Austin is one of the most hip, exciting, environmentally-friendly and progressive cities in the US. You’ll find farmer’s markets every weekend, people commuting on bike, green certified buildings, food trailer parks, community gardens, and of course some of the tastiest vegetarian food on the planet. My recent weekend getaway to Austin included some of my favorite spots as well as some new finds.
Beets Cafe
1611 W 5th St, Ste 165 (at Mopac)
Austin Texas 78703
512-477-2338
How exciting that Austin has a raw food cafe that has stayed in business! I’ve tried raw food all over the world and I was quite happy with everything I had a Beets Cafe. Their cheesecake rivaled the best raw cheesecake I’ve ever had from Bliss in Dallas. It was the most fluffy texture I had ever experienced with a raw cheesecake, which is usually rock solid from the combo of cashews and coconut oil. This was more like ice cream! Delish. Notable and tasty noms I tried were the Asian Style Noodle Salad, which had the perfect blend of veggies, kelp noodles, sea veggies, and sweet miso dressing; Cha-lu-pas, which had sunflower seed “beans” and the best guac; and the ELTA (Eggplant bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado), which gave me a new experience of seasoned dehydrated eggplant. Wasn’t sure I was going to like the “bacon” but it was a perfect substitution.
Bouldin Creek Cafe
1900 South First
Austin Texas 78704512-416-1601
An old-time favorite is Bouldin and I was happy to visit there new location that is five times the size of the previous hole in the wall. This is the place to go to get affordable, filling, delicious vegetarian and vegan food. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu and their fancy coffee drinks are the best. Notably they offer soy, rice, and almond milk, which is a rarity at any restaurant. You’ll find the hippies, the punks, the preppies, and families all joined together in this cozy South Austin spot.
Counter Culture
120 E North Loop (at Ave F)
Austin Texas 78751
One of the first vegan food trailers to hit Austin, Counter Culture’s menu is small but offers affordable salads, sandwiches, specials, and tasty desserts. It’s cash only and you should follow them on Facebook and Twitter for updated hours, daily specials, and to find out about all the fun events they host there. Favorites are the Raw Bruschetta, PacMan Caesar, Philly Seitan sandwich, and all the specials and desserts! The weekend brunch is a must too!
Casa de Luz
1701 Toomey Rd
Austin Texas 78704
512-476-2535
Casa de Luz has been around for many years and was one of the first vegan macrobiotic restaurants to offer healthy, organic, affordable meals in a serene environment with themed meals throughout the week. My fave is the Mexican night and Sunday brunch. The food is clean, nourishing, and shared with other customers in a communal seating style. If you are ever in Austin you’ll want to stop here, but remember there is no junk vegan food at Casa. Just pure and lovely whole foods.
Evan_D (1 comments)
Don’t forget Mother’s Cafe – So awesome everything. Very vegan friendly.
nottanya (1 comments)
… and Veggie Heaven which is vegan and has been around many years. Kerby Lane and Magnolia Cafe have veg menus with vegan options. Most restaurants in Austin have veg options or they can make it veg or vegan- such as Koriente (Korean Fusion). There’s live music at Central Market and you can easily find a great veg meal while you listen to music on their outdoor deck. Also there’s the Daily Juice which has a couple of locations in town. They have a great (but pricey) raw vegan menu.
Marvelguy (1 comments)
Don’t forget Iggi’s Texitarian trailer by 1104 E. 6th St. They serve veggie chili, veg dogs, nachos and more. Once per month they serve a brunch with dreamy pancakes. Everything is vegan!