anyone here from austin?

I lived in Austin for four years. then came to Houston for graduate school.

Dallasite here :)

http://www.dfwnetmall.com/veg/ - for all you veggies in dallas :)

Wow, you are right in my backyard! :)

I live in North Dallas, too, Richardson to be exact (Renner & Custer Rd. area).

We shall have to meet!

I'm at Arapaho and Custer!

hi former seattlite and now living in the dfw area.

This is kind of off topic, but if wanted to visit a really hip nightclub during my stay in Grapevine, TX, am I going to be dissapointed? How far from Grapevine are the big cities??

Someone had posted asking about places to eat in Houston.... I just happened upon this yesterday so I thought I'd share it:

Houston has some of the best vegetarian restaurants around… especially if you're really hungry! From all you can eat buffets that make a vegetarians drool, vegans swoon, and carnivores reconsider their position, to exotic vegetarian In-House dining, there is something for everyone.

One noticeably vegetarian restaurant and market, A Moveable Feast, treats you to luxurious tropical foliage adorning their windows, creating a serene atmosphere to dine. They have an array of vegan options, including an affordable macrobiotic plate. For real soul food, visit Naturally Yours Café, voted the best vegetarian restaurant by the Houston Press this year. They offer the best Veggie Burgers in Houston and provide such down home treats as vegan Steak and mashed potatoes. The Raw Truth Café in the fourth ward has just opened and become an instant success. They pride themselves for being the only Vegetarian restaurant in the 'hood. Their casual cafeteria setting is comfortable and affordable. For more exotic cuisine, try Tien Ren's twelve hot items, several salads, and chocolate cakes in an all you can eat vegan buffet. They've recently undergone new management and the quality of the food has gone from good to excellent. Garden Bistro Vegetarian, another buffet down the street from Tien Ren, is a little more expensive, but worth every bite. Their traditional Asian environment compliments their tasty fair.
TIEN REN VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT
7549 Westheimer
Houston, Texas
713-977-3137

THE RAW TRUTH VEGETARIAN CAFE
3815 Live Oak @ Alabama
Houston, Texas
713-523-9755

GARDEN BISTRO VEGETARIAN
9013 Westheimer
Houston, Texas
713-783-6622

A MOVEABLE FEAST
9341 Katy Freeway
Houston, TX, 77024
713-365-0368

Well, actually in a small town by Austin.

The best place to eat in Austin: Veggie Heaven, downtown. It's MMM, MMM, GOOD!!!

............adding vegetarian restaurants to my list of things to look forward to when I move to Texas! :)

I'm working on planning my activities as my trip to Texas is coming up on the 28th!! Mikie helped me find some links with veggie restaurants in the DFW area (even though he has never been there). Thanks Mikie! You rock!

http://www.happycow.net/north_america/usa/texas/dallas/?svo=1

http://www.dfwnetmall.com/veg/restaurantsmid-suburbs.htm

I plan to write some reviews for this thread when I return!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to report a couple things to you about my trip to Texas. I'm still here, but I thought I'd post this now while I have a few minutes.

My sister and I visited the Spiral Diner & Bakery in downtown Fort Worth. It's completely vegan and so delicious!
www.spiraldiner.com
I ordered the Taco Salad which was very yummy. The portion was generous. Everything was very fresh. It even came with a side of vegan ranch dressing which was very similar to regular ranch dressing.
My sister ordered the Nut Burger and I tried a bite and it was great. She ordered it with a side of potato salad, which was okay. Dill was a little over-used and the potato chunks could have been bigger.
We ordered the Chocolate Peanut Butter Frozen cake for dessert. This isn't even on the menu yet. We were the very first customers to try it. I met the girl who created it and she was reluctant to tell me her secrets. Anyway, it was HEAVENLY!:lick:
A picture is attached below.
(okay maybe not...where did the picture attach feature go?)

We also checked out the BreadHaus in Grapevine today. We thought it there would be a place to sit and enjoy a snack, but we were mistaken. It was really just a place to walk in and order loaves of bread or pastries. We asked the woman working which items would be vegan. She told me that the owners were vegan and she went to get one of them from the kitchen. He explained that the only vegan pastry was the apple struesel. We each ordered one and gobbled it up quickly! The owner told us that nearly any item could be specially ordered to be made vegan. He was very friendly.

We've visted a number of places that weren't vegan/vegetarian but were very knowledgeable of the menu and helped us choose vegan options. I think I gained 5 lbs on this trip from all the good food.

I also wanted to add that the people here are very friendly. It's almost as nice as Minnesota here :)
I really love the mocking birds and wish we could enjoy their song and brave antics back hom. I also have a love for armadillos - they are so cute! I havent' seen a real one yet, but I see little figurines and stuffed animals everywhere. I also love how lush and green it is here, and the local vegetation is gorgeous!
I don't like to travel much, but I definitely would not mind visiting Texas again!

I love spiral diner :D

I forgot to mention that I picked up a business card at the Spiral Diner for an online community at www.vegetariandallas.com
Looks like a great site!

I went to that happy cow site and looked up San Antonio.
Not a single vegetarian restaurant.... :cry:
They do have a couple of Wild Oats and a Whole Foods Market though :)

I live about 3 miles from the spiral and never noticed it..until someone told me about it. I checked it out a couple weeks ago, and I loved it! (I didn't get to try the cake though :( ) Hope you enjoyed your trip to texas. :-)

:chef: :hi: Houstonians......I went to the most fabulous grocery store I've ever been to the other day. Its called Whole Foods. I found it under a list of vegetarian friendly restaraunts(I guess cause they have a deli and salad bar). To anyone who has been to a Kroger where they have a section of natural foods...well its like a giant natural foods section. There are about 4 of them in Houston, so far. I went to the one located at 2955 Kirby. Its a bit of a drive for me( I live in Webster, just south of Houston)but it was worth fighting the traffic. I wish they would open one up in Webster. I'd shop there everyday. If you live anywhere near Houston..you have to check this place out, at least once. If your into natural foods this is the place to find what you've been looking for.
Folks of Webster...if your looking for a mexican restaraunt that has a vegetarian section on there menu...Mamasitas is pretty good. I like the spinach nachos....yum. If anybody knows of a good restaraunt in the Webster/Clearlake area with a vegetarian section or a nice veggie plate that doesnt contain meat in their gravy or use pork in their beans I would appreciate the address. :vebo: :chef: Thanks!!!

i'm from angleton, about an hour south of houston. most of you probably know this, but besides whole foods there is also central market on westheimer that is an excellent source of all kinds of produce and products. anyway, in three weeks i'm moving to austin so i hope to see you guys there!

Spiral Diner is moving in case anyone is wondering :D Check their website for details. Sounds like it will be divine when they are moved in! I wish I was visiting there again!
Shag, bummer...we could have met!!

Hey Tyra, I love that WF's store, too. I live in Katy which is west of Houston, but I make the drive to that location because it's the biggest and best WF's in the Houston area. Sometimes I drive to the Wilcrest/Westheimer store, but that's only when I'm in a pinch and need something fast. The Kirby store has a larger selection of things, though, so I usually shop there despite the drive.

Howdy, Texans! Next month I'm visiting your state (and country) for the first time. It's sort of a business trip - the company I work for has recently opened an office in Houston.

Anyway, I'll be living in the north of Houston (possibly the Woodlands area). Lots of info on Houston already in this thread, but I'm not sure if any of the places mentioned are in the north Houston area? So I'd be ever so grateful for recommendations on nearby restaurants, good grocery stores and so on. And except for the food hunt, which other good ways to spend time in Houston are there?

(I'll be staying for 4-5 weeks... and I'm strict vegetarian/prefer vegan food.)

I'm originally from Fort Worth. I currently live in San Francisco. I've been transitioning to a vegan diet over the last six months. I may be moving back to FW in the next few months. I'm looking for tips from any vegans out there living in Fort Worth (there are vegans in FW right?) on restaurants, grocery stores, clothing/shoe store recommendations. I see there is a FW Vegetarian Society. Anyone ever gone to any of their activities? Any other organized social groups related to veganism and/or animal rights?

I'm originally from Fort Worth. I currently live in San Francisco. I've been transitioning to a vegan diet over the last six months. I may be moving back to FW in the next few months. I'm looking for tips from any vegans out there living in Fort Worth (there are vegans in FW right?) on restaurants, grocery stores, clothing/shoe store recommendations. I see there is a FW Vegetarian Society. Anyone ever gone to any of their activities? Any other organized social groups related to veganism and/or animal rights?


Hola, Superkitty from a fellow Fort Worther! As far as restaraunts, there's of course the Spiral Diner and Bakery. 100% Vegan food, with reasonable prices. If you like burritos, try Freeb!rds vegan burrito on a whole wheat tortilla. :drool: Grocery stores? Depends on what ya want. If you just want basic stuff like veggie burgers, soy milk, and tofu, check out Super Target and Kroger. If you're looking for other stuff like Earth Balance vegan margarine, vegenaise, tvp, nutritional bars, and multivitamins..check out the Sunflower Shoppe. For shoes, I just go to Payless and get shoes that specificially say "man made material". I've never been to the FW Vegetarian Society, so I can't give advice on that. If you have any more questions, let me know. :)

Thanks for the info :) Are there any Farmers Markets in the FTW area? Living in SF, I've become use to buying fresh organic produce straight from the farmers.
Other than that, I'm just wondering what the general level of vegan awareness is in FTW...do you find most people there have never even heard the word 'vegan'?

Thanks for the info :) Are there any Farmers Markets in the FTW area? Living in SF, I've become use to buying fresh organic produce straight from the farmers.
Other than that, I'm just wondering what the general level of vegan awareness is in FTW...do you find most people there have never even heard the word 'vegan'?


Yeap, there are some farmers markets here. There's a big one right outside of the downtown area.

General level of vegan awareness - eh..its cattle town, but most people I've encountered at restaraunts, etc know what vegans are and what they eat. Especially in the areas around the health food stores. :) Texas is not as vegan friendly as California, more than likely, but you'll be able to survive. :)

Announcement For Those In The Waco Area:

A few of us recently started up a vegetarian group. We meet the second Thursday of every month. Our next meeting is Thursday, December 9th at 7:00 at the Waco-McLennan County Central Library. The address is 1717 Austin Ave. We will be in the downstairs meeting room.

We will be watching the film Diet for a New America by John Robbins.