Lift Café

Looks like they’re closed. I’ll say this. it was a good café for a while. I worked there a great deal during the days when J Voss was there as manager.
Got to know him and a few of the other folks there, as well as the owner. a nice guy from what I remember. Too bad they’re closed.

Lift is another staple in my life that I’m happy to have. Everytime we walk in Tom and his crew are so friendly and accommodating. The way we’re treated when we come here has made us return each time, but it’s the package as a whole that makes us regulars. The smoothies are awesome, their sandwiches are great, and their coffee is really enjoyable. I love heading there when I have spare time and things to get done with my computer. I could also hang outside and enjoy my book with some nice weather and tea for hours. Free parking makes this easy :)
The environment of this place is great, I’ve never had a bad experience. It’s been routine to take the dogs to Lift, grab coffee, head to the shores for a swim, and everyone heads home happy.
The only thing that may bring me down when I’m at lift is how much I pay for my smoothie or sammy. Sometime’s I’m a bit surprised when I get my total and I don’t feel like I got enough to justify the price.
Other than that I can’t say enough good things about it. We just love going to Lift.

My «Scoop of Chicken» salad was the perfect lunch. It was quite tasty: good quality meat, tarragon, onions, bits of celery and grapes, all sitting pretty on a bed of leafy greens and garnished with a ring of cantaloupe and pineapple. Plus, they have five flavors of unsweetened iced tea; the Hibiscus tea was nice.

Does everyone else feel like wraps are the most boring food ever? I just dont get them. They’re like tacos but not as good. The weird thing is, I ordered a wrap today. On this new health kick I’ve decided to let other people make better decisions for me since I’m obviously incapable of doing it on my own.
«Pick the healthiest thing on the menu for me» I asked the whippet thin thing behind the counter. And she chose this vegtastic wrap with added turkey and in a shocking turn of events, it was actually good. Packed with veggies, hummus, tightly wrapped and nom nom nommy.
Not super psyched about the price (wrap + diet coke for $ 10 seems a bit much) but they were incredibly nice, the wrap was good and the wifi was strong with this one. Great spot for a little lunch, some internets & a super friendly staff.

Whats the quickest way to get me to pitch a tent?
Offer anything Italian to me
Whats the best way to get me to put out?
Offer anything Italian to me served by a sexy Italian (read: not Giada de Forehead the size of a airport)
Unfortunately only scenario A happened when I went into Lift Café (no offence to the homely American girl behind the counter)
Luckily, the Fred’s Vito sandwich far exceeded me expectations for this place, which I initially shucked up as, «just another fucking restauraunt shop in Austin».
The vito had just the right amount of pesto so that one could have the warm flavors from the pepperoni, salami, ham permeate through your taste buds. All of this topped off with some red peppers and a toasted baguette? Sign me up Americana.
I also procured the Jack’s generic club, which was also delectable though severely lacking in the meat department despite its rough and tumble description.
All in all this place impressed me, I walked in because the ¹⁄₈ Jewish blood line in me could not walk away from a great deal on Groupon, but I inevitably succumb to the succubus that is Lift Café.
I’m still waiting on those Italian models
Gabriel

Gorgeous day, met a friend for lunch at Lift. I always get the vegtastic wrap but they had a new sambo: the Banh Voyage. Oh good gracious this thing was delicious. The bread was incredible, a crusty baguette that was toasted just perfectly, warm, crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside. The inside? Oh my, there were hunks of chicken, chopped cabbage, cilantro and this spicy sauce that soaked into the bread just right and had you inhaling every last bite. My friend had the spicy thai chicken wrap in a spinach tortilla, she barely came up for air. She said the wrap was also lightly toasted but did not compromise the crisp cool interior goodness. It was fresh, super tasty and just spicy enough. We ate outside on the patio and enjoyed the all too brief lunch hour. The service was great, no big wait for our fresh food which was brought out to us and the prices were just right. Oh, I forgot to mention, we had an Almond Bar for dessert. These things are the devil.
Can’t wait to go back next week, been twice this week…

Great place to go to have a quick lunch if touring the town or relaxing after some outdoor activities, or just to study. The area is clean and the interior is metro. Lift is a place where my girlfriend is quoted for saying «can we stay here forever?» This was after reading these «tabletop conversations for couples» cards. Their smoothies are not the best of the best, but their wraps are awesome. Don’t worry about the health content of the food, as everything on the menu seems fresh and not too large of portions. Just enough to make your day feel better and refreshed. Highly recommended!

«Lift» can be defined as the component force PERPENDICULAR to oncoming Flow and «Drag» can be defined as the component force PARALLEL to oncoming Flow.
It has oft been debated, who’s correct about Lift, Bernoulli or Newton? AND, what do you do when Lift becomes Drag? AND, what do you do when new theories arise, new owners join forces kicking out a bad manager, and new staff kicks ass?
Newton said that Lift occurs when flow is deflected and to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Newton’s Laws of Motion irritate me and remind me of the PAST and Newton’s theory on Lift (deflection of flow) caused an equal and opposite reaction in me… like, I never wanted to return. That was in December of 2009.
Bernoulli said that Lift occurs when flow is celebrated, incorporating changes in velocity and pressure, transferring momentum and streamlining energy. Bernoulli’s Principle creates space for previous ownership and new ownership to join forces in the best fashion, kicking out all that didn’t work and allowing new staff to flourish, smile at you as you walk in and make sure all is good.
Newton is about the apple falling.
Bernoulli incorporates Newton (derived from the Second Law and in conjunction with the Third) — a bit of the past — but is really all about the future and possibility and excellence… is all about the apple flying. It is all about the best apple pie.
faceLIFT:
Includes new furniture inside and outside, new smoothies (Peaches with maca added!), new breakfast items — avocado croissant with egg, cheese and avo all on fresh warm croissant, new freshly baked goods, diverse salad options, bar seating facing Lamar, HH starts at 3pm includes wine and beer specials, music events in the courtyard … awesome, homemade breakfast tacos (try the New Mexican or the Frenchman!), healthy and diverse salad and sandwich options (vegtastic with smoked turkey added, rockadoodle, thai chicken wrap! also, all salads can be «wrapped»), soft pumpkin muffins, ginger snap cookies…
In summary, the LIFT COEFFICIENT is worth debating but don’t get caught up in the past. Lift is finally taking off… Flow is important; don’t deflect it.

So Jamie W. and I were wondering where all the hip, young Austinites go during the daytime? Well, we still don’t know, but I think Lift is where all the skinny, dweebish ones go. Located near the Lady Bird Trail in what appears to be the ground floor of a condo building, it’s a pleasant hangout place for the laptop brigade and for the rest of us, too. Nice patio seating except when it’s too humid like it was for us. Air-​conditioning was a must-​have for us, and we actually liked the coolness of the stained concrete floors even if it did make everything echo like the enthusiastic kids that would run up and down the place.
The menu is what you would expect in a health-​conscious café — lots of smoothies, salads and sammies. The smoothies — most at $ 4.95 for a medium — are lusciously sweet and fruity (see photos). Jamie went for the Hill Country Runner (actually $ 5.55) which was made of passion fruit juice, blackberry, peach, maca, and flax seed oil. I went a more tropical direction and had a Pineapple Express (apple juice, coconut nectar, pineapple, raspberry). Both quenched effectively on a hot Austin day. We shared Willy’s BLTA, bargain-​priced at $ 5.25, which was a BLT with a California touch of avocado slices (see photo). Perfect in-​between afternoon snack. Easy to spend a couple of hours here for the free WiFi coarsing through your iPad.
FOOD/​SMOOTHIES — 4 stars… perfect antidote for a hot, humid Austin day
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… relaxing when you find a place to chill and browse your email
SERVICE — 4 stars… friendly and casual
TOTAL — 4 stars… for that break in the day when you don’t want the pressure to be weird

Sometimes being an after thought isn’t a bad thing. Unilocalers Darla A. and Monica O. and I had planned a dinner outing but were quickly let down when the place we had initially planned to visit was closed on Monday and relocated. Backup plan ended up being Lift Café which is a place I had never been.
Walking in the quiet café, I was warmly greeted by a friendly woman behind the counter who graciously chatted about their fresh sandwiches and smoothie options. While their veggie wrap is their #1 seller, I opted for the spicy Thai chicken wrap which came with a side garden salad drizzled with their homemade herb vinaigrette. Happy to discover that all of their wraps are made fresh and not prepackaged. My wrap was stuffed to the max which made me happy for $ 7.
I wasn’t in the mood for a smoothie so the lady pointed out that they have a water station with plastic tumblers. Awesome, you can tell that the business owners are committed to green initiatives as the plates, silverware, and cups were all real and not Styrofoam plastic trashware which gave me a sense of peace.
Wow, I didn’t expect a coffee and smoothie place to have happy hour, but sure enough there was a sign that read $ 3.95 for a glass of wine or $ 16 for a bottle. Lift and Darla know the way to my heart and that is through Prosecco! Thanks for actually having wine glasses on hand as well Lift as there is another wine bar in town that shall remain nameless who serves theirs in a little plastic cup. That’s a no go in my book.
As if I wasn’t in love with the charming establishment already, owner Tom chatted with us and offered everyone in the café a generous sample of this new wine served over ice with a fresh squeezed lemon wedge. Delicious, followed by a sample of their secret orange Julius concoction which almost tasted like the old school Orange Julius found in the mall.
I’ll so be back!

I did not know what to expect when I walked into this café at the base of the Bridges on the Park condo building on S. Lamar.
In this upscale pricey strip of stores, Lift is a unique find.
They have a healthy menu (but not too healthy) of affordable salads, wraps, sandwiches, soups and breakfast items. They specialize in smoothies and have a full barista coffee bar that will even please the double soy, almond milk, half caf, no caf, with a triple lutz triple loop, bla bla bla crowd. All that to say, Hippies, Hipsters, Republicans, Democrats, Vegetarians, Vegans, Carnivores, Cowboys, etc… anyway, they can all do a «Group Kumbaya» and find something on the menu to please anyone in the crowd.
I ordered the «Fricken Schmidt» salad that had greens, feta, raisins, cranberries, candied pecans and a fig vinaigrette. The vinaigrette was a little light on the pour, but surprisingly, the items in the salad made me not miss it.
The staff was pleasant, the service exceptional (for a walk up and order counter place), and the food was definitely priced well. They offer free wi-​fi and definitely get bonus points for best wine prices in town — all glasses between 3 – 10 pm $ 3.95 and all bottles $ 16. Extra bonus points for having Prosecco on the menu.
All in all, the company, the food, the wine, and the great value provided a definite «lift» to my evening.
I’ll have to drive by on a weekend some time to check out the espresso action.

Not my idea of a pleasant place to linger alone, which is what I want out of a drink shop. It’s neat looking, but not comfy looking.
Last time I was in here I was subjected to multiple angles of mockery from the young staff. I tried to banter back, thinking they might just be being silly, but no, this was definitely a case of laughing-​at, not laughing-​with. Oh, well. Kids will be kids.
The smoothies themselves are consistently delicious, though just about the only place I’ve been that dares to charge this much is Whole Foods. I haven’t ordered food here, though I sampled some wares elsewhere and was less than impressed, flavor-​wise.
Their menu board (and this is a problem I have many places) is difficult to read but full of cool choices once you stand, squint and stare for a bit (but not too long, or you’ll be made fun of by the three unoccupied employees).
My feelings about this place are pretty much no fault of the place itself, I just don’t dig the vibe any more than a place like Starbucks, which is to say it definitely lends itself to a quick in-​and-​out visit.

Definitely gave me a lift after rowing. Usually I don’t like to eat fast food after rowing. I figure it defeats the purpose of why I have taken up rowing in the first place.
I went there around 11 am and I was surprised it wasn’t crowded. There was only two women at the bar and two guys outside. I was glad because I didn’t want a big crowd to smell a sweaty, sunscreened woman that just walked in.
I parked in the garage and I walked in the place that had a modern, chic feel to the place. I figure it was a yuppie place since it’s located under a bunch of apartments that are worth a lot of money. But there’s a difference, this is one yuppie place I would go. I had really good customer service and the food was really good. I ordered the antioxidant smoothie and an egg salad sandwich which came w/​a salad.
Thanks for giving me that lift. Definitely needed it.

I’m a complete and utter fan! I wish my hotel was closer to this place so that I can get coffee/​breakfast/​lunch/​dinner here!
I was hurting from my gluttony at lunch (and of course major fried food throughout the weekend), so needed a salad and a protein shake, STAT.
Found this place (yay for Unilocal on my BB!), and fell in love. I had the super awesome Longhorn Smoothie, and a Vegetastic Sandwich. And yes, it was awesomely vegetastic! Perfectly toasted bread, a schmear of hummus, fresh greens, sprouts, cucumbers, avocados… it was seriously the most awesome sandwich I’ve had in a very long time. Totally made up for my lackluster lunch!
It’s 7 miles away from my hotel but I may need to make a drive over in the morning just to have some coffee and some breakfast… And I absolutely love that it’s a half block away from a Coffee Beanery, and so they have a sign outside that says «local coffee tastes better». Suck it Coffee Beanery! Local coffee DOES taste better!
Lift, you now have my undying devotion.

Today was my first time at Lift and it was love at first sip. The fresh-​squeezed orange juice and cranberry/​pecan/​goat cheese salad were refreshing and light, but still filling. I feel healthier just being there. I really like the ambiance — modern yet inviting. Happy baristas, appetizing spread of fresh fruits (makes it hard to resist the smoothies), good selection of drinks, and free, ample parking at the garage next door is a huge plus.
It is on the pricey side and I’m shocked that people would pay $ 6+ for a 24 oz. smoothie…
Still, Lift is a gem and I’m eager to go back.

I was really excited to try Lift, but was thoroughly disappointed. The wait was ridiculously long without even an acknowledgement prior to ordering (does it hurt just to say «hi» and say «I’ll be with you in a second» — ?), the service was rude (dude, I know you didn’t make the drink, but I just wanted to make sure I didn’t take someone else’s) and we had to wait forever for OK food and drinks (the soup was very bland and the sandwich was not worth a 20 – 30 min wait). I’m just all around sad! Even the atmosphere was a disappointment!!! Truth be told, I would actually give Lift 2 ½ stars after averaging everything out.
I would like to give this place another try one day… Maybe when different people are working… I want to believe that I just stumbled upon a bad day. The smoothies looked pretty good so maybe there is hope.

Yowza! How come when I make a sandwich at home it never tastes like this? Turkey? Check. Bacon? Check. Baby spinach? Wait, baby spinach? I LOVE spinach, and have never seen it offered as a green on a sandwich. Their sandwiches are served with a field green side salad (which is small but lovely and fresh) or soup, and you can buy chips, but with that and a drink it gets a bit pricey.
Parking is underneath the building next door, but if it’s full, don’t park on the street behind like I did, under the big «No Parking» sign. Lovely $ 30 parking ticket awaited me.
The interior is sparse and a bit dark, there’s usually a hipster passed out on the couch in the back (tight pants cut off oxygen to the brain?) and I wish they had a few more cold beverage choices, (maybe some Izze?) but all in all a great destination for a healthy lunch after a walk around Town Lake.

From the outside he doesn’t look like much. Über-​simplistic, über-​modern, and seemingly another one of those «Metro» guys. I can handle it, I appreciate posh, clean aesthetics as much as anyone else, but there’s got to be more.
So I look inside, dig deeper… Go… Farther… (previous sentence to be read in late 90’s car commercial voice)
He brings me flowers in little vases that are tastefully set around his sleek yet comfortable space. He likes to play games, but adorable board games and not sick, head ones. His kitchen is stocked with wine, beer, coffee, and… just for me… more sugar-​free syrup options than any other coffee joint in town. He knows I like the sugar-​free almond, and being a girl who’s always trying to diversify my cup, he makes sure I have the options of softening it up with more than just «soy» or «skim.» I guess I just like almond milk with my almond. He understands. I’m on a kick.
Sometimes he sneaks exquisite salad dressing for me from Paggi House, seeing as they’re just next door. When I want delicious locally made teas from Tea Embassy he makes sure to keep plenty on hand, including my favorite, «Almond Cookies.» It’s not just my obsession with all-​things-​almond lately, it’s more so my appreciation for elegant loose leaf green tea flavored with real nut bits and supporting local businesses. Lift just gets me.
We haven’t been seeing each other that long, but i think I want to make it official. Lift, will you go out with me?

Grabbed a sandwich and a salad here for $ 13 for a picnic. Awesome deal. I ordered ahead and it was ready upon pick up. I added veggies to both the salad and sammie and there was no extra charge, always nice. the location is really cool and the people there were pretty — I would like to go back and have a coffee or smoothie and sit inside or in the patio area and people watch. They have their own parking which is another plus. And, you can buy booze there to go.
Good value, good food, my only complaints are: I didn’t get any dressing with my salad (i had specifically requested it on the side, and given that it had bacon in it I was really excited. bummer) Also, we didn’t get any silverware or napkins. given that part of the gig here is that you can get «take away» this seems like an important factor. Were we supposed to pick them up on the way out? If so, it would have been nice to have been told because I ate my salad with my hands. In a trailer park. Hot.
**Was personally contacted by the owner who thanked me and kindly informed me they are working out the kinks in the to-​go orders as they just added salads and sandwiches to the menu. What customer service! Definitely going back!

Lift recently opened near my home.
First let me say that Brad the owner, John the manager, Risa, Danny, Andrea and the rest of the team at Lift are terrific. From the the moment I stepped foot in the store, they let me know that they wanted feedback on the smoothies and the new sandwiches they were about to start making (the store has only been open for 2 weeks).
The smoothies are delicious with real fruit you can see behind the counter. They have sandwiches made in the store every morning. I recommend the wraps. The baked goods are made somewhere else (since they don’t have the facilities there to make their own) but the bran muffin I had was very good.
Their current cups are styrofoam but are temporary until their logo’d paper cups come in.
Overall I love this place and much of it has to do with the customer-​focused and friendly staff. They always welcome me and my dog by name.
I would give them 5 stars but they are having a few issues getting their wi-​fi sorted out. And I’m hoping they will switch to loose tea instead of tea bags. (I will update my review if they do :)
UPDATE: I’m bumping up to 5 stars as the wi-​fi seems to be fixed now.