Dearly Departed Restaurants of 2023

Hope and optimism abound, rising like a phoenix from the ashes of the pandemic. Signs of recovery, highlighting the resilience and creativity throughout the restaurant industry, buoy hungry diners coming back in droves to taste what they’ve been missing. Still, all new challenges pose daunting, sometimes insurmountable issues that put this path to recovery in peril.

Devastating closures continue to ripple through every level of the service industry, wiping out many beloved local establishments indiscriminately. Losing cherished restaurants in every sector has been particularly heartbreaking for those who have built strong connections to the community through food and hospitality.

As 2023 comes to a close, I’d like to take a moment to honor the memories of those who have left us this year. Gone but not forgotten, there will forever be an empty spot at the table for these shuttered restaurants.

Brunch Bird did not rise and shine to greet the new year with a song. Instead, this innovative brunch booster turned in early, announcing their final bed time on January 2nd. Gone were the scrambles, pancakes, and Benedicts with genuine runny plant-based yolks, in the blink of an eye. Plow Burger, which shared the same space on weekdays, initially pledged to live on as a ghost kitchen, but more on that in a minute. Brunch Bird has flown the coop, leaving no one to keep the nest warm in its absence.

Plow Burger parked their trucks for the last time, promising to continue on as delivery-only ghost kitchens at least, but simply fell off the map instead. Communication has been cut and social media accounts lie fallow. It’s a strange end to what was once an powerful fleet, but an undeniable conclusion to their burger conquest nonetheless.

Daily Juice Cafe ran out of juice a few weeks later, closing up shop across all four locations of the local chain. One of my earliest memories in Austin is setting up camp at the downtown outpost (long gone, before this complete erasure) to work remotely while refueling. My copycat recipe for Fire Kale is still a staple at home, and their hot zucchini noodle soups will be sorely missed on cold winter days.

Theano Greek chose to end their lease at CloudKitchens in mid-February, after a tumultuous move and many struggles to stay open. No more crispy falafel or grilled souvlaki wrapped with care; these simple Mediterranean pleasures suddenly became the stuff of memories. Google Maps still lists the spot as “temporarily closed” and hints of reopening elsewhere have been dropped, but no substantial evidence of a revival has come to pass.

The Forking Vegan and sister business Knead were needed elsewhere, picking up to Albuquerque, NM. While those incredible doughnuts and unparalleled Tex-Mex brunch fare lives on, it’s still a huge loss to the Austin community. With them goes the single best waffle I’ve ever eaten outside my own home, dressed up like a savory, spicy fajita with tofu, potatoes, enchilada sauce, avocado, and salsa on top. My sincere hope is that the new locals treasure this for those who no longer can.

Mission Street Burrito, Fair Game, and Pinsa Pizza all folded at once, buckling under the weight of the crumbling Vegan Citadel empire. This three-in-one punch was a doozy, taking out plant-based burritos, pasta, and pizza with a single blow. Mission Burger Co is the last of the family to remain standing… For now.

Project Pollo could lay claim to the biggest upset of the year. Poised as the first real competitor to KFC, the goal was to create a national chain that would take down omnivorous equivalents, bringing affordable, accessible vegan fast food to the people. Cracks in that foundation soon appeared, with attempts to “diversify” and add meat to the menu in one location failing to repair the damage. Suddenly, the entire franchise went dark almost overnight in a sale to an undisclosed, unrelated buyer. Promises were made to keep one store open, which didn’t pan out. Soon the website went down and social media presence crumbled into the digital wreckage.

Rabbit Food Grocery proved that plant-based people eat more than carrots and lettuce for over 11 years, stocking their shelves with products from small startup brands, prepared foods from local restaurants, and rare specialty goods not found anywhere else nearby. That run came to an end in mid-July, leaving a giant hole that can never be filled by any boutique grocers moving in. Though not an eatery themselves, Rabbit Food was a staple of the community that made once rare staples like soy curls and nutritional yeast available to the masses. Only a half dozen 100% vegan markets now remain in the US, with none to be found for hundreds of miles.

Counter Culture has rejected mainstream restaurant byways and for the second time in two years, bowed out of that scene. Briefly reincarnated as a trailer parked at Tweedy’s Bar, the short menu of bowls and burritos helped keep cravings at bay while even bigger plans were brewing. This isn’t a tearful goodbye, you see, but a temporary pause in service. Counter Culture will be coming back yet again, better than ever, in a new brick and mortar sometime in 2024. The build-out will take long enough that it may feel like a complete closure, but have faith: These culinary rebels can’t be stopped, only slowed down.

Citizen Eatery was an upstanding citizen to the very end, having transitioned from omnivore brunch hot spot to full vegan enclave a few years back. Serving breakfast all day, seven days a week, it was a rare spot of comfort for classic Americana, with a Tex-Mex twist. Their chorizo omelettes especially were unrivaled as the ultimate blend of local and global appeal, but there were also raw pesto zucchini noodles for healthier, whole foods cravings. Light, bright, and airy, it was the kind of space that invited you in and implored you to stay awhile.

Lick It Up announced in the final hour that their days were numbered in Austin along with the end of 2023. December 31st will be their last day in service, slinging some of the best Mexican street food this side of the border. Survived by their brick-and-mortar in El Paso, Austin mourns the loss of those cheesy nacho flautas, carne asada fries, and tacos de alambre, just to name a few. As one of the first places I went out to eat after moving here, this one feels personal.

In the wake of these untimely deaths, it’s important to recognize that it’s never one single weakness that topples a business. It’s tempting to cast the blame on one convenient evil, at least for peace of mind, but there’s no simple explanation for why a restaurant doesn’t survive. Hundreds of factors go into the opening, as do the closing. All we can do is enjoy them while they’re around, accept when they’re gone, and continue to hope for better things to come.