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Plainfield's Mayur
The Top List of Veggie Restaurants-Portland, OR
Portland is a haven for vegetarian, and vegan, eateries.
by Jason Berzow
Escaping the childhood mentality that says if vegetables are good for you then they must taste bad is not an easy transition to make. Horrific flashbacks of childhood dinners, everything cleared off your plate except a soggy green row of steamed broccoli, remain intact like stucco glue on the brain. Fortunately, in recent years, crusaders of the vegetarian cause have concocted a wide variety of meatless dishes sure to dispel the age-old myth that healthy vegetables can't taste good. In a city venerated for its hip, progressive population it comes as no surprise that Portland would be a haven for vegetarian, and vegan, eateries. On your next visit to the Rose City, definitely don't forget to eat your vegetables.
VITA CAFÉ - Vegan & Vegetarian
3024 NE Alberta St
(503)-335-8233
Hours: (Sun-Thu) 5:00pm-11:00pm (Fri-Sat) 5:00pm-12:00am (Sat-Sun) 8:00am-3:00pm
The proprietors of the Vita Café are most assuredly on a mission to prove that Vegan cuisine can be just as interesting, appetizing, and full of variety as any meat-focused cuisine, even more perhaps. The Vita Café, with its wood-finished booths and tribal-infused wall hangings, brings a diner-like experience to vegan eating, thus creating an atmosphere of familiarity to what is sure to be a unique dining experience. For starters, the Vita Café offers all-day Breakfast with such notable treats as Vegan Biscuits and Gravy, Vegan French Toast, and an array of different geographically categorized corn cakes. For traditional breakfast eaters, The Vita does offer the choice of eggs with any of their specialty vegetarian/vegan breakfast dishes. The Vita Café serves dinner items as well, ranging in cultural influence from American to Asian, and Mediterranean to Mexican. I recommend the Vegan Lasagna smothered in your choice of house-made Marinara, White or Pesto Sauce. To top it all off, all desserts are egg and dairy free.
Estimated Price per person $6-$15
Holiday Schedule: New Years Eve-Closed New Years Day-Closed, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Open, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed
LEAF & BEAN CAFÉ - Vegan & Vegetarian
4936 NE Fremont St
Portland, OR 97213
(503)-281-1090
Hours: (Daily) 9:00am-9:00pm
Located in Beaumont village, the Leaf & Bean's unpretentious atmosphere coupled with its equally unembellished décor makes it a very cozy fit in what is best described as a quaint part of P-town. Nevertheless, its combination of hearty vegan, vegetarian, and meat dishes, makes The Leaf & Bean Café an extraordinary and innovative addition to this section of town. With a complete listing of vegetarian salads and sandwiches, as well as a complete list of breakfast items, the Leaf & Bean is an any-time-of-day establishment. Home-made vegan and veggie soups are a definite must as is the wide range of vegetarian sandwiches. Whether you're a devout animal activist turned vegetarian, or a steak and potatoes kind of person, the Leaf & Bean has a little something for everyone.
Estimated Price per person $4.50-$10]
Holiday Schedule varies, please call first
PARADOX PALACE CAFÉ - Vegan & Vegetarian
3439 SE Belmont St
Portland, OR 97214
(503)-232-7508
Hours: (Mon, Thu-Sun) 8:00am-9:00pm (Tues-Wed) 9:00am-9:00pm
With a wide selection of traditional meat dishes prepared without the meat, this small café certainly makes a name for itself as a veritable kingdom of alternative dining. The oceanic décor lends a maritime atmosphere to the Paradox Palace Café, but you definitely won't find any seafood there. Instead feast your lips on a wide range of vegetarian delicacies like Vegetarian Lasagna, Vegan Sloppy Joes, Vegan Chili, and the always-special Tofurkey Sandwich. The Paradox Palace Café also offers a delicious breakfast menu for those patrons looking for an alternative to the typical egg breakfast. Whether serving breakfast, lunch, or dinner, the menu options are plentiful, the seating sometimes scarce, and the service at times unbearably slow. Nevertheless, The Paradox Palace Café is a great place to get "back to the garden".
Estimated Price per person-$8
Holiday schedule varies, please call first
IRON HORSE RESTAURANT- Meat and Vegetarian
6034 SE Milwaukie Ave
Portland, OR 97202
(503) 232-1826
Hours: (Tue-Thu) 11:00am-10:00pm (Fri-Sat)11:00am-11:00pm (Sun) 12:00pm-10:00pm
Perhaps best known among residents of the Sellwood-East Moreland area as a great place to sip Margaritas, The Iron Horse also serves some of the best Mexican cuisine on Portland's eastside. With a menu that boasts both meat and vegetarian dishes, the Iron Horse definitely runs the gamut of fine south of the border fare. As for vegetarian fare, The Iron Horse offers a plentiful selection of salads with your choice of meat or beans, a mouth-watering Tamale stuffed with Colorado Chili or wild domestic mushrooms, and a Veggie Burrito baked and served with enchilada sauce. Iron Horse also offers a special vegetarian combo plate for just $9.95.
Estimated Price per person-$10
Holiday Schedule: New Years Eve-Open, New Years Day-losed, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Open, Christmas Eve-closed, Christmas Day-Closed
LAUGHING PLANET CAFE - Meat, Vegetarian, and Vegan.
3320 SE Belmont Ave
Portland, OR 97214
(503)-235-6472
Hours: (Mon-Sat) 11:00am-11:00pm (Sun) 11:00am-9:00pm
With an egalitarian approach to dining that includes meat dishes, vegetarian dishes, and strictly vegan dishes, the folks at Laughing Planet are certainly laughing all the way to the bank. A Juice Bar offering a delicious selection of fresh squeezed juices graces the colorful interior of the café adding to the already healthy vibe, which is exhibited even further by a hearty menu boasting fresh soups, Quesadilla's, and Burritos, all served to your finely-tuned specifications. In addition to a healthy food outlook, The Laughing Planet Café also boasts a healthy community conscience that supports non-corporate local events and organizations. With good food and active community involvement, The Laughing Planet Café is certainly striving to make earth a happier place to be.
Estimated Price per person-$5-$10
Holiday Schedule: New Years Eve-Closed, New Years Day-Closed, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Open, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed
OASIS CAFÉ - Meat and Vegetarian
3701 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Portland, OR 97214
(503)-231-0901
Hours: (Daily) 11:00am-11:00pm
Situated on organic-friendly Hawthorne Boulevard, just a few blocks from The Daily Grind Natural Food Store, The Oasis Café is a hodgepodge eatery serving everything from Pizza to Pastries, and espresso to microbrew beers. Although most of the menu is meat-orientated, Oasis's main vegetarian attraction is properly dubbed "Mr. Toads Wild Ride," a veggie pizza smothered with artichoke hearts, mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions. Not satisfied yet? Well, what if I told you that you could make your own pizza from the Oasis's wide selection of pizza toppings. Satisfied yet? Well to top it all off The Oasis Café also offers a plentiful selection of fresh soups and salads. Either way you slice it, The Oasis Café's "Mr.Toads Wild Ride" is definitely worth a try.
Estimated Price per person: $3-$8
Holiday Schedule: New Years Eve-Open, New Years Day-Closed, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Open, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-losed
LAMTHONG ON BROADWAY - Meat and Vegetarian-No Vegan
213 SW Broadway Ave
Portland, OR 97205
(503) 223-4214
Hours: (Mon-Fri) 11:00am-2:00pm (Mon-Thu) 5:00pm-9:00pm (Fri-Sat) 5:00pm-10:00pm
Located on one of downtown Portland's busiest thoroughfares, Lamthong on Broadway is an unpretentious corner restaurant auspiciously serving some of the best Thai food in the area. The no frills atmosphere leaves only one thing to be desired, the food. Serving a traditional selection of Thai Cuisine, Lamthong offers a taste of Bangkok from their widely popular cooked to order menu. In addition to meat dishes, Lamthong has a complete vegetarian menu, including house favorites like The Vegetable Medley, a dish of sautéed vegetables in a tasty sauce served in a hot ceramic pot.
Estimated Price per person: $7-$15
Holiday Schedule: New Years Eve-Open, New Years Day-Open, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Open, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed
NICHOLAS' RESTAURANT - Vegetarian and Meat
318 SE Grand Ave
Portland, OR 97214
(503)-235-5123
Hours: (Mon-Sat) 11:00am-9:00pm (Sun) 12:00pm-7:00pm
This Middle Eastern eatery on Portland's eastside may not have the flashy décor of an upscale restaurant but the simple atmosphere lends itself perfectly to its low-priced, but far from simple cuisine. Small, intimate tables, sparsely but tastefully decorated walls, and extremely friendly service, add to the enjoyment of dining at Nicholas's. For meat-eaters and vegetarians alike, the menu at Nicholas's ranges from typical Middle Eastern cuisine to more experimental dishes, like the selection of thin-crust pizzas tinged with a taste of the Mediterranean. For vegetarians there's the simple but tasty veggie kabob served with rice, the falafel, the manakishe, a pizza with oregano, thyme, sumac, olive oil, and sesame seeds, or a mezze platter, to just name a few. Served for two, the mezze platter comes with generous portions of eggplant, hummus, grape leaves, and pita. What Nicholas's lacks in decoration it more than makes up for in food. After all, isn't that what restaurants are for?
Estimated Price per person-$10
Holiday schedule varies, please call first
PLAINFIELD'S MAYUR RESTAURANT - Meat and vegetarian
852 SW 21st Ave
Portland, OR 97205
(503)-223-2995
Hours: (Daily) 5:30pm-10:00pm
Family-owned and operated, Plainfield's, with its beautiful mansion-like exterior and elegant interior, is the Taj Majal of Indian cuisine in Portland. Serving traditional vegetarian and non-vegetarian Indian cuisine, Plainfield's has a little something for everyone. It boasts one of the larger vegetarian menus of any Portland restaurant and was named in the top twenty restaurants in the country by The Vegetarian Journal. For starters there's the Bhel Salad, a concoction of spinach, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and various Indian snacks that apparently draws huge lunch lines in Bombay, India. For entrees, Plainfield has both a vegetarian and non-vegetarian menu, serving such tasty veggie morsels as the Vegetable Bhaji, a dish of fresh seasonal vegetables and wild and farmed mushrooms sautéed with rich sauce of onions, garlic, bhaji masala, yogurt, cream and garam masala. You can check Plainfield's out at http://plainfields.com.
Estimated Price per person: $5-$20
Holiday Schedule: New Years Eve-Open, New Years Day-Open, Valentine's Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Open, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed
E-SAN THAI CUISINE - Meat and Vegetarian
133 SW Second Ave
Portland, OR 97204
(503)-223-4090
Hours: (Sun-Thu) 11:00am-10:00pm (Fri-Sat) 11:00am-11:00pm
Arguably one of the best Thai places in downtown Portland, E-San has large menu of both meat and vegetarian dishes categorized by method of cooking or type of food. Among other things like soups and salads, there's Stir Fry, Curry, and noodle dishes all served with vegetables, meat, or seafood. If you're a soup fan I'd recommend trying the Soup Puck, a lemon grass soup served with vegetables and your choice of Tofu or no Tofu. As for dinner, the generous portion Phad Thai is good but if you're a fan of spicy food, the Evil Prince is a must. Imagine a medley of vegetables smothered in red curry sauce with coconut milk and fresh basil. Yummy!
Estimated Price per person: $10-$20
Holiday schedule varies, please call first.
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