Welcome to another edition of Austin Eats Round-Up! Think of these posts as little glimpses into where I’m going and what I’m loving right now.
We are in a super weird time. Due to COVID-19, everything in this blog was take-out, including the beer. I still haven’t been to a sit-down restaurant, even on the patio, and I don’t feel comfortable prompting others to do that either. Not yet.
I’m also working hard to diversify the restaurants I promote. This blog is called “Discovering ATX,” but really, I’ve only been discovering a very small part of it. Black Lives Matter and black-owned businesses matter. My new normal looks like me paying more attention to the restaurants I visit, write about, and photograph. I’ve been making a point of seeking out and promoting black-owned businesses for the last few weeks and I intend to keep it that way. Let’s start to look beyond our usual circles, shall we?
And with that, let’s get into it!
Previous editions can be found here: Austin Eats Round-Up
Baby Greens
1508 W Anderson Ln, Austin, TX 78757
Quarantine started out great. We had time to meal plan and actually cook. In fact, we were cooking all our own meals – breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Well, fast forward 3 months and I’m eating Bougie’s Donuts for breakfast and UberEats-ing McDonald’s. Ouch. Baby Greens is a HEALTHY DRIVE-THRU. Do you need to hear more? They offer quick, tasty salads and wraps that you can add your choice of protein to. I got the Rainbow salad (mixed greens, purple cabbage, carrots, avocado tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, feta cheese) with green goddess dressing. I devoured the whole thing! The green goddess dressing really made the salad – highly recommended. I also got the “BT” which is a green tea infused with blueberries, honey, and a little bit of spinach. It’s definitely not overly sweet, which I loved. I should have ordered the large! When was the last time YOU ate a salad? A vegetable, even?? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Get yourself to Baby Greens.
Circle Brewing Co.
2340 W Braker Ln, B Austin, TX 78758
It’s that time again! In celebration of Pride Month, Circle Brewing Co. is donating $1 of every case sold of their Fanny Pack Kolsch to Equality Texas. Last year, they had a whole release party and it was such a fun time! This year, I walked in (masked up, of course) grabbed my six-pack, and bounced. This is such a tasty beer and it tastes even better knowing a little bit of my money is going to such a wonderful organization. There are a lot of businesses trying to profit-grab off the rainbow flag this month, so I’m happy Circle Brewing Co. is doing their part to actually give back.
Nervous Charlies
5501 N. Lamar Ste. B101, Austin, TX 78751
Honestly, one of the safest take out spots I’ve been to is Nervous Charlies. They’re open for online ordering only. I placed my order the night before. The next morning, I drove to their shop and parked myself in the parking lot. They’ll send you a text when you’re order’s ready and you pick up your bag from the table. I was out of my car for like… 1 minute. I also ordered a few extra everything bagels and their garlic and herb cream cheese spread. So good! If you’re feeling the itch to eat out, but are being super cautious right now (like we ALL should be), I’d say you can still go to Nervous Charlies for breakfast! Just make sure to order online or call ahead.
Luv Fats
Pre-order for Mueller Farmers Market Pick-up // Mozarts Coffee Market // Bee Grocery
Luv Fats has been on my radar for a while (since I’m always looking for the “Top Places to get Ice Cream in Austin”) but I never actually tried it until now. WOW. Luv Fats is totally vegan, made with coconut milk and avocado bases. No, you can’t taste the avocado, chill out. It just improves the texture. This is the smoothest, creamiest vegan ice cream I’ve ever had and I know it’s because of the avocado! There are like, no ice crystals in it at all. Luv Fats founder and maker, Chi Ndika, is crafting up some TASTY, unique flavors. I tried the Kenyan Chai and Matcha Lavender (obviously) but other popular ones include Sourdough Toast & Peach Jam and Colombian Chocolate. One thing I do need to note is the price. These little pints are NOT cheap, but honestly, the ingredients and quality of Luv Fats isn’t cheap either. I picked mine up from Bee Grocery for $11.99 each. They’re also sold at Mozarts Coffee for $12.99. If you pre-order on the Luv Fats website (they sell out fast!) you can pick up your pint at the Mueller Farmers Market for a little less ($10.99, I want to say?).
The matcha lavender is SO good. I’m going to be adding it to my “Best Places to Find Matcha Desserts in Austin List” as well. The coconut base flavor is strong at first because I’m not used to eating vegan ice cream, but after a few bites the shock of the coconut fades and you can really taste the matcha and lavender flavors. I wish the Kenyan Chai had a little more spice to it, but it was still pretty dang good.
Skull Mechanix and Burgerlicious
1005 East Saint Elmo Road #2, Austin, TX 78745
What a combo – beer and burgers to-go. Again, this is another location I felt super safe at. Skull Mechanix Brewing is only doing to-go beers right now. I ordered online, showed my ID through the glass door when I arrived, then they set my beer outside for me to snag. I ordered a four-pack of 16oz tall Horimana Dry Japanese Light Lagers. That beer is super good and if you’re into Japanese beers, I highly recommend this one. I will definitely be back for more.
After grabbing my beer, I went to pick up my order from Burgerlicious, the food truck that’s parked at Skull Mechanix. Again, they’re doing online orders. Place your order ahead of time online, then wait for a text message when it’s all ready for you. I really like this method. It avoids lines and people standing around. The burger was super good but guys – THE VEGAN WINGS ARE ONE OF THE TASTIEST THINGS I’VE EATEN ALL QUARANTINE. They’re deep-fried cauliflower pieces and OMG they’re so good. I actually ate them in the car while I drove home! I didn’t even think to put buffalo wing sauce on them, but that would be so good. Vegan or not, you MUST order these.
That completes another Austin Eats Round-Up! Looking for more delicious Austin eats or experiences? Check out a blog or two you might have missed. Since quarantine in March began, I’ve blogged about…
