• CLOSED: Mother's Cafe and Garden

  • (50)
    54

    Closed

  • White Vegetarian
Vegan-friendly
Lacto
American
Beer/Wine
Delivery
Take-out
Mexican

Reopened in Oct 2007 after a fire, this place features a vegetarian menu with pasta, lasagna, enchiladas, veggie burgers, soup, salad, sandwiches, fresh juices, and weekend brunch til 3pm. Reported closed Novemebr 2020.


Venue map for Mother's Cafe and Garden
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50 Reviews

First Review by VeganTex

RachelPrichett

Points +44

Vegan
08 Jan 2020

Just ok

This place might be better for vegetarians, but the vegan options are limited and not that great. It seems kind of pricey for the quality of the food, too - I would describe it as cafeteria type cuisine.

Additionally, last time I was there they had a couple things labeled vegan on their menu which had cheese. I would have assumed it was vegan cheese, but the woman at the table next to us ordered one and got real cheese. She pointed it out (after taking a bite) and the server told her that the dish was not vegan. They were very apologetic after seeing on the menu that it was labeled vegan, but still weird to get something like that wrong at a specialty vegetarian/vegan restaurant.

Pros: Good for vegetarians

Cons: Not great for vegans , Pricey for the quality

sb33333

Points +289

Vegan
17 Nov 2019

Love the spinach enchiladas

This place is kind of old school vegan but has some really tasty options!

ryanhansen

Points +226

Vegan
30 Sep 2019

One of my favorite local spots

We love coming here for all the reasons that any restaurant could offer - service, vibe, and most of all - delicious food.

We have been to mothers many times and I’ve never left not satisfied. As a vegan, there are quite a few things that aren’t vegan (especially some of the desserts) that I wish were served up as a vegan option, but it’s always amazing nonetheless.

We have come here later at night, around lunch, and for breakfast so have had a good sampling of all of the options. The only thing that I didn’t like was a Bbq tofu dish that I got one time, but it was still forgivable bc I still ate it and had other delicious stuff with the rest of the meal.

The staff is always helpful, but the vibe is probably my favorite in Austin. It’s such a cool, old school hippie vibe with the plants, music, and decor - just love it. Lastly, it’s in the Uber cool Hyde park area and I feel fits in perfectly.

DeanJen

Points +4966

Vegan
22 Aug 2019

A paradigm of poetic plant pageantry on a plate.

A preeminent piquance for the palate.

CamSnow

Points +58

Vegan
01 Aug 2019

Try the queso!

So, been here a few times, and although the food is good, their vegan queso is great!! Definitely recommend stopping in just for that! It's got a great consistency and taste! Their smoothies arent bad either! Always a nice little place to stop in and grab food!

Pros: Amazing vegan queso!

Cons: Not a huge menu for vegans.

kmccomas23

Points +38

Vegetarian
28 Jul 2019

A bit overpriced IMO

It’s definitely nice to be a vegetarian in Mother’s because the entire menu is at your disposal (not too common in Austin). I do think the prices are a bit steep for what you get. Spinach salad with cashew tamari (add tempeh) is my go-to; the BBQ Tofu is also yummy; the stir fries are a bit greasy for my taste.

Pros: Free chips and salsa!

Cons: Pricy

dmspill

Points +72

Vegan
14 Jul 2019

Best vegan pancakes in town, great vegan brunch options

We enjoyed a yummy full vegan brunch with excellent service. Highly recommended. Thank you...

Pros: Historic veg place, Great service, Yummy vegan option

Danidarling06

Points +401

Vegan
11 Jul 2019

Amazing food

I love that everything was clearly marked. There were so many options and everything was absolutely delicious!

niner

Points +315

Vegan
23 Jun 2019

Great food and service

We love Mother’s cafe- the food is wonderful as well as the service. Tons of delicious items from salads and soups to bowls and dessert!

Pros: Tons of vegan options, Friendly wait staff, Priced fair

Cons: Can get crowded, Parking

hardikam

Points +17

Vegetarian
05 Jun 2019

Great vegan Mexican food.

Never thought I would get this good mexican food that too vegan. Must try restaurant.

travelsize

Points +68

Vegan
23 Apr 2019

Amazing selection of comfort food

Vegan and vegetarian! Love this place. Very friendly to vegan substitutions

the_greenest_eyes

Points +330

Vegan
10 Feb 2019

Nice food, great location

Liked the food there. Got free tortilla chips and dip as a starter. My vegan lasagna was nice. Not the best I’ve ever had, but still a solid vegan dish. Liked the place a lot. Great staff.

Pros: Lots of vegan options , Not too pricy, Nice staff

bootybunches

Points +265

Vegan
19 Dec 2018

Not bad, a bit tasteless

Took some non veg family here for my birthday. Food was decent, but nothing spectacular. Liked my vegan tofu scramble and pancake.

Smoelfine

Points +663

Vegan
20 Oct 2018

super cozy place

Very friendly place and great food!
Their cakes are especially good!

Pros: super friendly, good food, cozy place

Philhower

Points +229

Vegetarian
24 May 2018

My favorite in Austin

I’ve been visiting Austin for almost 25 years and I always reserve my first night for Mother’s. The menu is varied, the food is tasty, and service is friendly.

Pros: Lots of vegan options. Items can be made vegan, Variety. , Casual live music

Cons: Portions can be small

SamTowns

Points +146

Vegan
12 Feb 2018

Great all around vegan restaurant

Mother's Cafe is definitely one of my favorite spots. When my wife and I first became vegan this was the only place we knew about that fit our lifestyle, and that was totally fine because there were so many things to try on the menu that we had never had before! We lived off of the enchiladas for a long time and eventually reached out and tried other options. We love the live peaceful music they have every time we go at night and how open it is with lots of seating. The atmosphere is like a chill sit down restaurant where we can feel at peace among other like-minded people. Although the menu might not be very adventurous (which turns some people off), it is a million times better than a meat-centered restaurant. Mother's is definitely worth a visit from anyone either vegan or non-vegan.

Pros: Great location, Live music, A lot of options

Cons: Not all vegan, Menu never changes, Not a lot of parking

ArielRoberson

Points +54

Vegan
07 Feb 2018

Great Tex Mex!

I’ve been here twice, and had a great experience both times. I’ve had the burrito and Chile melt both with vegan cheese and they were really good. Their blueberry pie desert is also good. The restaurant has a cozy atmosphere and the service was great!

Pros: good Tex Mex, good service

JosPol

Points +24

Vegan
08 Oct 2017

Food was ok/ service was rough

We came at about 2pm on a Saturday, which was the end of their brunch time. Short wait and we're seated quickly, but once we got drinks, our waitress ignored us during the 30 minutes until our food arrived. They forgot my soup, but the Reuben I ordered was good. Too much Daiya piled on top, but the wheat meat slices were yummy. My husband got the artichoke enchiladas which were just artichoke hearts in some tortillas. It left a lot to be desired and we weren't really impressed. They had a lot of veg options though, and hopefully we just caught them on an off day.

Rach Viddy

Points +81

Vegan
16 Jul 2017

Good

I like this place. The atmosphere, service, and food are pretty good. They have a good selection and can make a lot of their vegetarian dishes vegan.

N.M.Neidigh

Points +28

Vegan
17 Jun 2017

Amazing Vegan Meals!!!

My mom and I love the food-especially the Portobello sandwich and Bueno Burger (vegan burger). They have good selection of food that vegan, GF or food you can make vegans. However, if you have nuts allergy, you may want to stay away

Pros: Friendly waiters , Good selection of food, Serves chips when you're seated

MicheletheTrainer

Points +924

Vegan
15 Mar 2017

TEX MEX FOR THE WIN

Think Tex Mex, drive to Mother’s Cafe then order:
Spicy tempeh enchiladas...very smokey..I'd say this is THE dish to order.
Artichoke enchilada...almost like a veggie pizza flavor due to the mushrooms and tomato sauce..very nice...better with cheese (you can request vegan cheese). Enchiladas and Tex Mex is really the thing here.
Garden salad..big! Loved it.
Lemon vinaigrette is tasty and the cashew tamari is a very popular dressing
Sage mashed potatoes simple flavorful and if you like herbs don't miss it—I had them next to my enchilada!
Vegan desserts including fruit pies and a highly popular vegan chocolate cake—it’s awesome.
They have some Sweet Ritual vegan ice cream too which is always a MUST. (SR has a dedicated place you can also go to with more vegan ice cream flavors)
This place has been around since the 80s. They can answer ALL of your vegan questions. Ask for Tess the waitress..she was so cool and super helpful with the order and explaining the dishes. Enjoy!

Pros: TEX MEX, ENCHILADAS

Thr3Eye

Points +23

Vegan
02 Mar 2017

1st restaurant i tried in Austin!

May i start out by saying I LOVE AUSTIN! I walked half a mile to try this restaurant right after landing from my flight. I have nothing but good things to say. The salsa was spicy just how I like it. Chips fresh. I tried the energizer smoothie & it was delicious. My entree was spinach & mushroom enchiladas, made vegan with Daiya cheese by request. Exquisite.
Too full for desert, but the menu had 6 different vegan options.

Pros: Price, Vegan options , Quality of food

Cons: Literally NONE

Wilmarie.g.g

Points +219

Vegan
04 Aug 2016

B- food, C- service

The restaurant is very clean and nicely decorated. We were greeted and seated immediately by the hostess. Our server brought us the menu and after sitting there a while and watching him walk by our table about 10 times without looking our way, I decided to get his attention. He repeatedly appologize and said he forgot he was our server. The restaurant was nearly empty and he was the only server so I'm not sure how he forgot.
Once we ordered, the food did not take long and it looked great! My sister and I ordered 2 types of enchiladas and they both had a sweet taste to them. We couldn't figure out what it was.
My other sister had a burger which she enjoyed.
We finished our meal and I guess our waiter forgot he was our server again because we waited and waited until another young lady appeared and asked if she could get us our check.

Pros: clearly labeled menu. most items can be made vegan

Cons: our waiter seem to not want to wait on us.

ehayoun

Points +20

Vegetarian
20 Jun 2016

Visiting Austin

Road trips are often difficult for my husband and I concerning meals, but we love driving through Austin because of the variety of vegan/vegetarian restaurants that are available.

Our first time trying Mother's: I would give it a 5.5 out of 10 overall. The Hibiscus-mint ice tea was good and the chips and salsa were nothing special. I ordered the Southwestern Stuffed Pepper and it was tasty, though I wish it had been fried like a chile relleno. The sides were yummy too: sauteed squash and black beans.

My husband ordered the Portebello Sandwich which was disappointing. The individual ingredients were fresh, but the sandwich over all was kind of flavorless. I would have made the sandwich more like a portobello burger by toasting the bun, adding vegannaise/mayonnaise, and giving it more spice or flavor.

The Belgian Chocolate Cake was good, very dense and chocolate-ly. But most of all I loved their coffee!

The ambiance and waitstaff are really lovely and I would definitely go again so I can try more from their menu.

Pros: Great ambience, Great quality, Menu variety

Cons: Lacking flavor, Averagely clean restrooms

kerili22

Points +73

Vegan
16 Feb 2016

Our Favorite in Austin

My husband and I frequented this restaurant very often when we lived near Austin, and every time we go back to visit it is a MUST. We adore this restaurant. First off, they give you complimentary nachos and salsa every time, even if you go for breakfast. And they are delicious. You know the food is handmade and prepared right there, because the salsa always tastes a little bit different. Always yummy, but the spice level changes. The rest of their food is equally delicious. My favorite is the Bueno Burger, and I almost always get that. I also really enjoy the tofu and spinach lasagna. My omni husband mixes it up, but often gets the burrito or the mushroom pasta dish. Their desserts are also delish, and we've tried the chocolate Belgian cake (my husband's favorite) the almond tart, and the apple pie. They are pretty sweet, but they're yummy. If you go for breakfast, try the pancakes. They are HUGE and I can never finish them, but they are so awesome. I always get the strawberries on top! Seriously, this is by far the best vegan restaurant in Austin, and you should really go here if you are ever around. The price is great, the portions are awesome, and the staff is super nice too!

Pros: Complimentary nachos and salsa , Delicious food, Very affordable

KatieBatty

Points +1477

Vegan
27 Jul 2015

Nice big restaurant w/ lots of great vegan options

We started with a tropical sunset juice, which was tasty and refreshing.

I got the artichoke enchiladas, which was a really unique and creative dish, was great with the vegan cheese on top.

My partner ordered the savoury baked tofu, which was nice.

For dessert we shared the blueberry pie, the pastry was really amazing and they served it with vegan ice-cream, which isn't listed on the menu yet. On the menu it just says the ice-cream isn't vegan - it doesn't mention a vegan option for ice-cream.

Good service, nice big spacious restaurant - would be an ideal place to go if you had a big group.

Pros: Great blueberry pie, Serve brunch on weekends

Cons: Not all vegan, No vegan sour cream

Poundie

Points +13129

Vegan
14 Apr 2015

Nice, relaxed eatery

This is a nice place--the food was fine, some vegan choices, not fancy but certainly pleasant.

Pros: Pretty good food., Relaxed atmosphere

Cons: Not ardently health oriented




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