ATXReview
Included In
Fabrik is a vegan restaurant in East Austin that lets a vegetable be a vegetable. Instead of relying on Franken-pseudo meats or secretly disguised vegetables to trick you into eating its food, this is a place that celebrates what it is instead of hiding behind what it isn’t. Because of this, Fabrik isn’t just one of the best vegan restaurants in town—it’s one of the best fine-dining restaurants as well.
photo credit: Richard Casteel
photo credit: Richard Casteel
photo credit: Richard Casteel
There are two options for dinner here—a five-course or a seven-course tasting menu, with an optional pairing of low-intervention wines. The whole operation functions out of a small dining room with eight or so tables at the base of an apartment building on East MLK. But despite being in a tiny space roughly the size of Harry Potter’s childhood bedroom, it never feels stuffy or chaotic inside—you’ll hardly even notice the servers quietly ducking in and out of the kitchen.
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Nearly everything on the menu is grown locally, so naturally, seasonality plays a big role. That also means it changes pretty often, but in general, you can expect to find a blend of Japanese, Nordic, and Italian flavors. Ingredients like miso butter, caramelized yeast, and tamari caramel are used to impart rich and savory elements into dishes, and you’ll see them seamlessly incorporated into various tartlets, charcoal-grilled skewers, and housemade pastas. But most importantly, every dish here feels like the end result of lots of intense thought, planning, and practice. No rough drafts.
photo credit: Richard Casteel
photo credit: Richard Casteel
photo credit: Richard Casteel
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Whether you’re a lifelong vegan or just dabbling in the world of plant-based dining, you’ll likely leave Fabrik with a newfound appreciation for mushrooms, carrots, and whatever else made its way onto the menu that month. In a city known for barbecue, chili, and fajitas, Fabrik manages to be a meal that we can’t stop thinking about.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Five-Course Tasting Menu
photo credit: Richard Casteel