This is the veganning

Whole Foods Austin food hall goes next level with new vegan burger joint

Next Level Burger is upping Austin's veggie burger game with its first location at the Whole Foods Market flagship.

Photo courtesy of Next Level Burger

With 2018’s openings of Fareground, H-Mart, and Revue, Austin’s obsession food halls has never been hotter. But if you want to get technical about it, the Capital City trend started way back in March 2005 when Whole Foods Market debuted its flagship store complete with several distinct eateries.

After experimenting with different concepts over the years, the Lamar Boulevard store is shaking things up by bringing in its first outside vendor. On July 13, the grocery giant exclusively told CultureMap that plant-based restaurant Next Level Burger will be opening an outpost inside the store this fall. The stand will be located near the Sixth Street Boulevard entrance, across from the juice bar.

Whole Foods Southwest region culinary director Tara Treffry tells CultureMap that the brand is a great match for the store. “They bring a food forward approach that celebrates flavor and seasonality that we are excited for our guests to enjoy,” she says.

The 100-percent vegan chain was founded by husband-and-wife founders Matt de Gruyter and Cierra de Gruyter with a desire to spread healthy, environmentally responsible eating. After opening its first location 2014 in Bend, Oregon, Next Level has gained a cult-like following with locations additional locations in Oregon, as well as Washington, California, and Brooklyn.

Although still small, the restaurant is a disruptor in the made-to-order burger market dominated by brands like Shake Shack and In-N-Out, especially with more North Americans trying to regularly incorporate plant-based foods into their meals.

But where those chains offer few (if any) non-meat options, Next Level is entirely devoted to the craft of the veggie burger with house patties made from everything from black beans and vegetables to mushroom and quinoa.

The burgers come topped with a variety of options like egg-free mayo, guacamole, smokey tempeh bacon, and horseradish sauce. Its signature burger is The Animal, sausage-style patties layered with the tempeh bacon and a layer of crinkle cut fries, then topped with sautéed onion, vegan cheddar or Swiss, barbecue sauce, and the chain’s kicky special sauce.

In addition to the burgers, Next Level has loaded fried in three styles (available either fried or baked, depending on how healthy you feel that day), hotdogs, sandwiches like veggie grilled cheeses and herbivore BLTs, and filling main dish salads. Next Level says that it will be announcing an Austin-only menu item soon.

Like any proper burger joint, the Austin shop will also have shakes. Made with guest’s choice of hand spun soy or coconut soft serve ice cream, the shakes come in classic flavors like vanilla, chocolate, banana, and peanut butter or jazzed up versions like Brownie Explosion, salted caramel peanut, and cookies ’n’ cream.

Although Whole Foods has worked with Next Level in other states, the Austin shop will be the first Texas outpost of the West Coast chain. Increasingly, Whole Foods is bringing in outside companies to handle prepared foods through its friends program, the same initiative that brought Easy Tiger and JuiceLand to the 365 store in Cedar Park.

Whether this marks a move by the flagship location toward a true food hall experience is unclear, but Next Level will be a welcome addition to downtown’s dining scene, which has few options for vegan eating.

Founder Matt de Gruyter, a former Texan, is excited about the possibilities. "We cannot wait to start slinging our 100 percent plant-based goodness in the great state of Texas,” he tells CultureMap. “Here’s to the future of the all-American burger joint!"

vegan openings

Come to Dinner with Us

Casual eats and Asian desserts: Our favorite Austin meals of 2024

Photo by Brianna Caleri

Dipdipdip Tatsu-Ya's yuzu panna cotta was perfect with this strawberry granita, which changes daily.

Readers, are you ready for our annual dinner date? The CultureMap Austin crew spends a lot of time keeping up with local restaurants, but the ones that really stick out often aren't new. In between all the openings and rebrandings are the regular, everyday meals that keep us going.

We don't usually get a chance to show those off, so every December we spend some time with our top meals of the year, regardless of how newsworthy they were at the time.

Believe it or not, we do have lives outside of stuffing ourselves and 2024 was a busy year. Looking back, we leaned a bit more than usual into casual food — a couple of things on this list cost less than $15. But if you're hoping to impress a date or find a meal that's actually worth $75+, we've got that too.

In no particular order, here are the 10 meals and snacks we thought most about in 2024.

Three meals in one: The Little Darlin'
We listen and we don't judge: Sometimes it's 8 pm and you haven't eaten anything all day. I've learned to break up the inertia with a burger from the Little Darlin', the outdoorsy South Austin watering hole with shockingly great eats. Providing most of the calories a person could need in a day, this big burger and shoestring fry combo feeds indulgence, not gluttony. The thick, charred patty isn't greasy or overly salty, the sweet pickles and red onions are a lovely pick-me-up, and the atmosphere is warm and grounding. There is zero pretension here and I am invisible — most folks hang out in groups, someone's always playing pool, and there's usually some metal subgenre filling the air. — Brianna Caleri, Austin editor

Sushi: Tare
When this intimate omakase restaurant hidden inside an unassuming North Austin office building made its debut in January, I never expected its Texas-inspired Japanese sushi to stay on my mind for the rest of the year. My favorite bites included a fatty bluefin tuna with negi dare; and an amaebi shrimp over a tamale, topped with queso fresco, chili oil, and lemon. A picturesque slice of matcha tres leches cake was the perfect dessert to cap off the experience, prepared by pastry chef Danielle Martinez. I was thrilled to see Tare recognized on the list Michelin-recommended restaurants in Austin, and I can't wait to see what Chef Carranza comes up with next. — Amber Heckler, network writer

Tare omakase restaurant in North Austin Have you ever seen tres leches look so pretty? (Pictured: matcha tres leches atPhoto by Amber Heckler

For every occasion: Tatsu-Ya Group restaurants
Having eaten at every Tatsu-Ya concept in Austin this year, I couldn't possibly cut any from the greatest hits. From a generous, exclusive media feast at Kemuri Tatsu-Ya, to extremely casual visits at the restaurant that gets the largest annual share of my paycheck each year, Ramen Tatsu-Ya, there's something funky and celebratory about every meal without sacrificing accessibility. Top dishes to try are: the crunchy, creative, and umami-drenched lotus and avocado salad at Kemuri; the sharable pu pu platter at Tiki with super-tender coconut shrimp; and my favorite dessert of the year, the light and bright yuzu panna cotta with a daily granita at Dipdipdip. — BC

Farmers market finds: Hijita chocolate
If there's only one thing you need to know about me: I love chocolate. It's a lifelong obsession of mine, and there's nothing more exciting to me than discovering new locally made brands. I first tried Hijita's drinking chocolate at the Texas Farmers Market's Lakeline location (which has since moved to Cedar Park's Bell District), and I've been following the brand's journey ever since. I really appreciate founder Ashley Ugarte's dedication to working directly with family-owned cacao farms in southern Mexico. Plus, it's nice to have a local replacement for a certain Nestlé-owned hot chocolate brand. — AH

Perfectly seasoned: Super Thai Cuisine
I like everything at Super Thai Cuisine, from the salty fried rice to the homey gaeng karee (yellow curry). But my new favorite dish has to be the larb moo and kaw gee — a spicy ground turkey or pork salad with lettuce cups and grilled sticky rice. It's hard to know where to begin, since each ingredient feels both like it's fundamentally necessary and a delightful treat. The meat makes it robust, but the vegetables balance the heaviness; then the chili lime dressing brightens everything up. I don't know if Super Thai has an amazing cucumber supplier or the dish is just that well balanced, but I've never appreciated this simple vegetable more. — BC

Family-style eats with a Caribbean flare: Canje
Canje has rightfully earned plenty of local and national acclaim this year, but that hasn't changed how the restaurant provides excellent service and delicious meals for its guests. I'm a big fan of family-style dining, especially when I'm with a group that wants to try a variety of things on the menu. Canje's team are masters at coursing out meals, so we're never left waiting too long for our next dish. The restaurant's vibrant yet easygoing atmosphere also never makes us feel rushed, which is a quality I appreciate more than anything else when I'm spending quality time with my friends. — AH

Worth a drive: Palo Seco 512
With so many taco trucks around Austin, it doesn't seem like anyone would need to drive more than 15 minutes to fill a craving. But Palo Seco 512 is worth visiting East Oltorf, an area most Austinites aren't just passing by most days. This trailer does comfort food right, specializing in birria tacos and barely branching out from there — adding the consomé to a bowl of instant noodles or serving it with some grilled cheese for dipping. For extra decadent birria tacos, the chef grills a pile of cheese on the flat top first, creating a beautiful layer of caramelization. — BC

Sometimes you can just see that a taco is perfect. (Pictured: birria tacos with cheese at Palo Seco 512)Photo by Brianna Caleri

Overseas and at home: Nando's PERi-PERi
My husband and I first tried Nando's while we were in London earlier this year, and we were really impressed by the various flavorful sauces that accompany the marinated grilled chicken. So when we returned and learned Nando's was opening its fourth Texas location in Austin, we knew we had to make a visit. We were very grateful to be invited when the restaurant opened in November, and the chicken was just as juicy as we remembered from our London experience. We'll definitely be returning in 2025. — AH

Do as the French do: Bureau de Poste
In case every foodie movie, TV show, and book haven't already convinced you, a French omelette is the pinnacle of cooking. Austinites who only know the American way can amend their egg-eating habits at Bureau de Poste. The key element is very gentle cooking, leaving the inside gooey and avoiding any crispiness the outside. During a recent visit, a guest seated next to me seemed upset to learn about this French standard and sent hers back for more cooking; the staff very politely explained the difference and set her up with an elegantly dubbed "well-done" omelette, which she loved. I'll keep appreciating my omelettes as-is, but it was sweet to watch the servers bridge that cultural divide and respect the chefs, while getting the diner what she really wanted. — BC

Southern comfort sweet tooth cravings: Uptown Sports Club
Uptown Sports Club's great vibes, laid-back service, and homey menu offerings were at the top of Brianna's priority list when she named this restaurant among her favorites in 2023. While I do appreciate Uptown's hearty bowl of gumbo and its various po' boys, the dish that really stood out to me when I visited earlier this year was the apple pie bread pudding. It was my ideal version of what a bread pudding should be, and it had all of the classic fall flavors I was looking for when I walked in that night. The bourbon caramel and gigantic scoop of Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream definitely satisfied my sweet tooth, too. — AH

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