Finding new restaurants to try in Austin is pretty easy. Finding restaurants that serve gluten-free food, taste amazing, and aren't outrageously over-priced is not so easy. With SXSW going on, waits for food have been insane, but Jose and I found this cute new restaurant (Vinaigrette) that's close-ish to downtown, but tucked away so the wait time isn't awful. It also has an adorable little porch area out by a giant old tree that adds to the ambiance.
Like I said, it's new so they're still working out some kinks with the wait staff, but over all it was a great experience!
Just a warning though! Their bathroom stalls weren't installed right so the door closes like right on top of you. And I do mean right on top of you. Like my knees were touching it when I squatted down hahaha (TMI I know). Some poor lady came in while I was washing my hands and she couldn't fit inside the stall! There was an apology on the wall that they were trying to get it fixed ASAP, but until then, I'd def suggest waiting until you get home.
Vinaigrette's menu mainly consists of salads and some light sandwiches (perfect after all the SXSW partying). They didn't have any prices on their website, but most salads are between $9-16 with an additional charge of around $5 to add meat. Here's what we ordered:
LA PEPITA
Chopped green kale with shredded chicken, black beans, crumbled cojita, diced avocado with spicy crispy pepitas and a lemon-cumin vinaigrette.
*I ordered it with the honey-lime-cumin vinaigrette instead and highly recommend it! It was fresh while still being filling (something I think some salads lack). P.S. pepitas is Spanish for pumpkin seeds ;)
CUBAN TORTA
Mustard-roasted pork shoulder and green chile ham, griddled with red onions and Swiss cheese on a split roll with avocado and mayonnaise, chipotle and sweet relish.
*Jose ordered it with the side Caesar salad and said that the salad was one of the best he's ever had. While the sandwich was good, he'd recommend just getting the full size salad instead. If you get rid of the croutons on the salad it's gluten-free too! Unfortunately they don't have any gluten-free bread for the sandwiches though.
They also have locations in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico, but here's the link to the rest of their Austin MENU!
Isn't this outdoor seating area the cutest?! Honestly, we waited a little too long to take pics, so it got a little too dark for these shots to do it justice, but it was really nice. Plus, since it's brand new the whole porch smelled like fresh wood. Kind of like the inside of Home Depot, which is one of my favorite smells. It's hard to see in the picture but they also had these cute little cacti on the tables that Jose and I totally wanted to take home.
Overall, we had a great time and definitely recommend it for atmosphere and taste!
Vinaigrette - Austin
Mon.-Sun. 11am - 10pm
2201 College Ave
Austin, Texas 78704
512.852.8791