Boxcar-vegan-pizza-restaurant-food_krwegc Where to Find the Best Vegan Food in Portland — Boxcar’s Head-On Collision, made with vegan sausage and pepperoni.

Portland is a vegan and vegetarian food capital. It’s one of the most widely discussed aspects of the city’s culinary scene, whether it’s being parodied in a puerile Portlandia sketch or heralded by vegan site The Happy Cow and aggregator WalletHub (ignore the fact that we’ve dropped to third place in the latter’s estimation). We have vegan bars, vegan bakeries, vegan coffee shops. We even have a vegan strip club, which feels a bit like self-parody. Some serve commercial meat substitutes or make their own faux chicken and catfish; others avoid imitative products and instead celebrate the inherent flavors of vegetables, fungi, fruits, and grains.

Each of Portland’s vegan spots has its own combination of reasons for avoiding animal products: allergies, animal welfare, environmental concerns, diets. The through line is a heartfelt belief that “vegan” isn’t some kind of disqualifier. Anyone can feast, imbibe, and nourish themselves—on breakfast sandwiches and late-night bar snacks, greasy fast-food and artfully plated tasting menus—without consuming animal products.

And there are a lot of vegan restaurateurs and chefs in town, enough to overwhelm even the most dedicated herbivore. To that end, we’ve organized our favorite places serving food made entirely free of animal products by mealtimes, with a few bars at the end for good measure. Pizza also gets its own section; Portland has a lot of vegan pizza.

We’re saving most of the vegan sweets for another list, so if you don’t see your favorite dairy-free bakery on here, that’s why.

For BREAKFAST OR BRUNCH

Best Friend Juice Bar & Cafe

Creston-kenilworth, hosford-abernethy

Best Friend’s Gladstone café and Division Street food cart are where to go for everyday vegan pick-me-ups, like the Carmela Soprano latte, with coconut caramel, functional cordyceps mushrooms, and your choice of plant-based milk. The Margaux Mango smoothie is another favorite; it amps up your typical mango smoothie with turmeric, black pepper, and bee pollen. For something to nosh, try the avocado salad rolls, raw-sugar tahini truffles, and Samoa-inspired cookies for a very portable brunch. —Katherine Chew Hamilton

Doe Donuts

hollywood

Thanks to Doe Donuts, vegans can now start their day with a sugary deep-fried treat, all crispy on the outside and soft and springy inside. The chic little doughnut shop serves year-round flavors like the Portland Fog—earl grey and vanilla—and the namesake Doe, a strawberry milk doughnut with sprinkles. Check out the seasonal gingerbread tres leches in winter and the mango sticky rice option in the summer (there’s actual sticky rice inside). They also serve doughnut breakfast sandwiches; ice cream doughnut sandwiches, with housemade vegan ice cream; and even savory takes that stretch the definition of “doughnut,” like potato-stuffed samosa ones and a vegan Philly cheesesteak served on an unglazed doughnut roll. —Alex Frane

For lunch

Chilango

Concordia

Mexico City pride abounds at Chilango, a staple on Alberta Street serving vegan dishes from the country’s capital. Quesadillas made with blue corn tortillas ooze housemade almond queso. Tacos sport crispy jackfruit suadero, hibiscus mole negro, and a rich pumpkin seed mole verde. Thick, crackly sopes topped with veggie chorizo and potato are decadently comforting. And you can’t leave without a cup of limey esquites and a boozy horchata. —KCH

Dirty Lettuce

Cully

Chef Alkebulan Moroski grew up in Mississippi, a state that’s just a little more famous for its meats than its vegan dining. And yet that state’s culinary heritage is clear in the soul food at Dirty Lettuce, where Moroski makes Southern staples, fried catfish to barbecue ribs, primarily with seitan. Newbies should start with a plate, which groups two sides around a main, like the sticky barbecue ribs, flaky and tender catfish, or the springy fried calamari and scallops made from oyster mushrooms. But you’ll also want to sample the popcorn chicken, made with a classic Southern spice blend; each morsel is the perfect delivery vessel for the housemade sauces, like the Comeback Sauce, all rich, creamy, and slightly sweet with a bit of kick. —AF

Rad Magic Subs

creston-kenilworth

The Miracle Legion and the Classic are a good way to find your footing at this vegan deli: two traditionally minded approaches to sandwich building loaded up with soy-based cold cuts and cheeses, as well as the essential pepperoncini, shredded lettuce, tomato, and onion. When the meatball special is on the menu, grab it—the herby Italian “meatballs” are layered with melty, gooey “cheese” and chunky tomato sauce with a clever scattering of capers. Like any good deli, sandwiches here are a filling meal on their own, but the “bacon”-wrapped dates are worth checking out. —AF

for pizza time

Boxcar-vegan-pizza-restaurant-food-pesto_pcw4of Where to Find the Best Vegan Food in Portland — Boxcar

Boxcar Pizza

kerns

Detroit-style pizza (square, sauce on top) is all the rage, and vegans have a worthy destination for it tucked inside the busy Zipper food court. At Boxcar, the crust is crisp around the edges and pillowy in the middle, and the plant-based cheese is perfectly oozy—just a slice or two will fill you up. Along with classic tomato sauce numbers, look for wacky combos, like the cheeseburger pizza that tastes like a deconstructed In-N-Out burger. —KCH

Secret Pizza Society

montavilla

A friendly, counter-service restaurant in sleepy Montavilla, Secret Pizza Society rocks some serious Old-School Portland charm. Its snug space is strewn with local art pieces and mismatched furniture, and a stream of customers picking up their orders—it’s primarily a take-out spot, and you can even order pies as take-and-bake. Pizzas are 10 inches, their crusts golden, glossy, and on the crunchier side. Secret’s pizzaiolos load them up with nutty cashew cheeses and salty faux meats, serving classics like pepperoni and basil alongside novel combos like the Chalupa Batman: piles of crumbled tofu, tomato slices, and chipotle pesto, topped with cilantro and a generous drizzle of chipotle crema. Secret Pizza Society also quietly offers one of the best date-night deals in town: two pizzas and two large salads for less than $35. —AF

Virtuous Pie

Hosford-Abernethy

Arguably, the two most important aspects of pizza are the sauce and the crust. Virtuous Pie does a stellar job here, with a slightly tangy, chewy crust and a sauce that balances the sweetness of tomato paste and subtle spice of red pepper. Diehards and snobs might turn their noses up at the idea of dairy-free mozzarella and cashew ricotta, but they would be missing out: Even the sprinkled “parmesan” is as nutty and salty as the real thing, especially next to the mock meats, like a smoky and spicy pepperoni. The pizzas hold up surprisingly well for breakfast the next morning (always a good sign), and are the perfect warm-up for Virtuous Pie’s own vegan ice cream. Take it to go or dine at the spacious, industrial dining room filled with reclaimed oak. —AF

for Dinner

Astera

Buckman

The corner of SE 14th and Belmont has seen a number of projects from Aaron Adams, one of the most prominent chefs in Portland’s vegan culinary scene. But through pandemic-era pivots and personal revisions, Astera has arrived at this intimate dining room that strikes a balance between eccentric decor and welcoming warmth. Reservations are often filled weeks in advance, which conjures memories of Adams’s earlier project, Farm Spirit. Don’t expect any imitation meats or their ilk: Astera is far more concerned with what Adams calls the “horticultural cuisine of Cascadia,” whether it’s a lobster mushroom cavatelli, chicories dressed in a funky miso dressing, or a savory sunchoke soup with sunchoke dumplings. Pro tip: Kann’s Gregory Gourdet is a big fan of the fermented, nonalcoholic drinks. —AF

Mirisata

buckman

The only Sri Lankan restaurant we know of in Portland is also one of the few worker-owned restaurants in town, making it easy to root for. Sri Lankan street foods are a good start, like flaky roti stuffed with cashew cheese, Impossible meatballs, and fried “fish” patties that get their oceanic flavor from brined banana blossom and dulse. They also serve a craveable vegan take on the popular Sri Lankan crispy-fried beef or mutton rolls. But our go-to is the rice and curry plate, a feast for one or a group on a banana leaf: five curries ring around yellow rice, crispy papadam, and sambols for dabbing on each bite (we also dig the pol sambol, a spicy, shredded coconut condiment). —KCH

Norah

Sunnyside, Vernon

From complex curries to silky noodles, Norah’s Thai-leaning, pan-Asian dishes conjure extraordinary depth despite their lack of animal products. The whole head of cauliflower in spicy, coconutty curry knocks every sad cauliflower steak out of the water. Something of a wild card, the coconut mushroom linguine slinks in a chile-kissed, creamy galangal sauce that pops with lime. You’ll also find some of the best pad thai in town here: snappy rice noodles wear a sweet, sour, and salty sauce and sit with every vegan protein you could want, Just Egg to seitan to fried tofu cubes. Cocktails don’t shy away from replicating animal products either, like the Norah Sour that swaps aquafaba for egg white. —KCH

Obon Shokudo

Buckman

Japanese comfort food abounds here, with everything made from scratch. Onigiri is a menu staple, combining sprouted rice with off-the-wall misos, like Buddha’s hand–hominy and ginger-pistachio. But our go-to is the udon, made in-house and wonderfully chewy and silky. Get it in a rich curry broth or order it cold in the summer with dipping sauce. Bento plates are happy, carb-loaded affairs, combining onigiri, crisp sweet potato korokke fritters, and giant tater tots with creamy dill sauce. —KCH

miss-tacones-tacos-best-vegan-food_yj29of Where to Find the Best Vegan Food in Portland — The famous tacos at Mis Tacones.

Mis Tacones

vernon

What started as a bimonthly vegan pop-up serving seitan tacos is today a buzzing restaurant on Killingsworth. The menu feels endless: seitan al pastor nachos, satisfyingly chewy seitan carne asada tacos on fluffy Three Sisters Nixtamal tortillas; weekends see breakfast quesadillas stuffed with scrambled tofu, potatoes, and peppers and drizzled with cashew crema. Cocktails, bright with mango and strawberry and chamoy, come with or without booze. But the fun-loving vibe and deep LGBTQ+ roots at Mis Tacones, which translates to “My Heels,” are the biggest draw. A GoFundMe campaign launched the brick-and-mortar and that sense of community radiates through the space. —KCH

For bar dining

The Bye and Bye

king

RIP to Belmont’s Sweet Hereafter, but the vegan cocktail bar is survived by its sister bar, Alberta’s the Bye and Bye, which maintains a similarly warm, exposed-wood mood in an industrialish room. The deal here is familiar: Youthful bargoers sip peach-flavored mason jar drinks and dig into brown rice bowls piled with barbecue tofu and cabbage slaw or nutritional yeast tofu with broccoli and spicy peanut sauce. On weekends, you can find crowds nursing their hangovers with vegan breakfast sandwiches, soyrizo and black bean scrambles, and avocado toast served with a basil tofu ricotta and microgreens for that delicious, “never buying a house” brunch vibe. —AF

Epif

kerns

Tucked along the busy dining row of NE 28th Avenue, Epif is a cozy, family-owned establishment filled with worn wood and wrapped with seafoam green walls. For the past decade, wife and husband Nicolle Dirks and Jose “Pepe” Arancibia have been shaking pisco sours and baking and frying empanadas for hungry date night crowds and families alike. Each empanada is golden, flaky, and hearty. Baked, vegetable-filled ones make up the lighter side of the menu, and those fried and stuffed with creamy, salty vegan cheese hold down the other end of the spectrum. It’s fun to mix and match with the salsas, like the ají verde, piquante with green chiles, or the tangy ají amarillo, with yellow chiles and bell peppers. Don’t leave without trying the desert empanadas, served with gelato. —AF

Gnarly’s at Swan Dive

buckman

Gnarly’s “Dang” burger holds the special distinction of being named one of the city’s best burgers, vegan or otherwise, by fast-food-obsessed former Simpsons writer Bill Oakley. We have to agree. Gnarly’s nails the crispy-edged smashburger texture better than its meaty competitors. Vegan cheddar drapes over the burger like a lovely, gooey blanket, topped with Thousand Island dressing. It’s reminiscent of an In-N-Out burger, but without the sad, soggy cardboard fries—instead, its corkscrew fries are perfectly crisp and golden. —KCH

The Uncanny

Boise

Looming over Mississippi Avenue in a two-story Victorian, the Uncanny offers an innovative cocktail menu paired with low-brow bar food, sans meat. The bartenders here like to get wild, building drinks with split-spirit bases and infusions, like the bourbon and coconut scotch old fashioned. For food, it’s all about the subtly spiced and golden-battered fried “chicken,” which swaps house-made seitan for poultry. On most nights, a millennial-aged crowd fills the vintage -toned dining room and spreads across the spacious covered patio, dipping their chicken strips into herbed ranch and miso-mayo and crunching into split Louisiana “hawt” sandwiches and chick’n caesar wraps. Not into vegan fried chicken? There’s always Impossible burgers and jackfruit cubanos to enjoy, as well as the classic vegan junk food treat: french fries. —AF

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