Veggie Tales

Austin declared one of America's most vegetarian-friendly cities

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Arlo's vegan food truck is one of the reasons Austin ranks 13th on a survey of most friendly cities for plant-based diets.

Arlo's/Facebook

In meat-and-potatoes America, it’s not always easy to follow a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. Of course, some cities make it easier than others. A new WalletHub survey looked at the 100 biggest cities in the U.S. to determine the best and most economical places for vegetarians and vegans to live. Two Texas cities made the top 25: Austin at No. 13 and Houston at No. 17.

The criteria used included highest percentage or restaurants serving vegan and vegetarian options, farmers markets and community-supported agriculture programs per capita, local access to vegetarian food production, vegetable nurseries per capita, plus the number of juice/smoothie bars and salad shops. Affordability was looked at, too, as were general vegetable and fruit consumption and the percentage of vegetarian and vegan meals ordered through food delivery platform Grubhub.

That Austin did not make the top 10 (Scottsdale, Arizona and Madison, Wisconsin both fared better on the list) might shock those who stereotype it as the land of tree-hugging hippies. The Capital City did well on several indicators — cost of plant-based groceries (5), farmers markets and CSA programs (7), and vegetable nurseries (10) — but only placed in the upper middle range for both percentage of restaurants serving vegetarian options (43) and vegan options (27).

The diversity of Houston’s culinary scene played into its rankings for the percentage of restaurants serving vegetarian and vegan options (both 11). Houston also fared well on affordability, ranking third on overall cost of groceries. However, the rankings suggest that the locavore movement isn’t as strong there as in many major metropolitan areas. H-Town, for instance, ranked in the middle (56) of American cities with high percentages of farmers markets and CSA programs.

Perhaps unsurprisingly in a state with a thriving beef industry, most Texas cities were in the lower half of the survey. Only two other cities, Dallas (37) and Plano (49), made it to the top 50.

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Near and Deer

Vespaio-trained chef serves venison from trailer at Austin's Sign Bar

Photo courtesy of Sign Bar.

Born and Braised, specializing in native ingredients and braised meats, is now open at Sign Bar.

Born and Braised, a food trailer specializing in native ingredients and braised meats, has just opened for business at Sign Bar. Chef and owner William Woodland, a.k.a. Woody, says so far things are going great.

"They're doing a great job promoting us at Sign Bar. I feel really special," says Woodland.

This is a big change from several years ago when sign bar first opened and Woodland says he "pestered" the folks behind the cool new space.

"I think at that time they wanted to see a couple of years of good experience," says Woodland. "And now my reviews are insanely good — so I think that helped!"

Born and Braised started out at Lustre Pearl back in 2022, and then quickly moved over to Sage Brush where it stayed for more than a year. More recently, Woodland has been operating out of Bastrop and is happy to be closer to town again at Sign Bar, which is located in East Austin. It's still a bit of a drive for many, but not as far south.

Some of the menu items include birria tacos, homemade birria ramen, and multiple venison-based dishes: chili, a smash burger, and bratwurst. There's also grilled cheese, street corn, and other sides.

"I think it's one of only a couple of places in town where you can get venison any time," says Woodland. He adds that the main focus of any foods he prepares is minimal waste and using good, quality, native ingredients. "I'm kind of an ingredient hippie," he laughs.

These cooking roots can be traced back to Woodland's days at his grandparents' out in the country, where his uncles butchering deer in the garage was the norm, and venison was always on the table. As an adult, Woodland got his "formal" education in the kitchen at Vespaio under the tutelage of Ryan Samson.

"He gave me his culinary book from when he went to school and quizzed me everyday; basically took me to culinary school through that job," says Woodland. "I cry thinking about him all the time. Great guy; a really good mentor."

Born and Braised is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 4 pm to 2 am, and Saturdays from 11 am to 2 am, at Sign Bar Austin (9909 FM 969, Bldg. 3). The bar, decorated with more than 75 retired signs from legendary local businesses, offers a variety of beers, wines, and cocktails.

Sign Bar Holiday Tree This miniature Zilker Tree is the newest permanent installation at Sign Bar. Photo courtesy of Sign Bar

As of early December, guests can enjoy all Sign Bar has to offer next to the Sign Bar Holiday Tree. This 64-foot tall tree is an homage to the Zilker Tree, and unlike most holiday displays, this tree will be up year-round. Guests can even spin under this mini-Zilker Tree — but may want to give it a minute after a bowl of venison chili.

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