Mother's Cafe & Garden - Austin, TEXAS

Mother's, Duval and 42rd, has graced Austin's eating scene for 25yrs. Known for its veggie burgers and vegetarian cuisine, Mother's has filled a lot of local bellies and made a lot of people very happy. Mrs. Food and I decide to check Mother's out and see what was really going on down on Duval.

We arrived just after noon and …crazy …we actually got a parking spot up front. Gods little gift. We were quickly seated in the covered patio area and our server brought us water and menus. The patio is really nice, lots of plants, combined with the paved floor and filtered light, gives the impression of sitting out doors but without all the sound of the street. We place our orders and settle into the chips and salsa. The salsa is pretty good. Good flavor, not to hot.

Mrs. Foods order started with the soup of the day special – Tomato Basil. She like this a lot but I thought it had the taste of liquorish…I am not a big fan. I chose the Cream of Broccoli soup as my opener. Now this was good, the soup was about the broccoli, not the cheese. For our main course, Mrs. Food had Mother's Veggie Burger while I had the Enchiladas Mole which also came with beans and rice.

Mrs. Food was not too impressed with her burger, she liked it but it was a take it or leave it kind of thing. The burger looked dry to me. The Enchiladas Mole was pretty good, nice and cheesy while the mole sauce was uninspiring. The black beans made for a nice break from the standard refried a lot of places serve around town. But sadly, the plate just didn't come together for me, it was the Mole. Our total cost with tip came to $25.

Mr.Foodblog give Mother's one spoon up. Nice place to sit and eat. The outdoor patio is a gem. For me the only problem was the lack of originality of the food, it just seemed like the same old thing served most places in Austin. True, if you are a vegetarian, your choices are limited and Mother's is good for the Austin eating scene, but maybe they should try something new or just revisit some of their old recipes. Check out the website for complete menu, prices and location info. http://motherscafeaustin.com/index.html

Mother's Cafe & Garden
4215 Duval
451 3994