This is part 2 of our vegan travel in Portland series. Be sure to check out Part 1 as well!
Our third day in Portland began with a Vegan Breakfast Showcase from various Portland eateries. As I said before, we were well fed. For lunch there was a build-your-own bowl buffet, so by the end of the day, we had eaten quite a bit. We had a couple hours to get ready for the Gala, so we decided to get fancied up and grab a quick yet light dinner.
Petunia's Pies & Pastries
610 SW 12th Ave, Portland
We settled on Petunia's Pies & Pastries because it was on the way to Staver Locomotive, where the Gala was to be held. Judging by the title, this may sound like an odd place to go for dinner. As its name describes, Petunia's does serve a large variety of vegan and gluten-free baked goods. They also have a pretty decent cocktail menu as well, though we only had water. With desserts and cocktails, I imagine this would be a fantastic place for a date or girl's night out. They also have a small lunch/dinner menu which is what we came for.
I chose the Spring Pea Salad bowl which was filled with greens, sugar snap peas, radish slices, carrot ribbons, mint and a tofu feta. It was light and refreshing and exactly what I needed.
Chris ordered the Tomato, Basil & Mozzarella Flatbread. It was just as the title describes and though it doesn't look that enticing, it was pretty delicious, and for a gluten-free flatbread, it was quite soft and moist. What made it really great, though, was the drizzle of agave syrup that it sat upon- I never would've thought to add it, but it made this dish. So good.
The Gala was a lot of fun, and of course, Chris and I got a little hungry towards the end so Chris got a chili dog from the vegan hot dog cart that was there. He let me have a couple bites (that's all I was hungry for) and it was great. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture because, well, I'd had some wine and was not capable of remembering to do such things.
After the Gala, a bunch of us went to Suki's Bar & Grill for karaoke. Again, there are no pictures of this for the same reason I just mentioned, plus I was getting tired and didn't have the energy to pull-out my camera (I'm ultra dramatic when I'm tired, FYI). At one point, before we went to Suki's, a vegan strip club was brought up as a potential after-party location. Yes- a vegan strip club. Next time we go to Portland, I'll be sure to get lots of pictures of the food there so you all will know how it is.
The next day was the last day of VVC. Chris and I were feeling like we just hadn't gotten enough of Portland so we looked into extending our stay an extra day but it was going to be ridiculously expensive to do so. Our only option was to soak in as much of Portland's vegan goodness that evening and the following morning as we possibly could. After we left VVC, we went back to the hotel, thinking we were going to nap, but instead walked about 20 minutes to VooDoo Doughnuts.
Voodoo Doughnuts
22 SW 3rd Avenue, Portland
We had to wait in line for nearly an hour, but it was worth it to try out this Portland landmark. We'd been seeing people with their pink VooDoo Doughnut boxes all weekend and hearing tales of the deliciousness of their vegan donuts. I was afraid they wouldn't be able to live up to the hype, but alas, they were even better! We got the "Ol' Dirty Bastard" (Oreo Peanut Butter), a vanilla grape donut (weird combo but surprisingly good. We got it because I thought the purple icing was pretty), an old fashioned glazed, and a chocolate cake donut, covered in a cocoa puff-like cereal.
We started off with the Ol' Dirty Bastard. Ridiculous.
We were going to walk to Powell's Book Store after that, but I could feel my blood sugar take a huge spike after that donut, then it's rapid decline began to hit me. I was going to need a solid meal soon because I have no control over my behavior when I'm hungry. So we walked quickly back to the hotel, got in the car and went to find dinner.
Canteen
2816 SE Stark St, Portland
We'd also been hearing good things about Canteen all weekend, and since Homegrown Smoker was closed, we went there. I was so glad we did, because this is what we saw upon pulling up.
Adorable. I love Great Danes and I love it when animals do cute things so I took it as an omen that this was definitely the right spot for us. All of the bowls on the menu sounded so good, but we both ended up getting the southern bowl so we could have one last serving of soy curls before heading home. Along with the bbq soy curls, the bowl came with collard greens, black eyed peas, brown rice, and a carrot and cabbage slaw and topped with cashew ranch and green onions. I can't stress to you enough how good this bowl was. I need it in my life all the time.
After dinner, we met up with Cadry and David for one last drink before going our separate ways. We had such a blast hanging with them all weekend- truly one of the highlights of the whole trip. We met up at The Sweet Hereafter and got a nice seat by the window. The wine was great, the view was beautiful, the atmosphere was very mellow, and there couldn't have been better company. It was perfect.
Prasad
925 NW Davis St, Portland
The next morning, we packed up, checked out, and had an early breakfast at Prasad. This was another place we'd been hearing about all weekend, and this place too also lived up to the hype. Chris got the Chipotle Tempeh Scramble which came with black beans, tempeh, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, topped with a green chili sauce and served with brown rice and toast. Chris was quite pleased.
I ordered the Blustery Oats which came with walnuts, dried cherries, apples, strawberries (they gave me these instead of banana because I have a hard time digesting raw banana), vanilla and maple syrup. It was the perfect breakfast for a blustery, rainy Portland morning.
Food Fight, Sweetpea Bakery & Herbivore Clothing (the vegan strip mall)
1205-1217 SE Stark St., Portland
After breakfast, we made a bee-line back to the vegan strip-mall because Chris believed he left his sunglasses at Herbivore and we didn't get a chance to check out Sweetpea Bakery and Food Fight the last time we were there (we also didn't check out the vegan tattoo parlor, but we had no interest in getting tattoos). Chris found his sunglasses and we were able to spend some time perusing Food Fight. I stocked up on vegan razor blades and dog bones (tax-free, baby!) and also bought a couple of Cocomels because I've always wanted to try them. They are definitely as good as everyone says they are- I wish I stocked up on these too!
Lastly, we went to Sweetpea Bakery for some coffee (for Chris) and tea (for me) for our ride to the airport. They had a beautiful selection of vegan baked goods and trust me- if I didn't have a box of donuts in the car, I would've gotten one of those monster cookies to try!
I feel like we barely scratched the surface when it comes to vegan dining in Portland. We both feel like we need to go back because we weren't done eating. I'm not sure when, but be on the lookout for another installment of vegan travel in Portland sometime in the future. We will definitely be going back some day (hopefully sooner rather than later)!
Kristina
after my first visit to Canteen, I went every day for a week. I love that place, and really could eat there every day.
I love seeing Portland through visitors views, makes me realize again how lucky I am to live here - we are going to Blossoming Lotus for lunch today!
keepinitkind
So jealous right now, Kristina! I could totally go for Canteen right now- a big bowl of BBQ soy curls is just what this girl needs! 🙂
Kim @ Cooking in the City
Sounds like everyone had such a good time on this trip! I love reading all the recaps. I have a question... vegan razor blades? I had no idea that razor blades contained an animal product. Do you have any info on that? Thanks!
keepinitkind
Thanks, Kim! I guess I should have said vegan-friendly or cruelty-free razor blades. Most razor blades are tested on animals or come from a company that tests on animals and/or uses animal-based ingredients. I use Personna brand, but you can also you Preserve. There are probably others too, but these are the ones I know about. 🙂
Emma
That dog! Too cute 🙂 I've been loving all these Portland recaps. I really need to get planning a US trip. Both your Prasad breakfasts look to die for...and I have no words for that chocolate peanut butter bomb cake.
keepinitkind
Thanks, Emma! That dog just stole my heart. 🙂 And trust me, I'm kicking myself for not going back to try that cake. Next time, though... next time.
A. Cook
I'm not (and never have been, even in pre-gan days) a huge donut person but I can't imagine there are many things in the world that taste better or more decadent than that ODB donut must have tasted. I am mesmerized by your photo of it! The bbq soy curl bowl looks incredible as well. Glad you had a good trip!
keepinitkind
Thank you! I actually was never a doughnut person until I became vegan, though given the choice, I would still probably choose a different dessert on most occasions. This was just one of those things you have to try in Portland and I am SO GLAD I DID! That ODB was killer! Dun-Well Doughnuts in Brooklyn is pretty amazing too. 🙂
Caitlin
that old dirty bastard donut literally made me salivate. i am so jealous of all of these delicious eats. and the southern bowl sounds out of this world adorable.
ps- the great dane picture is just the cutest thing in life. ever.
keepinitkind
I could eat that southern bowl every day and be a happy girl. It's just so good!
PS- yes, I know. It kills me whenever I look at it!
luminousvegans
That pic of the great dane is killing me! So cute. The sweets from Voodoo and Sweetpea look ridiculously awesome. Makes me regret not visiting those places when we were there.
keepinitkind
That great dane was just one of the greatest things I've ever seen in my life. Talk about heart melting!
I know how you feel about missing those places- you posted pics from places I'm kicking myself for missing too! 🙂
Richa
That great dane picture! <3
man so much .. sooo much good food!! those cocomels are ridiculously addictive. i should not buy them anymore.
keepinitkind
I know- those cocomels. I was thinking it was good to find them and only try two so I don't have to buy an entire box. Now I want to buy an entire box. 🙂
Andrea
I didn't get to Petunia but someone brought me back a delicious bar from there and she raved about what a wonderful place it was. I'll have to visit on our next Portland trip.
I really enjoyed reading your recap!
keepinitkind
Thanks, Andrea! I've been enjoying your recaps too- I hope to get some time to jump over and comment soon!
Caitlin Galer-Unti
Now I wish I'd had a chance to try Petunia's... Next time, next time. It's crazy how many vegan options there are in Portland, definitely didn't have enough time to try everything!
keepinitkind
That's the thing, isn't it- you need to live in Portland for probably a year to be able to try all the vegan options available. It's crazy!
Cadry
Petunia's looks so cute! You're right, it looks like the perfect place for a girl's night out. I'm sorry I missed it!
One thing I'm glad I didn't miss was getting to spend gobs of time with you and Chris! Oh, my gosh, what fun! It's not often that you stumble upon other kindred spirits, but we totally did with the two of you. I don't know where it will be, but I look forward to more hanging out in the future!
keepinitkind
I know what you mean- Chris and I kept saying to ourselves the whole weekend "Man, I really like Cadry and David!" You don't often meet such wonderful kindred spirits, and I think kindred couples are probably even more rare. You two are awfully special and we so can't wait to see you guys again! 🙂
Crista
impressive! i'd love to visit Portland.....
keepinitkind
Thanks, Crista! I'd love to go BACK to Portland. 🙂
Hannah
Kristy, next time, I'm going to pretend you adopted me and follow you and Chris around everywhere you eat, okay? That way I'll only ever eat things that are magnificent. You won't mind? Good. I'll be very quiet, I promise.
keepinitkind
Haha! No problem! But as long as you're quiet. 😉
Jenni
"We both feel like we need to go back because we weren't done eating." Haha, I'm in love with this line! All of that food looks outrageous. I'm pretty close to drool status right now. I wish I could transport myself there just to get one of those bowls and bring it back home for dinner.
keepinitkind
I know what you mean, Jenni. Seriously- I have a whole list of places to try the next time we go back. 🙂
Heather
You always have the most amazing recaps of your trips - every aspect of your time in Portland sounds incredible!
keepinitkind
Thanks, Heather! It's not hard to make Portland seem amazing. It's a pretty fantastic city. 🙂
Lindsay
I have to agree about the flatbread at Petunia's. I ordered it one day and my expectations were pretty low but it was actually really tasty!
Rebecca
Kristy, I've just looked through ALL of your travels and you've made me so hungry! My Dad recently came back from Portland Oregon after travelling with my mother and I to a few places in California and he's decided to join us on being vegan, which is something I never saw coming considering he was such a meat-lover! I hope he can keep it up, I believe the range of vegan food in Oregon really affirmed his decision.. I'd love to go one day! Something I noticed from my holiday is that America is so ahead in terms of veganism compared to Australia, however I think that you'd love Australia, do you reckon you'll visit one day? I'd be more than happy to share my favourite vegan places with you!
keepinitkind
Thank you, Rebecca! That is so awesome that your dad decided to go vegan after visiting Oregon. If I wasn't already vegan, I'd probably go vegan after a visit to Portland myself. Australia is on my very long list of places I want to travel to so if I do ever make it over there, I will definitely contact you for recommendations! 🙂
Milley Jane
Their menus look very tempting I wish I had seen this blog before we got home from Portland. but I will surely visit this soon if we get back there. Thank you for sharing this.