During an absolutely horrible job interview, my potential boss mentioned that he was vegan. I smiled and said “Oh yeah! I’m vegetarian…”

“That’s not the same thing at all” he stated dryly. Ouch.

Well, for reasons besides my eating inclinations, I didn’t get the job. But I did get jolted into thinking about the stark differences between vegetarians and vegans. I guess I always believed we were part of the same team—and we are teammates in a lot of ways! But as I attempt to delve deeper into the vegan lifestyle I’ve discovered difficulties with something I’ve always taken for granted: Breakfast.

For vegetarians, breakfast/brunch is a smorgasbord of benedict, pancakes, waffles, quiches, parfaits… and so on. It’s a egg and dairy farmer’s delight. But I’ve quickly learned that finding vegan friendly breakfasts, especially on a road trip, is shockingly difficult. Before heading to Phoenix, I was sooo thankful to stumble upon Bragg’s Factory Diner on Instagram!

As an architecture nut, the Frank Lloyd Bite ($10) beckoned me. It comes with 2 pancakes, hash browns, eggplant bacon and a biscuit smothered in gravy.The pancakes were stunning—the real vegan at the table gleefully devoured them. They are thin, with a crisp buttery shell, reminiscent of everything wonderful about the McDonald’s breakfast menu.  The hash browns, a fried tangle of noodle-like potato threads, is light in texture and taste. A heavy pour of hot sauce quickly remedied the situation. The eggplant “bacon” was the riskiest element on the plate. As is visually obviously, it is not attempting to mimic pork. The soft slabs of smoky eggplant offer a bacony flavor, but none of the pungent fat or chewy texture. I found them quite addicting. Overall, the deliciousness of the Frank Lloyd Bite was marred only by it’s monochromatic appearance.

I found the biscuit, drenched in mushroom and corn gravy, too gummy for my tastes. But considering how rare it is to find vegan biscuits and gravy, I must applaud the effort.

To balance out the beige, we ordered the King Kale Salad ($8). Topped with medallions of grilled zucchini and a sprinkling of quinoa and walnuts, it’s all tossed in a creamy lemon dressing. I found the size of the kale leaves difficult to eat, so I attacked it with fork and knife. It seems silly and simple, but the barely dressed grilled zucchini slices were the best part of this salad. It’s a lot of roughage to eat, but all that kale was the perfect counterbalance to the carb-fest of potatoes and pancakes!

Overall, the food is neither groundbreaking or outstanding. It’s well executed, explorative and made with heart. It’s the ideal stop for any road tripping or local vegan crossing through the desert of breakfast-ville.

Bragg’s Factory Diner
1301 NW Grand Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85007
braggsdiner.com