KAREN'S PICK
Citizen Eatery Co-Owners Michael Moyer and Aimee Walden-Moyer
Citizen Eatery AN ALL-NEW APPROACH TO 100% PL ANT-BASED DINING IN A CASUAL, CONTEMPOR ARY SET TING By Karen O. Spezia Photos by Holly Cowart
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T’S A GREAT TIME TO BE A VEGETARIAN, BUT I’M OLD ENOUGH TO remember when it wasn’t — back when there weren’t as many meatless choices on grocery shelves and restaurant menus. If you’re a vegetarian now, options abound and the world is your oyster, so to speak. Historically, Austin has embraced healthy lifestyles and boasted more vegetarian options than most cities. Some, like Casa de Luz and Mr. Natural, have been around for over 30 years. But in the past decade, dozens of new choices have sprouted up like mushrooms. This exciting new crop of plant-based dining is a bit sexier than its predecessors. Less predictable. Today’s meatless diners are unwilling to settle for mundane tofu and sprouts and demand more varied, sophisticated cuisine and a vibrant dining experience. They want a place where they can take a date. Or have a boozy weekend brunch. Or meet up with their squad from work. Where everyone can enjoy themselves, regardless of their dietary preferences. Citizen Eatery is one of those places. As soon I walked in, I knew it was different. Just beyond the hostess stand is a bar. A real bar serving real cocktails. Not just mocktails or kombucha or biodynamic wine or gluten-free beer — although it offers all those things — but a full bar that mixes legit cocktails made with booze, fresh-squeezed juices and house-made syrups and shrubs.
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JANUARY 2022 | tribeza.com
