One would think that being vegan in Portland would be more than easy, that Portland would be the perfect place to take veganism on a test drive.
Yes I, Teddi Faller, have fallen off the vegan wagon. Hard. In fact, I’m eating cheese and pineapple pizza as I type. Obviously, I have no excuse considering I’m an adult who is more than capable of buying food, or at least practicing the willpower to not succumb to superfluous foods with dairy in them, e.g. snacks. But as I was walking to the Veggie Grill at 508 SW Taylor during my class break, I realized how many places there must be in Portland that would encourage me to return to veganism.
So naturally I bookmarked dozens of vegan restaurants in the Portland metropolitan area:
- Veggie Grill: Obviously. I’d gone to one in San Diego and the one out in Tanasbourne, and they never fail to impress. Plus, who doesn’t like to feel holy while eating buffalo sauce?
- Loving Hut: I’ve already been here thrice, and like Veggie Grill, I’d gone to one of its franchises in San Diego. Although the menu changes with each franchise, it’s a quick and inexpensive way to grab some vegan grub.
- Los Gorditos: I can’t argue with a Mexican restaurant that has an entire page of its menu dedicated to vegan items like the Garbage Burrito ($8) with soy cheese, soyrizo, tofu, beans, rice, red and green salsa, onion, and cilantro.
- Sonny Bowl: If you’re in Portland, then you have to have a go-to food cart such as Sonny Bowl which serves hearty bowls in large or small sizes like the “Black Bean Bowl.” For $4 (small) or $7 (large), you get “black beans, cilantro-lemon sauce, kale, tahini dressings, jicama-carrot-radish slaw in cumin-lime dressing, and walnut faux-rizo atop basmati rice. Sounds pretty fancy for a food cart, right?
- Petunia’s Bakery: Every vegan – really every person, but when you’re vegan it’s extra hard – needs a good bakery that she can depend on without getting anxiety over going out with her friends. It serves all the usuals like snickerdoodles ($2.75 each) and Black and White cake ($7.99 per slice). Sure the prices seem a little bougie, but what’s indulgence without indulgent-level prices?
Although there’s a million places for a burgeoning vegan, or born-again, to go to in Portland, I’m having a hard time falling in line. But now that I’ve made this list, I’ve a new drive to return to veganism. Perhaps I’ve found my New Years resolution?