Austin’s Mission Burger Co. and Barley Bean Cafe Open an All-Day Vegan Restaurant on South Lamar | Eater Austin
"A new standalone all-day vegan restaurant on South Lamar Boulevard quietly opened in early March and features more than 40 vegan options spanning breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, coffee, and alcoholic drinks. The venture is the longtime dream of founders Michael Limongelli and Isaac Mogannam, who founded the company in 2023 after first crossing paths while catering—Mogannam was making burgers and Limongelli, vegan ice cream—and who evolved from a vegan burrito company and a vegan Italian concept into a burger-focused operation that began as a pop-up in a 200-square-foot Rivercity Market space. Now operating in a 1,500-square-foot facility, many dishes are cooked on a 48-inch griddle. The space offers indoor seating with multiple tables and banquettes, single seats for co-working, a couch, a six-seat bar, and an outdoor patio with six giant picnic tables. Breakfast ranges from pancakes to grab-and-go sausage, egg, and cheese bagel sandwiches and breakfast tacos; lunch and dinner include sandwiches, burritos, and a french fry bar where diners can build their own loaded fries. Menu highlights include a Reuben on marbled rye, a New York–style chopped cheese, and barbecue brisket plates made with an assortment of dehydrated mushrooms that are smoked for five hours out back and served with homemade macaroni and cheese and coleslaw. The signature burger returns, featuring Impossible Burger patties that are, as Limongelli says, "doctored up" with special seasonings, a vegan sauce reminiscent of Thousand Island, and pickles. Ingredient transparency is emphasized on the website: the chicken is made from mushrooms; the brisket from a combination of dehydrated shiitake and Lion’s Mane mushrooms; the queso from oat milk; and the Ranch dressing, now bottled, is made with rice milk as the base. While some pre-made items (like Impossible patties) are used, they are customized in-house, and the restaurant does not charge extra for substitutes or modifications related to allergies or intolerances (even though items like gluten-free buns cost more to supply). For dessert, Limongelli makes a signature vegan ice cream with an oat milk base in flavors such as cereal milk, banana, and peanut butter swirled with vanilla, plus colorful sprinkles naturally dyed with turmeric and beet. Hospitality is a focus: diners receive a complimentary warm chocolate chip cookie with every visit and a dining experience described as void of persuasive "vegan talk." Limongelli notes that regulars already visit at least twice a day for breakfast and lunch and sums up the approach: "We do the activism through our food," adding, "The tastebuds are where our brains go first." The spot is open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m." - Brittany Britto Garley
