At Spiral Diner, you'll find friendly waiters in bandanas and beards cruising the 100% vegan restaurant in search of ways to make you feel right at home. The lovely chef with gypsy green hair may remind you of a mermaid who traded her tail for a magic spatula, and magic it is...you'll soon find out.
Even at 3:00 in the afternoon, with a small, quiet crowd, Spiral Diner oozes soul. Perhaps it's the photos on the wall, like the old Willie Nelson poster, or the well-worn literary works at each booth, or maybe the soul is coming from the authentic souls who staff it. It doesn't really matter, you just feel the combination of Southern hospitality and wholesome food when you walk through the door. At least, this was our experience.
After three long days of decision-making and bad carbs working at Dallas Market, we craved something healthy. We knew that Spiral was just the place to replenish, before roadtripping it back to Austin. Chris welcomed us to the self-serve beverage bar and kindly gave us time to settle into our booth, relax, and check out the menu: organic wine & microbrewery beer, fizzy drinks like agave limeade, ginger shots, dirty chai, and fair trade coffee. Completely void of anything animal or insect, the food menu is a fun feast for the eyes and palate. In other words, for vegans used to having one or two choices on a menu, you'll be overwhelmed with a vast assortment of options.
So tired of decision making, we opted for the easy way out: we ordered sides. The pyramid watermelon was crisp, sweet, and juicy. The pasta salad had just the right amount of basil and the creamy potato salad with fresh dill flakes was amazing. Spiral's idea of a green salad was pleasantly surprising, given the usual green side salads offered at other restaurants: fresh lettuce topped with black olives, corn, peas, tomatoes, cucumbers and added avocados, and the ranch dressing was impressive. We topped off our lite meal with the PB&J sundae: a large, warm cookie with peanut butter I-scream, strawberry jam, peanuts, and whipped cream. Unbelievably tasty.
It's refreshing to find a restaurant so in tune with what is good for humans, other earthlings, and the whole planet. The only negative thing about Spiral is that there isn't a location in Austin! Next time, we'll have to try the other location in Dallas' Funkytown. Oh, and did I mention that Spiral is also a vegan bakery? Yum.
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