The Veggie Burgers of Beef-Obsessed Texas

I want to thank fate—by way of a late lunch, a canceled dinner, a late-night craving, and the situational proximity of New York City—for leading me to my first vegetarian burger in 20 years. I didn’t have high hopes, as the last veggie burger I had was an excuse to throw a Portobello mushroom on a bun, but I arrived at Superiority Burger with an open mind. I was blown away.

If you’re skeptical that a combination of fennel seeds, carrots, chickpeas, quinoa, and walnuts can taste in any way burger-like, I’d say you would have to trust in the alchemy of a chef like Brooks Headley, who after winning a James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef at the acclaimed Italian restaurant Del Posto left fine dining to open his vegetarian diner in 2015. Or you could take the word of the New York Times, which earlier this year included Superiority Burger on its list of the 50 best restaurants in the country.

I wondered if meatless burger bliss could happen again. So, I set out to look for veggie burgers in perhaps the most unlikely of places—Texas. Can a state synonymous with beef also take veggie burgers seriously? To find out, I set the bar to the level of what I experienced in New York: a house-made veggie burger patty that can take a sear, is free of fillers, and transforms vegetables into something savory enough to sit in the center of the plate. No Boca, Beyond, or Impossible.

For a quest I was initially skeptical about, I found more veggie burgers worth trying than I had time for. Here are a few at the top of my list.

Veggie Burger at The Good Kind

1127 S. St. Mary’s St., San Antonio.
210-801-5892; eatgoodkind.com

Chef Tim McDiarmid grew up growing her own food and understands the importance of letting well-sourced ingredients speak for themselves on the plate. Her house-made patty is comprised of beets, black beans, black rice, and black quinoa. “The beet pulp gives it a nice earthiness,” she says.

An artisanal bun wraps a burger topped with lettuce, tomato, and garlic aioli. The patty takes a sear nicely, and the variety of ingredients in the patty deliver a multi-note savoriness. Like the bright teal interior of the restaurant itself, this veggie burger is light, but my appetite was sated.

I was struck by how much the burger experience at The Good Kind stands out among San Antonio’s more noted burger fare. Unlike a visit to drive-thru classic Burger Boy or Chris Madrid’s for the heavyweight Tostada Burger, you won’t need to grab a nap after your fix.

Bac’n Cheeze Burger at Arlo’s Curbside

900 Red River St., Austin.
512-840-1600; arloscurbside.com

2906 Fruth St., Austin.
512-840-8585; arloscurbside.com

Arlo’s counters The Good Kind’s approach with a vegan bacon cheeseburger that’s every bit as decadent as a traditional version. A house-made patty made of lentils, millet, carrots, button mushrooms, red onions, herbs, and spices sits on a large brioche bun from Signature Baking in Dallas. The vegan bacon is made at Arlo’s from seitan, which is a plant-based meat substitute derived from wheat gluten. There is also vegan cheese. Combined, the bacon and cheese add texture even if they don’t individually pass for the real deal. Expect every classic burger topping including lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, vegan mayo, ketchup, and mustard.

This burger is a two-fister and about as hearty of a burger from JewBoy Burgers, which I consider one of the most successful over-the-top burgers I have ever had. I’m hardly surprised when owner Christopher Baker tells me JewBoy serves Arlo’s veggie patties along with a few other restaurants in Austin. I ask him if he is eyeing Impossible Foods’ or Beyond Meat’s market share. “Why go to a restaurant for a veggie burger when you can get the same patty from the grocery store?” Baker says. “Arlo’s is beyond impossible.”