Feral in NE was amazing. It’s vegan, but I honestly have a hard time believing our meal could have been any tastier if there’d been butter or eggs involved.
Thunderbird has such a great well-rounded menu. Great for vegans and vegetarians — but also has a small meat section so you can invite your meat-eating friends.
To be fair, lots of vegan menus (not all) are full of allergens that you don't have to worry about on most omnivore menus. It wasn't an issue when garden/black bean burgers were the norm, but imitation stuff always has at least one common allergen in it. It's dumb, but it's a thing. I don't have to read an entire encyclopedia to eat a normal cheeseburger, but with a vegan cheeseburger everything but the bun could be trying to kill me. Also, I really miss black bean burgers.
Agree on the sad lack of black bean burgers for sure. Except when made with egg. As for the rest of your comment, no one says if you go to a vegan spot you need to absolutely get a burger of any sort. Vegans have been asking about ingredients their whole vegan existence. Omnis can do the same for a single meal and survive it.
I'm really not being hostile when I say this, please understand that. Allergen issues and vegans asking about ingredients is a false equivalency. And it's not just burgers. It's almost impossible to avoid common allergens in most vegan menus unless you're sticking to straight veggies. I realize it's possible, I just also completely see the value in having a menu with a few options any diet or allergy situation can be like "oh, I'm having that."
I got you. But also most people aren't highly allergic so while this might be your experience, for most, they can just deal w no meat for one meal w their vegan friends or family.
You're not wrong, and like I said I'm not trying to be combative about it. Just offering an alternate viewpoint in favor of a varied menu like the one in question!
portland veggie girl here and i just rubbed my hands together like an evil villain.
harlow, norah, butterfly belly, bar bar, low tide lounge, sparky’s, DC vegetarian, la buca, moloko, black water (bar but still), blossoming lotus, mirisata (which has a pop up rn that has amazing vegan mozzie sticks!), kati, paradox cafe, chubby bunny.
avoid next level burger, bamboo sushi, jade rabbit. first two treated my husband and i like shit when we worked there respectively and the people at jade rabbit were so weirdly mean.
Thanks for all the tips!!
Harlow is on my of places to avoid after they charged a mandatory 20% tip on a take-out order, the food was pretty mediocre and over priced, making the 20% mandatory gratuity extra annoying.
I used to go to paradox a lot! Haven't been in a while though.
the harlow downtown is so weird but i love the one in SE. i love the stroganoff 🤤 my husband worked at fermenter (RIP) so a lot of vegan food has been ruined for me now that i can’t have it but we frequent a lot of places! my fave is kinboshi ramen’s vegan shio tonyu.
I’d give them another try and select something other than what you got the first time. Some of their dishes can be meh- or they were having a bad nite? Mapo tofu is amazing and I have dreams about eating entire trays of their chili oil dumplings.
next level treated my husband like absolute shit and allowed sexual harassment to occur on a daily basis. jade rabbit employees might have had a shit day but i really can’t ignore my husband’s dick being grabbed by another employee at next level and how minor employees were told about orgies and insanely inappropriate sexual acts the person had done. glad your experience was FANTASTIC!
LMFAO why am i being downvoted for saying a restaurant knowingly enabled someone that sexually assaulted and harassed her coworkers and was shielded from accountability 😭she did this shit over the course of several years and everyone that tried to file complaints was either fired or intimidated into being forced to leave their jobs. get a fucking grip it’s a burger restaurant you don’t need to simp so hard
Listen, I'm sorry your husband went through that. That isn't right and that sucks. But I have found not a single other allegation anything along those lines anywhere else. Not Google, Reddit, Glassdoor, anywhere. Not to mention you're talking about an individual co-worker, not even management, and this is a chain. I'm not going to boycott a phenomenal restaurant because of that, sorry. Sounds like a personal issue for you to deal with.
Edit: lol blocked just because I like burgers
hi google can you tell me if a popular restaurant chain worker sexually harassed and assaulted her coworkers? no? ok ty that’s all i need
no one’s asking you to boycott a place dude chill out and don’t make this a weird hill to die on
Name some names, who was the harasser? You can't just nebulously say 'They allowed sexual harassment to occur daily' without pointing a finger, it could be anybody there.
[Blossoming Lotus closed April 3 of this year](https://www.oregonlive.com/dining/2024/04/blossoming-lotus-closes-long-running-portland-vegan-restaurant.html).
I’ll never go back to Kayo’s. Refused to give my friend the spice level they asked for because they’re white. I’m not even joking, the manager told me they’re trained to do that. Then harassed me online because I left an honest (aka negative) review of the experience. I’ve since met someone who worked as a waiter there and confirmed the managers are awful. Fuck them
When I go with my friends to some restaurants that have that "white person spicy" policy, we order each other's dishes then switch after the food arrives (I'm not white so they never give me a second look if I ever order something spicy).
I had Boxcar Pizza recently (vegan deep dish pizza) and it's now one of my favorite pizzas. Toppings and sauce were all good but the dough itself was impressive.
Veg-specific places I love:
- dc vegetarian
- Harlow
- obon shokudo
- Kati Thai
- Nora Thai
- yuan su
- paradox
- chilango
- Ben and Esther’s
- tiny moreso
- secret pizza society
Some places that do veg options well but not strictly:
- el nutri taco
- Los gorditos
- shandong
- thunderbird
Agree with most of the list but DC veg is awful lol. The food is never good and the staff are the worst. I live right by it so I foolishly keep trying it every 6 months or so and everytime I regret it.
In addition to all that's been mentioned, I was blown away by the one time I tried Dirty Lettuce even though I'm not a vegetarian. They do vegetarian southern barbecue which I was skeptical about but wow! I think I read the owners even researched the texture of the different types of "meat" so it's as similar as possible. Admittedly I went only once a few years ago but if it's still as good now as it was back then, I think it's really unique and tasty!
The shaken tofu at Friendship Kitchen was the best dish, veg or not, I had last year. If pescatarian, get the banh xeo or crispy crepe with shrimp. THE BEST!!!
dc vegetarian’s italian sub with pickles and extra mayo is my favorite sandwich in portland. their buffalo soy curl sub, when it’s on the specials menu, is somehow even better
Honestly, I disagree. I went the other day and the service was EXTREMELY poor (I'm talking like an hour for food and they got our order wrong), and the food was just okay. It wasn't innovative vegan food at all, just seemed like various steamed veggies and curries. 6.5/10, would have been a 7/10 if it wasn't so cold by the time it got to us.
Van Hahn, Yuan Su Vegetarian, Thunderbird, Next Level Burger, and NutriTaco, Homegrown Smokehouse, and the food cart pod in St. John's, as well as the piknik park food carts in sellwood
In no particular order vegetarian/vegan restaurants I like:
- Off The Griddle (breakfast)
- Van Hanh (vegan Asian cuisine run by Buddhist nuns)
- Norah (vegan Asian)
- Gnarly's (food truck)
- Black Water
- Bye & Bye (vegan bar)
- Obon Shokudo (Japanese vegan)
Van Hahn, Yuan Su Vegetarian, Thunderbird, Next Level Burger, and NutriTaco, Homegrown Smokehouse, and the food cart pod in St. John's, as well as the piknik park food carts in sellwood
* JoJo's is good.
* Fermenter was awesome. They changed from their previous format to an Italian restaurant. Still vegan and full of fermented foods I think. Probably worth a try.
* Hungry Sasquatch over in Vancouver WA has delicious vegan pizza
* 3 Howls is a full vegan restaurant owned by (and next door to) Hungry Sasquatch. It's good.
I am not vegetarian or vegan but I like good flavors and will eat vegan if it is good. So this is what I like.
Jade Rabbit, phenomenal flavors based on Taiwanese cuisine and beautiful presentation. Their char sui bao is almost imperceptible from a traditional pork version. But it is a little pricey and you should make a reservation.
Van Hanh, run by Vietnamese Buddhist nuns, great food, sometimes a little heavy, much more of a home style of cooking. Large portions.
Mis Tacones, vegan taqueria, it appears that they make everything fresh, though I can't say that for certain. It just looks and tastes that way. It's good stuff!
Dove Vivi, vegan pizza, the roasted corn is banger. They also have meat options and gluten free options.
Navarre: A tiny tapas spot, not strictly vegetarian but a lot of options being a tapas spot. Everything there is great. How can a plate of roasted julienned carrots be amazing? I don't know, but it is!
Pho Van (82nd Ave), It's not a vegetarian spot, but they have a lot of options and I have never had a complaint from vegetarian friends I took there. They also have "Pho Van Fresh" in the Pearl district with a slightly different menu.
I'm vegetarian and cooked at a couple of these places
My go-to's were pretty much:
Kati
Mirisata
Thunderbird
Maruti
Yuan Su
Dirty Lettuce
I don't like Harlow, but it will inevitably get recommended a lot.
A million times I will say Dirty Lettuce! Vegetarian southern soul food, and I am from the south so I can attest. Seasoned super well and made by fellow southerners. Love that place!
I guess I’m the only one but I haven’t heard of Portland restaurants getting recognition lately can someone show me what that’s about? I mean I’ve seen that happen many times over the years but nothing current.
2 restaurants just got some james bears award
Some magazine said portland was in the top 10 best food cities in the world
Another magazine said we're the best pizza city in the country...
I'm sure there's been more
Thank you. I remember back when the food section of the NYT did an extensive cover story about how it was such a Mecca here for restaurants and how easy and (comparably) cheap is was to set up yeah that caused a lot of new folks to move here. Best pizza in the country huh? That’s high praise. Not sure I can agree but it is damn good. Thanks for the reply : )
The best vegan places in town, hands down are Norah (vegan thai, sooo good), Gnarly's (vegan burgers, just insane), and Lilla (vegan Italian-- never misses). I'm honestly picky and have high standards, lol.
Feral in NE was amazing. It’s vegan, but I honestly have a hard time believing our meal could have been any tastier if there’d been butter or eggs involved.
Secret Pizza Society
crisp salads /s
Yeah I just tried them and was very much not blown away.
Im a fan of Akadi
Akadi is hit or miss since they change their menu pretty regularly.
[удалено]
Why does anyone need to be convinced to eat meat?
No one does. That's why the comment had a sarcasm tag
Of course. And a common strategy to respond to snarky, rude 'jokes' is to ask them to explain it.
Post or comments that are too snarky, rude, or deliberately unhelpful are not allowed.
Thunderbird has such a great well-rounded menu. Great for vegans and vegetarians — but also has a small meat section so you can invite your meat-eating friends.
Finally, the meat equivalent to the token veggie burger
Perfectly said!
celiac burger bread as well
Lots of gluten free options as well if needed
Like people who eat meat can't skip the meat for one meal w their friends 🙄
To be fair, lots of vegan menus (not all) are full of allergens that you don't have to worry about on most omnivore menus. It wasn't an issue when garden/black bean burgers were the norm, but imitation stuff always has at least one common allergen in it. It's dumb, but it's a thing. I don't have to read an entire encyclopedia to eat a normal cheeseburger, but with a vegan cheeseburger everything but the bun could be trying to kill me. Also, I really miss black bean burgers.
Agree on the sad lack of black bean burgers for sure. Except when made with egg. As for the rest of your comment, no one says if you go to a vegan spot you need to absolutely get a burger of any sort. Vegans have been asking about ingredients their whole vegan existence. Omnis can do the same for a single meal and survive it.
I'm really not being hostile when I say this, please understand that. Allergen issues and vegans asking about ingredients is a false equivalency. And it's not just burgers. It's almost impossible to avoid common allergens in most vegan menus unless you're sticking to straight veggies. I realize it's possible, I just also completely see the value in having a menu with a few options any diet or allergy situation can be like "oh, I'm having that."
I got you. But also most people aren't highly allergic so while this might be your experience, for most, they can just deal w no meat for one meal w their vegan friends or family.
You're not wrong, and like I said I'm not trying to be combative about it. Just offering an alternate viewpoint in favor of a varied menu like the one in question!
Victoria
portland veggie girl here and i just rubbed my hands together like an evil villain. harlow, norah, butterfly belly, bar bar, low tide lounge, sparky’s, DC vegetarian, la buca, moloko, black water (bar but still), blossoming lotus, mirisata (which has a pop up rn that has amazing vegan mozzie sticks!), kati, paradox cafe, chubby bunny. avoid next level burger, bamboo sushi, jade rabbit. first two treated my husband and i like shit when we worked there respectively and the people at jade rabbit were so weirdly mean.
Taking notes
my evil villain era has begun
Thanks for all the tips!! Harlow is on my of places to avoid after they charged a mandatory 20% tip on a take-out order, the food was pretty mediocre and over priced, making the 20% mandatory gratuity extra annoying. I used to go to paradox a lot! Haven't been in a while though.
Boo to that. Times are hard but the prevalence of auto grats around town is insane.
the harlow downtown is so weird but i love the one in SE. i love the stroganoff 🤤 my husband worked at fermenter (RIP) so a lot of vegan food has been ruined for me now that i can’t have it but we frequent a lot of places! my fave is kinboshi ramen’s vegan shio tonyu.
I was soooo excited to try out jade rabbit. It was such a let down ☹️. Overpriced bland food. Beautiful space but damn.
That was my take on jade rabbit as well. We had a 50% off discount so ordered just about the whole menu.....it was all solidly meh.
I’d give them another try and select something other than what you got the first time. Some of their dishes can be meh- or they were having a bad nite? Mapo tofu is amazing and I have dreams about eating entire trays of their chili oil dumplings.
Totally! Always willing to try a place twice before officially deciding… but might order less this time 😂
Next Level is fantastic and so is Jade Rabbit.
next level treated my husband like absolute shit and allowed sexual harassment to occur on a daily basis. jade rabbit employees might have had a shit day but i really can’t ignore my husband’s dick being grabbed by another employee at next level and how minor employees were told about orgies and insanely inappropriate sexual acts the person had done. glad your experience was FANTASTIC! LMFAO why am i being downvoted for saying a restaurant knowingly enabled someone that sexually assaulted and harassed her coworkers and was shielded from accountability 😭she did this shit over the course of several years and everyone that tried to file complaints was either fired or intimidated into being forced to leave their jobs. get a fucking grip it’s a burger restaurant you don’t need to simp so hard
Listen, I'm sorry your husband went through that. That isn't right and that sucks. But I have found not a single other allegation anything along those lines anywhere else. Not Google, Reddit, Glassdoor, anywhere. Not to mention you're talking about an individual co-worker, not even management, and this is a chain. I'm not going to boycott a phenomenal restaurant because of that, sorry. Sounds like a personal issue for you to deal with. Edit: lol blocked just because I like burgers
hi google can you tell me if a popular restaurant chain worker sexually harassed and assaulted her coworkers? no? ok ty that’s all i need no one’s asking you to boycott a place dude chill out and don’t make this a weird hill to die on
Name some names, who was the harasser? You can't just nebulously say 'They allowed sexual harassment to occur daily' without pointing a finger, it could be anybody there.
[Blossoming Lotus closed April 3 of this year](https://www.oregonlive.com/dining/2024/04/blossoming-lotus-closes-long-running-portland-vegan-restaurant.html).
Obon Shokudo is very creative and also affordable.
Obon blew my mind on my first visit.
I really wish I’d tried Natural Selection before they hit the road back in 2016.
That was my favorite restaurant 😭 RIP
Chilango on Alberta is hands down the best vegan Mexican food I’ve ever had
Mis Tacones is a differently style but just as good. They're both fantastic.
100%. The saudero taco doesn't leave my mind.
Maruti
+1
G-Love
Kayo’s for vegan tan tan ramen. Yes, I will keep posting this. No, I do not work for them. :D
I’ll never go back to Kayo’s. Refused to give my friend the spice level they asked for because they’re white. I’m not even joking, the manager told me they’re trained to do that. Then harassed me online because I left an honest (aka negative) review of the experience. I’ve since met someone who worked as a waiter there and confirmed the managers are awful. Fuck them
When I go with my friends to some restaurants that have that "white person spicy" policy, we order each other's dishes then switch after the food arrives (I'm not white so they never give me a second look if I ever order something spicy).
I had Boxcar Pizza recently (vegan deep dish pizza) and it's now one of my favorite pizzas. Toppings and sauce were all good but the dough itself was impressive.
Honestly I wish they cooked their pizzas a *little* longer. Compared to Ranch or Assembly Brewing, I feel Boxcar's dough is a tad undercooked.
You could probably ask them to.
Virtuous Pie is also sooo good for vegan pizza.
Veg-specific places I love: - dc vegetarian - Harlow - obon shokudo - Kati Thai - Nora Thai - yuan su - paradox - chilango - Ben and Esther’s - tiny moreso - secret pizza society Some places that do veg options well but not strictly: - el nutri taco - Los gorditos - shandong - thunderbird
Agree with most of the list but DC veg is awful lol. The food is never good and the staff are the worst. I live right by it so I foolishly keep trying it every 6 months or so and everytime I regret it.
????????????
💯agree it’s bad
Garden Monster FTW if you’re in that neighborhood.
Blackwater (on Broadway)
Flourish Food Truck 4EVER
Unbeetable burger is next-level, even if you hate beets (as I do)
Absolutely! It's my favorite sandwich in Portland.
In addition to all that's been mentioned, I was blown away by the one time I tried Dirty Lettuce even though I'm not a vegetarian. They do vegetarian southern barbecue which I was skeptical about but wow! I think I read the owners even researched the texture of the different types of "meat" so it's as similar as possible. Admittedly I went only once a few years ago but if it's still as good now as it was back then, I think it's really unique and tasty!
Dirty lettuce is sooooooo good still.
Highly recommend checking out the Portland Vegans group on Facebook - it’s super active with tons of current recs!
The shaken tofu at Friendship Kitchen was the best dish, veg or not, I had last year. If pescatarian, get the banh xeo or crispy crepe with shrimp. THE BEST!!!
Can't believe I'm the first person to mention Van Hanh. Vegetarian restaurant ran by Vietnamese Buddhist nuns. Their mock porkbelly is dope.
Their vegan meat is amazing 🤤
Yeah that place is good. I was there last week and had that mock pork belly.
I was there yesterday
Bye and Bye, Kati, Boxcar Pizza, Virtuous Pie, Ben and Esther's, Next Level Burger
Took my vegetarian daughter to Dirty Lettuce and she and I (meat eater) enjoyed everything we got.
Jade Rabbit!
X1000. Vegan dim-sum is a gift
El Gaucho
Someone else mentioned it but I’m going to say it anyway, the bye and bye is awesome. Their other spot, Victorias bar, is also awesome.
my wife and I just went for brunch last weekend and OH MY GOD it was so freaking good!!!
This is what I was about to comment!
The bye and bye removing the soy curl wrap is a crime I cannot support.
Yeah. That wrap rocked. I swear Victorias had it last time I was there but I’m not 100% sure
They have the buffalo cauliflower wrap which is also delicious. Just not the soy curl
I had it just the other day. It’s great.
G love
Epif!
dc vegetarian’s italian sub with pickles and extra mayo is my favorite sandwich in portland. their buffalo soy curl sub, when it’s on the specials menu, is somehow even better
Lilla is amazing vegan Italian restaurant in SE
Vahn Hanh was #1 by miles when the Buddhist nuns were cooking..best chow mein in Portland..it is still great but it went from best to arguably best.
Mirisata is incredible
Came here to pump this one. I do it whenever I can!! Quality every goddamn time.
Honestly, I disagree. I went the other day and the service was EXTREMELY poor (I'm talking like an hour for food and they got our order wrong), and the food was just okay. It wasn't innovative vegan food at all, just seemed like various steamed veggies and curries. 6.5/10, would have been a 7/10 if it wasn't so cold by the time it got to us.
Some others I haven’t seen posted: Rad Magic subs, best friends juice bar, Gnarlys, wicked garden alchemy, garden monsters
Van Hahn, Yuan Su Vegetarian, Thunderbird, Next Level Burger, and NutriTaco, Homegrown Smokehouse, and the food cart pod in St. John's, as well as the piknik park food carts in sellwood
Homegrown Smoker is not in Oregon anymore.
Aw dang bummer
In no particular order vegetarian/vegan restaurants I like: - Off The Griddle (breakfast) - Van Hanh (vegan Asian cuisine run by Buddhist nuns) - Norah (vegan Asian) - Gnarly's (food truck) - Black Water - Bye & Bye (vegan bar) - Obon Shokudo (Japanese vegan)
Perfect list!
Van Hahn, Yuan Su Vegetarian, Thunderbird, Next Level Burger, and NutriTaco, Homegrown Smokehouse, and the food cart pod in St. John's, as well as the piknik park food carts in sellwood
Mama du- oh wait no fermenter 😭
Rad Magic Subs just opened a brick & mortar and they are so goddamn delicious. Life changing in my opinion. Highly highly recommend it!!!
Their steak and shrooms sandwich is the best sandwich I've had in 15 years.
Kati for real Thai!
Sudra has been great for a decade.
Yuan Su is the best vegan Chinese I’ve ever had! It’s a little ways out, but 1000% worth the trip. I dream about their orange chicken.
Cafe Eleven, delicious coffee and tasty sandwiches that’s all vegetarian with vegan options
Maruti! They have some of the best Indian food in the city!
Norah is probably my current fave!! XO Bar is definitely worth checking out too
I’m so surprised that Norah isn’t higher up! I think it’s the most creative and delicious food in town these days. Love XO Bar too
Jade Rabbit 💯
* JoJo's is good. * Fermenter was awesome. They changed from their previous format to an Italian restaurant. Still vegan and full of fermented foods I think. Probably worth a try. * Hungry Sasquatch over in Vancouver WA has delicious vegan pizza * 3 Howls is a full vegan restaurant owned by (and next door to) Hungry Sasquatch. It's good.
I am not vegetarian or vegan but I like good flavors and will eat vegan if it is good. So this is what I like. Jade Rabbit, phenomenal flavors based on Taiwanese cuisine and beautiful presentation. Their char sui bao is almost imperceptible from a traditional pork version. But it is a little pricey and you should make a reservation. Van Hanh, run by Vietnamese Buddhist nuns, great food, sometimes a little heavy, much more of a home style of cooking. Large portions. Mis Tacones, vegan taqueria, it appears that they make everything fresh, though I can't say that for certain. It just looks and tastes that way. It's good stuff! Dove Vivi, vegan pizza, the roasted corn is banger. They also have meat options and gluten free options. Navarre: A tiny tapas spot, not strictly vegetarian but a lot of options being a tapas spot. Everything there is great. How can a plate of roasted julienned carrots be amazing? I don't know, but it is! Pho Van (82nd Ave), It's not a vegetarian spot, but they have a lot of options and I have never had a complaint from vegetarian friends I took there. They also have "Pho Van Fresh" in the Pearl district with a slightly different menu.
I'm vegetarian and cooked at a couple of these places My go-to's were pretty much: Kati Mirisata Thunderbird Maruti Yuan Su Dirty Lettuce I don't like Harlow, but it will inevitably get recommended a lot.
A million times I will say Dirty Lettuce! Vegetarian southern soul food, and I am from the south so I can attest. Seasoned super well and made by fellow southerners. Love that place!
I guess I’m the only one but I haven’t heard of Portland restaurants getting recognition lately can someone show me what that’s about? I mean I’ve seen that happen many times over the years but nothing current.
2 restaurants just got some james bears award Some magazine said portland was in the top 10 best food cities in the world Another magazine said we're the best pizza city in the country... I'm sure there's been more
Thank you. I remember back when the food section of the NYT did an extensive cover story about how it was such a Mecca here for restaurants and how easy and (comparably) cheap is was to set up yeah that caused a lot of new folks to move here. Best pizza in the country huh? That’s high praise. Not sure I can agree but it is damn good. Thanks for the reply : )
Ben & Esthers
Uncle Tsangs in sellwood is amazing. Super adorable and their imitation pork belly is to die for!
The best vegan places in town, hands down are Norah (vegan thai, sooo good), Gnarly's (vegan burgers, just insane), and Lilla (vegan Italian-- never misses). I'm honestly picky and have high standards, lol.
Daily fuel off Belmont and 34th Ave
Tartuca
Uchu has a wonderful assortment of vegan/vegetarian sushi rolls.
Ben and Esthers!!!
AKADI 😍 oh my gosh...
low tide has the best vegetarian/vegan mexican food ever! the caramelized mushroom bowl is 10/10.
Salad bar
Where is that?