Vegan Restaurants in Austin, Texas
Even though Texas is legendary for its BBQ, in the past years the vegan restaurant scene has been flourishing, especially in one of the coolest cities in the entire state: Austin. So we went on a trip to Austin, TX to check out 3 of their most famous vegan restaurants.
Counter Culture
This is a very cool, indie looking restaurant that offers friendly table service and a casual menu. We had the beet burger and the tempeh reuben sandwich. The beet burger was very flavorful, juicy and smokey. The richness of the patty was well balanced with a tangy sauce, and it had a very delicate spicy aftertaste. The reuben was delicious too but we felt that the protein's seasoning was a bit overpowered by the pickles and sauerkraut, yet the textures were good and crunchy. The bread does get soggy quite fast, so order for dine-in and eat immediately.
Project Pollo
This is a small window service place, tucked in a quiet but quirky corner of Austin. Their specialty are dishes made with fried "chicken" or "chikn," as they call it. All the food is cooked to order, and their prices are surprisingly affordable, especially for the quality of the food. First we had the chickn nuggets. It comes with about 8 pieces of piping hot "chicken" tempeh, coated with a perfectly crispy, flaky and light batter; the ratio of batter to "meat" is on point. The nuggets came with a spicy sauce (the birdy sauce), which gave a good kick of heat. Next we tasted The Deluxe sandwich. It was big, juicy and crispy. The vegan bacon and cheese took this sandwich into total decadence, but their richness was lightened by the addition of fresh tomato slices and crispy iceberg lettuce. The bun was perfectly glossy and fluffy, and it held its shape while we devoured this excellent vegan sandwich.
Rebel Cheese
Rebel cheese is more than a vegan restaurant. The heart of its business is vegan cheeses, which you can buy by the pound at their shop, or taste in all their in-house menu items. In our visit, we tried 2 of their most popular sandwiches. The Bacon, brie and me is a sandwich that generates an explosion of flavor in your mouth. Rightly so, the cheese is the star of the dish and it shines through, yet it is perfectly harmonized with the sweetness of caramelized onions and a tangy fig jam. The Frenchie is all about how the smoky "ham" plays with the delicate and creamy cheese. The addition of a raspberry jam, onions, and fresh greens makes it a complete delight. In both sandwiches the bread was fluffy on the inside yet perfectly crunchy on the outside, and the portions were generous.
There are many other revered vegan restaurants in Austin - more than we could try -, but if you ever find yourself in this self-proclaimed weird city, the 3 vegan restaurants we recommend in this blog are places you do not want to miss!