Houston’s Sphynx Teahouse is a different kind of vegan pop-up — in addition to serving delicious soul food and Mexican fusion cuisine, this pop-up cat café hopes to help homeless shelter cats find permanent homes.

The first minority-owned cat café in Texas, Sphynx Teahouse is making plans to open a permanent location in Houston’s Third Ward neighborhood. The co-owners, Ashleigh Boyd, and Lauren Sevilla, said that they hope to have the permanent space open by sometime next year.

Sphynx’s menu includes plant-based tortas like The Cookout with BBQ jackfruit and house-made sweet pickled onions, and La Mera Mera, with marinated jackfruit carnitas and a black bean spread. They also serve iced teas like the peach-ginger Mint-Night Train to Georgia and La Pachanga, an Oaxacan-style horchata with fresh prickly pear puree.

When Sphynx Teahouse opens its permanent location, it will feature a cat lounge where customers can interact with adoptable shelter cats.

Sphynx Teahouse / Instagram

“All adoptions will go through the shelter, but through our cafe we will be able to facilitate that process,” Boyd told Eater Houston. “Even if every interaction with the cats does not end in an adoption, we’re still providing customers with low-cost animal therapy and socializing shelter cats.”

“Beyond our food, we empower fellow Black and LatinX owned companies through our business partnerships: from our furniture, to our merchandise, to bulk ingredients used to create our menu, everything is brought to you by a fellow member of our cultural communities,” said Sphynx Teahouse on their website. “We’re here to make our chill vibes, cool cats, and hot tea accessible to all members of our neighborhood.”

To keep up with Sphynx Teahouse’s progress, check their website or follow them on Instagram.

Make Vegan Tortas at Home

If you can’t make it to Houston, try some of these plant-based torta recipes from the Food Monster App.

Chorizo Torta

This Chorizo Torta uses Homemade Chorizo Crumble for a protein-packed meal. Try it with pickled jalapeños for extra spice!

Avocado and Black Bean Tortas

These Avocado and Black Bean Tortas combine avocado and black beans with sriracha cashew cream sauce for plenty of healthy fats.

For more plant-based cooking info, download the Food Monster App, where you can find tons of recipes for meat alternatives and other healthy food. The app is available for both Android and iPhone, and can also be found on Instagram and Facebook. The app has more than 10,000 plant-based, allergy-friendly recipes, and subscribers gain access to new recipes every day.

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