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Vegan Field Report: Somnio’s Cafe in Austin, TX!
9January 31st, 2011austin, more restaurants (not LA)hey, everyone! time for another field report by bess from i dream of greenie. this one comes to us all the way from austin, texas at a place called somnio’s cafe. it looks amazing…so you lucky folks who are headed to sxsw soon, take note!
Nynavae’s tacos (made vegan) $8
photo by meredith
Warning: international trade secrets are being shared here. With one simple modification, a vegetarian dish became one of the best vegan meals I’ve ever eaten at Somnio’s Cafe in Austin.
I was a bit overwhelmed by all the vegan options in Austin and being someone who wants to make sure she enjoys every meal on vacation, I ran my restaurant list by some seasoned locals. My omni host instantly confirmed that she loves Somnio’s and that it is BYOB with just a $2 per person corkage fee. I was instantly sold!
While not exclusively vegetarian, the menu is clearly marked with which items are vegetarian, vegan and can be made vegan upon request.
My friend had been raving about Nynavae’s tacos, described as: panko crusted fritters made with sauteed Texas Pride mushrooms topped with a spicy crunchy slaw that makes it special like our oldest dog.
However, much to my chagrin, I saw this item was marked as vegetarian not vegan. Not one to admit defeat so quickly, I asked my server what made these tacos vegetarian and not vegan and she didn’t even have to go back to the kitchen to ask because she knew the answer, which earned bonus points in my book. She explained that the fritters are brushed with egg before being breaded in panko and fried but that they could gladly use soy milk instead of egg.
I was sold, as was my friend and we placed identical orders: Nynavae’s tacos with avocado added.
All I can say is WOW! The fritters were moist, tasty and topped with a delicious slaw. The avocado kicked it up to nirvana like proportions. If that weren’t enough, the tacos came with a side of blue corn chips and salsa.
Major meal win! Definitely check this place out if you are looking for a vegan friendly, BYOB spot. They also serve brunch but looks like they offer only a couple vegan items (I bet they would whip something up upon request though).
Somnio’s Cafe
Tags: field report, mexican, tacos
1807 S 1st St
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 442-2500
8 responses to “Vegan Field Report: Somnio’s Cafe in Austin, TX!” 
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Very nice that they have gluten-free vegan options!
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Alison January 31st, 2011 at 18:47
This looks awesome. I am heading to SXSW next month, so I really appreciate this review. I’ve never been to Austin, so I was wondering about the veg options.
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Gregalor February 1st, 2011 at 21:10
“She explained that the fritters are brushed with egg before being breaded in panko and fried but that they could gladly use soy milk instead of egg.”
See, stuff like this makes me think, “If they can just use something else, and it works just the same, why not ALWAYS use that?”
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There are so many great vegan options in Austin! I’m not vegan or vegetarian, but I certainly appreciate Austin’s culinary scene — tons of menus mark what options can be made vegan, gluten free, etc. and they’re really, really cognizant of dietary and lifestyle concerns. I really like all the vegan options here, you won’t be disappointed! (I’m the “omni host” Bess refers to in the review/photographer)
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I felt the exact same way and made it a point to tell the server how good the tacos were veganized.
1 Trackbacks / Pingbacks
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Part 1 of My Austin Eats, as Reported on QuarryGirl « I Dream of Greenie January 31st, 2011 at 17:14
[…] out my review of Somnios Cafe here…one simple modification made a dish vegetarian to vegan and it is one of the best meals […]
Fritz January 31st, 2011 at 17:16