A Springdale Trailer and a Berkman Diner: Austin's Vegan Originals Reset This Fall

In late 2022, Sue Davis was looking for a building in Windsor Park or University Hills. She wanted a space she could own, so Counter Culture would never have to rent again. After three years of looking, she gave up for the time being. She told Eater Austin there were "a lot of empty buildings, and either people don't want to sell or they are asking [for] an astronomical price."

In September 2026, Counter Culture reopened in Windsor Park.

The Vegan Yacht, a family-run vegan kitchen, went the other way this fall. It closed its South Austin storefront and is coming to East Austin as a food trailer. Each business started as a trailer, in 2009 and 2010, and later moved into a storefront, and each owner has said publicly that running that storefront became too expensive. This fall they landed in two very different places, a few miles apart on the east side. For anyone who eats out nearby, that means two familiar menus at two new addresses.

The 2022 wish list, filled on Berkman Drive

Counter Culture's first long run ended at 2337 East Cesar Chavez Street in the Holly neighborhood. Its last day of service there was Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, after Davis decided not to renew the lease. She had opened Counter Culture as a North Loop food truck in 2009 and moved into the East Austin storefront in 2012.

Her closing note, as Eater Austin reported, put the problem plainly:

"I love Austin wholeheartedly but with the rising costs I'm not sure it's feasible to rent again, and buying seems like a faraway dream."

The new Counter Culture opened Sept. 8, 2026, at 5812 Berkman Drive. Community Impact calls it a permanent location in the Windsor Park neighborhood. That is one of the two neighborhoods Davis named back in 2022. Havens Construction and Weiss Architecture converted an older building into a mid-century-inspired diner, which fits her plan to close the old location and build a space with a clear purpose. CultureMap Austin headlined its Sept. 28 story as the return of a "beloved Austin vegan diner" after a three-year break.

Longtime regulars will find some changes:

• A full bar. Berkman Drive serves cocktails and nonalcoholic drinks.
• A dedicated gluten-free grill. The menu has plant-based comfort food alongside healthy and gluten-free options.
• Familiar dishes. The Asian BBQ seitan skewers come over slaw for $10. The menu also has a BLTA salad, a grilled oyster mushroom plate and jalapeño artichoke dip.
• Longer hours over time. The soft opening ran Tuesday through Sunday, 5 to 10 p.m. Davis told Community Impact she aimed to be open 11 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week, with lunch and brunch, by mid-October. Check the restaurant's website for the current schedule before you go.

The restaurant's homepage also listed a grand opening party for Oct. 21 at 10 p.m. It promised merch giveaways, food and drink specials, and vinyl sets by Jake Garcia of The Black Angels and Ugly Beats and Marc Fort of KOOP Radio and KUT Radio.

Back to a trailer, and back to where it started

The Vegan Yacht took the other route out of the same squeeze. Mike and Danielle Wood closed their storefront at 2000 Southern Oaks Drive on Aug. 2, 2026, after eight years at that address. Community Impact reported that in a June Instagram post, the owners said rising storefront costs and supply costs left a trailer as the only way to keep the business going long term.

That brings the business back to how it started in 2010, this time in a brand-new trailer. The Woods will run it with their two kids. The new spot is 900 Springdale Road, home of the 900 Springdale Food Park.

The menu is built for people with food allergies. Many items are labeled nut-free, soy-free or gluten-free. Burritos and bowls make up most of it, built on tempeh and seasoned soy curls with rice, beans, avocado and house-made sauces. The Smokehouse Bowl, for example, comes with smoked BBQ tempeh, mac 'n' cheese, cabbage slaw, diced red onion, pickles and avocado. There is a kids' menu, plus scratch-made cookies, Mexican Coke and Topo Chico.

As of the Sept. 22 report, Mike Wood expected to open in mid- to late October. He said he wouldn't have a firm date until an inspection was scheduled, and the owners planned to post updates on Instagram and Facebook. Check their social accounts for the latest before you make the trip.

East Cesar Chavez keeps losing its originals

The Vegan Yacht's move brings a long-running kitchen into East Austin. East Cesar Chavez, meanwhile, keeps losing them. Counter Culture's old Holly storefront was one example in 2022. In September 2026, Taqueria Chapala was another.

The family-run Taqueria Chapala opened at 2101 E. Cesar Chavez St. on July 1, 1997, and served barbacoa and breakfast tacos there for nearly three decades. Community Impact reported that it closed that location on Sept. 27 when its lease was not renewed.

The taqueria isn't closing for good. It plans to reopen on Oct. 29 at 2448 S. First St. That is a drive across the river for anyone who used to walk over for breakfast tacos.

Each of the three hit the end of a lease or a cost ceiling and came back in a different form. Counter Culture held out for a permanent space and reopened about three and a half years later. The Vegan Yacht shrank to a trailer. Taqueria Chapala crossed the river. Each one is still serving food, but not where it used to.

Where each one stands

Here is the latest reported status for each spot, by neighborhood:

1. Counter Culture, 5812 Berkman Drive, Windsor Park. Open since Sept. 8, with a full bar. It planned to reach lunch, brunch and 11 a.m.-to-midnight hours by mid-October.
2. The Vegan Yacht, 900 Springdale Road, Springdale/Govalle area. A new trailer expected to open in mid- to late October, depending on inspection.
3. Taqueria Chapala, 2448 S. First St. Moving from East Cesar Chavez, with a planned reopening on Oct. 29.

The Vegan Yacht's new home has a setting the Southern Oaks storefront didn't. 900 Springdale Food Park bills itself as an outdoor, community-oriented stop for East Austin food trucks along the Southern Walnut Creek Trail, a meetup spot and a natural break on a bike ride. Its events calendar shows the park also works as a gathering place. FrankenBike Austin ran there on Sept. 26. The 2026 Texas Trails and Active Transportation Conference is listed for Nov. 11 to 13, with sessions spread across several venues and attendees riding e-bikes between them.

So the trip for a vegan bowl now works as a trail ride, and the trip for seitan skewers now ends at a diner with a cocktail list. Both kitchens have made it past the costs that closed their storefronts, in very different formats.

At KC Realty, we follow the businesses that come and go along East Cesar Chavez, Springdale and Berkman Drive as closely as anyone. They're a big part of what living near these corridors is like. If these changes have you wondering what your own home near them is worth today, request a free home valuation and we'll walk you through it street by street.