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March 2024 by mostly Local
Title: A Disastrous Dining ExperienceRating: 1 starMy recent visit to The Bistro at Texas Hill Country Olive was a culinary catastrophe. I ordered the Frittata, expecting a delightful vegetarian experience with fresh farm eggs, seasonal vegetables, goat cheese, and homemade salsa for $14. Unfortunately, what arrived at my table was far from the promised vegetarian delight.After enduring an excruciatingly long wait, I eagerly took a few bites only to discover meat pieces stealthily hidden in the egg concoction. Shocked and dismayed, I sought clarification from the staff, only to be informed that the unwelcome surprise was pork. As someone who specifically ordered a vegetarian dish, this revelation not only ruined my meal but also made me sick.The lack of attention to dietary preferences is unacceptable, and the blame extends beyond the kitchen to the management. Jacklin, the manager on duty, displayed a notable lack of urgency in addressing the issue. A situation like this demands immediate action and a sincere apology, neither of which was provided.Chef Riki's failure to ensure the accuracy of the dish reflects poorly on the kitchen's competence. The entire experience was a regrettable display of negligence, leaving me with an upset stomach and a bitter impression of The Bistro. I sincerely hope this review prompts necessary improvements in both kitchen practices and customer service.Update I was trying calling and lady that name Fatima located in the Philippines answer the phone, and when I ask to speak to a manager, she told me she can’t and I asked her why and she told me she not inThis is not okay that this restaurant have no respect
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February 2024 by Laura K.
We stopped here for lunch during a girls' wine tasting trip, and it was great! We all enjoyed our food and the gift shop finds! I bought some awesome lotion that smells great and feels amazing, a great apron, and some olive oil and spices as gifts, which were well-loved. Definitely stop by for the food and shopping when you have the chance!
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January 2024 by Alexis B.
I visited Texas Hill Country Olive Co. for a olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting a few weeks ago when my husband I were in the area. I had done an olive oil tasting years ago, when I was studying abroad in Italy, so when I learned that Texas Hill Country Olive Co. did tastings, I had to stop by. Our tasting was great. The staff member who did our tasting began by showing us the olive grove (sadly still recovering after the 2021 freeze) and then took us back inside and gave our our prepared trays. Our tasting tray included four olive oils, 2 flavored/infused olive oils, and 4 balsamic vinegars (1 traditional and 3 flavored/infused, 2 of which were white balsamics), but you can also taste anything else they sell after you've finished your tasting tray. I don't buy a lot of infused olive oils or balsamic vinegars, but it was interesting to try their range of products. I did leave with a bottle of one of their olive oils, which I'm really excited to cook with. A lot of the information shared during the tasting was about the health benefits of olive oil, which I wasn't too interested in, but I can see that many people who do a tasting might be! They also shared a lot of recipe ideas (including recipe cards) for how to use their olive oils and balsamic vinegars. Depending on your level of knowledge of oils and cooking, you might learn a lot from the tasting! They also have a bistro (with a full menu for lunch) and a gourmet shop, where you can buy their olive oils and balsamic vinegars (in multiple sizes), wine, other goods made from olive oil, and cooking equipment and ingredients! The building is beautiful, and the service is top notch. It was a really fun activity after a few days of hiking and wine tastings in the area! I recommend it if you are interested in olive oils, enjoy tastings and want to try something new, or enjoy cooking! And don't forget you can visit the bistro or shop if the tasting isn't your cup of tea. I'm glad we were able to stop by and learn about and support this family-owned Texas business!
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January 2024 by Alex Santillana
Looks like the owner does not have any idea on how to manage a restaurant, no waitress, no trays to bring the food, the ceiling fans were on and cold, the food was good, but took long time because the kitchen has little help. The food got cold because the waitress are not trained to move fast table services.
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January 2024 by Larry C.
I have been a club member for years but sadly I canceled my membership today. As much as I like their product I will not be deceived. They offer a club membership that give you a better than normal discount on the club box and 20% off other purchases. They also are very quick to point out in their emails that you can customize your oder. What they don't tell you is that when you do this it negates the better club price discount even though it does still give you the 20%, I email the about this since it does not seem fair and got a Texas two step cut and paste email back that did not address the issue. I emailed Justine and asked for better clarification and got the exact same cut and paste email. Again I like the product but refuse to deal with people who are not totally transparent in their dealing.
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January 2024 by Bia S.
This was my first time going to Texas Hill Country Olive Co. and it was such a nice visit. I was pleasantly surprised by how warm and accommodating the staff was. They slotted us into the olive oil tour and tasting right when it started so we could join the fun. Although the guide said she was super new at giving tours (I actually think we were her first one), she still went out of her way to ensure she could answer all our questions about the olive oil-making process. We then went to the beautiful tasting room with large wooden tables and nice natural lighting to try some of their products. We got to try a surprising amount of olive oils poured out in little cups on a tray, and then we were welcome to try any number of other flavors not included if we asked for them. My only note is they gave us such a tiny amount of bread for trying the olive oils, so for the most part, you had to drink it to try it. While that may be the best way to experience the flavors, it was not the most pleasant experience. Nevertheless, I was blown away by the quality and flavor of the Super Greek olive oil and took home some other cool flavors as well. Awesome experience!
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January 2024 by Kelsey D.
My go-to spot for local Texas olive oils and balsamic vinegars. They have a crazy variety of different flavors of both olive oil and balsamics, and offer two different olive oil tastings that you can purchase. One tasting with six flavors is $12, or you can try both tastings with twelve flavors for $20. if you visit when their Bistro is open between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. every day, they also offer a variety of different lunch items. We tried the margherita pizza, which has their balsamic vinegar drizzled on top. I love Texas Hill Country Olive Co.'s blood orange infused olive oil, Hojiblanca extra virgin olive oil, super Greek extra virgin olive oil, and white lemon balsamic vinegar, but I haven't tried a flavor that I haven't liked. One of my favorite things about Texas Hill Country Olive Co. is that they have free recipe cards in their store for a variety of different beverages, salad dressings, and food items including their products. Everyone at their store is kind and attentive, and we even met co-founder John Gambini, who was so nice and super passionate about their company. If you don't have time to drive out to Dripping Springs, you can also purchase some of their olive oils and balsamic vinegars on Amazon, but I highly recommend adding Texas Hill Country Olive Co. to your itinerary the next time you visit Dripping Springs.
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January 2024 by Kimberly C.
A wonderful stop during our weekend stay in Dripping Springs . We ate lunch here, did the Olive tasting tour and shopped in their store. I highly recommend you stop by for lunch and the tasting. We had great service during our visit here. I loved the quaint elegant rustic atmosphere. It has both indoor and outdoor dining. Not to mention they have the best olive oils and balsamic. Too many to choose from. Will definitely be back!
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January 2024 by Alex H.
Love the olive oils and vinegars. Selection is great, with tons of varieties and flavors. The gift shop also sells various salsas and other miscellaneous stuff that made it easy to shop for Christmas gifts. Our Yelp check in even came with a pair of wine flights for free (though the cashier didn't know about it)! Downside: the serving size for the olive oil and vinegar tasting was very small, and the last time I went there a few years back (ostensibly pre-COVID) they gave you free reign over the olive oil and vinegar samples to create your own interesting combinations. We left with 3 bottles of balsamic and a bottle of olive oil, as well as some towels.
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January 2024 by Sandee T.
We called to confirm if they were open on Tuesday 26th and they said yes. So we drove we to find them closed. Another group of people also pulled up stating they also called and were told they were open. We stood outside and called them back only to be told they were closed! So can't give them any real stars since we didn't get in after a long drive to visit!
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December 2023 by Dave H.
This is a wonderful olive oil shop located in dripping Springs on Fitzhugh road. It has a wide variety of gifts and a wide assortment of infused olive oil's. It also serves a light lunch menu. If you're ever out in Driftwood, this is definitely a place you want to stop by. The staff is very friendly and the products are top-notch. Give it a try. Highly recommend.
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December 2023 by Nanci H.
A couple years ago, I found myself solo in the area. So thought I would try a tour and have lunch. Fast forward to Thanksgiving weekend 2023, my husband, sons and their significants rented an airbnb in the Texas Hill Country. I insisted on a return trip to THCOF. We had a wonderful, very informative tasting, then had lunch at the bistro. Not sure if the bistro is award winning yet, but if not it should be. We had the loaded potato soup, tried all three of their flat breads and the beet salad. The owner, John was there. He spent a lot of time answering all my family's questions. Acted like he had all the time in the world for us. Oh, they also have a very nice gift store with a lot of Hill Country Merch. Will not return to the Hill Country without stopping off again.
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December 2023 by Alexis C.
We stopped in for an afternoon wine/olive oil/food stop. We did the olive oil flights which are poured for individuals so don't expect to go in there a split a tasting. We will be going back whenever we're driving through DS.
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November 2023 by Sean M.
My husband and I saw this on our drive to Pedernales SP. We always wanted a "winery" experience but neither of us like wine too much so this was the next best thing! Consider we both also love olive oil, it just made sense. We made a reservation for a mill tour and tasting. We arrived a little early and perused their gift shop. Lovely but quite expensive. The tour and tasting was about 45 min. I learned a lot! Tasting was my favorite. Their balsamics are unreal. After the tour, my husband and I split some food at their in house cafe. We got a pizza, a balsamic lemonade, and cookie, & gelato. All was delish - although the pizza could have been a liiiiittle hotter. But otherwise, delicious. We ended up getting a small bottle of olive oil and balsamic. As we were leaving, they have a shelf of bread. They had 2 stacks of rolls for $5! We snatched it up. Delicious! All in all I recommend this place; we had a great time.
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November 2023 by Sarah B.
What a beautiful place just outside of Dripping Springs! Amazing views, fantastic food, friendly, knowledgeable staff...it's the perfect place to bring out of town guests or just as a fun afternoon road trip. Highly recommend the olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting class!
