Since becoming Vegan I have heard so many good things about Portland, Oregon. Apparently the VEGAN scene is huge there! I had to make may way up there sooner rather than later! So Sean and I planned out 2 whole days dedicated to stuffing our faces with as much Vegan food as possible! This mini trip was solely just to EAT, and we sure did!
We left Salt Lake City, jumped on an Airplane and flew to Portland!
DAY 1
After getting our rental car from the airport, we decided that our first stop was to grab lunch at BLOSSOMING LOTUS
They serve organic vegan fusion dishes, including some raw foods, served in a casual, stylish room with a bar. (Completely Vegan Menu)
Sean ordered the Cheeseburger:
A lentil-walnut burger, muenster cheese, mixed greens, tomato, red onion, house-made tomato ketchup & roasted garlic aioli on a sesame-poppy seed bun.
I ordered the Live Nachos:
Which are spicy live chips, nacho cheese sauce, pecan chorizo, onions, tomatoes, scallions, avocado, cashew sour crema, cilantro & lime.
Seriously without a doubt the best Nachos I have ever tasted in my life!
Next up we decided to drive 30 minutes outside of Portland to walk around a famous Tulip Festival at WOODEN SHOE TULIP FARM
If you are in the area during March and April I highly recommend going to this beautiful farm! It was completely stunning and had cute little benches to sit on, perfect photo op! Plus there was a windmill, pink tractors, a wooden shoe train for kids, and a market to buy fresh flowers and gifts! It was tulip heaven!
Prepare yourself for mega beautiful Tulip pictures, but I promise there is a lot more vegan Portland food adventures below, just keep scrolling!
My hunter boots really came in handy because it was super muddy due to all the rain!
Dare to be different... Orange rose inside the Pink tulips...
Yes I know I said this was a dedicated FOODIE trip, but we had to make a stop here! I mean come on, just look at it! Plus they only bloom for a few weeks each year.
Next up we checked into our hotel. We stayed at the KIMPTON HOTEL MONACO in Portland, because it was central to a lot of the downtown restaurants we were planning on eating at, and because I love seeing dogs roam around the hotel! A very dog friendly hotel!
Photo courtesy of Hotel Monaco Portland
We unpacked, freshened up after our muddy adventure at the Tulip Farm and walked around Downtown to grab dessert.
We stopped at VOODOO DOUGHNUT
(Partial Vegan Menu)
We arrived around 3pm and there was barely a line, which apparently is very rare. This shop is open 24hours a day and is constantly busy! But we lucked out I guess. The bottom level of there case is filled with vegan options. We bought:
Traditional glaze,
Apple Fritter
Chocolate Glaze
Butterfinger
My favorite was the Glaze and Sean enjoyed the Apple Fritter. But to be completely honest... I don't believe it was worth the hype. I personally have had better tasting vegan doughnuts. They were yummy but if I were to come back and see the line half way around the block, I wouldn't wait in line.
Then we walked over to grab some Ice Cream... hahaha... even though we were full!
I heard that SALT & STRAW was Portland's new "it" Ice Cream shop, so we decided to check it out. They only had one Vegan Ice Cream flavor, Roasted Strawberry Coconut. It did not disappoint, so delicious!
(Partial Vegan Menu)
After snacking on a few desserts, we walked back to our hotel to drop off the rest of the doughnuts... we were saving the rest for our plane ride home. Got in our rental car and headed over the bridge to NO BONES BEACH CLUB
Walking into this lively, two-story space takes you out of the rainy weather of Portland and into tiki cocktails amidst tropical decor. This is a fun vegan spot that serves imaginative accented snacks, sandwiches, tacos and entrees alongside classic tiki cocktails and craft brews.
(Completely Vegan Menu)
The wait to get a table was quick but the service to receive our food was incredibly long, which was a bit annoying. And I apologize for the quality of photos, the lighting was terrible. If you are not a fan of dark moody themed restaurants, then this is not for you. You will need to pull out your cell phone to see your entree or ask to sit by a window.
I ordered their Grilled Volcano Roll:
Which has spicy white beans, red pepper, scallion, sesame & cucumber with nori, crunchy peas, cabbage, carrots, wasabi mayo, sweet soy glaze.
It was pretty good, but in my opinion it had too much mayo in it. I felt like I was eating a cream cheese roll.
Sean ordered the Crispy Stuffed Poblano Pepper:
It had refried white beans, jackfruit carnitas, spinach, tomatillo-avocado sauce, cashew crema
Next up we drove down to a dedicated Vegan Cheese shop called VTOPIA
We were still so full from all the food we ate today but I just had to try their housemade cheeses! We ordered a cheese platter and were able to choose as many cheeses as we wanted to sample. It cost $5 per cheese wedge and was served with crackers, fruit, and olives.
I asked if they shipped out of state because I was so in love with all the cheeses, but sadly they do not.
My favorite was the Dill and Sean loved the Cheddar.
(Completely Vegan Menu)
At this point we could barely breathe. We had stuffed our selves to the brim! We decided to make a stop at the famous POWELLS BOOKSTORE to try and walk off some of our food before heading back to the hotel.
We grabbed a few books for Graham and explored the multiple levels and areas of this massive bookstore! It reminded me a bit of FOX Books from the movie You've Got Mail.
Photo Courtesy of Powells Books
DAY 2
We woke up still full from yesterday but got ready for another fun filled foodie day in Portland. We decided to pack our bags and check out of the hotel in the morning, since we knew we probably wouldn't have time to later that evening. Our goal was to cram in as much vegan food as we could!
For Breakfast we headed over to HARLOW
They serve gluten-free, organic vegetarian and vegan fare in a vintage-inspired dining room.
(Partial Vegan Menu)
We started with drinks:
I ordered the Harlow Latte with organic trailhead roasters coffee & cashew-hazelnut milk.
Sean ordered the Holy Terror Mary with Monopolowa vodka and their signature mary mix served on the rocks with a salt rim and house pickled vegetables.
For our Breakfast entrees:
I ordered the Harlow Rancheros Farm Fresh. You get the choice of poached eggs or smokey tempeh or seasoned jackfruit. I chose the Jackfruit. It is served over corn tortillas with ranchero sauce, stewed black beans & corn, kale, guacamole, jalapeño cashew cheese, fresh cilantro & pickled jalapeños.
Sean ordered the Outlaw Scramble. You get the choice of farm fresh eggs or smokey tempeh or seasoned jackfruit. Sean chose jackfruit. It was scrambled with chipotle black bean chili, dark greens, spinach, guacamole, pepitas, scallions, cilantro & jalapeño cashew chz, served with rice or quinoa.
This place was top notch in the breakfast department. Everything we tasted from the drinks to the entrees and my little side order of their Carrot Cupcake was divine!
After breakfast we decided to walk down the street outside the restaurant and just browse the hip little area of Hawthorne.
Next up was the moment I had been waiting for since we planned this trip! We were headed to a Vegan Strip Mall! Thats right... a row of shops dedicated to everything vegan! Oh I was so giddy! We pulled up right before 10am so we had to wait in our car a minute for the shops to open. I felt like I was at the beginning entrance to Disneyland or something!
The first shop we went into was SWEETPEA BAKING COMPANY.
It is a vegan bakery featuring wedding cakes, baked goods & light fare like soups and sandwiches.
I wanted to try it all but again I was so full! So I grabbed a Chocolate Chip Cookie to nibble on and Sean ordered a Latte with Almond Milk.
Hopping on over to the shop next door, HERBIVORE CLOTHING COMPANY
It is a small shop that sells eco-friendly T-shirts & leather-free shoes, belts & bags, plus vegan cookbooks, and the best Vegan memes/phrase stickers!
I bought a book for Graham called "Thats Why We Don't Eat Animals." It is by the same author of our favorite book, "V is for Vegan." You can find the links to these books on the right side bar of my blog. I also purchased a black sweatshirt that says, "Be Kind Especially to Animals" and a blue zip up hoodie labeled "Herbivore." Plus a darling heart shaped necklace with "VEGAN" engraved in the center.
Onto the next shop, which was a Vegan Grocery store called FOOD FIGHT!
Its a supermarket specializing in animal-free junk foods, frozen entrees, household products, supplements & fresh produce.
Oh my goodness I couldn't stop smiling! I told the clerk I was so happy to be here and that I wish each city had a large dedicated Vegan Grocery store just like this!
I tried to purchase as much as my suitcase allowed, but I was able to take home;
Peppered Jerky
Chocolate Chip Animal Crackers
Black Bean & Lime Soup
Chocolate Covered Caramels
Mini Peanut Butter Cracker Sandwiches
Mini Marshmallows
After leaving the amazing Mini Vegan Strip Mall, we drove out of Portland to do some sightseeing since we couldn't consume any more food at the moment. Don't worry we still had a few more places to stop before we flew home... keep scrolling!
I had seen wonderful pictures of the falls online and insisted we stop here while in Oregon. The drive out of Portland and into MULTNOMAH FALLS was beautiful. As you are driving the Columbia River Gorge is on your left and random little waterfalls running down the cliffs to your right.
We stopped and parked in their designated area and walked under the bridge up towards the falls. At the base of Multnomah Falls, is the Historic Multnomah Falls Lodge where you can relax, eat, or inquire at the visitor information center. We didn't stop inside the lodge because we were just too full and wanted to save room in our stomachs for more vegan food in Portland.
The fall was beautiful with bright green moss growing on every rock, tree and branch. The walking path up to the bridge was closed due to a fire in September 2017, that grew to 3,000 acres overnight and ultimately reached 48,831 acres. The lodge below was saved from the fire.
As we drove back towards Portland we made one more stop at a famous look out point called, VISTA HOUSE. It is only a few miles away from Multnomah Falls. In fact there is actually a road above the highway that connects the two locations, but it is currently closed due to that fire incident.
The windy drive up the mountain to the look out point was beautiful. It was fun to see homes and farms with incredible views of the river. When we arrived we parked our car and looked out upon the river, and then made our way into the house to view the historic building and its artifacts.
Vista House is a museum at Crown Point in Multnomah County, Oregon, that also serves as a memorial to Oregon pioneers and as a comfort station for travelers on the Historic Columbia River Highway.
Look out point towards Multnomah Falls.
Look out point towards Portland
As we made our way back down to the highway, we quickly stopped off at a small look out post to view the Vista House from another angle. If you look to the top right of the photo you can see the dome building on the cliff.
We drove back to downtown Portland and grabbed lunch at BRIDGEPORT BREW PUB.
It is a 2-story, industrial-chic space that serves craft brewery and upscale bar food.
(Partial Vegan Menu)
For drinks:
I ordered a Moscow Mule with Franklin vodka, ginger beer, & lime.
Sean ordered a beer off tap, Multi Ball Double IPA
Our lunch entrees:
I ordered the Vegan Bowl with added Avocado.
It was filled with organic quinoa, black beans, grilled OTA tofu, kale, sweet potato, edamame, red peppers & green onions and topped with sesame carrot salad & spicy cashew sauce.
It was so freaking delicious! I was honestly surprised with how fresh it tasted and with so much flavor for being served at a Brew Pub!
Sean ordered The Wallace Burger.
It had House-made Vegan 1000 Island Dressing, But the “Cheeseburger” was actually smoked tofu, brown rice, onions, spices & oats topped with locally made Heidi Ho Vegan Chia Cheese. Plus shredded lettuce & marinated red cabbage on a vegan wheat bun with a Miso vinaigrette side salad.
We only had time for one more quick stop! I was conflicted on where to to go because I had so many places I wanted to visit and taste. Luckily our waitress at Bridgeport was incredibly nice and told us we needed to visit BACK TO EDEN BAKERY & CAFE.
This is a cute little snug dessert shop/bakery with vegan & gluten-free ice cream, pastries, soups, wraps & smoothies.
(Completely Vegan Menu)
I was so glad that this was our final stop on our Vegan Food Adventure, because it did not disappoint!
I ordered:
Oatmeal Creme Whoopie Pie (soy free)
Krispy Rice Square (soy and refine sugar free)
Olive Oil Rosemary Mini Bundt with Lemon Glaze (soy free)
That Oatmeal Creme Pie was by far one of the best desserts I have ever tasted! My mouth is drooling for one right now!
And then sadly we had to return home, but we were excited to see Graham and give him his gifts!
It was an incredible 2 days filled with amazing Vegan food! We stuffed ourselves so much that I didn't want to eat for a day and a half, I was so full!
We will definilty have to make it back up to Portland soon to finish up the restaurants we were not able to try, like...
AVIV (Israeli & Middle Eastern)
BLACK WATER BAR (Punk and Metal themed Bar)
CAPITOL (Kaleidoscopic colorful Bar)
VIRTUOUS PIE (plant based Pizza)
Honestly everything was really really delicious, and I highly recommend making a trip up to Portland to try out all the Vegan options they have to offer, because its overwhelming good!
My absolute favorite dish from our trip was a tie between the Live Nachos from Blossoming Lotus and the Oatmeal Creme Whoopie Pie from Back to Eden!
Seans favorite dish was the Cheeseburger from Blossoming Lotus.
Shop all my Portland outfits and accessories HERE
Have you been to Portland? What is your favorite restaurant in the area?
xoxo
