Paleo Restaurant: Picnik Austin (Austin)

Picnik Austin is the first (and only) Paleo restaurant in Austin, TX and I’m super excited to tell you all about it!

I put restaurant in italics because technically you don’t eat in. Picnik is not a food cart. Nor is it just a coffee shop. Picnik Austin is unique and stands alone in it’s individuality and awesomeness!

Picnik is setup on a large strip of grass, up on a hill, away from the street in the middle of a prime strip of property very close to downtown Austin. If you’re using GPS navigation, you’ll want to look up before you get there so you don’t pass it up!

The entire shop stands in a repurposed shipping container, as you can see above. They provide blankets for visitors to relax and picnic on the lawn while enjoying coffee, tea or any of the delicious food available. They’re family- and pet-friendly and they even have wifi. There’s a wooden picnic table with a fun little centerpiece that was designed and created by Naomi’s boyfriend. (Naomi is the spunky chic above.)

Whether you’re local to Austin, on vacation, in town for Paleo f(x) or simply passing through, Picnik Austin is a MUST STOP spot.

Where are they located?

Restaurant: Picnik Austin
Location: 1700 South Lamar 400-B, Austin, TX 78704
Price: $$

Naomi and Randi at Picnik Austin

Naomi Seifter (pictured on the left in the photos above) is the owner and brains behind the operation at Picnik. She may look tiny but boy is she mighty (so she & I have lots in common!) ;) When Jeff & I stopped by we got to meet Naomi who was just flying in for a second but stayed to chat with us for a few hours until she, and Randi (also pictured above) closed shop!

Not only does Naomi have a fabulous Paleo backstory of recovery from chronic health issues, when you walk into Picnik you feel like you’re home. In response to all that Naomi went through to heal, she is currently leading the pack on promoting all things grass-fed butter. (More about this below.)

In addition to everything Picnik has to offer, when you walk in to place your order for a butter coffee you will notice some familiar Paleo products. Epic Bars are based out of Austin and are the first thing I spotted! Mark’s Primal Fuel and Dave’s Bulletproof Upgraded Chocolate Powder sits prominently right next to the Epic Bars. Great Bean, a raw organic chocolate company handcrafted in Austin, can be found near the register. In the cooler you’ll find Oh Kimchi Austin, a local handmade product along with another handmade Austin product Kosmic Kombucha. And Naomi is constantly adding new local and Paleo-friendly products to make them readily available for all who stop by.

Jeff, Dave & I visited Picnik on multiple occasions during our ten day stay in Austin. We were in town for SXSW and even though it was the middle of March, it was quite chilly so I ran for the bone broth based soup of the day each time we arrived. You can find what’s cookin’ daily by following Picnik Austin’s Facebook page.

The Paleo quiche with an almond meal crust was absolutely amazing! We had samples of so many of the foods Picnik had available while we were in town. There was not one thing I would not recommend. I was floored by Naomi’s cooking and every thing tasted fantastic!

And you would never think that there wasn’t a kitchen on site! In addition to our Bulletproof butter coffee and a taste of the quiche, this is the spread Jeff & I shared.

Beef & Mushroom Soup, Sirloin Salad, Pulled Pork with Spicy Harissa and the Infamous Paleo Blondie

I have to say that initially when looking online I didn’t know whether Picnik was a restaurant, a coffee shop or what? I scoped out the website looking for the menu options, scrolled through their Facebook page and it wasn’t until I went and spoke with Naomi in person that I learned how everything came about. And how they’re constantly expanding!

They started out with a focus on just butter coffee (aka Bulletproof Coffee). Added other coffee based drinks, coconut water based smoothies/shakes and tea’s to the menu. All of which only require the use of electric – to power the blender – and water to clean the utensils.

Since there is nothing but a sink and a few electrical outlets available for the blenders, when Naomi wanted to expand with food options, she needed to look elsewhere for kitchen space. Currently all the food for Picnik Austin is prepared throughout the week in an offsite kitchen space. The food is packaged and transferred to the refrigerators onsite to then serve cold.

Once the process for creating lunch specials were down she introduced Paleo baked goods.

We met Randi a.k.a. The Grass-Fed Anarchist (pictured above with Naomi) on our first visit. While Jeff & I were standing there talking with Naomi & Randi all the regulars who popped in said we HAD to try the baked goods. So of course we did and Jeff & I can now attest to Naomi’s Paleo blondies being absolutely to die for! So freakin’ delicious and Naomi prepares them daily so you should be able to nab a taste, but you never know.

So what’s all the fuss about Bulletproof coffee?

Last year was the first time I, personally, had heard of Dave Asprey and Bulletproof Coffee and I have to say I was pretty skeptical. It took me a few months before I decided to try it and once I did I could definitely feel the difference.

As I’ve mentioned before, Jeff and I have been doing more and more research into learning about coffee so if you’d like to give Bulletproof a try at home, here’s a quickie little intro.

How to Make Bulletproof Coffee

Grind some high quality coffee beans and brew yourself a cup-a-joe, blend it using a hand mixer or blender with some grass-fed butter and MCT oil (which is a high grade coconut oil) and you’ve got yourself a brain popping, fat filled drink to get you going in the morning! Don’t waste your time, money and energy picking up a cup of Dunkin at the drive through, make yourself some Bulletproof coffee in the morning and you’ll truly feel ready to take on the day.