Top Five Healthy Lunch Spots in Austin

You’re hitting it hard in the gym and working on your nutrition. But you have one sticking point – lunch. Some weeks you have time to meal prep, but too often you find yourself grabbing fast food, eating a protein bar, or worse, skipping lunch altogether.

Luckily for us, Austin has an abundance of healthy options for your midday meal! Enjoy a nutritious, satisfying lunch at one of these great local restaurants:

Best lunch in a time crunch

Honest Mary’s
Four locations in Austin, one just a block south of our Central Studio
4800 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78756

Honest Mary’s menu is what you wish you would meal prep for yourself. They prioritize fresh, organic ingredients, and they don’t hold back on the flavor. The bowls are prepared and customized in front of you – choose your grain and protein, then add your favorite veggies and toppings. Drizzle on a delicious sauce (the Cashew Lime Crema is divine!) and you have a filling, balanced meal ready to go in less than 10 minutes.

Best downtown lunch spot

Koriente
621 E 7th St, Austin, TX, 78701

If you’re a downtown worker who is tired of the salad/sub/Chipotle rotation, treat yourself to a fresh, flavorful meal at Koriente Restaurant and Tea House. Their Asian-fusion menu minimizes oil, sugar and salt, and features plenty of vegan and gluten-free options. Try a protein- and veggie-packed curry or rice bowl that will fill you up without leaving you overstuffed. For lunch, make it a bento box, which comes with a spring roll and miso soup.

Best lunch when you need a caffeine boost

Bouldin Creek Cafe
1900 South 1st St, Austin, TX 78704

Bouldin Creek has been a fixture in South Austin since 2000. The quirky all-day cafe offers a vegetarian/vegan menu that will please even the meatiest of eaters. And the full coffee bar will help ward off the after-lunch sleepies.

If you like breakfast for lunch, omelets and breakfast tacos are served all day (sub tofu scramble for eggs to keep it plant-based). Pack in the veggies with Tarzen’s Big Salad, which includes avocado, portobellos and stir-fried broccoli on a bed of greens and sprouts. Add tofu for an extra protein punch.

Best lunch that feels like a splurge

Picnik
4801 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78756

Since its origins in a trailer right across from our South Lamar location, Picnik has been making distinctive food that is free of refined sugars, seed oils, gluten, and peanuts. First known for their butter coffee and bone broth, their full menu offers salads, bowls, burgers and breakfast tacos.

Picnik’s beautiful brick-and-mortar is located just a block south of our Central Studio. Meet a friend for brunch after your workout, or pick up one of their grab-and-go options for quick post-workout fuel!

 

Best zen lunch

Casa de Luz
1701 Toomey Rd, Austin, TX 78704

Turn your lunch hour into a wellness retreat at Casa de Luz. Since 1991, they have been serving plant-based, macrobiotic meals to the Austin community. The peaceful restaurant complex also serves as a community space for yoga, workshops and other gatherings.

Each day, their chef creates a different fixed menu depending on the availability of fresh, organic ingredients. Every meal includes a soup and a salad, as well as a main plate of grains, legumes, dark leafy greens, mixed vegetables, and fermented pickled veggies. Wash it all down with freshly brewed tea, or enhance your aura with their specialty fluoride-filtered and vortex-activated water.