Wild Wood Art Cafe and Bakery

Address:
3663 Bee Caves Road
Austin, TX
Show me this location on a Mapquest Map of Austin
Part of Town: Westlake
Phone: 512-327-9660
Cost:
Type of Food:
URL: They have a website on the way at http://www.wildwoodartcafe.com/

This recommendation thanks to Lynn Rainwater

In Austin for a birthday party, I ate at Wild Wood for the third time and had a great gluten-free meal. I went up to the counter and asked for Mariah Justice, the owner, who was in. She remembered from my previous visits that I have celiac disease. She asked "How about lasagna?" I boggled, then quickly replied "Yes, Yes!" or words to that effect. She had used rice pasta in making the lasagna. It was meatless, with tomatoes, mushrooms, and zucchini. She asked if I could have cheese. I am not lactose intolerant, so no problem. And I didn't really miss the meat, the lasagna tasted so good! The cheese was delicious, as were the flavorings. And a man-sized portion, filled the plate.

I had a salad to go with it. Fresh greens; I didn't recognize what they were. A couple of cherry tomatoes and lots of carrot strips. She asked if I could have vinegar, then offered two different vinegar dressings. I took the balsamic vinegar; it was served separately in a covered plastic container. A good sized salad, nice and fresh.

She had several different gluten-free cookies. I took the big crispy one. It was very good. She also had gluten-free peanut butter cookies and gluten-free chocolate cookies. The cookies were not labeled gluten free as they had been on previous visits, so when you visit you should ask Mariah which ones are gluten free. She uses a clear covered cake display for the gluten-free cookies; they are not mixed in with non-gluten-free ones.

As on my previous visits to Wild Wood, the two soups of the day were gluten free. These are available by the cup or by the bowl. I had ordered the bowl of soup on each earlier visit, and the soups were hearty and filling; a meal in themselves. The second time I was there, she had fresh gluten-free bread. I had a slice with my soup. I could have had a sandwich instead of the soup.

Mariah is allergic to wheat. She told me that at first she started offering a few items that were wheat free, but she got requests for gluten free, so she began offering gluten-free items as well, such as whole loaves of gluten-free rice bread, cookies, and muffins.

I mentioned to her that one of our San Antonio members had eaten there on my recommendation. Mariah wasn't there, and the experience was not so good as mine. Mariah said she is working to familiarize the other employees with the gluten-free diet. However, it would probably be a good idea to call (512-327-9660) before you visit and ask if Mariah is there. You could also get a preview of what gluten-free cafe and bakery items are available that day.

Wild Wood Art Cafe and Bakery is at 3663 Bee Caves Road, behind Breed & Co. at the corner of Bee Caves Road and West Bank. The number is not visible from the road, but if you are going west, just turn left at the end of the 3600 block (there is a sign saying 3700 on the corner of the next block) and then after about 50 feet turn left into the shopping center. Wild Wood is at the near end of the building on your right. Hours are 7:30 am – 6 pm, Monday through Saturday