Counter Culture, the vegan restaurant that spent nearly two decades feeding Austin plant-based comfort food, has a permanent home again. The restaurant opened on Sept. 8 at 5812 Berkman Drive in the Windsor Park neighborhood, marking the end of a long and bumpy road back to brick-and-mortar dining after its original East Austin location shut down in December 2022.
Founder Susan Davis leads the restaurant, which reentered Austin's dining scene after years of uncertainty, according to Community Impact. The closure of the East Cesar Chavez Street spot came amid rising commercial rents, escalating food prices and reduced foot traffic tied to post-pandemic remote work shifts, as reported by KVUE. Davis told the station back in 2022 that romaine lettuce cases alone had doubled in price to over $80, a detail that captured just how squeezed independent restaurants had become.
Rather than disappear, Counter Culture kept its identity alive on wheels. Starting in June 2023, the business operated as a food trailer on the back patio of Tweedy's Bar at 2908 Fruth St. in Central Austin, serving classic menu items, bowls, burritos and sandwiches while Davis searched for a permanent spot, per CultureMap Austin.
A Custom-Built Diner With Community Money Behind It
The Windsor Park build-out was no small undertaking. Public development records filed before construction described a 2,198-square-foot interior finish-out with an exterior deck, estimated at a cost of $450,000, according to WhatNow. To help close the gap between that price tag and available funds amid rising construction costs, Counter Culture launched a Kickstarter campaign in spring 2026 seeking $45,000; the effort ultimately raised more than $35,000 from over 270 community backers, as reported by Community Impact. The campaign stated the funds would help the restaurant open faster and hire locally.
The restaurant's transformation had an architectural hand behind it, too. Weiss Architecture helped turn the older building into a mid-century-inspired vegan diner, working alongside Davis and Havens Construction on the redesign, per Community Impact's report. Firm principal Richard Weiss has designed spaces across Austin for nearly three decades, including Alamo Drafthouse venues, according to BroadwayWorld. Weiss marked the diner's opening in an unusual way — with his band STARKITECT set to drop a power-pop single titled “COUNTER CULTURE” on Sept. 25.
What's on the Menu, and When You Can Get It
Counter Culture is leaning into plant-based comfort food with healthy and gluten-free options built around a dedicated gluten-free grill, per Community Impact's report. Among the standouts are Asian BBQ seitan skewers served over slaw, a fully plant-based dish, alongside a BLTA salad, a grilled oyster mushroom plate and jalapeño artichoke dip. A full bar rounds out the offerings with both cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages.
The restaurant is currently in a soft-opening phase, running Tuesday through Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m., according to Community Impact's account. Davis said the team is focused on nailing daily operations rather than staging a grand opening event. Hours are expected to expand to include lunch and brunch as the soft opening winds down, with Davis saying Counter Culture plans to be fully operational from 11 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week, by mid-October.
Roots Going Back to 2009
Davis moved to Austin from Los Angeles, where she had worked as a private chef and dishwasher, and launched Counter Culture as a food trailer in North Loop in 2009, according to 6AM City ATXtoday. At the time, she noted, very few vegan options existed in Austin compared to what she'd left behind in California. The leap from trailer to brick-and-mortar in 2012, on East Cesar Chavez Street, was itself community-funded, with $13,000 raised through Kickstarter, as detailed by The Austin Chronicle. That move made Counter Culture one of East Austin's early plant-based restaurants.
The business also weathered the COVID-19 pandemic, when revenue dropped to 40% of normal sales, forcing a weeks-long closure before it pivoted to takeout operations, per KVUE's reporting. Even through that stretch, the restaurant emphasized compostable materials and waste reduction.
Part of a Wider Shift Toward Permanent Vegan Spaces
Counter Culture's return adds another plant-based restaurant to Austin's dining scene.
Its arrival in Windsor Park signals that demand for plant-based comfort food in Austin hasn't faded, even as independent restaurants continue to face steep economic pressures. For now, diners eager to try the Asian BBQ seitan skewers or the jalapeño artichoke dip can find Counter Culture welcoming vegans, vegan-curious diners and anyone simply looking for a good meal at 5812 Berkman Drive, with more information available at www.countercultureaustin.com.
