Post Punk Kitchen Forum

If I could only spend one afternoon in Portland I would go to Native Bowl for lunch (and I think Homegrown Smoker is right next to them now too so you could sample both). Then I would head over to Back to Eden bakery and hope they had pumpkin whoopie pies. Seriously, you have to get one of those.

1-2 vegan bakeries: There's Dovetail, Back to Eden, Sweetpea, and Petunia's (no storefront yet). You can throw something at me, but I'd skip eating at Sweetpea because I'd save my bakery visit for Back to Eden or Dovetail. As for the mini mall, definitely peruse Food Fight! and pick up some goodies you can't get anywhere else. Love, love, love Dovetail (fresh) cinnamon rolls and sweet scones.

1-2 food carts: I think the top two are the all-vegan Homegrown Smoker and Native Bowl (and like everyone is saying, they're next door to each other, so share with others if you can - and echo that motto for the whole trip - food is always to hit or miss and subject to personal tastes!)

Brunch: There's a good to great vegan brunch in nearly every part of town. Blossoming Lotus is probably the most impressive - I haven't been in forever but believe Maeve! <3 I'm also a big fan of Junior's for something more comfort-food and Vita. Portobello has a brunch that seems to be getting better and better if you don't make it there for dinner.

Coffee: if you like great coffee and/or tea, there are TONS of locally roasted coffees and local tea stores in Portland, and Stumptown is everywhere. Skip Portland Roasting Co.

Doughnut: Get a VooDoo. If you're lucky and go at an odd time, the downtown location has been known to *sometimes* not have an insane line. If you do wait on it, grab coffee from Cafe Vita or Stumptown next door while you stand there. I'm not sure about the NE's location's lines. If you get a yeasted doughnut, EAT IT RIGHT AWAY. The cake ones will last longer. If you don't have time to wait in line, Whole Foods has Mighty-O doughnuts (from Seattle) in their bakery cases at a couple of locations. Sweetpea has doughnuts on Saturday and I haven't had one in years, but I hope they're better than I remember. I feel like a doughnut is that extra indulgent treat for a Portland visit...if you skip it, just get Potato Champion fries or Flavourspot or something!

Happy Hour: Bye & Bye or Sweet Hereafter. Over all, I like Bye & Bye better, especially if you're getting food, but the buffalo soy curls at the SH is pretty awesome. Hungry Tiger Too and Departure are also fun happy hour spots with notable vegan options - though very different.

Dinner: Portobello. Try a few things. The all vegan wine selections and bar is lovely.

Also awesome: Sizzle Pie, particularly for brunch pizza.

Phew.

Let's say you have only 1 day to experience vegan stuff in Portland and let's say it happens to be a Sunday so brunch can happen...

Portobello for Brunch (alternate: Blossoming Lotus)
Dovetail pastry for a snack (alternate: Sweetpea)
Homegrown Smoker for late lunch (alternate: Native Bowl)
Visit Food Fight! & Herbivore
Sweet Hereafter for late night bar/food (alternate: Bye & Bye)
Voodoo (East Side) for a midnight snack (alternate: Whiffies Fried Pies)

This is a perfect list!

i don't get whiffies. they taste like what i imagine a deep fried hostess pie would taste like (e.g. bland and oily).
on the other hand, the frites with FYH cheese and peanut curry sauce at potato champion are freaking unbelievable.

also dovetail biscuits with tempeh bacon and a side of kale are the best vegan breakfast i have ever had, by a large measure. (only avail sat and sun)

I think Potato Champion is waaaaaayyyyy overrated. Their fries are so mediocre, at best. Blah. Never a destination for me.

I concur.

potato champion of the gods

Yes, if you go to the Vegan MiniMall - which you must!, walk around the corner to Red and Black. I'm sure I'm old enough to be Veg Eric's Mom, but they're always nice to me. They have great kombucha on tap, and they're nicer to customers than SweetPea. It's a unique place.

If you go to Hoyt Arboretum, it's more of a wild area with a collection of trees planted amidst a native forest, so if you're expecting something formal, you'll be disappointed - but it is beautiful! Stop at the Visitors Center and pick up a map - you can walk the trails to the Japanese Garden (one of the nicest outside of Japan) and get views down into the garden from the trail.

The Chinese Garden downtown is also spectacular, with an actual plant collection complementing the landscape architecture. It's close to Vegetarian House (all vegan, Chinese);get the chicken salad and the pine nut fried rice! I know a lot of people don't like Vegetarian House, and I'll be shouted down, but if you live someplace that doesn't have vegan Chinese, you might like it.

If you have access to a car, go to the Marymoor Museum out in Goldendale WA. It is also a unique museum, plus there's a full-scale replica of Stonehenge on site. Take the "Old Highway" out (OR side of the Columbia River) and stop at all the rest stops and waterfalls.

Oh my, you are such a sweetheart! Somehow I missed this until going back and looking over things. But really, I think I'm on too much of a whirlwind trip to take you up you your very kind offer. But I wanted to let you know it is very much appreciated! I'll be there this weekend and I'm super excited and everyone has been so helpful. Thank you good Portlanders! I will report back after I get home.

Your timing isn't great. After 3.5 months without rain, it's blowing in this weekend. But I hope you have lots of fun anyway!