827Ray’s Kitchen + Cellar

Looking for fine dining on Lake Travis? Try 827Ray’s Kitchen + Cellar, where Chef Wayne treats patrons to delicious modern French cuisine.

The Lake Travis area outside of Austin is a beautiful place to live, but it was missing a key element of a gracious lifestyle: an elegant restaurant known for a delicious, seasonal menu and a world-class wine selection. Chef Wayne Brooks, formerly executive chef at the University of Texas Golf Club and a top-ten winner of the Chaine des Rotisseurs national Young Chef competition, wanted to bring modern French cuisine and a sophisticated and elegant dining experience closer to home.

In 2016, Chef Brooks was proud to bring his vision to life in 827Ray’s Kitchen + Cellar. The restaurant opened Aug. 27, or 8.27.16—a very important date for its owners, Kerry Grimes and Executive Chef Wayne Brooks. The date is the birthday of both Grimes’ daughter and Brooks’ youngest son, and Ray is the middle name of Brooks’ oldest child. Having formed a fast friendship at the UT Golf Club in Steiner Ranch where Brooks served as Executive Chef, Grimes and Brooks opened the restaurant together and built it on the pillars of high-quality ingredients, impeccable service, and an unbreakable respect for one another.

Today, 827Ray’s welcomes guests with a seasonal menu of responsibly raised meats and farm-fresh vegetables, cooked in a style that lets the ingredients shine. Known for their popular Wine Dinners, 827Ray’s has become home to a community of foodies and wine buffs who appreciate the spirit of culinary and fine art adventure. From the original wall art by Salvador Dali and Henri Matisse to the waiters in jeans, and a community table that can seat 10-12 people and spur many a memorable conversation, the owners continually strive to bring a feel of “casual elegance” to the restaurant. Brooks feels he and Grimes thought of every detail to make the restaurant elegant, inviting, and instantly memorable.

Chef Wayne’s signature dishes include a baked goat cheese appetizer with roasted red pepper and tomato coulis, grilled filet mignon and white wine braised pork oso bucco with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, broccolini and a natural jus. Recently highlighted by Culture Map as “Totally Worth the Drive to West Austin”, Chef Brooks and his staff are happy to make wine pairing recommendations from their extensive and hand picked wine list.

Chef Wayne changes the menu monthly, keeping the favorites and adding exciting new dishes to please the palate and match the season. The restaurant includes a gorgeous garden patio for candlelit intimate outdoor dining, a pavilion for weddings and events, a two-sided fireplace, an oyster bar, live music, and a custom built bar featuring craft cocktails and a world-class wine selection with over 100 extraordinary wines by the bottle and over 20 wines by the glass.

Open for Lunch and Dinner seven days a week. Happy Hour is from 3-6pm Monday thru Friday. The highly coveted Sunday Brunch reservation slots are from 10am – 2pm.