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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 Marie Richie & Jason Berzow
Vegetarians who visit from other cities marvel at the quality and variety of vegetarian and vegan food available in Portland. While it is true that some neighborhoods are more veggie-friendly than others, most restaurants have some sort of vegetarian fare other than french fries. Those that focus on vegetarian menus serve far more than soup – every type of cuisine, from international to the good ol’ American burger, are found in their kinder and gentler forms. Even meat-eaters can savor the bold flavors and high quality found at Portland’s best vegetarian restaurants.
THE FARM CAFÉ
10 SE 7th Ave.
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 736-3276
Hours: Daily, 5:00pm-12:00am
Tucked inside one of Portland’s old Victorian homes, in an otherwise uninviting neighborhood, is a truly stunning restaurant that serves local, organic ingredients in high style. Traditional American dishes are offered as sumptuous vegetarian fare. Pasta and wild-caught fish entrées are also finely seasoned and presented. The wine list provides the perfect compliment to a meal and is a very good value, to boot. Expect a leisurely meal, best enjoyed with a small course and one of the innovative cocktails offered. It can become crowded after 9pm. A focus on fine food makes The Farm a perfect place for special evenings out.
Estimated Price per entrée: $14
Holiday Schedule: New Years Eve-open, New Years Day-open, Valentine's Day-open, Easter-open, Thanksgiving-closed, Christmas Eve-closed, Christmas Day-closed
VEGANOPOLIS
412 SW Fourth Ave.
Portland, OR 97205
(503) 226-3400
Hours: (Mon-Sat) 9:00am-6:00pm
Once a busy lunch cart, Veganopolis has served artistically-rendered organic and vegan cuisine at their downtown cafeteria location since 2005. Chef David and his wife provide a 100% vegan menu that changes seasonally. The affordable menu includes the incredible corned-seitan “Ruben,” as well as, a bevy of cruelty-free deli-style sandwiches and salads. Decadent breakfast sandwiches are served all day. Before 11am, enjoy the weekday breakfast buffet. A lunch buffet follows from 11am ‘til 2pm -- both sold by the pound. Vegan-friendly convenience items are also offered. Saturday specials include upscale comfort food such as the roasted, vegan ham and savory bread pudding.
Estimated price per person: $6
Holiday Schedule: New Years Eve-closed, New Years Day-closed, Valentine's Day-open, Easter-closed, Thanksgiving-closed, Christmas Eve-closed, Christmas Day-closed
KALGA KAFÉ
4147 SE Division St.
Portland, OR 97202
(503) 236-4770
Hours: (Sun-Thu) 6:00pm-2:00am (Fri-Sat) 6:00pm-4:00am
Serving international and fusion cuisine, the Kalga’s menu is also exclusively vegetarian. The incredible variety includes handmade pizza, savory Thai plates or an impeccably spiced curry. Dark and candle-lit, their new building has plenty of cozy corners, making it a wonderful place to take a date. Locals enjoy the late night menu and drinks ‘til 4am on the weekends. Cocktails and organic wines compliment the innovative menu. Since 2002, this family-owned restaurant and bar offers something for everyone including omnivores. Ingredients are all organic, seasonal and local where possible -- even your takeout container is reusable. Your friendly server will help you choose if you can’t.
Estimated Price per entrée: $10
Holiday Schedule: New Years Eve-open, New Years Day-open, Valentine's Day-open, Easter-open, Thanksgiving-open, Christmas Eve-closed, Christmas Day-open
KINTA
3450 SE Belmont St.,
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 234-2623
Hours: (Mon-Thu) 12:00pm-3:00pm and 5:00pm-9:30pm, (Fri) 12:00pm-3:00pm and 5:00pm-10:00pm, (Sat) 12:00pm-10:00pm, (Sun) 5:00pm-9:30pm
The non-traditional Malaysian restaurant, Kinta is located in an upscale lower floor retail space beneath condos above. Generous portions and delightful spicing have drawn vegans and omnivores alike since 2006. Fresh, Vegetables of the Day are proudly displayed for you to choose from. The usual shrimp or fish sauce is omitted, though you’d never know it. Dishes are served in three categories: rice, noodle soup, and their signature noodles. Fish and chicken dishes are served as well. Check the daily specials for innovative curries and other surprises. All fruit drinks are made fresh, including dangerously good tropical cocktails.
Price per entrée: $9
Holiday Schedule: New Years Eve-open, New Years Day-open, Valentine's Day-open, Easter-open, Thanksgiving-open, Christmas Eve-closed, Christmas Day-closed
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
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
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
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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