Vegan Vanguard's Austin, Texas Top Ten

Okay, I'm cheating a little bit because this isn't a list of top ten dishes, but these are the top places in Austin where I enjoy eating on a regular basis, and the items I typically order.

This has an addtional, unintentional bonus: I think all of these places are good places to go with omnis, so omnis can take their vegan friends, or vegans can take their omni friends, and you'll still be friends afterwards! Since JD is omni, I tend to go to omni places that have vegan options. Most of these are places that we both enjoy and we can each get exactly what we want, without making the other compromise.

1) Conan's - Don't Choke Art! Vegan Deep Dish on Wheat, with Daiya.

2) Get Sum Dim Sum - GetSum Veggie Combo (with any of the vegan options), the rice soup, spinach dumplings, vegetable bao, sesame balls, and Law Mai Gai.

3) Kerbey Lane - Spinach, Mushroom and Artichoke Heart Omelet,with homefries and vegan blueberry pancake, veganized (so, tofu subbed for eggs and no green chile cream or cheese), the vegan pancake of the day, vegan soup of the day, sweet potato fries, mocha "cheesecake".

4) Sugar Mama's Bakeshop - I like every vegan cupcake I've tried here. I've even heard that the vegan chocolate cake is better than the non-vegan. The chocolate mint (Peppermint Patty) is the one I've had most, and I love it, but I think it might become my second favorite when I try the Chocolate Covered Cherry.

5) Dog Almighty - I get the veggie Pfluger Dog, add yellow mustard to it, then share a side of tots or rings with JD. Sometimes they have vegan beer brats. I wish they offered vegan corndogs. I haven't tried the chili, but have heard it's awesome, but I'm not much of a fan of chili; if they offered Daiya, I'd try a vegan frito pie or vegan chili cheese dog. I also wish the chocolate covered grahams were actually vegan, because I used to get them and enjoyed the thick chocolate coating.

6) Veggie Heaven - Protein 2000. Seriously, It's the only thing I enjoy here, but it's so damn addictive/delicious.

7) Mr. Natural's on Cesar Chavez - Gluten-Free Chocolate Muffin, Lunch Combo, or Breakfast Burritos.

8) Wheatsville Co-op - Popcorn Tofu (as a snack, or in a sandwich, but not as a po boy--way too big bread-to-fu ratio with hoagie bread), cookies, frozen treats, and hot bar items, like tempeh chili. Bonus, it's a grocery, so you can pick up your Daiya, Dandies, a Go Max Go bar, beer and wine, or some fresh (and often local) vegetables.

9) Claypit - This is the place I first tried vegetable samosas. It was love at first bite. I like the channa masala, too.

10) Lulu B's - Lemongrass Tofu Vermicelli Bowl.

I dearly miss Dhaba Joy and the former incarnation of Java Noodles. Java Noodles is still around, but the last few times we ordered from them, the food was just....lacking something.

You'll notice there's only one food trailer on this list. Unfortunately, I haven't been to many. A few I did enjoy are now sadly, closed. Mostly, they are just too far north for me, and/or not open when I have time to get to them.