411 West 24th Street
Austin, TX 78705-5209
(512) 236-1811
Hours: Sun-Wed 11am-1am, Thurs-Sat 11am-4am
Kismet Cafe is a small restaurant located next to a bank and right across the street from the building that used to be Tower Records (then Follet's Intellectual Property, now Qdoba / Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf). It might be hard to find parking, though if you go after 5:30, all of the metered street spots are free. The dining room is a bit small as well, with 10 or 11 tables. Kismet Cafe has an even more extensive menu than I'd found online, including Vegan Shwarma (made with wheat roast) and Vegan Gyros (both wraps). The gals behind the counter seem to be pretty informed about what's in everything, and with a menu that lists "vegan" anything at a restaurant next to a college campus, I figure the chances of a decent variety of vegan options are pretty good. I ordered the Vegan Shwarma ($5.40 with tax), which came out wrapped in tissue paper and foil in a paper boat. I have no idea how they prepared the wheat roast, but the whole filling was very smooth and delicious - not chewy or with solid chunks like I would have expected. The tahini started escaping towards the end of the wrap, and was a bit messy.
Kismet Cafe's website says they have free wi-fi, though the signal was password protected the last time I visited. There are open signals from neighboring Pita Pit and Big Bite, though neither one worked on my MacBook.
Overall, there are some good vegan choices and the prices are very reasonable (a couple of veggie wraps are only $2.99). It'd be nice if they used non-disposible plates and such, but perhaps I'll see if I can give them one of my to-go containers next time. If anyone goes and tries it, let me know if it works!
