| Vegetarian Guide to Good Eats in Austin |
| Written by Laurie Lyons | |
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30+ centrally located veggie options, from basics to exotic.  Curry Tofu Salad at Whole Foods Foreign Flavors for Veg*ns to Savor:Malaga / 208 W 4th St Malaga has Spanish tapas to die for. Surprisingly, they have a lot of veggie items (some can be made vegan), including portabella mushrooms, potatoes with aioli, and a Spanish tortilla. Their almond mousse is also incredible. The Spanish wine flights are very reasonably priced and the pours are pretty good. Their new location is pretty spacious, so it can be a good place for groups. Whip In Parlour Café / 1950 S I-35 Mostly known for its tremendous beer and wine selection, Whip In is a little store located at I-35 and Oltorf that has an incredible Indian deli, the Parlour Café, with some of the best hummus, baba ganoush, and tabouli I have ever had. And I’ve had a lot. It’s quick, easy, and oh so tasty. Kebabalicious / 7th & Trinity Kebabalicious is a fantastic food stand open from 9pm-3am on the weekends, and 11pm-3am on Wednesdays. These Turkish delights are so yummy that there have been many Wednesdays where my friends and I have harassed them diligently for opening so late. The falafel is super-duper yum, totally moist, and the wraps are huge. Thai Passion / 620 Congress Ave (entrance on 7th St) Of course, most Asian food offers good vegetarian dishes, and Austin has plenty of them. One of my favorite restaurants is Thai Passion, and the super-bonus is that it is open downtown until 3am every night. The rice balls are absolutely amazing. Thai Fresh / 909 W Mary St If you find yourself at the myriad parties just south of the river, Thai Fresh is another really good Thai Spot. Thai Fresh has a lot of spicy (and not) options, and everything is available for take-out. They go to great lengths to source organic ingredients locally, the ones that don’t grown in Thailand that is. Silhouette / 718 N Congress Ave Koriente / 621 E 7th St There are a few sushi joints downtown, and even though Silhouette usually has a funny smell, they have a ton of veggie options that are really good. Koriente is also popular with the meat-free crowd; they also have gluten-free options and extended hours for SXSW. Mamu Fu’s Downtown / 100 Colorado St (with three other locations) Though Mama Fu’s is a national chain, it is a great option for all veg*ns because you can do tofu with any of their rice or noodle dishes. Their veggie egg roll and spicy green beans are great additions to your meal. Be careful, though. I became seriously addicted to the Vietnamese Crunchy Noodles for two weeks. I am currently in recovery, but each day is a struggle. Oh, and they deliver!! I imagine the majority of downtown hotels are within their range. Just be sure to give your food box a flip over before you open it so that you get the sauce on top (especially with the Pad Thai). Keeping it Local:Opal Divine’s Freehouse / 700 W 6th St As a vegetarian, I can be very bitchy about having lots of menu choices for me (which is actually not that hard in Austin). I loathe people who say “well, they’ve got a salad.” I need more than a damn salad, folks. However, at Opal Divine’s Freehouse you can get a really great House Salad, and even add a portabella mushroom if you like. They also have one of the best Bloody Mary’s in town (made with a sun-dried tomato mix). Austin Java / 301 W 2nd St The coffeeshop/restaurant has a location in City Hall that is great if you are going to Austin Music Hall, La Zona Rosa, Lamberts, or Malverde. There are lots of great, fresh veggie items on the menu, and if you can only go once, the African Peanut Soup is amazing. I think of it often. Get a side salad and you have a perfect meal that won’t weigh you down. They also have lots of good baked goods, and of course, coffee. Whole Foods Market / 525 N Lamar Blvd Naturally, you have to make your way to the Whole Foods Headquarters at 6th and Lamar. This behemoth of a store (with multiple, themed restaurants within the store) could easily eat up your afternoon, so if you are in a hurry, focus on the north end of the store. Your choices are pretty much limitless for a veg*n meal, including great salad, pizza, hot foods, and olive bars. Don’t miss out on the amazing bakery, beer and wine selection, and gelato. My favorites are these weird tofu sticks on the hot bar-they taste kind of like fish sticks from when you were a kid. Home Slice Pizza / 1415 S Congress Ave Pizza is usually pretty easy for vegetarians, sometimes for vegans. Home Slice is a great Austin favorite that has the added bonus of throwing SXSW day parties every day. Huge slices and a great Caprese salad. If you have managed to live your life without having broccoli pizza, change that immediately. Rounders Pizzeria / 1203 W 6th St Another good pizza joint with broccoli toppings is Rounders. Their garlic knots are incredible. P. Terry’s Burger Stand / 404 S Lamar Blvd Sometimes, you’re friends just want a damn burger, and what are you gonna do? Thankfully, the centrally located P. Terry’s—the retro burger stand you can’t miss—has a great Veggie Burger made in-house. No frozen patty here. They also use local, organic tomatoes and other ingredients, and their fries are real, cut fresh. And your meathead friends will at least be eating local, all-natural meats. Oh, and it’s all damn cheap. Mexican Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, and the Almighty Taco:El Sol y la Luna / 600 E 6th St A favorite amongst Austinites, El Sol y la Luna has moved from its longtime South Congress home to the corner of 6th and Red River, one of the few real restaurants right in the thick of things. Its diverse menu covers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with the standard Mexican veg items, along with a couple of unique ones. Curra’s Grill / 14 E Oltorf St You are not allowed to board the plane to leave Austin without eating a breakfast taco, and the ones at the airport don’t count (even though there are some good food vendors there). Most people will tell you to go to Maria’s Taco Xpress, but—I’m about to lose all of my cred as an Austinite here—I have never actually been there. (Editor’s Note: Wow. That’s like finding an Austinite who doesn’t know who Willie Nelson is. Anyway, it’s funky, crowded, and the migas plate is phenomenal.) So, as an alternative, from someone who does not worship at Maria’s alter, I recommend the tacos at Curra’s on Oltorf. They are especially great for vegetarians because they have their own vegetarian chorizo (a spicy sausage-like item). I usually go with either the potato-egg-cheese, refried pinto-egg-cheese, or veggie chorizo-egg-cheese, all on flour. Yum. Nueva Onda / 2218 College Ave I also love the migas at Nueva Onda. This great little family-owned joint is both hip and super delicious. The prices are very reasonable, and the other veggie selections (black bean fideo bowl is always my next choice) are pretty prevalent. They also do breakfast all day, though they close at 3pm. Torchy’s Tacos / 2809 S First Finally, my favorite place for a really outrageous and incredible taco is Torchy’s. The two veggie menu items (other than breakfast tacos) are the Fried Avocado and the Dirty Sanchez. I like my avocado on flour and Sanchez on corn. These things are messy, weird, and crazy delicious. I don’t usually order queso that often, but theirs, with the greasy chips and red salsa=yum. Hot Dogs and BBQ:Wheatsville Co-Op / 3101 Guadalupe If you feel that you have come to Texas and all you hear your fellow visitors talking about is getting some Texas BBQ, you don’t have to feel left out. At Wheatsville Co-op, just north of campus, you can usually find locally made BBQ in the refrigerator section, then bring it back to your hotel room with you. Jo’s Coffee on 2nd (also on Congress) has a great Veggie BBQ sandwich made of wheat roast. You can also find good BBQ at Mr. Natural (see below). Dog Almighty / 3005 S Lamar Blvd Dog Almighty is probably the best thing to happen to veggies in Austin. Every single menu item that they offer can (and will) be made veg. Their chili is award-winning (from the Lone Star Vegetarian Network annual chili cook-off), and the dogs really are heavenly. And yeah, you can get a real honest-to-goodness corn dog, too. They also have locally made root beer on tap. Hot Dog King / 8th & Red River The Hot Dog King is not nearly as good as Dog Almighty, but it is great having after-hours options. Their dog is the (I’m pretty sure) Tofurkey beer brat, and buns are from Texas grocer HEB, so I am almost positive this is a vegan dog. It can get a little dry, but throw a bunch of crap on there and it is all you could really want at 2:15am. The real draw to their cart (next to Red Eyed Fly on Red River; sometimes they have a second cart at other places), is the extremely interesting family who runs it: a little rough around the edges, but really good people. And they work their asses off to make drunk people happy. Made for veggies, but can please any omnivore:Mr. Natural / 901 E Cesar Chavez Mr. Natural has had a longtime presence on Austin’s ethnically diverse East Side, which is reflected in their food. Many menu items are authentic Mexican food that don’t make appearances on typical Tex-Mex menus, like Albondigas, Guisada, and Tofu Pipian. Your standard Tex-Mex fare is there, along with veggie burgers, vegan pizza, and more. It’s a great place for lunch because it is a great price, and you can go through the cafeteria-style line at a very quick pace. They also have a great bakery with many vegan and gluten-free items. Mr. Natural has a second location in the South-Central neck of the woods (2414 S Lamar Blvd). (Editor’s Note: She’s right you know. I eat meat-stuffed meat, yet I often am the one choosing this 100% vegetarian eatery.) Mothers Café and Garden / 4215 Duval St Mother’s is probably the most popular vegetarian restaurant among both Austinites and visitors. All menu items are carefully prepared and fresh, with lots of veggie takes on standard meat fare, including a fantastic Mushroom Stroganoff. This is one of the few places in town where you can find a really good vegan brunch. The End Tipsy TexansLet’s talk about alcohol. You will invariably consume lots and lots during your visit, and a decent amount of it will be free. However, when the coffers are emptied and it’s time to break out the wallet, I suggest you try some tasty Texas beverages. I am one to try to drink locally as much as possible (if you have yet to notice, keeping things local is a bit of a mantra around here). I pretty much only drink Tito’s vodka (unless something else is free), and my favorite Texas beers are Fireman’s #4 and Shiner. Lone Star, our cheap Texas beer, isn’t as bad as some make it out to be, but I try to only drink it out of a bottle.Downtown: Hot Dog King (cart) —8th and Red River Thai Passion—620 Congress Ave—thaipassion.com Mama Fu’s—100 Colorado—mamafus.com El Sol y la Luna—600 E 6th—elsolylalunaaustin.com Koriente—621 E 7th—koriente.com Kebabalicious—7th & Trinity—Austinkebab.com Silhouette—718 Congress Ave—silhouette718.com Opal Divine’s Freehouse—700 W 6th—opaldivines.com Austin Java—301 W 2nd-austinjava.com Whole Foods Market—525 N Lamar—wholefoodsmarket.com Rounders—1203 W 6th—rounderspizzeria.com Jo’s Coffee—242 W 2nd—joscoffee.com Amy's Ice Cream—1012 W 6th St—amysicecreams.com South: Whip In—1950 S I-35—whipin.com Thai Fresh—909 W Mary—thai-fresh.com Home Slice—1415 S Congress—homelice.com P. Terry’s Burger Stand—404 S Lamar—pterrys.com Curra’s Grill—14 E Oltorf—currasgrill.com Nueva Onda—2218 College—nuevaaustin.com Torchy’s Tacos—2809 S First—torchystacos.com Jo’s Coffee—1300 S Congress Mr Natural—2414 S Lamar Dog Almighty—3005 S Lamar—dogalmighty.com Hey Cupcake—1600 S Congress Ave—heycupcake.com Taste No Evil Muffins—2531 S Lamar Blvd—tastenoevilmuffins.com Amy's Ice Cream—1301 S Congress Ave—amysicecreams.com North: Torchy’s Tacos—2801 Guadalupe Wheatsville Co-Op—3101 Guadalupe—wheatsville.coop Mother’s Café and Garden—4215 Duval—motherscafeaustin.com East: Mr. Natural—901 E Cesar Chavez—mrnatural-austin.com Thanks to vegan foodie Alicia Maxwell for a few of the vegan recommendations. |