The days of relying on salads and veggie burgers as the only vegan options are long over. Creative restaurants with all or mostly vegan menus win over diners — regardless of whether they eat meat or not — with a vast range of culinary specialties from all over the globe. Some use meat alternatives or seasonal vegetables while others find inspiration in traditional dishes. Here are some great options to explore across the state.
Global Plant-Based Cuisine in Portland and the Willamette Valley
Portland is home to a bounty of 100% vegan restaurants, many owned by people of color and opened in the last few years. For Asian cuisine in southeast Portland, you’ll love the tempura udon and Portland-made Ota tofu katsu with sake pairings at Obon Shokudo, as well as the jackfruit and potato curry croquettes at worker-owned Mirisata. Van Hanh does a vegan take on Vietnamese with curry soups, spicy noodles, orange chicken and more, all of it plant-based.
For other globally inspired tastes, check out Northeast Portland. Mis Tacones taqueria provides free meals on request to trans people of color and serves up juicy made-from-scratch tacos with seitan asada and al pastor. Chilango PDX makes a perfect meatless molé with hibiscus and pumpkin flowers, as well as an almond-based queso fresco that can’t be beat. You can always transport yourself to the Andean region of South America at Epif when you pair its empanadas or stuffed peppers with a pisco-sour flight. Seeking comfort food? You can’t go wrong with seitan catfish and collard greens at Dirty Lettuce. Fans of Detroit-style pizza won’t want to miss its vegan incarnation on sourdough at Boxcar Pizza.
For healthy but quick food, the beloved local chain Laughing Planet serves many vegan delights from chili to kale caesar salad in Eugene and Corvallis (as well as Portland and Bend). In Eugene you can also hit the streets for a meat-free Tofurky “hot dog” or Philly “cheesesteak” at Viva! Vegetarian Grill, a downtown food cart.
For breakfast in Salem, treat yourself to matcha-chocolate and lemon-poppyseed doughnut holes at Bigwig Donuts. Go out on the town and enjoy a comedy show with dinner at the Infinity Room, which features a vegan kitchen. Enjoy a meatless burger, chickpea tenders or vegan soy-sugarcane drumsticks slathered in hot sauce.
Go East of the Cascades for Great Vegan Eats
In Hood River, choose from plenty of plant-based options after a Gorge tour or hike. Refresh with kale-cucumber juice and veggie bowls drizzled with tahini at Remedy Cafe; tempeh Reubens with cashew spread and ciabatta sandwiches with roasted veggies and olive tapenade at Farm Stand in the Gorge; and pesto, sausage, and sun-dried tomato pie with a slight char and chew at Solstice Wood Fire Pizza. Riverside, which overlooks the Columbia River, features house-made veggie burgers with mushroom and smoked “Gouda,” plus cheesecakes by Portland’s Rawdacious Desserts.
In Bend a trio of fully vegan food carts wows with comfort fare. The nacho crunchwrap with layers of Beyond beef, cashew queso, beans and jalapenos at Toasty is stellar. Meanwhile, Lively Up Yourself cooks up barbecue plates with sweet and tangy jackfruit and seitan ribs. For oversize biscuits with mushroom gravy, A Broken Angel is the brunch spot to hit up. For those who prefer a sit-down meal, visit Salud Live Kitchen for the colorful rainbow salad; veggie-minestrone soup; and raw, vegan, peanut butter chocolate-cookie-crumble cheesecake. NW Raw proves that no-cooked eats are good in their own right. In addition to decked-out toasts and avocado-cacao pudding parfaits, this outdoorsy cafe serves gluten-free waffles with all the fixins.
In Pendleton Chef Moe Soeum celebrates his Cambodian heritage at Moe Pho Cafe, where you’ll find a soothing bowl of vegan pho packed with fried tofu and veggies. In Enterprise get organic groceries at Ruby Peak Naturals along with an avocado-veggie wrap and a refreshing green smoothie with spirulina. At Paizano’s Pizza in Baker City, ask for vegan mozzarella and vegan Italian sausage on any pie. Just a mile away, the fresh-baked-daily vegan chocolate chip cookies at Sweet Wife Baking are not to be missed.
Global Combos in Southern Oregon and on the Coast
Rooted in Medford does vegan breakfast burritos, spicy Thai bowls and Buffalo-ranch salads. Get a cherry smoothie to go. At Terra Veg in Klamath Falls, try the tofu shawarma and za’atar eggplant. North Bend’s Celtic-themed and all-vegan The Tin Thistle Cafe serves walnut-oat burgers and hard-to-find vegan pasties in a backyard-bistro setting. The Green Salmon Coffee Company in Yachats offers a large selection of vegan breakfasts and lunches, including fishless “fish” tacos with plant-based protein, plus house-roasted coffee and interesting tea blends. Before climbing the hills of Astoria, you’ll want to fuel up with extra tempeh in your veg-and-nuts cauliflower-rice bowl at downtown’s Green Door Cafe. On the South Coast, Chetco Brewing in Brooking is a vegan brewery with a vegan food truck in their facility, serving up everything from “vachos” (vegan nachos) to tempeh tacos, Tofurky clubs and more.
