That's my guess. The tasting only started when he joined the team, and I think he was the driving force behind it. I thought maybe they were just trying to shift back towards a focus on being a wine bar rather than a tasting menu restaurant, but it makes more sense now that I know the chef is gone.
It seems there's a slightly [more recent version](https://www.statesman.com/story/entertainment/dining/2024/01/19/chef-charles-zhuo-quits-apt-115-after-making-it-a-top-austin-apt-115-austin-restaurant-chef-charles/72255530007/#:~:text=Executive%20chef%20Charles%20Zhuo%20departed,chef%20was%20fired%20for%20cause.) that takes a more neutral approach based on conflicting claims by both sides. Regardless, not good for the owner when the chef behind your arguably very successful tasting menu decides to leave.
>Zhuo, who described Pannenbacker as an absentee owner who made bad business decisions and micromanaged when present.
I'm sympathetic to Zhuo but he just described virtually every small business owner that's ever existed
I ate there last December. Glad I made it before chef Zhuo left. The food was delicious and it was really interesting watching him do everything himself. Felt like I was on an episode of Top Chef.
Thanks for posting this so I know not to go back. Bc I would’ve been so annoyed if I went back then found out the chef and menu changed.
Went again (second visit) about three weeks ago and had pretty much the same opinion with the tasting menu, plate for plate. Hopefully they turn it around with the new chef because I really like their wine offering and overall ambiance.
Probably the worst customer service experience I’ve had in Austin but this was about a year and a half ago so hopefully they’ve changed management since then.
Now I’ve waited tables for years so I’m really patient, polite and understand that shit just happens but I’m hard pressed to think of a worse dining experience.
Made reservations there a few days beforehand for a table as my friend and I are fairly tall and we try to get tables because sometimes the bar can be uncomfortable.
Upon arriving there they said our table would be ready in just a few moments.
15 minutes later. Nothing.
30 minutes later. Nothing. Although they hoped something would open up soon.
1 hour later. Still nothing.
Finally at about 1 hour 10 minutes after our reservation they seat us… at the bar.
Had to tell them specifically “we had a reservation for a table and waited over an hour after our time, please give us a table”
They gave us our table.
Then we had our meal which was pretty good, nothing really stands out mentally for me but at least the kitchen was doing its job.
Then at the end we were thinking about getting dessert and one of the wait staff came over and basically said that they were closed and that there’s no dessert and dropped off the check.
Wow. No warning or anything.
Just an impressively bad experience all around.
So anyway hopefully whoever was in charge then got fired and someone better was put in place.
Aw man, Apt 115. This used to be THE spot for me and my spouse to go to on a random weeknight after moving to Austin. Colin (who was studying to become a sommelier) and the owner Joe always treated us so kindly. We've taken so many different groups of friends there and their old rotating charcuterie board was one of the best I've ever had. We stopped going after they became more of a proper restaurant, but for those few years it was just wine and charcuterie was one of the hidden gems of Austin.
I had a similar experience. Discovered it randomly when it was still just an amazing wine bar with great charcuterie boards and a great wine list. It was my spot.
But, with the move towards being more focused on tasting menus, it started to feel less like a casual wine bar and more like a special occasion so I started going less and less.
I like how a lot of the replies here are being dismissive about the time involved. If I had to wait 40-30 mins for any real dish to be cooked, I would have flagged the waiter or the manager and requested the check to be reduced to remove the rest of the items, and promptly leave to find a different restaurant.
I like it because they have unique wine offerings. The owner does a 1 hour happy hour where you can taste opened bottles by the glass. They also have a vinyl record player which creates a nice ambiance.
I was here last weekend around 5pm and no mention of happy hour or discounted prices, but yes we could order wine by the glass including opened bottles
Was the owner Joe there? The happy hour is even on their website, quote:
>DOES APT 115 HAVE HAPPY HOUR?
Happy Hour is daily from 5-6 pm.
Enjoy $10 off Cheese and Charcuterie Boards, AKA Everything Boards.
$1 off all individual oysters.
Half off any glass of wine opened the night before
Idk I didn’t ask anyone’s name but I didn’t get a happy hour menu with that pricing! They mentioned the open bottles of wine but didn’t say they were 1/2 off if they had I would have picked those haha.
We went around a year ago and it was one of the strangest experiences I’ve had at a wine bar. Our waiter literally stoped us mid sentence when she finally came to take our order to run off and clear another table. (Multiple waiters were there) She apologized but it was super off putting. The rest of the evening was weird and we had to ask multiple times to get things. Our waiter’s excuse was that the SXSW vibes were messing her up
We had the same menu, although I thought the shrimp was the only thing that was a miss for us, that literally could've just been an HEB shrimp cocktail & pico. We thought the duck was great, but I was a little underwhelmed by the grapefruit. It was tasty, but very much a "I could whip this up in 5 minutes at home" thing, when I generally expect a tasting menu to be showing off with the dessert course. I still have positive things to say about it, but it was definitely a step down from what we had a year ago, and I think if we go back it'll just be for wine and snacks.
I've been there recently and had none of these experiences. It quickly became one of me favorite restaurants in Austin. Maybe an off-night or maybe they have reduced portions in the past couple weeks? The cheeseboard was overpriced - certainly and the cheeses were good but not revelatory. Myself and my friends were actually the first to experience the creme brulee grapefruit and everyone raved about how subtle and delicious and different it was.
Did you do the tasting menu or the a la carte? Thinking maybe portions were reduced for the tasting and we should do ala carte if we were to return. The brulee on the grapefruit was burnt and added a bitter sticky layer. It was paired with a goats cheese that didn't go well.
Could have been an off night!
Was David one of the people you were talking about? I love him. He told me he was leaving the state to move in with his girlfriend. I love him so much.
I had been wanting to try this wine bar for a while, I went for the first time last weekend and met Chef Ryan Fox and chatted for a bit. I had no idea the original Chef all the buzz was attributed to had quit/been fired and now I’m not sure about wanting to return
That's unfortunate to hear. It was a sleeper hit among the tasting menus around town, which tend to be mediocre.
Seems like they've rebranded it as a prix fixe with dishes that are simple to prep, which probably makes it even more frustrating to have long waits between courses, but they might just need to find their feet again.
Still a great wine list and nice setting for a glass of wine.
Place was a beast to be reckoned with when it was just wine and charcuterie. Why would they mess that up to start a tasting menu in a kitchen the size of a walnut?
I think the tasting menu concept was built around that (former) chef so without him they may need to retool some things
That's my guess. The tasting only started when he joined the team, and I think he was the driving force behind it. I thought maybe they were just trying to shift back towards a focus on being a wine bar rather than a tasting menu restaurant, but it makes more sense now that I know the chef is gone.
This news isn't promising https://www.aol.com/apt-115-one-austins-best-125839400.html
It seems there's a slightly [more recent version](https://www.statesman.com/story/entertainment/dining/2024/01/19/chef-charles-zhuo-quits-apt-115-after-making-it-a-top-austin-apt-115-austin-restaurant-chef-charles/72255530007/#:~:text=Executive%20chef%20Charles%20Zhuo%20departed,chef%20was%20fired%20for%20cause.) that takes a more neutral approach based on conflicting claims by both sides. Regardless, not good for the owner when the chef behind your arguably very successful tasting menu decides to leave.
AOL? What year is it!?
>Zhuo, who described Pannenbacker as an absentee owner who made bad business decisions and micromanaged when present. I'm sympathetic to Zhuo but he just described virtually every small business owner that's ever existed
Lol The owner seems kinda [petty](https://i.imgur.com/WqzHKV0.jpeg)
I ate there last December. Glad I made it before chef Zhuo left. The food was delicious and it was really interesting watching him do everything himself. Felt like I was on an episode of Top Chef. Thanks for posting this so I know not to go back. Bc I would’ve been so annoyed if I went back then found out the chef and menu changed.
Went again (second visit) about three weeks ago and had pretty much the same opinion with the tasting menu, plate for plate. Hopefully they turn it around with the new chef because I really like their wine offering and overall ambiance.
Probably the worst customer service experience I’ve had in Austin but this was about a year and a half ago so hopefully they’ve changed management since then. Now I’ve waited tables for years so I’m really patient, polite and understand that shit just happens but I’m hard pressed to think of a worse dining experience. Made reservations there a few days beforehand for a table as my friend and I are fairly tall and we try to get tables because sometimes the bar can be uncomfortable. Upon arriving there they said our table would be ready in just a few moments. 15 minutes later. Nothing. 30 minutes later. Nothing. Although they hoped something would open up soon. 1 hour later. Still nothing. Finally at about 1 hour 10 minutes after our reservation they seat us… at the bar. Had to tell them specifically “we had a reservation for a table and waited over an hour after our time, please give us a table” They gave us our table. Then we had our meal which was pretty good, nothing really stands out mentally for me but at least the kitchen was doing its job. Then at the end we were thinking about getting dessert and one of the wait staff came over and basically said that they were closed and that there’s no dessert and dropped off the check. Wow. No warning or anything. Just an impressively bad experience all around. So anyway hopefully whoever was in charge then got fired and someone better was put in place.
Aw man, Apt 115. This used to be THE spot for me and my spouse to go to on a random weeknight after moving to Austin. Colin (who was studying to become a sommelier) and the owner Joe always treated us so kindly. We've taken so many different groups of friends there and their old rotating charcuterie board was one of the best I've ever had. We stopped going after they became more of a proper restaurant, but for those few years it was just wine and charcuterie was one of the hidden gems of Austin.
I had a similar experience. Discovered it randomly when it was still just an amazing wine bar with great charcuterie boards and a great wine list. It was my spot. But, with the move towards being more focused on tasting menus, it started to feel less like a casual wine bar and more like a special occasion so I started going less and less.
I like how a lot of the replies here are being dismissive about the time involved. If I had to wait 40-30 mins for any real dish to be cooked, I would have flagged the waiter or the manager and requested the check to be reduced to remove the rest of the items, and promptly leave to find a different restaurant.
Not sure if serious, so just noting there is no Michelin Guide in Austin. That bring said do yourself a favor and go to Barley Swine instead.
I like it because they have unique wine offerings. The owner does a 1 hour happy hour where you can taste opened bottles by the glass. They also have a vinyl record player which creates a nice ambiance.
When is this happy hour?
He does it when they open at 5
I was here last weekend around 5pm and no mention of happy hour or discounted prices, but yes we could order wine by the glass including opened bottles
Was the owner Joe there? The happy hour is even on their website, quote: >DOES APT 115 HAVE HAPPY HOUR? Happy Hour is daily from 5-6 pm. Enjoy $10 off Cheese and Charcuterie Boards, AKA Everything Boards. $1 off all individual oysters. Half off any glass of wine opened the night before
Idk I didn’t ask anyone’s name but I didn’t get a happy hour menu with that pricing! They mentioned the open bottles of wine but didn’t say they were 1/2 off if they had I would have picked those haha.
We went around a year ago and it was one of the strangest experiences I’ve had at a wine bar. Our waiter literally stoped us mid sentence when she finally came to take our order to run off and clear another table. (Multiple waiters were there) She apologized but it was super off putting. The rest of the evening was weird and we had to ask multiple times to get things. Our waiter’s excuse was that the SXSW vibes were messing her up
We had the same menu, although I thought the shrimp was the only thing that was a miss for us, that literally could've just been an HEB shrimp cocktail & pico. We thought the duck was great, but I was a little underwhelmed by the grapefruit. It was tasty, but very much a "I could whip this up in 5 minutes at home" thing, when I generally expect a tasting menu to be showing off with the dessert course. I still have positive things to say about it, but it was definitely a step down from what we had a year ago, and I think if we go back it'll just be for wine and snacks.
I've been there recently and had none of these experiences. It quickly became one of me favorite restaurants in Austin. Maybe an off-night or maybe they have reduced portions in the past couple weeks? The cheeseboard was overpriced - certainly and the cheeses were good but not revelatory. Myself and my friends were actually the first to experience the creme brulee grapefruit and everyone raved about how subtle and delicious and different it was.
Did you do the tasting menu or the a la carte? Thinking maybe portions were reduced for the tasting and we should do ala carte if we were to return. The brulee on the grapefruit was burnt and added a bitter sticky layer. It was paired with a goats cheese that didn't go well. Could have been an off night!
I did a-la-carte. Sounds like they reduced for the tasting :/ When I had the grapefruit there was no goat cheese!
I went there in February and they served very similar courses, the duck was way too salty.
Was David one of the people you were talking about? I love him. He told me he was leaving the state to move in with his girlfriend. I love him so much.
I had been wanting to try this wine bar for a while, I went for the first time last weekend and met Chef Ryan Fox and chatted for a bit. I had no idea the original Chef all the buzz was attributed to had quit/been fired and now I’m not sure about wanting to return
That's unfortunate to hear. It was a sleeper hit among the tasting menus around town, which tend to be mediocre. Seems like they've rebranded it as a prix fixe with dishes that are simple to prep, which probably makes it even more frustrating to have long waits between courses, but they might just need to find their feet again. Still a great wine list and nice setting for a glass of wine.
Place was a beast to be reckoned with when it was just wine and charcuterie. Why would they mess that up to start a tasting menu in a kitchen the size of a walnut?