Fine Dining for You (and Your Valentine)

Be you single, newly coupled, or in a relationship, Austin’s decadent and delicious healthy dining does not discriminate! We at the Purple Fig understand how overwhelming this city’s restaurant variety can be, so we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of organic, vegan, locally sourced, gluten-free, and overall health-conscious brick and mortars guaranteed to leave an impression on you and your sweetie!

Feast your eyes on this extensive guide to healthy Austin dining! Restaurants are organized by area, and detailed based on healthiness, genre, delivery, and price.

North Austin

La Casa Chapala: Vegetarian and gluten-free options (vegan upon request). The usual Tex-Mex fare with a section dedicated to vegetarian plates and vegan black beans. Pick-up and delivery available. $-$$

Dang Banh Mi: Vegetarian and vegan options. Asian fusion restaurant with vegan bread/buns, vegan peanut sauce, and a tofu sandwich. $$

Alborz Persian Cuisine: Vegetarian and vegan options. Persian food with a variety of vegetable-based dishes. Online ordering available. $$

Madras Pavilion: Authentic South Indian vegetarian cuisine claiming to serve all-natural, additive-free, and preservative-free plates. Online ordering available. $$

Blaze Pizza: Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. Brick-oven pizza restaurant serving tons of vegetable toppings, vegan cheese, non-GMO gluten-free crust, as well as sustainable and eco-friendly packaging/containers/cutlery. Pick-up available. $$

Star of India: Vegetarian options. North Indian restaurant serving up a sizable vegetarian section. Pick-up and online ordering available. $$

Molcas Mexican Restaurant: Vegetarian options. Tex-mex joint offering hearty vegetarian plates. Online ordering available. $-$$

Pars Mediterranean Market & Deli: Vegetarian options. Restaurant offering Greek, Persian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean foods, all with veggie-friendly ingredients. Online ordering available. $$

Happy Vegan Baker: Vegan and gluten-free (upon request) options. Cooking up organic, vegan baked goods with responsible, cruelty-free ingredients. Great for a vegan Valentine! $$

Big Daddy’s Burger & Bar: Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. Burger joint offering up a generous portion of veggie-friendly plates. Online ordering available. $-$$

Caspian Grill: Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. Very vegan friendly Persian restaurant.   Online ordering available. $$

Pho Thai Son: Vegan and vegetarian options. Vietnamese restaurant with a generous veggie menu. $$

Special Mention: O’Joy Organic Juice & Yogurt, Satay

Central Austin

Bun Belly: Vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan (upon request) options. Modern Vietnamese joint. $-$$

House Pizzeria: Vegan and vegetarian options. Local pizza joint and bar serving brick-oven pies topped with fresh ingredients. Healthy salads are also on the menu and made to order, along with Italian house sodas made from “100% organic sugar” and “real fruit juices” (also can be made sugar free). Pick-up available. $-$$

Phara’s Mediterranean Cuisine: Vegetarian and vegan options. Local restaurant and casbah with live entertainment as well as a large selection of Mediterranean dishes, including a section dedicated to vegetarians. Pick-up available. $$-$$$

Kome Sushi Kitchen: Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options (ask if sauce is gluten-free). A new Japanese restaurant with “authentic home-style” plates influenced by Japanese, Asian, Austin, and New Orleans cuisines. $$

Conan’s Pizza: Vegetarian and vegan options. Locally owned gourmet pizza joint with all-natural, “mostly local ingredients” with a vegan crust plus Daiya cheese. Delivery and pick-up available. $-$$

Sweet Ritual: Vegan and gluten-free options. Artisanal ice cream shop tailored towards dairy-free and gluten-free ingredients (perfect for a vegan Valentine!). $-$$

ASTI Trattoria: Vegan and vegetarian options. Upscale Italian restaurant with a wine cellar. Reservation only. $$$

Titaya’s Thai Cuisine: Vegan and vegetarian options. Contemporary Thai restaurant with a variety of veggie-filled plates. Pick-up available. $$

Mother’s Cafe & Garden: Vegan and vegetarian options. Locally owned restaurant serving up a large variety of extremely vegetarian and vegan friendly fare cooked with non-GMO canola oil. Pick-up available. $$

Aster’s Ethiopian: Vegetarian and vegan options. Local Ethiopian restaurant with a section dedicated to ethnic vegetarian dishes. $$

Taj Palace: Vegetarian options, plus some vegan dishes. Indian restaurant serving veggie-friendly plates in an “exotic” atmosphere, complete with sitar music. $$

Habesha: Vegan and vegetarian options. A contemporary Ethiopian restaurant serving “only the freshest, most nutritional and genuinely authentic ingredients” along with a very veggie-friendly menu. $$

Special  mention: Maoz Vegetarian

UT/Campus Area

Clay Pit: Vegan menu available, vegetarian options. Affordable and contemporary Indian dishes with vegetable items galore. Online ordering available. $-$$

Goodall’s Kitchen: Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. Upscale American bistro inside Hotel Ella serving fresh and healthy plates. They also offer a special menu tailored for Valentine’s Day. Reservations available. $$-$$$

The Parlor: Vegan and vegetarian only menu. A laid-back, locally owned pizza joint serving “vegan meats” (kidney bean & black bean based, includes Nutritional Yeast, Vital Wheat Gluten and organic spices), local brews, and veg-tastic toppings. Pick-up and delivery available. $-$$

Downtown

G’raj Mahal: Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. A modern spin on Indian fare. Uses locally sourced ingredients for some dishes. Pick-up available, delivery available via Favor. $$

Second Bar + Kitchen:  Vegetarian options. A true farm-to-table experience of “New American” food, locally sourced. Private dining available. $$$

Wu Chow: Vegan and vegetarian menu available. Upscale authentic Chinese restaurant serving locally sourced ingredients. Reservations available. $$-$$$

La Condesa: Vegan and vegetarian options. Upscale modern Mexican restaurant that serves healthy (yes, healthy!) plates, including cauliflower steak. $$

Daruma Ramen: Vegan and vegetarian options. Traditional Japanese atmosphere offering eggless noodles in all of their soups. $$

Hoboken Pie: Vegan and vegetarian options. Italian joint with extremely customizable pizzas, plus plates made with “nitrate and MSG-free meats from local purveyors, farm-fresh veggies, locally grown tomatoes and whole-milk cheeses”, as well as un-bleached flour. Pick-up and delivery available. $-$$

Pelon’s Tex Mex: Vegetarian and gluten-free options. Semi-healthy “Southwestern Mexican” food, with the usual cheesy, greasy goodness for those who aren’t watching their gut. $$

Carmelo’s: Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options upon request. Upscale Italian restaurant with accommodating alternative menus. Reservations available. $$ – $$$

East Austin

Capital City Bakery: 100% vegan bakery, creating baked goods from scratch. A great place to purchase sweets for your loved one this Valentine’s Day! $-$$

Counter Culture: Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. A local, sustainable restaurant that dedicates itself to organic local produce as much as possible. $-$$

Gardner: Vegan (upon request) and vegetarian options. Upscale bistro cooking with only seasonal ingredients. Reservations available. $$-$$$

Yellow Jacket Social Club: Vegan and vegetarian options. Mid-to-upscale “new American” restaurant with veggie-friendly salads, sides, sandwiches, and brunch. $$-$$$

Nasha: Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. Unique Indian/Mexican mash-up with foods free of dyes and MSG. Take-out available. $-$$

The Hightower: Vegetarian options, with a few vegan options. “New American” restaurant with savory-yet-health-conscious plates. Reservations available. $$-$$$

Eastside Cafe: Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. Made-from-scratch healthy plates are cooked with ingredients straight from the on-site garden. $$

The Blue Dahlia: Vegan and vegetarian options. Upscale bistro serving locally sourced and organic ingredients. Assortment of veggie-friendly sandwiches, salads, and brunch. Dinner reservations available. $$-$$$

Special food truck mentions: The Vegan Yacht & BBQ Revolution

South Austin

Casa De Luz: Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. All-organic, “nutrient-rich” meals served up by “nutritionally trained chefs” dedicated to plant-based dining. Very allergen aware and extremely health conscious, even using fluoride filtered water. $-$$

Thrice: Vegan and vegetarian options (plus gluten-free dessert). Thai restaurant offering vegan and vegetarian plates, comprised of locally sourced ingredients. Also has a gluten-free/vegan bakery and vegan ice cream. $$

El Alma: Vegetarian and some vegan options. Contemporary Mexican restaurant with fresh ingredients. Veggie-friendly enchiladas as well as salads. $-$$

Bouldin Creek Cafe: Vegetarian and vegan options. Local vegan-friendly restaurant with veg-tastic plates all across their menu. Also serves organic, fair trade coffee. Pick-up available. $-$$

Uchi: Vegan (upon request) options. Upscale Texas Sushi restaurant serving local ingredients and fresh seafood daily from Japan. Cooks with sustainably and responsibly caught fish. Reservation only. $$$

Black Sheep Lodge: Vegan and vegetarian options. Burger joint with a 100% vegan veggie burger and portabello cheesesteak. $$

Wasota African Cuisine: Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. Authentic Nigerian cuisines with mainly gluten-free and dairy-free plates. Sections of the menu dedicated to both vegan and vegetarian food! $-$$

Rockin’ Tomato: Vegan,  vegetarian, and gluten-free options. Usual pizza joint offering some vegetarian pastas; an organic, gluten-free, vegan pizza crust; and vegan cheese. $-$$

Papalote Taco House: Vegan and vegetarian options. Authentic contemporary Mexican restaurant with several veggie-friendly platers, including a vegetarian taco voted the Best Vegetarian Taco by the Austin Chronicle. Pick-up available. $

Red’s Porch: Vegetarian and gluten-free options. American/Mexican fusion restaurant with a very generous gluten-free menu. Also has veggie-friendly salads, soups, and sandwiches. $$

Lick: Vegan and vegetarian options. Local artisanal ice cream shop selling honest treats with no preservatives, artificial coloring, or high fructose corn syrup. Their milk is purchased from a family dairy farm outside of Waco (where the cows are primarily grassfed and the milk is non-homogenized and hormone-free), and they collaborate with other local artisans to create a pure product. Vegan and dairy-free menu optional.  $$

Guantanamera Cuban Cuisine: Vegetarian options. Cuban restaurant with multicultural influences serving a handful of vegetarian plates. $$

Lenoir: Vegan (upon request) and vegetarian options. Upscale restaurant with locally sourced ingredients. Reservation only. $$$

ZTribe Pizza: Vegan, vegetarian, and vegan options. California-founded pizza place serving customizable pizzas with non-GMO wheat crust, organic tomato sauce, and additive/preservative-free meats. Online ordering available. $$

El Mercado: Vegetarian and gluten-free options. A typical Mexican joint with a hearty vegetarian section and a generous gluten-free selection. They also fry with trans-fat free soybean oil. $-$$

Sway: Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. Upscale Thai restaurant with Australian influences. Very veggie-friendly menu. $$-$$$

Guero’s: Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. Mexican restaurant that cooks up homemade corn tortillas with both a vegan and gluten-free menu. $$

Special mentions: Unity Vegan Kitchen, The Soup Peddler, Conscious Cravings

Happy Valentine’s Day, and bon appetit!