New Vegan Menu Items at Brother Juniper's

Brother Juniper's is a Memphis institution. This brunch spot is so well-loved that people expect to wait 45 minutes to an hour for a table. On weekends, there's ALWAYS a wait. And it's always bustling and loud. But that's part of the charm. You just have to make sure you have a small snack or light breakfast before you go!

Brother Juniper's had always had vegetarian options, but for the past few years, the only vegan option was something you just kinda had to know about it. The Fahim's Special — a tofu scramble with portabellas and roasted red peppers — used to be on the menu years ago, but it was taken off because they stopped carrying one of the dishes' main ingredients — kalamata olives. After it was taken off, they'd still gladly make it without the olives. But only in-the-know folks knew to ask.

Now, they've added the Fahim's Special (minus the olives) back to the printed menu! And they've added another vegan option — Spicy Tofu. Paul and I met up with folks there on Sunday morning to check out the new dishes.

The Spicy Tofu is a Southwestern-style scramble with black beans and jalapenos, served over home fries and topped with avocado spread. SO DAMN GOOD. The jalapenos make it a little spicy, but I'm a spice lover and thought it was perfect. Loved the creamy, generous dollop of guac on top.

You get a choice of grits or home fries on the side, so I went the home fries route even though there were already some under the scramble. You can't have too many potatoes. You also get a choice of toast or biscuits, but the biscuits aren't vegan. So toast it is! They bake it fresh in-house and serve with homemade jams and jellies.

Here's that Fahim's Special, which is back on the menu. My mom and I always bring our own olives so we can get the full effect.

Note to vegans: There's also a Veggie Sausage Scramble dish on the menu, but last time I checked, they were using non-vegan Morningstar Farms sausage. That may have changed, but definitely ask before ordering this one.