Bunny Food
February 7th, 2006
I make no claims on being a vegetarian, however, you folks have to eat way too much fried cheese at American restaurants. I think I might even be able to speak with more authority about vegetarian restaurants, because I would willingly drop my steak knife and go to these places for a feed. I swear.
Unfortunately, none of the veggie restaurants I know of are directly downtown. However, most are within a short cab ride or bus ride from there.
Veggie Heaven
1914 Guadalupe St Ste A
(512) 457-1013
Bus 1, 3, 5, ‘Dillo
A mostly Asian themed veggie restaurant right across from the Dobie Mall near UT campus. Protein 2000. Either TVP or wheat gluten this stir fried delicacy topped with broccoli florets and a tangy sauce is hands down my favorite vegetarian dish ever. When my buddy Shawn wants to rock the vegetarian cuisine, I am always game for this place.
Other nice things about Veggie Heaven are that it’s cheap, cheap, cheap and there are lots of student cuties to look at.
NuAge
2425 Exposition Blvd
(512) 275-6925
My veggie friends had a triple birthday party planned this past October. As I looked at the menu, I thought, “Oh no. I’ve been duped. Another flavorless, vegetarian restaurant.” But no. I was so wrong. They have roti and egg curry on the menu, folks! I thought that I’d have to go back to Amsterdam or get on a flight to South America to score some more of that. ‘Twas good. I also sampled some of Shawn’s tasty grilled tofu and vegetables concoction.
Keep in mind, NuAge isn’t cheap, but if you’re on a per diem, why not splurge? How often do vegetarians get to eat at a fancy restaurant?
Madras Pavilion
9025 Research Blvd Ste 100
(512) 719-5575
The number of South Asians I saw eating at Madras Pavilion the first time I walked in this Texas chain, tipped me off that this wasn’t your typical strip mall Indian restaurant. And the countless lunchtime buffets I’ve eaten there have been good and filling. Dinner is also good, but my lack of familiarity with southern Indian cooking sometimes vexes me a bit when it comes down to ordering the right thing. It’s a bit of a hike from Downtown, but if you have a car and a group of buddies, go for it.
Also, another place of note that I’ve heard consistent positive veggie buzz about. However, I have never been.
Mother’s Café
4215 Duval St
(512) 451-3994
Bus 7
The grandmother of Austin vegetarian restaurants. Personally, I have not been in almost 10 years since my more hippie college student days. Back then a definite slacker, bad/excruciatingly slow attitude ruled the place. I pretty much swore it off. HOWEVER, I have gotten repeated reports from veggies and non-veggies alike, that Mother’s has changed its ways. Tasty and good service are apparently the name of the game now.
If Hyde Park Grill is crowded on an expedition to Hyde Park, you might want to try walking across Duval to Mother’s.
Mr. Natural
1901 E Cesar Chavez St
(512) 719-5575
I’m new to Austin and a semi-vegitarian (no land animals, please). I’ve been to most of those places and they all rock, but Nu Age is freakin’ amazing. Without a doubt, it’s the most kickass vegi food I’ve ever had.
There is plenty of places where a veggie person can get a bite around downtown, like Magnolia Cafe, Freddies and just about any place that serves breakfast tacos.
Mother’s service has been nothing but top-notch, friendly service when I’ve been there. It’s pretty hard to beat their weekend brunch, mimosas an all.
Bunny Food. Grrrrr, typical meat eater comment.
My vegetarian wife and I (mostly vegetarian most of the time
recently moved to Portland, OR from Austin. While we love it here, the one thing we miss most of all (well, aside from friends and family) is the incredible food at Casa De Luz: http://www.casadeluz.org
It’s all not only vegetarian, but also macrobiotic. But don’t be scared by the macrobiotic thing, it’s some of the yummiest food I’ve ever tasted. And it’s not too far from downtown. The only trouble is the odd hours. If you can make it on Thursday for dinner, you’ll be lucky enough to be there for Guatamalan night.
Hey people- there actually is a vegan-friendly restaurant near downtown.
It’s Koriente, located on 621 E 7th Street, which is within walking distance from 6th street.
I first found out about it on the internet - it has fantastic reviews everywhere I looked, and my visit there did not disappoint me.
About 50% of their dishes are vegan or vegetarian and is prepared fast (I only had to wait about 2 minutes for my bibimbap).
It’s gonna be crazy this week during SXSW, so I recommend Koriente to our healthy-eating partiers for its great location and delicious food.
Who has time to take a cab??
We gotta party~~!!