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Look at that pancake with its margarine scoop. Just look at it.

Kathryn DeBruler

It is noon on a Sunday and a line is predictably snaking its way from Jonathons Oak Cliff. People drive for miles to have their chicken and waffles, making Jonathons more than a place to simply consume brunch, but rather a brunch destination.

But if you keep walking down North Beckley Avenue a few more paces, you will quickly find yourself stumbling upon another restaurant with another, albeit smaller, line. This one doesnt spill out onto the street but instead takes the form of people biding their time on benches inside. These patrons are waiting to be seated at Spiral Diner, the vegan eatery that has built an ardent following over the 14 years it has been in operation.

This is the Lumberjack and it's more than okay. It's vegan all night, and it's vegan all day.

Kathryn DeBruler

For those whose suspicions are aroused by restaurants that only serve plant-based foods (and the people who choose to eat them), picture this. Spiral Diner is a happy place. It has the look of a '50s diner tin ceilings, Formica tables thats collided with a candy store, with its enthusiastic embrace of springy, youthful colors.

If you fear vegan restaurants because of a stereotyped (but also semi-accurate) perception of the people who work there as militant vegans who will throw red paint on your Cole Haan loafers, fear not. Spiral Diner is staffed by people who may be collectively described as hip but also nonthreatening. They wont mention your leather shoes, but they will ask you how you like the pancakes.

And yes, Spiral serves pancakes. And quesadillas. And biscuits and gravy. So if you fear vegan food because of its foreignness, fear not. Spiral Diners brunch menu is all about the familiar faces.

It's also all about the tofu scramble. Every dish on the menu, save for the pancakes and disco home fries more on these later features tofu scramble in some way. Now before you complain about tofu being foreign, just know that tofu scramble has the consistency and appearance of scrambled eggs but the taste of something that has been kissed by a turmeric-loving God that wants us to eat well and live for a long, long time.

Spiral Diner will make you a dang quesadilla.

Kathryn DeBruler

Spiral Diner elevates the humble scramble to new, cumin-scented heights. The tofu is scrambled with a generous hand of spices, bits of potato and other veggies, which provide a nice textural breath between the monotone mouth-feel afforded by the tofu. One dish that brings the scramble into its fold is the breakfast quesadilla ($10.95). Here youll find the scramble tucked into a whole-wheat tortilla along with a smattering of vegetables and peppers, vegan sausage and Daiya cheese. Daiya cheese is akin to American in that it has that distinctly silken texture when melted that can only arise from being highly processed. The overall effect is a quesadilla that is exceedingly rich yet virtuous.

That whiplash between indulgence and altruism continued with an order of the disco fries ($4.95). These friespresent the eater with a rare opportunity to feel both the delight of not perpetuating a pattern of systematic animal exploitation and also the unbridled joy of eating poutine. Its true that the gravy has a slightly mottled, broken appearance and tastes subtly and oddly of vanilla, but one can only expect so much when cow udders have been spared.

The disco home fries are proof that veganism and weight loss can be mutually exclusive.

Kathryn DeBruler

The gravy captures that creamy, rich, artery-painting quality of traditional gravy just the same. Its particularly enjoyable when served on a couple of the diners sky-high biscuits, which manage both a hearty chew and a delicate crumb. Paired with a couple of herbaceous and toothsome sausages with a bit of scramble(the Lumberjack, $9.95), this is the kind of food that, despite its ingredient list, doesnt shy far from grandmas table.

But if youre going to order one item only from Spirals brunch menu, let it be the pancakes. Light with nutty crumb, these cinnamon-studded beauties, when drizzled with a bit of golden agave nectar, are divine. A true, well-made pancake if there ever were one.

Spiral Diner is a vegan restaurant, yes. And in our steak-adoring city, its nice to have an option for those who have chosen an animal product-free path. But in truth, Spiralis simply a restaurant a place which can readily accommodate the majority of palates.And Spiral Diner has demonstrated what perhaps all of us omnivores, vegetarians and vegans alike always secretly knew, that Horace Mann is full of crock: Biscuits and gravy are the great equalizers.

Spiral Diner, 1101 N Beckley Ave. Brunch served 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

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After All These Years, Spiral Diner's Vegan Brunch Is Still Better Than Most Meaty Dallas Options - Dallas Observer