Vertical Diner (Salt Lake City)

I was excited to try the Vertical Diner in Salt Lake City, not because it was a new diner but because it’s a vegan diner. In the 400+ diners, I’ve been too, I’ve never been to a vegan diner before. How fun is that?

The Vertical Diner has another location in Portland, Oregon as well.

Vertical Diner Atmosphere: A

The Vertical Diner is a stand-alone building with parking. It appears there is outdoor seating, but no one was sitting outside when it was 30 degrees. The building itself is a small long building. It is not a shiny metallic diner but does stick out along the main road.

Walking indoors, it appears like most other diners. There are several booths, tables as well as a full-length bar. It looked like the majority of people were sitting at the bar.

Coffee: X

I didn’t order coffee this time around.

Vertical Diner Food:

As mentioned, the Vertical Diner only serves vegan food. Whoa, a diner that only has vegan food? That alone made me want to visit. I’m neither vegetarian nor vegan, but I enjoy trying new things.

To be honest, I was slightly nervous. A few things that caught my eye on the Vertical Diner menu include:

• tender tigers: chickun style tenders
• jerk chicken burrito: tortilla stuffed with jerk chickun, black beans, and rice, grilled peppers and onions,
  smothered in red sauce, sour cream, and topped with guacamole.
• world famous dude cakes:  two pancakes, sauzage, caramelized onions, grilled peppers, mushrooms, french fries, smothered in gravy.
• tempeh Thai salad: mixed greens tossed into Thai style dressing made with dates, ginger, garlic, chili, lime juice, cold-pressed olive oil, Thai basil, and tamari topped with avocado, tempeh bacun, avocado, house kimchi, carrot, cucumber, tomato, beet, and red onion. (whew, that is a lot happening)

You can see the full Vertical Diner menu here.

Ultimately I decided to get the tender tigers, as well as the “Joaquin phoenix burger” The burger was made of red lentil-brown rice and topped with tempeh bacun, house-made dill pickles, and ranch. I chose fries for my side. To be honest, I had no idea what tempeh was, and I still don’t feel like I really know (fermented soybeans?).

The tender tigers tasted nearly identical to chicken nuggets. I probably couldn’t tell the difference if you put them side by side. The ranch sauce was interesting to me. I am not usually a fan of ranch (I know crazy), but this was more of an oil and vinegar-based ranch. It tasted good.

The Joaquin Phenix Burger tasted great. I thought it was one of the best veggie patties I’ve had, and I enjoyed the “crunch of the tempeh bacon.” The french fries tasted like normal fries, and I wouldn’t have guessed or known they were vegan.

In all, my meal was great. I was happy with my selection, and I would eat it again.

Service: A

The staff was friendly, and the food came out quickly. I had a good experience.

Cost: $

For my burger and tender tigers, it was $24. The Vertical Diner is not the cheapest diner you’ll go to, but the food and fresh and everything tasted good.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to the Vertical Diner?

I really enjoyed the Vertical Diner, and I would definitely be back. It surprised me how much I liked a vegan diner, and I’m curious to try other vegetarian and vegan food.

Atmosphere: A

Coffee: X

Food: A

Service: A

Cost: $11-20

Overall: A

You can see more diner reviews here.

Questions for you:

Have you been to the Vertical Diner?

What is your favorite vegan food?