Lake Travis - Westlake Edition | February 2022

DINING FEATURE

BY GRACE DICKENS

A MENU WITH VARI ETY

Komal Latin Kitchen & Bar oers a variety of dishes from around Latin America. Beef, chicken, pasta, seafood and sh entrees are prepared fresh daily from scratch.

Pupusas are lled with cheese and refried beans, spinach, pork or garlic. ($9)

“PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY’RE AT HOME WITH THE WAY WE TREAT YOU. EVERYBODY IS SPECIAL TO US.” ROLANDO OSORIO, OWNER OF KOMAL LATIN KITCHEN & BAR

Owner Rolando Osorio opened the restaurant in January 2021. (Photos by Grace Dickens/Community Impact Newspaper)

Komal LatinKitchen&Bar Restaurant brings new avors to Steiner Ranch dining scene K omal Latin Kitchen & Bar is a fami- ly-owned restaurant in Steiner Ranch that oers a variety of Latin cuisine, a full bar but hesitant to branch out. “We are the only restaurant in the area that has this wide selection and live Latin music,” Osorio said. “It gets packed. Those are probably the two

Acapulco a la Talla baked red sh is one of the restaurant’s most popular menu items. ($19)

and an outdoor patio for live Latin music. Since opening in January 2021, owner Rolando Osorio said the restaurant has tried to embrace Latin American culture by providing food from Central America, South America and the Caribbean. “We have a little bit of everything,” Osorio said. “People feel like they’re at home with the way we treat you. Everybody is special to us.” Everything is made fresh from scratch daily with a menu focused on the most popular dishes native to Latin America, Osorio said. One favorite is the Acapulco a la Talla baked red sh, a let marinated with a variety of peppers from the Acapulco region in southern Mexico. Alongside full dining service, the restaurant oers a full bar with beer, wine and Latin American-inspired cocktails. The menu has been simplied in the last year to prioritize popular dishes and avoid customers getting overwhelmed with options, he said. Though the restaurant is not explicitly a Mexican restau- rant, the menu also consists of several Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes for those interested in Latin food

things that make us stand out the most.” Several Latin bands play at the restaurant, including The Brew, an Austin-based band featuring leader and guitarist Michael Rodriguez. There also is a private room available where patrons can pay a certain amount on food and drinks to reserve a space for parties, karaoke or other activities. Osorio previously opened a location in San Marcos in 2017, but chose to relocate to the Steiner Ranch area because of its proximity to Lake Travis and his family. Like many other restaurants right now, Komal Latin Kitchen & Bar has taken a hit due to the pandemic. Despite these setbacks, Osorio said he hopes the restaurant will gain a foothold in the community and garner more supporters moving forward. “We made the decision to stick it out because this place has so much potential,” Osorio said. “There is not much competition around here with our concept, so we hope that is going to give us the edge eventually when we get out of this situation.”

The Spicy Mexican Martini with fresh muddled jalapenos is one of the bar’s most popular drinks. ($9)

Komal Latin Kitchen&Bar 5000 N. Quinlan Park Road, Austin 512-992-0445 www.komallkb.com Hours: Tue.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9 p.m,

620

Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.- 10 p.m., closed Sun.-Mon.

LAKE TRAVIS WESTLAKE EDITION • FEBRUARY 2022