Thought for Food...

I've been a vegetarian for the past two years. Then once Austin City Limits came around, the plan of what we would pack in order to make it all day and night at a music festival began. The group of friends I went with decided that minimalism was the best way to go, and that sneaking our own food into the venue was much cheaper and better than spending $12 on a hot dog from a stand. We couldn't really mess around with anything too perishable, so the normal veggies, salads, and tofu scrambles I usually ate were not a option. I had no choice but to eat grilled (organic) chicken (from a farmer's market) sandwiched in between a piece of bread. 


And I'm not going to lie, it was delicious. 


I'm still not entirely a carnivore, nor can I say that I am a vegetarian anymore. I'll eat the occasional piece of chicken when there's nothing else and a few slices of turkey bacon won't kill me, but I usually stick to the soy-sage, tofu-rkey, and soy-rizo. And fish is always in my diet. I guess it all comes down to the labels. People still occasionally ask me if I'm a vegetarian, but now I'm just a whatever-I-wanna-be. And I think that's how it should be...


Anyways, the point of this post was to publish my top ten favorite restaurants in Austin. 


#1. Magnolia Cafe, South Congress Ave - This appears to be your average around the world cafe but nooooo...This place has everything you could ever want and more. It accommodates vegetarians, vegans, carnivores, whatever. If you want enchiladas, they've got 'em. If you want lasagna, you're in luck. They've got outstanding breakfast items, stir fry dishes, pasta, nachos, bison burgers, veggie burgers, etc. You should just go and see for your self. They're open 24 hours as well!

#2. Veggie Heaven, 21st & Guadeloupe - This place is dank as hell, and also fairly inexpensive. If you're vegan, you'll love it. If you're not vegan and open to asian style dishes, chances are you'll probably love it. They have huge bowls of veggies in their special sauce complimented with your choice of noodles, brown rice, or white rice and whatever style protein you choose. My favorite dish is the veggie tofu bowl. It's pretty straight forward and it's only $4.95. 

#3. Homeslice Pizza, South Congress Ave - The last time I got pizza there, I think I had spinach artichoke pizza with extra cheese and tomatoes. It was delicious. Homeslice has amazing pizza (and other dishes). Enough said.

#4. Ruta Maya Coffehouse, South Congress - Now this place isn't really a restaurant but they do have some good food items such as quiche, tacos, bagels etc. The coffee is great and they offer free yoga classes every day as well as theme nights, open mic, poetry, reggae, etc. 


#5. 888, Oltorf St. - 888 (Triple Eight) is a pan-asian cuisine. It's not your average stereotypical grand china super whatever buffet. Although it does have a lunch buffet, dinner is fantastic. I usually get the N9, which is a Vietnamese lemon-grass dish with tofu or the yellow curry with chicken (yes chicken). They have sake and beer too. I prefer Chang, a Thai beer. This place is open until 2am and well worth going to at any hour. 


#6. Mother's Cafe & Garden, Duval St. - This is one of the first places my boyfriend took me to when I moved to Austin. There is something on the menu for everyone. I've had the enchiladas and the banana nut pancakes. I suggest you try anything. It's all good. Here's the MENU.


#7. P Terry's Burger Stand, South Lamar, North Lamar or William Cannon - This is the very first place I went to when I moved to Austin. I usually don't go to burger stands or eat burgers for that matter, but they have phenomenal burgers and veggie burgers. Fries, shakes, and huge complimentary plastic cups that everyone should have in their kitchen cabinets. 


#8. Madam Mam's, West Gate or Guadeloupe - This is by far the best Thai restaurant you will find in Austin. The second being Thai Noodle House, but that's a whole different style. Anyways, Madam Mam's is a family owned Thai place with all the noodle and curry dishes you could want. My top two choices are the Kao Soi Curry (extremely spicy but amazing), and the Pad See Ew. Pad Thai is a classic dish as well. 

#9. The Treehouse Italian Grill, College Ave & SoCo - I worked at this place for some time so I usually don't go there anymore but it is a must if you love Italian food. The whole place is built around this massive tree that encompasses the building. I suggest sitting on the patio. They are known for their cannelloni's, which come in the choices of smoked salmon, blue crab, crawfish, vegetarian or veal. There is a live band on the weekends. They also have great specials...Like the grilled, almond encrusted red snapper. My second choice of high end Italian would probably be Romeo's on Barton Springs.


#10. Uchi, South Lamar Blvd. - This is by far the best sushi restaurant in Austin. I can only say I have had the pleasure of eating there once, however it was the best. The best. It's pretty pricey, but  was lucky enough to drop in at happy hour where some of the rolls and the sake complimented my wallet more than the other dishes. However, there is this one dish where they bring you a giant hot rock and slices of raw kobe beef. You sear your own meat on the rock and eat it. That was one of the few times I gave in  to eating meat while I was a vegetarian but it was worth the slip up. The fish is all fresh and it's a little difficult getting a reservation but you should definitely try!