Exploring Austin: Best Restaurants for Special Diets

by | May 9, 2022 | Austin, Exploring Austin

Keto, Vegetarian, Dairy-Free, & Vegan Restaurants in Austin

With all the incredible dining options in Austin, navigating the city’s many menus can feel like a trap for those trying to maintain a specific, special diet. However, you don’t become the fastest-growing metro in the country without providing something for everyone — and, whether you pass on bread, beef, or both, you’ll find a restaurant in the city that caters to your regimen. From low-carb chips to dairy-free brie, these mostly vegan restaurants in Austin will never limit you to ordering just a plain green salad. 

So, if you need to meet some special dietary needs, head over to Austin, where you’ll find plenty of allergy-friendly & vegan restaurants to support your lifestyle. Plus, if you want drinks to go with your food, we can tell you where to find the best margaritas, breweries, and dive bars.

And, AptAmigo can help you find your next home here for free. Let us know what you want in your luxury apartment, and we promise to deliver. 

Related to Vegan Restaurants in Austin: Austin’s Best Dim Sum & What to Know About Moving to Austin

Where to Eat if You Have Dietary Needs

Picnik

Address: 4801 Burnet Road, Austin, TX 78756 & 1700 S Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX 78704 

Neighborhood: Rosedale & Zilker 

Cost: $$

Diet Types: Keto 

Restaurant Overview: While the prevalence of barbecue in Texas makes it an ideal dining destination for those who follow the low-carb, high-fat Keto diet, one person can only take so much brisket. Luckily, you can find a variety of better-for-you comfort food on the plates that emerge baked from the kitchens of Picnik’s two locations. From the almond flour chips that come alongside their chorizo-loaded queso, to the option to add grass-fed steak to almost any dish, there’s no chance of falling out of ketosis here. Choose from two locations depending on the style of ambiance you crave. Their trailer in Zilker is a great place to grab brunch on a sunny day, while their brick-and-mortar in Rosedale is perfect for a more formal, bread-free dinner. 

What to Eat: The protein-packed Picnik Cobb salad, a tossed mix of avocado, heirloom tomato, raw bleu cheese, bacon, egg, kale, and almond-flour coated crispy chicken, will make even the most dedicated junk food lover happy to eat their greens. And, it would be a serious mistake to wash down that grub with anything but their signature butter coffee — which has become such a local staple that you can even find it on the shelves of grocery stores across Austin. 

Vegan Restaurants in Austin

Bouldin Creek Cafe

Address: 1900 S 1st St., Austin, TX 78704 

Neighborhood: Bouldin Creek

Cost: $

Diet Types: Vegetarian and vegan 

Restaurant Overview: Back in the day, South Austin was known as the part of the city where the Janis Joplin-influenced, hippie spirit thrived. Although it contains more high rises than head shops these days, some vestiges of the original bohemian vibe that formerly defined the area still remain, including vegetarian and vegan haven, Bouldin Creek Cafe. While it may have been founded in the year 2000, the restaurant’s casual atmosphere and dedication to the local community make the space feel like a throwback to the era of bell bottoms and peace sign necklaces. The food, however, is far from dated. The fresh, homemade dishes explode with as much vibrant flavor as they do with vegetables. Not to mention their coffee bar, which uses locally roasted beans in every americano and espresso they craft and serves up one of the best matcha lattes you can sip in the Lone Star state. 

What to Eat: Once you dig into Bouldin Creek Cafe’s The Renedict, you’ll realize why their popular breakfast menu is available all day long. A plant-powered take on the classic eggs Benedict, it features tofu bacon, organic baby spinach, local tomatoes, and grilled ciabatta, served with your choice of either eggs or the restaurant’s fan-favorite tofu scramble. 

Rebel Cheese

Address: 2200 Aldrich St., Suite 120, Austin, TX 78723 

Neighborhood: Mueller 

Cost: $

Diet Types: Dairy-free, vegan

Restaurant Overview: Whether you want to blame a generational penchant for snacking, or their childhood nostalgia for Lunchables, there’s no question that a charcuterie board is a guaranteed people-pleaser. But, for those whose dairy-intolerance forced them to sit on the baked brie sidelines more times than they can count, the constant appearance of this appetizer on every Happy Hour menu can feel like an ever-present thorn in their sides. That’s where Mueller-based restaurant and deli, Rebel Cheese, comes in because their house-made, vegan, artisanal cheeses are the long-awaited solution for those who love cheese, but hate what it does to their stomach. From their takes on the standards, like gruyere and mozzarella, to their flavor-filled specialities, like dill havarti and blueberry vanilla chèvre, there’s room for every diet on their cheese boards. 

What to Eat: While their charcuterie selections are perfect for post-work drinks with the crew, you shouldn’t sleep on the fresh-made deli sandwiches that Rebel Cheese also offers up. The Bacon, Brie, Me, which features a baguette generously topped with their dairy-free brie, plant-based bacon, caramelized onions, peppery arugula, and sweet onion jam, is bound to become your go-to lunch option. 

Juiceland 

Address: Multiple locations 

Neighborhood: Multiple neighborhoods 

Cost: $

Diet Types: Paleo, keto, vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free 

Restaurant Overview: Wherever you happen to be in Austin, you’re never far from a Juiceland location. This fresh-squeezed beverage institution, which has been calling the city limits home since 2001, is as ubiquitous in the area as man buns and Willie Nelson references. This is, perhaps, due to the fact that no matter what your dietary restrictions may be, you can find something refreshing to sip on off their menu. Their fruit and vegetable-based raw juices and smoothies are already prime pick-me-ups for those who are meat and/or dairy-free, but those going hard on the protein can also get in on the action. Specifically, any of their fruit-based drink options can be subbed out with a cauliflower base — which allows those living their best keto or paleo lives to still sample their nutrient-filled thirst quenchers, without fretting over their carb allowance. 

What to Eat: The Wundershowzen smoothie has been Juiceland’s best seller for six years running and is bound to become your #1 pick as well after taking your first slurp. This dream of a drink blends together almond milk, banana (or cauliflower), spinach, hemp protein, and peanut butter. 

Find Your Dream Apartment Near Your Favorite Vegan Restaurants in Austin

Now that you know how to fill your special-diet cravings, settle in nearby to make these allergy-friendly restaurants a part of your weekly routine. AptAmigo will help you find your next luxury apartment near your favorite vegan restaurants in Austin with their free real estate services. Let us know exactly what you’re looking for, and we’ll do the rest!

About Us

AptAmigo has a simple goal: to make finding an apartment easy and maybe even a little fun. With concierge-level care and an expert understanding of the local rental market, we’re more than your average apartment website. We’re perfecting done-for-you apartment searching, and we’re doing it all for free. Reach out to us today and start your VIP apartment search.

About the Author
Molly Moltzen

Molly Moltzen is freelance writer with deep knowledge of Austin, TX.

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About Us

AptAmigo has a simple goal: to make finding an apartment easy and maybe even a little fun. With concierge-level care and an expert understanding of the local rental market, we’re more than your average apartment website. We’re perfecting done-for-you apartment searching, and we’re doing it all for free. Reach out to us today and start your VIP apartment search.

About the Author
Molly Moltzen

Molly Moltzen is freelance writer with deep knowledge of Austin, TX.