6 Options For Sustainable Dining in Austin
Production practices behind the food on our tables are more prominent in the public eye than ever before. Even when on vacation, many customers will seek out restaurants that offer sustainable, ethical options.
Austin offers plenty of great choices. Read on to discover a selection of Austin eateries that use locally grown ingredients, cutting down significantly on their carbon footprints.
Odd Duck
Odd Duck began as a farm-to-table food truck before expanding into a sit-down restaurant as customer demand grew. The restaurant is a prime example of a sustainable, friendly venue.
Odd Duck purchases their produce exclusively from local farmers, whose goal is to grow their food in a caring and sustainable way. The establishment also partners with local schools to provide healthy, eco-friendly meals to Austin’s students.
Odd Duck
1201 S Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78704
United States
Phone: +1 512-433-6521
Check Odd Duck
Juan Pelota Café
Juan Pelota Cafe is an unusual establishment, sharing roots with a bike shop owned by none other than Lance Armstrong. The café itself is eco-friendly, both in practices and in the produce that it offers.
At Juan Pelota you can find 100% Arabica beans: organic, Fair-Trade Certified, shade-grown, bird-friendly, and sold within ten days of roasting. Shade-grown coffee is environmentally ideal as it requires little to no chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. The crops even help protect the rainforests, bird populations, and overall biodiversity.
Juan Pelota
400 Nueces St
Austin, TX 78701
United States
Phone: +1 512-473-0222
Snap Kitchen
There’s often a feeling that you can’t have both the healthy approach to cuisine and the fast food cooking that Austin is famous for. However, this restaurant strives to prove otherwise. It offers fast and indulgent food while being eco-friendly and health-conscious.
The menu is seasonal, offering organically-grown food produced by local Austin farmers. The menu includes meat raised by local producers, free of antibiotics. You can also find fresh fruits and vegetables grown with the same level of care. Packaging and venue decor are also arranged with eco-friendliness in mind.
Check Snap Kitchen locations and menu
La Condesa
This restaurant has gained a lot of attention in recent years, due to its unique take on traditional Mexican cuisine. La Condesa presents a refreshing mix of old and new in terms of local fast food fare.
La Condesa’s sustainable practices include: water efficiency, waste reduction, sustainable furnishings, building materials, sustainable food, energy, disposables, and more. It even goes so far as to preserve leftover cooking oil, to be converted into biodiesel fuel.
La Condesa
400 W 2nd St A
Austin, TX 78701
United States
Phone: +1 512-499-0300
Check La Condesa
Snack Bar
Everything you’ll find at Snack Bar is healthy and produced in a way that would make Mother Nature proud. The menu itself is inspired by the diversity of world cuisine, offering an eclectic variety that you’re sure to enjoy, regardless of your personal tastes.
The restaurant works with local farmers and is invested in the local network made to support composting and recycling. They’ve partnered with Restaurant Recyclers and Ecology Action (a Platinum Level Austin Green Business) for their waste reduction and recycling needs.
Check Snack Bar locations and menu
Leaf
Aptly named, Leaf strives to keep Austin green in every way imaginable. This restaurant offers fresh, build-your-own salads, featuring an array of organic farmer’s market ingredients. All selections are locally grown in an eco-friendly way.
Leaf
115 W Sixth St
Austin, TX 78701
United States
Phone: +1 512-474-5323
Conclusion
In Austin, Texas, you’ll not be hard-pressed to find restaurants full of love and care for the ways in which their food is produced. Such establishments will likely only grow with the future, as concern rises over food production and how best to mitigate its environmental effects.
