Austin’s Eats

I’m not a foodie in the traditional sense, but I do care a lot about food. More specifically, the quality of the food. I like to eat whole, organic, simple food and Austin’s food scene was right up my ally.

I try to keep my spending down to a minimal since I never know where my next dollar is gonna come from. An easy way to do that, is to cook all my meals at home. Well, that was harder than ever in Austin and I admittedly went out to eat a fair amount. I have been a vegetarian for 23 years and I have always struggled with eating out. If I’m lucky, the restaurant may have 1 or 2 vegetarian friendly items on the menu. In Mpls (where I lived), we have some restaurants geared towards vegetarians but NOTHING compared to the vegetarian/vegan paradise that is Austin. I was beyond elated to go to places where the entire menu looked good to me. That has literally never happened to me before in my whole life. It’s something that is truly special to Austin and I have no regrets spending a little extra money to have the best food experience of my life!

I was surprised to learn that Austin is all about the food trucks. Everywhere you look there are vintage trailers and trucks turned into tiny restaurants. They even have food courts, or food trailer parks, if you will, scattered all over the city. It was really neat to see! I’m going to do my best to remember all the places I went and enjoyed. Even though a lot of these are vegetarian/vegan places, I think meat eaters would enjoy them too. That being said, this list will definitely be bias towards us plant eaters.

Food Trucks: Curcuma, Rockin’ Vegan Tacos, Arlos

Sit Down Restaurants: Bouldin Creek Cafe, Cherrywood Coffeehouse, Nasha, Bufalina, Home Slice Pizza, Mr. Natural

Grocery Stores: Wheatsville Coop, In.gredients

Treats: Steel City Pops, Juiceland , Churro Co.

Coffee: Flat Track Coffee, Vintage Heart Cafe

There were quite a few places I would have liked to have tried (I’m coming for you next time Blenders & Bowls) but didn’t. I was trying to not go too crazy spending money on going out to eat and I was pretty satisfied having a coop to do my grocery shopping at. I think the place I spent the most money at, hands down, was Juiceland. I love, love, love, smoothies and they have so many great combos! It’s all fresh pressed, squeezed and blended right there. The first time I saw their menu I knew I was doomed. It was a, “Hi, take all my money”, situation for sure.

These places are just the tippy top of the food iceberg in Austin. If you’re planning a trip there, I would suggest budgeting in some extra spending money for food! If you’re a fellow vegetarian/vegan, you will be pleased to know your kind is more than welcome there. Austin also does a great job making eco-friendly choices. Everywhere I went I saw compostable straws, eating utensils and containers. Recycling and composting bins are readily available which is so, so great if you are aiming towards zero waste. This non-traditional foodie gives Austin a 10 out of 10! Go get your grub on!

Please consider donating to my Gas Money Pool on Paypal by clicking here. Any donation goes straight into Mander’s tank. At 6 mpg it sure costs a lot to keep the old girl on the road. With your help, I can continue to collect stories and take pictures to share with you on my blog and Instagram. Thank you for being a part of my journey!

You can also support me by shopping my vintage clothes collection, Freedom to Roam. These clothes are found at various thrift stores across the U.S. and purchases help keep me roaming!

Until next time, much love and Mander on!