My husband and I are fans of a local show called THE DAYTRIPPER. The host goes to different towns within a couple of hours from the bigger cities in Texas. On a stop in Fort Worth, Texas, he stopped in at Spiral Diner, a vegan comfort food restaurant. I told my husband I wanted to go there and today was the day that we ventured to its other location in Denton, Texas, about an hour northwest of Dallas.
The diner itself had a very funky decor, but it does remind one of an old-fashioned diner. The waiter greeted us and gave us the menu and made sure we were aware that it was a vegan diner and everything on the menu was vegan. I said this is where we wanted to be.
The menu was huge! It had appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, salads, bowls, desserts, baked goods, and a kids menu. And breakfast, all day. They also offer coffee, tea, lattes, shakes, as well as beer, wine, and cocktails.
After looking over the menu, we decided to start with a sample of their biscuits and gravy, which is a southern treat that I haven’t been able to find in a vegan version. We shared one scratch-made biscuit (which was huge) with ‘cream’ gravy and it was delicious! My husband (who is not vegan) said it was one of the best he’s ever had. The biscuit was warm and soft on the inside with a bit of a crunch on the outside, and the gravy was perfectly creamy and tasted almost like my mom’s homemade gravy. It had the right amount of pepper and no extra seasoning was needed.
Next, we decided to try the signature appetizer, the Nachos Supreme. This was a mound of corn chips piled high with cashew nacho cheese, black beans and quinoa, black olives, corn, cilantro, tomatoes, green onions, sour cream, guacamole, and pickled jalapenos. We chose the junior version and were glad we did because it was big enough for two people to share. It was delicious! The cashew cheese sauce was perfectly ‘cheesy’ and each chip was a tasty bite, perfectly balanced. The black beans and quinoa were sufficiently ‘meaty’ and spiced exactly right. We finished every bite and we were tempted to lick the bowl.
Now we had to decide on our meal. My husband chose The Big Kahuna Burger with a side of potato salad. You can choose your protein and he wanted the Beyond Burger patty. It came beautifully served with crispy bacon (the best vegan bacon I’ve tasted so far), melty cheese, grilled onions, grilled pineapple, BBQ sauce, and mayo on a sesame seed bun. I tried a bite of it and was amazed at the flavor. I would never have thought to put a pineapple on a burger with BBQ sauce, but it worked! It was tangy, sweet, and a tad bit spicy and all the flavors worked really well together. The potato salad was a mustard base, which is the way I like it, and deliciously creamy.
For myself, I really wanted to try the chili because it was very cold outside, so I decided to treat myself to a chili dog. I haven’t had one in years because I haven’t been able to find a good vegan hot dog. This hot dog was a Field Roast Stadium dog and it was amazing! It was served on a buttered bun with the Texas Red Chili, topped with cheddar shreds and green onion. The first few bites were simply delicious! The only drawback was that as I continued eating, it became very spicy. I’ve cut back on spicy foods, but I’m sure someone who loves the spice will find it perfect and filled with flavor and heat. But the Mac n’ Cheese side helped ease the burn. It was creamy, cheesy, warm, full of flavor, and I wanted to take a big tub of it home for later!
We were both really full but we had to try dessert, right? Ice cream is a weakness of mine, even in the winter, so we decided to share a Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae. This is made with their I-Scream, made from scratch, with organic sugar and soy milk. We had ours with one scoop of vanilla and one scoop of chocolate served over a homemade chocolate chip cookie, heated up and sprinkled with hot fudge, whipped cream, and a cherry on top. The cookie was classic chocolate chip, and the warmth from it melted the I-Scream to perfection. It was rich and creamy and everything you want in ice cream. The perfect sweet ending to a delicious, savory meal.
Spiral Diner is a wonderful vegan restaurant. There are so many tempting options on their menu that I can’t wait to go back and try more! If you are looking for the perfect comfort food restaurant in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, this is the place. Don’t come looking for healthy food (although they do have salads). Spiral Diner is comfort food at its vegan best.
