Veganopolis
$ - inexpensive
American
Vegan sandwich joint and breakfast buffet
Located near the center of Portland, Veganopolis is a great place to grab a quick bite or sit down with a friend. On Saturdays they have a breakfast buffet that hovers around $6.95/lb. which includes vegan bacon, biscuits and gravy, tofu scramble, waffles, pancakes, and more. They also have a lunch buffet from 11 to 3, also for $6.95/lb. You can also order from the menu; they have soups, salads, a large variety of sandwiches, pastries, juices, and desserts. They also have a fridge near the front with sandwiches already made, faux meat products, veggie jerky, etc, as well as a good variety of ice cream.
One thing to note is that they close at 7 during the week and at 5 on Saturday, so this is not a good choice for a late dinner. Now open on Sunday's too!
On Fourth Avenue between Washington Street and Stark Street.
- Brunch
- Buffet
- Kid-Friendly
- Large Group-Friendly
- Outdoor Seating
- Quiet
- Wireless (free)
Added by Adam Weitzenfeld on Jun 25 05 (updated Apr 27)
Reviews
Wanted to like them and have tried many times. Food is pretty bland and is made with processed stuff. The workers look miserable and are unfriendly and the owner acts really hostile if you try to make conversation- what ever happened to customer service? The only thing that's pretty decent is the breakfast buffet, but their hours have shortened so if you're an early eater, you have to wait until 10, a little later if you want the full spread, as it's not normally all up when they open. The prices are a little steep for what it is, but if you're downtown, it's an option if you're hungry.
I thought the food was slightly better than average cafeteria food. You know, the kind of food you might get at an airport or on campus or something. They seemed to use a lot of processed (packaged fake meats and cheeses versus homemade) which I don't think of as being particularly healthy. I only had the lunch buffet - the veggies were overcooked (or perhaps victims of the heat lamp), the mac and cheese tasted awful (combination of dry due to the heat lamp and that plasticky flavor that fake cheeses sometime have) but the spelt biscuit with mushroom gravy was pretty tasty. It's definitely nice to have a vegan option for inexpensive food downtown, though.
Wonderful wonderful place. Tasty food that you can feel good about eating. Polite and quick service. I visit often!
The good food is not worth the jerk off "service" for food almost anyone can make at home, with a little reading.
This place is brilliant, clean and inviting with wonderful food. A great place for a quick lunch.
The food tastes delicious. However, the catering customer service was ridiculously terrible. The staff is "always right" and justifies their mistakes by belittling and placing the blame on the person who placed the order. My recent personal experience: the owner brought me to tears by literally screaming in my ear about her great services. Our food was delivered to the incorrect suite and our order was inaccurate. Three words to describe this company: delicious, cruel and RUDE.
I love this place. Menu consists mostly of soups and sandwiches and salads. Most of their sandwiches are grilled panini-style. They also make pretty good cookies and muffins and have a nice selection of other vegan desserts. Veganopolis is clean and well-lit with plenty of seating, a friendly staff and great food at affordable prices!
I was on vacation from Texas when I happen to stumble across this place while walking downtown Portland. Mainly a new vegan and not knowing much about the vegan world in the Pacific Northwest, I was delighted to find a restaurant who could accommodate me. I had a Caesar salad and The Mediterranean sandwich. Both were delicious. The staff was friendly and let me sample many things even the spread on the sandwich. They also added extra greens to my sandwich. Highly recommend. Good food. Good service.
Up visiting friends in Portland, a dozen of us crowded Veganopolis late on a Saturday morning. They had some oven issues that day, so the buffet wasn't complete, but it looked good. I ordered one of the specials, a monte cristo sandwich. I don't normally like to eat a lot in the way fake meats and cheeses, but once in a while, it's nice to indulge in some junkier food, and this was pretty good. The yam soup was great, too. I tried a bite of someone else's "chicken" caesar sandwich, and that was also tasty.
The decor was pretty straightforward, but more pleasant than one might expect, with high ceilings, lots of light, and a generally clean appearance.
I don't know how their regular menu is, or what it's like for dinner, but lunch was a good experience, and I'll definitely return the next time I'm in PDX.
Their Saturday brunch is affordable and delicious; I had a plate full of food -- vegan sausages, baked potatoes, tofu scramble, bread pudding, biscuits and gravy, -- all for $5. The Irish oatmeal cake was extremely delicious! The double chocolate fudge cake was a bit dry but it was still yummy. Their lunch menu is a bit too focused on sandwiches for my taste but otherwise, they seem great. The food was very good, the servers were super nice, the other customers were mostly young and hip, and the atmosphere was nice and relaxed.
I tried the breakfast (during the week) & was disappointed. The selection for breakfast was limited to a breakfast sandwich, wrap, or a bowl of granola. Unless you consider a muffin or bagel an adequate meal to start the day. Speaking of which, the muffins were the only reasonable priced item at $1.75, as opposed to $4.25 for a bagel with Tofutti vegan cream cheese! They don't offer fresh made juices. The breakfast wrap was bland at $5.50, tofu scrambled with spices, nothing else. The side of potatoes had been sitting under a heat lamp for way to long making them dry & overcooked.
I took the plunge & decided to try them again on the weekend for breakfast. The 'buffet' is an improvement. The food had a little more flavor & selection. The waffles had been sitting under the heat lamps for a while so they were a bit dry. The value of the meal was a lot better, due to the price being based on weight.
I have not tried any of the lunch sandwiches, which there are quite a few, & they do sound very appealing.
Just got back from a trip to Portland and Seattle and went to as many vegan (or places that serve vegan food) as possible. We tried Veganopolis for brunch on a Sunday and it was wonderful. First, it is a very clean and inviting place. Second, the food was really good - not everything was the best I've had but I would surely be a regular if I lived here. The people working were very nice and gave me tips on other vegan restaurants around town.
I went to Veganopolis for brunch on a Saturday. There where lots of good food out including, spelt pancakes with organic maple syrup, spelt biscuits with mushroom gravy, veggie bacon/Canadian ham, bread pudding (which was my favorite), and tofu scrambler (ok). Other things they had, but I didn't taste were the potatoes & fresh fruit. I think most things were wheat-free. And don't forget to try some of the baked goodies including the brownie (expensive, but worth it!), and spelt chocolate chip cookie and muffins. I left full and satisfied!
Impeccable eatery, clean, well-lit surroundings, sumptuous food, friendly engaging staff and compelling prices make this vegan-only location a pearl in downtown Portland. Menu is a little sparse, but because of it's cafe/deli style this is somewhat forgivable, though I couldn't help but crave for more. I haven't seen the Saturday breakfast buffet, but hope a visit is in my future. Definitely worth a detour if it isn't on your route.
I can see how people have varied ratings as to customer service as it varied during the one meal I was there (lunch). Luckily for me they were very nice and helpful. This is a little vegan oasis in downtown and yes it could use some more adventurous attitude when it comes to flavors and dishes, but for what it is I was thankful as an out of towner trapped amongst other places that were not as vegan freindly even though they might have been tastier. Their desserts however are yummy.