Portland, OR is easily one of the most vegan-friendly places in America. From boutique natural food stores to hole-in-the-wall cafes, there’s a vegan spot for all your cravings. The variety of vegan food isn’t exclusive to the city, either. Many of Portland’s neighboring cities and their surrounding suburbs house some amazing, affordable vegan menus as well. The best part about an abundance of vegan options? Even non-vegan restaurants have caught on and are offering them on their menus. This means that in Portland, you never have to stress over where to grab a bite-- even with a big group!
In this week’s journal post I’m going to cover my top five favorite vegan restaurants in Portland (though I could easily make it a top 10). If you’ve been wanting to explore plant-based food or are already plant-based but unfamiliar with the area, I hope this post takes some of the guesswork out of deciding where to go!
Note: these are listed in descending order, with #1 being my top suggestion!
- Homegrown Smoker
Vegan barbecue and comfort food...need I say more? This is definitely heavier fare so it’s a great option for those hungover Sundays, cheat days, or gettin’ your grub on just because you feel like it! Between fried pickles, chili cheese fries and a burrito with mac & cheese inside, your taste buds will be left happy and your belly full! Just be aware that they’re closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
My recommendations:
- Pep Boi Burger, Chili Mac, Philthy Nocheese
- DC Vegetarian
Your favorite childhood sandwiches, a kids menu, and breakfast all day?! What more do I have to say. This joint started as a food cart and became so popular that it got its own brick-and-mortar location (without losing their food cart prices). From the bagels and schmear to unique spins on classic sammies and sides, you’re bound to find a few new favorite dishes. Bonus: they let you sub avocado for cheese at NO COST. Livin’ the dream.
My recommendations:
- Brunch: Breakfast Muffin (only $5!), Bagel with Veggies
- Lunch/Dinner: The War Eagle, Cajun Chicken Po Boy Sub
- Off the Griddle (formerly A.N.D. café)
Offering both vegan and vegetarian options, this is a great choice for you and your plant-based bestie or you and your mom, who doesn’t really get the whole vegan thing. The atmosphere is diner-like and the food packs a punch. During brunch hours they have fun mimosa flavors like Guava, and their dinner menu includes various loaded fry options, vegan milkshakes, and happy hours from 4-6pm and 9pm-close. Sadly they’re closed on Tuesdays, but that won’t stop you from a weekend boozy brunch!
My recommendations:
- Brunch: Brunch Wrap Supreme, Mushroom Melt Waffle
- Lunch/Dinner: Smokey Bleu Burger, Goddess Wrap
- Aviv
This Middle-Eastern gem is just that, a gem. Tucked away in a cozy location, Aviv can be hard to spot if you’re just searching out and about. They turn both traditional Israeli recipes and Israeli fusion cuisine into plant-based heaven, including fresh-baked pastries and pita. To make sure they cover all flavors and moods, there are separate menus for Brunch, Daytime, and Dinner. Also for sale here is local Gonzo Hummus, made with Northwest-grown chickpeas; the flavors they carry vary, but I can never leave without grabbing a tub (or three).
My recommendations:
- Brunch: Smothered Bourekas, Tal’s Chilaquiles
- Lunch/Dinner: Shawarma Fries, White Sangria, Truffle Mac & Cheese (but I promise, any option will leave your tummy satisfied)
- No Bones Beach Club
This is my holy grail. My numero uno. Think of your favorite beach cafe and swap the fresh-caught fish with jackfruit crab cakes and fried avocado tacos instead of mahi mahi. If you like crispy (and I mean brown) hash browns, you will get a kick out of their brunch menu. Revamping classic dishes by adding unexpected spices and flavors to them is No Bones’ specialty. Not to mention their accurate and subtly sassy slogan: Just because it’s vegan, doesn’t mean it sucks! If that doesn’t encourage you to go against the grain and experience delicious plant-based cuisine on your own terms, then I don’t know what will.
My recommendations:
- Brunch: Big Kahuna Bagel; Pipeline Benedict
- Lunch/Dinner: Northwest Nachos; Bahn-Dot-Com
There are simply too many good vegan spots in PDX not to give a few honorable mentions, so here they are in no particular order:
- Blossoming Lotus; not only do they have a diverse brunch menu, but also some of the tastiest Thai fusion options for dinner and lunch. My go-to are the Live Nachos. Check out their menu here: https://blpdx.com/lunch-and-dinner/
- Sizzle Pie; this local pizza joint isn’t primarily plant-based, so this is a great option for big groups of friends or your bestie who loves cheese n’ meat. They have different vegan slices in shop depending on the day, but you can get any pizza off their menu delivered to you whenever! P.S. their garlic knots are heaven-sent.
- Blue Star Donuts; these babies are fresh, local, and unique. They’re a hot commodity in Portland, and close shop once they sell out of what they’ve baked for the day. Make sure you get here early if you want your choice of flavors.
If you have any questions regarding the places mentioned, send a DM to @treemyriah or @dgwithlove-- we’re happy to chat about other options in the city, too! Grab your girlfriends, your partner, or any vegan skeptics and let us know what you think of these spots! Happy grubbing!