Vegan Trailer Counter Culture Is Going to Reopen as a New Restaurant

There’s two big pieces of news for longtime vegan spot Counter Culture. First, it’s going to be opening a new restaurant location somewhere in Austin again in 2024. And the existing North Campus food truck 2908 Fruth Street has closed as of November 25.

Owner Sue Davis wrote in a newsletter on October 24 that she’s in the middle of getting a new physical space for Counter Culture. “We’re happy to announce that our offer was accepted,” she wrote. “We have 60 days to get everything sorted, and then it will be finalized,” which means it’ll be secured by late December. She shared that the location is somewhere in the 78723 zip code area of Austin, which means either in the Mueller, MLK, Windsor Park, or University Hills neighborhoods.

The new Counter Culture will have “mid-century diner ambiance,” as Davis describes in the newsletter. It’ll be open daily and have weekend brunch and late-night hours. She also notes that she’s looking for financial investors for the business. Once the address is secured, it’ll take about 16 months to open the new Counter Culture because permitting and zoning processes (per a newsletter sent on November 16) and the eventual construction.

Originally, Counter Culture’s food truck, which is parked at Tweedy’s Bar (the former Spider House Cafe), was supposed to close on December 19. In the same October newsletter, Davis wrote that, “while we’ve loved partnering with Tweedy’s and Zucchini Kill [the Austin vegan/gluten-free bakery which has its second location there too], the Austin weather has proven to be too unpredictable, which has made it challenging to rely on a steady stream of revenue from mostly patio seating.” Davis is selling the actual trailer.

But instead, Davis closed the trailer over Thanksgiving break, earlier than expected “due to circumstances beyond our control,” according to a newsletter sent on November 27. There are still plans to host events at Tweedy’s plus other pop-ups.

Counter Culture’s vegan menu is full of Tex-Mex-ish dishes like nachos; queso; loaded burritos and bowls with chipotle lentils, blackened tempeh, or house-made barbecue seitan; and its signature mac and cheeze.

Davis opened Counter Culture as a food truck back in 2009, which turned into the physical location on East Cesar Chavez Street in 2012. Ten years later, she decided to not renew the restaurant’s lease and closed the business. She did want to try to relocate the restaurant before the shutter, but there was nothing available at a decent price. But then she decided to reopen Counter as a food truck earlier this spring in 2023.

Update, November 30: This article, originally published on October 30, has been updated to include information about Counter Culture’s projected delayed restaurant timeline and closed status of the food truck.