5:00 and the tables filled up soon after. The location is near Tony's Jamaican food truck. We were able to find street parking next to the food truck park. Upon entering the establishment I was impressed by the ambiance. It is a small establishment but it has a very inviting feel to it. I absolutely loved the murals painted on the wall of various music artists. We were greeted by the hostess and seated right away. It seems as if she was working all of the tables in the room but she still was very attentive, offered suggestions and answered questions with a pleasant attitude and demeanor. There was light music playing and the playlist was really good. I appreciated that you can hear the music, but it did not interfere with your table conversations. On to the food.. eating 4/5 I ordered the jerk chicken platter which comes with either a half a chicken or a whole chicken. I ordered a half. It is served with cocoa bread with a honey butter spread. I wasn't certain if that would be enough for me. So I ordered a side of collard greens. The jerk chicken was seasoned very well. It had a nice spice to it but was not overwhelming. The cocoa bread was delicious with the honey butter spread. The collard greens, although I appreciate it they were cooked with turkey, weren't cooked down enough for me. However, I still enjoyed my meal and would rate it a 4 out of 5. My son had the same meal as I did except he didn't order a side. He ate all his food. So I'm going to say he would rate it a 5 out of 5. My husband ordered the lamb chop entree which comes with three lamb chops and two sides. For sides. He ordered collard greens and yams. His opinion of the lamb chops where they were a little chewy and based on the price maybe there should have been five instead of three because we all know lamb chops are pretty small. He enjoyed his yams as well as the collard greens. His overall rating was a 3 out of 5 because of the lamb chops. Finally my friend ordered the crab cake platter. Which comes with 3 medium size crab cakes. That was enough for her. She said they were delicious and full of crab meat. I did taste them and I will have to agree. Her rating 5/5. Ambiance: very nice atmosphere for date night or a night out with friends. I did notice that Thursday nights they also have karaoke but we left before that started. Near the bathroom of the restaurant there is an old school phone hanging from the wall and apparently that door leads to a speakeasy type place called Busy Signal. We were able to peek in just to give it a look and that place was absolutely adorable. There was a stage where I assume a band or some type of entertainer performs. It was pretty early so no one was really in that area, but I definitely would come back to give it a go. I'll include one of the photos I took while peeking in. 😁

3.5 Stars I’ve visited two separate times and both were different experiences. First time I sat in the lounge with a large group and had good service and drinks. The fish dish was good with exception of the rice as it was mushy. The second time I sat in the main area and the service was bad, drinks and food took forever. Drinks weren’t that good but the food was all around great that time around. May try it out again for the lounge or brunch.

I really had high hopes and expectations but I am not going to minimize my experience. The placed is very small, probably has 12 tables that are squished together. The food choices look great, but are minimal and not the best quality. We ordered the Ox tails, it had no bones and served on top of boxed mashed potatoes. Then we ordered the lamb chops with a side of macaroni(very tasty) and greens that were ice cold and not enjoyable. There was one waitress for ALL the tables, so trying to get their attention took forever. The manager(I think) took our plates and asked how the food was, we told them and the manager wanted to make it right by offering a dessert on the house. 30 mins later, nothing came, we paid our bill and told the waitress we were going to the Speakeasy part to look around and she SAID she would bring it to us. 20 mins later, nothing came, we come back out to ask what happened and they said they gave it away because they “thought” we left. I was annoyed and irritated that they wasted our time. I honestly don’t plan to come back, mainly because of the treatment. The food is cool, but not the best.

I was gonna initially give them a 5 because the vibes were cool (outside at least), the food as good and the staff was really pleasant. BUT two things I really didn’t like? The 20% gratuity that they sneak onto the bill. Just tell us upfront what you are doing (though I’ve heard this is a thing in Austin now). And the 2nd is that they don’t actually give you an itemized receipt. They come over and just tell you what you ordered and how much the bill is. It seems like a shady business practice. Oh! And they need more than two toilets for a place that big. Otherwise, if you don’t need to use the bathroom and you are vigilant with the bill, it’s a cool spot with good food.

We eat dinner at Victory East the other night and it was easily the best meal we have eaten in along time. Our server… bro took the time to explain the dishes, you could tell they care about what they do. Will be back.

Such an amazing vibe in this place! Food was okay! The only thing I’d say that needs improvement is the wait time for the food. Also my food was a little cold when it came out.

Considering the historic connection of this place in East Austin, I had to stop in for brunch. This restaurant isn't that big, seats about 20 but also has a small bar area. They only have street parking so depending on the day, parking can be hard. Customer service and music was great! We were a bit late to the reservation and to my surprise, they called us to ask for eta. Our waiter was very personable and great knowledge of the menu. I figured you could never go wrong with chicken & waffles but I have never had fried chicken thighs as the chicken choice for a chicken & waffle dish. The dish itself was served hot & fresh! The waffle tasted great, fluffy and buttery but the chicken on the other hand, could have used more seasoning. The chicken just tasted like fried batter. I had to ask for hot sauce to give it some sort of twang. I also ordered a blackberry mimosa. It tasted as good as it looked. Be sure to grab one!

I'm only giving two stars because my server was nice. As of recent I've been frequenting Austin for work, so I've been trying different spots. Being from Atlanta, yall know we love our hookah! This spot was walking distance from my hotel, it offered a speakeasy vibe, has a rich history, it was Juneteenth, and I was using my corporate card for dinner.. so why not support a business that had rich black history..... I ordered a hookah, an old fashion, and ox tail Mac n cheese. I would love to say that when it finally came the oxtail Mac n cheese was worth your first born child, and the hookah felt like what I would imagine inhaling and exhaling clouds from the sky would feel like. Unfortunately I can't say that. Not because it's not true, but because I never got to experience either. After 45 minutes of waiting I decided to leave.

Okay, I feel very conflicted giving this review because I really want to love this place. So I'm going to be very thorough because there are aspects that I like about this place but then things that I don't like. Firstly, I'll talk about the vibe. Cute spacious area with a restaurant that leads to a lounge and outdoor space. So many events are kept here and there's always something going on. The thing that stands out for me is the quality of the food and drinks versus the price. The food and drinks are pretty mediocre and overly priced. If you are going to NY prices in Austin, you have to have well crafted drinks and amazing food. I will say the one drink that I liked was the peach pecan old fashion. I would come back again just for the vibes.

Victory East transports you to times of the speak easy. Love the vibe...sultry music, dim lighting and mellow environment. The music being played was top 40 mixed with old school music with all low key. After another reception, we decided to have a cocktail at Victory East. My friend and I both ordered a Lemon Drop Martini. Boy were they tasty...strong, flavorful and alluring. We also ordered the truffle fries, which were delicious. The truffle flavor combined with the light salt made the fries delight to eat. Our server, Gina, was extraordinarily pleasant! She was accommodating and checked on us frequently. She was the highlight of our Victory East experience. Only street parking is available. Fortunately, we got to Victory East around 7 pm and there was ample free parking. We will definitely be returning to Victory East!

One of the best restaurants I visited while in Austin. It was delicious from the food to the drinks and the staff were very knowledgeable of the menu. They had great recommendations. 10/10 no complaints

I have a mixed review about this place because I like it BUT there were a lot of things that went wrong. Before I get into it, I will say the location is a little tricky for parking so I HIGHLY suggest Uber/Lyft. Luckily it was a week day so we found street parking in a neighborhood with not so far of a walk. As far as the restaurant, it is small so if it's crowded expect to be really close to others around you sitting at their table. You make friends quick because you are practically in each other's conversations (that's how close). The vibe is nice and they have good music playing over the speakers. When we sat down our waiter was attentive and took our order quickly and offered up suggestions with the menu items. Shortly after we sat down it began to get busy and that's when things started to go down hill. Firstly our waiter easily became overwhelmed as she was the only one working all the tables since two of the other waiters called off. We ordered our food at 8:10 and did not get it until after 9pm. Since we ordered appetizers we had to check in with her twice on the order and she had forgot to put it separate from the food so when we finally got our food everything came at the same time. The food is a mixed review because only certain items were good. Firstly DO NOT order the grilled fish, cabbage, or the seasoned rice. 100000000% disgusting! However, the oxtail, fried chicken, Mac and Brussels sprouts were good. Nothing was amazing but at least the other items were eatable. Due to the lack of service and the longgggg wait, the manager offered us either a free drink or dessert so that was nice. Now for the speakeasy that's there, it's the main attraction. There is an entrance by going through the restaurant (which causes lots of foot traffic) or through the outside. We were there on a Thursday and every Thursday they do karaoke (free shot if you sing) and I will say it was a vibe. The layout was great, not too many people but just enough to have a good time. I highly suggest checking the lounge out after you eat, especially if it's a Thursday. FYI the kitchen serves the same food in both places so you don't have to eat at the restaurant, you can go straight to the lounge.

Great service, good prices and delicious food! We love this place! The food is full of flavor without being too heavy or spicy.

Great food, drinks, and service. We shared the lamb chops with Mac and cheese and Brussels sprouts. The lamb had great flavor, but just a tad overcooked. I wish it was taken off the grill 2 minutes before. But it was still great. The Mac and cheese was fine, it was just regular Mac. And the Brussel sprouts were amazing. They have a little sweetness and saltiness from the bacon. My husband said the first time he went his experience was better, but I thought this was great, and I would love to come back. The drinks we got were the peach pecan old fashioned and the rum punch. They were both amazing. Great mix and high quality. Our food came out before the drinks which was weird, but everything was great and we would be back. After we finished eating we went into the back to the lounge and we really enjoyed our night there too. I'm surprised there wasn't more people.

Honestly, my rating is a 2.5 1. I must give a shout out to the hostess who answered my call. I wanted to get a feel about seating and parking. She gave me detailed instructions. Also when we came in, even though she already had a table ready, she accommodated my (extra) request to be seated at a booth. 2. There is not a lot of park but there is free street parking behind the building and a parking garage next to the establishment. 3. I love the ambiance and the vibes!they had the game on and good music playing! 4. Our second waitress, Jasmine, really saved the day. She was as attentive as she could be and she corrected the errors made by the first waiter Foood: 1. The chicken and waffles was pretty good, i just wish it was bone in(personal preference). The sauce that came with it, was a great addition. 2. We also got the kitchen sink and that was fine 3. I think we were disappointed with a lot of things being out but I concede that it was a late brunch. 4. Also yalll, they have bottomless mimosas for $30 (2hr max) (first waiter said a carafe with multiple juices was $50) and for a premade carafe with OJ is $20. Listen they said bottomless and i said say less! My complaint: 1. I always want to support a black owned business but i have to call out the issues like i do everywhere else. 2. Our original server was not the best. He gave us a lot of misinformation about ordering a carafe, forgot to put in orders. But to some defense, it did seem like it was just him and one other servicing everyone.

Surprisingly, my favorite thing I had was the Brussels sprouts. It was sweet (had maple syrup I believe) and had GOOD pieces of bacon. The lamp chops were good but I've had better. They could've been more tender. The Mac and cheese was disappointing. 0/10 would recommend. The only enjoyable part was the top layer with the crust. The cheese sauce wasn't good. My drink was very tasty! I got the WAP (stands for watermelon and peach). Tasted just like a watermelon jolly rancher. The music was awesome. Classic R&B - at the perfect volume! Loud enough that you can hear and enjoy the music but not too loud that you can't hear each other talk.

I celebrated my birthday at Victory East with a table of ten, and it was an unforgettable experience. I had the oxtail, and it was absolutely delicious--tender, flavorful, and clearly made with love. The entire group was impressed with the food and the warm, welcoming service. But what truly sets Victory East apart is its rich history and vibrant atmosphere. The staff was very excited to share the building's history of musicians visiting B.B. King, Billie Holiday, and James Brown This isn't just a restaurant--it's a cultural landmark. You can feel that legacy in the air. The space is alive with music, community, and pride. It's cozy yet energetic, and every detail--from the decor to the playlist--honors its roots while embracing the present. If you're looking for a place that feeds both your soul and your appetite, Victory East is it. Whether you're a local or just visiting Austin, this spot is a must.

We visited on a Saturday and had a 7:00 reservation. We were seated immediately but it took about 10 mins to put our drink orders in. It took about 20 more mins for the server to come take our appetizer orders. At that point the hostess tried to take our menus and we hadn't even ordered entrees. We finished our appetizers (the wings were small but good) and drinks and waited a very long time to put in our entree orders. The hostess came over to tell us that another party was waiting on our seats and we explained that we were waiting on our checks and that she needs to check with the server. Being rushed while also being forced to wait is nuts. Food: Lamb chops 7/10 flavorful but fatty Mac n cheese 3/10 no flavor, dry Brussels sprouts 10/10 delicious Peach pecan old fashion 9/10 Hennessy Sidecar 10/10 We didn't get to check out busy signal because there was a private party.

Ambiance: Sunday brunch--Nice brunch vibe with music playing over the speakers so it's a nice brunch atmosphere. Service: It took a while for us to get our order taken and for us to receive our food. Our group size was 5 so I'm not sure if that was a factor or not, but our group size wasn't too large. Food: I ordered the Rasta Pasta and the food tasted really good. The food was seasoned well and blended perfectly. It just wasn't filling for me though because I was still hungry afterwards.

We visited for brunch and this restaurant wasn't what I expected. The food was okay although I didn't see some of the items that were online. We arrived at 1:30pm and they were out of chicken tenders so I'm assuming you need to arrive earlier. Bar and decor were cute, the drinks were good. Our server was attentive.

We made a reservation for the restaurant side in the front and a later reservation for the cocktail bar in the back. Let me just say now to skip the restaurant altogether. There are two doors to enter and there wasn't a host at either one when we walked in. There's no real waiting area so you're kind of just standing near table waiting for someone to notice you. Once we were seated most of the food items they were out of. The items we did order were not very flavorful and the food took long to come out. The cocktails were decent enough. We moved to the back of the restaurant to the bar room which had low mood lighting and a sofas but the drinks were the same from the restaurant so we just left. I would recommend just booking for the bar back room despite the limited food menu.

Where do I start?? Reserved a few tables for a friend birthday at 5:30pm and the food didn't come out until 6:30pm and then they told us we had to leave at 7:15pm because of another reservation and didn't even bring the dessert. Each one of us had to pay $30 for just the meal of tiny pieces of chicken and fish with a tiny bit of Brussels sprouts and Mac and cheese. For reference on the menu a delicious pasta or waffles and chicken they wouldn't let us order would've only been $22. Anyways we finally got our food and there was hair in it. They didn't care when I told them. Told us we had to leave at 7:15 to the back room speakeasy but get this, it's reserved for a private event so we couldn't even go back there so we stood in the bar area as the server pushed tables and chairs into where we were standing. 0/10 recommend coming here due to poor service, sanitary reasons, and just overall bad vibes.

Historical, landmark establishment in my neighborhood (Central East) that's recently reopened. Magnificent service, ambiance, and food. The brunch menu is delightful. Chicken & waffles are literally the best I've ever had.

The entire experience was disappointing and I definitely had high expectations. No hostess when you walk in, waitress had no knowledge of the drink menu, food was mid, wait for drinks was never ending because they didn't come until AFTER our meal so we canceled them. After canceling our drinks the experience went even further downhill, literally never seeing the waitress again so we approached the bartender for boxes and the check and he replied what up! & said he would let our waitress know. She still never came so the bartender came with the checks that were wrong, we paid and left. Also, everyone going & coming to & from the downstairs bar walk through the restaurant. Will NOT be back and unfortunately will not recommend Victory East.

Second time at this establishment and still left disappointed with the service and cleanliness... A waitress/hostess advertised their $7 menu during the afternoon time that I was there so I decided to come back for late night bites and eats. Unfortunately, while we were outside a rat ran across my foot and I was a bit surprised as to where this rat came from because it looked a like clean establishment. Then upon paying for our food and drinks, they charged us full price after we confirmed with the waitress/hostess on the $7 menu and it seemed that after another waitress came to discuss pricing after conversations either their manager , they didn't want to comp our food and drinks. Overall, it seems that this place a bit inconsistent and somewhere that I won't return to.

Victory East, you nailed it. The dark cool vibe of the restaurant is warm and inviting and the service reflects that same hospitality. But the food is the standout. We shared everything and nothing disappointed. Cornbread with bacon jam? I'll take it! The peach-pecan old fashioned? Certainly. The braised ox tail? Absolutely. And don't miss out on the speakeasy next door. Great spot.

Nice relaxed spot, old fashion was decent. Could have been better to fit the ambiance. Lollipop lamb chops hit the spot. Service was okay, the servers seemed a bit timid.

A really disappointing experience. They were out of everything we wanted to order. So we ended up getting the pasta, the Brussel sprouts, and coco bread. The food was pretty average. Drinks were unmemorable. Service was non-existent. It took nearly 30 minutes to order entrees. And just as long to get our drink orders. The staff and service were really disjointed, and it seems like they have a lot of customer experience issues to work through. Not having a host stand and just having folks stand around in the entry is odd. For the price, the ambiance, service, and food, were all a miss for me. Definitely not an upscale experience, and overall, average at best.

It was great food, great service , ambiance was nice , drinks and food were excellent. I recommend everything we had , Blackened Catfish, Lamb Chops, Mac & cheese, and the pasta everything was a 10/10 I highly recommend, we will be back!!

I made a reservation for 6:30pm last night. Our waiter, Sara came right away to take our drink order, but unfortunately everything fell off after this. It seemed like every drink my table tried to order, y'all were out of. When we finally got our drink order in, we waited about 15-20 minutes before Sara came up to our table again (without any drinks in hand). She seemed to be chatting with other tables for much longer than needed - acceptable if the restaurant is slow, but the space was quickly filling up - where is the sense of urgency if you're trying to flip tables and make money? One table sat down next to us and was not greeted for 10 minutes, and they left frustrated. We were not far behind and ended up walking out after only being served water for the 50 minutes that we were there. After being recommended this spot by numerous people I was extremely disappointed in our service tonight. I wanted to be patient and wait but only being served water for almost the first hour after sitting down was unacceptable. I can tell this restaurant is not managed very well -- you need to have more people on the clock for busy nights. And from other reviews I've read I am clearly not alone here. I will say, the food looked great though from what I saw, but please tighten up with service. Also, the music was WAY TOO LOUD for a dining room.

The food is sooo good and fresh. Love that they have 6 flavors of kool-aid to choose from. It was crowded but we weee able to secure a table before we ordered our food. We will definitely be going back

The food was incredible!!!! So delicious! The oxtail entree and max and cheese was to die for!! Do not sleep on this spot. For drinks we recco the WAP and pecan peach old fashioned. For dessert definitely get the peach cobbler! Mmm mmm so good! Will definitely be coming back!

The drinks were amazing as well as the food it was fresh and hot. But the ambiance is the real show stopper it is smaller and more intimate, dark but the speakeasy in the back is chefs kiss from the music to the seating. The service was also impeccable they are very attentive making sure you are enjoy your meal and drinks

This was easily one of the worst experiences I've had, and unfortunately, not the first time. We waited a full 30 minutes and no one ever came to take our drink order. We were supposed to receive "bottle service" for $150, but no one acknowledged us the entire time. On top of that, they were out of hookah. The service was absolutely horrible, and it's clear that customer care is not a priority here. After giving Victory East multiple chances, I can confidently say I will not be returning. Don't waste your time or money.

Horrible service the waitress treasure is very immature drink took forever to come out and food was just decent

TLDR; They were out of most things we tried to order, including several drinks. They served tables who got there after we ordered before us, apps and everything (we ordered the same thing). Items were missing from our order and we saw things we were told were unavailable served to othwr tables after the fact. We were ignored and basically felt like a nuisance. We were so disappointed to be treated the way we were. Food 6/10 We made a reservation for 8:30 and when we arrive at the restaurant and there is no host stand so we wait to be approached to be seated. The space is small and we didn't want to be in the way, but no one had come up to us or acknowledged us. We ask a waitress if we're in the right spot and she says yes, but nothing more. After a few minutes someone comes up to us and checks their device for our reservation and we get seated. When the waitress comes to take our drink order she lets us know our they are out of the first drinks we ask for. Then the second ones, so we ask for recommendations and go from there. We asked for wings and she let us know they were also out, so we ordered the cornbread. Another table of two gets seated about 45 mins after we arrive and then a table of 6 follows right after. When we ordered they also let us know they were out of 2 sides we ordered, so we switxhed to different ones. We ordered our food when they were seated and BOTH parties got food before we did - the table of 2 got their cornbread before we do (we also didn't get the toppings). We look over and see that the larger party has wings (which they were out of). They had said they ran out if everything we ordered earlier due to an event. By the time we get our food we've been there for over an hour and we're a bit confused as to why we were being treated that way. One entree was missing a side and we asked if it could be removed from the check after we ate since it never arrived. The table of 2 finished their entire experience at the restaurant before we did and they ordered the same thing we did.. Not sure if we offened them in some way but the way we were treated was unfortunate. We were so excited to visit the restaurant after we moved to the area because of its history, but this was such a let down. We were ignored and moved aside for other tables for some reason.

If I could give zero stars I would! Birthday Dinner reservations were made two weeks in advance and when we arrived they had a party of 30 that took up all of their seating. Whats the point of having reservations when the table wasn't ready at all when we arrived???? We arrived 10 min behind scheduled but we still were not informed that there was an over booking..The service was terrible!!!! My party and myself waited over two damn hours to get our orders!!! The drinks were nasty the service was bad and they messed up our food order we didn't receive the food until 20 mins til closing!!! I will admit that the staff tried to make it right and comp our food and drinks but the night was a complete disaster. As for the food it was pretty bland over all. Hopefully in the future they can make sure this booking issue doesn't happen again.

The food and drinks were good. We had catfish plate and truffle fries. For drinks we had what's love got to do with it and tang margaritas, both were good. We sat at the bar, where service was good. Our main issue were the T.V's playing raunchy music videos with half naked women. This is not necessary and it just didn't fit the classy vibe of the restaurant and live music that was being performed. It makes no sense to be playing sexually explicit videos at a nice restaurant. As two women dining, it caused us to feel very uncomfortable. I just don't like eating a meal and having a drink, and then looking up and seeing an ass in a g-string twerking in my face. I guess they are catering towards men who like looking at that. I would have liked to go there with my husband for a date night, but not anymore, definitely won't be back! I don't support establishments that degrade women!

2nd visit There is so much to tell... where should I start... Dinner Reservations at 9:00, didn't get seated until 10:30. The inexperienced hostess gave several excuses, none made sense (too many to list). Why didn't we leave? Party of 20 and didn't want to disappoint us the birthday girl further. Once we sat down, the MANAGER kept circling our table.. finally asking us to move to the other end of our party because he had other guest that needed our section. Of course, we asked why several times but none made sense. We moved to accommodate the birthday girl. Long story short the manager was terrible. The staff was frazzled. I could clearly see that they were doing the best they could because they were all young and inexperienced. However, the manager was old enough to know better. The building was at capacity downstairs and I'm sure violated fire codes. This was a horrifying experience to say the least.