I explored a bunch of vegetarian(-friendly) restaurants in the Austin area this past school year. Some of them were solo trips, and I went with friends/family to the rest. To rationalize forgoing the incredible cost savings (and enjoyment) of cooking at home, I mostly went out on days I had clocked in hours at the lab. I tried to stick to local places and avoid national chains as much as possible. For each category, the list roughly reflects my preferences in descending order, although most places were worthy of future visits.
Casual
Nori. Vegan restaurant on Guad and 33rd serving tasty Japanese food including several unique fusion-style sushi rolls. Extra pricy so reserved for extra special occasions.
De Nada Cantina on East Cesar Chavez near Springdale Rd. Tried to go on a random Friday night and did not expect it would be so popular. Went back the next Monday and was able to get a table after a short wait. Vegetarian taco options with homemade blue corn tortillas were very tasty. Crispy taco shells seemed to be Old El Paso brand. Would definitely go back for the homemade blue corn tortillas.
Nixta Taqueria on East 12th. A couple of flavorful and unique vegetarian options.
Nasha on East 7th, serving creative "Tex Mex-Indo fusion" dishes like saag and aloo gobi enchiladas.
Patrizi. Italian restaurant at the Vortex on Manor Rd. Perhaps technically a food truck but they bring the food to the table. Fresh pasta with multiple vegetarian-friendly permutations of sauces and seasonings on the menu.
Thai Fresh near South Lamar. Several interesting vegetarian options.
El Dorado Cafe on Anderson Ln by Mopac. There's a full vegan menu so it seems like there's good variety.
Taste of Ethiopia on South Congress. The fire alarm went off midway through and kept going for probably thirty minutes. They said it was a routine occurrence, and we weren't going to leave anyway. The vegetarian sample platter had a filling variety of vegetables and spices.
Kinda Tropical on East 7th near Springdale Rd. Two vegetarian options for mains are a crispy tofu sandwich (what I had) and a burger with a patty from Arlos. I had the yucca fries on the side. Tasty enough (though perhaps too salty all around) but insufficient variety to return.
Food trucks
Granny's Tacos on East 7th. Build your own tacos, with typical ingredients plus cactus.
Everest Momo & Food Truck on East Cesar Chavez, offering Nepalese food including vegetarian momos (dumplings) and thukpa.
Dipping Springs on Springdale next to ABP. Tempeh tenders served with a variety of interesting dips. Enjoyable after climbing.
Veracruz All Natural on Webberville. Several tasty vegetarian taco options, nothing too unique.
The Vegan Nom at the eponymous food truck park on East Cesar Chavez. Several tasty vegan taco options, nothing too unique.
Bistro Vonish on 53rd near Airport. Vegan American cuisine with many interesting options.
Community Vegan on East 11th. Fried oyster mushrooms and fried cauliflower. This one is unique but doesn't seem too healthy.
Biscuits and Groovy at 51st and Duval. Buttery. Unclear what the nutritional value of my order was.
Beirut Restaurant in the Domain. Standard Lebanese vegetarian offerings at standard food truck costs.
Fast casual
Chi'Lantro. Texan chain offering Korean Tex-Mex fusion. Tasty and unique. I want to figure out how to efficiently prepare all the constituent elements so I can make my own at home.
Velvet Taco in the Domain. Several creative and flavorful vegetarian taco options.
Honest Mary's on Burnet. Local build-your-own-bowl chain with several filling preset options on the menu.
Nissi Vegan off 183 and Burnet. An all-vegan Mexican restaurant with several tasty options.
Cava. A reasonable, portable option for when you're going to the airport or need something quick. If you have time and transportation, there are more interesting options.
Potbelly. A reasonable, portable option for when you're going to the airport or need something quick. If you have time and transportation, there are more interesting options.
Meh
Pinch. Asian food truck on the south side of campus. Pasting my Google review here:
They offer a significant discount if you give them a five-star rating. So just be aware that the rating has been skewed/gamed/biased. The prices keep going up, so everyone probably leaves a five-star review for the discount and forgets about it. I'm only now remembering to change my rating.
The food is nothing to brag about. The white rice is usually overcooked, though I guess that's standard for a campus food truck. I usually order the tofu bento, and they put a reasonable amount of tofu inside. But otherwise it's a bland dish--white rice, broccoli, and tofu, drizzled with a little bit of sauce. They don't even mix it together for you. One could probably make it at home for much cheaper. Unfortunately, I had to eat here because I had skipped lunch and was hungry in between classes and it was conveniently located. That is, I was in a pinch.
Bonus: here are some worthwhile dessert places (unranked)