Veganopolis

The name VEGANOPOLIS made me imagine a sprawling cafeteria buffet kinda deal, similar to Fresh Choice but, obviously, meat & dairy-​free. So I guess I was a little underwhelmed when I walked in to a nearly empty room with a menu at the front desk where I have to pick just one thing.
I have never had good vegan «cheese» (other than raw cashew cheese), so I ordered the gilled cheese sandwich. Added on avocado & my total came to just under ten bucks, which seemed a little high for me, but I’m used to paying ten bucks or more for a decent vegan meal at home, so no big deal.
The sandwich was just okay. A little cold. But the potato wedges were amazing. It looked like there was better stuff on the menu that I could’ve ordered, & the desserts looked good too, so if I ever come back to town I’ll give it another try. I wish I could’ve made it to try out the breakfast. I kept waking up too late!

Being back on school time with a different neighborhood to call home in Downtown Portland has become an awesome source of entertainment for me this week.
After a morning of research and planning, a classmate dropped the suggestion of going on a trek for a magical thing called a «Vegan Ruben» for lunch.
Uh… yes! So off we walked from our building in Old Town to Veganopolis. Arriving right after the lunch rush, the cashier excitedly exclaimed:
«The Kills were just here!»
Seriously? That’s pretty rad that one of London’s indie rock bands frequents a way cool establishment like this when in town. My lunch colleagues and I ordered our Greek salad, vegan ruben, and Mediterranean sandwich respectively and grabbed a table between some fancy artwork and a bustling prep area. Moments later our trays were ready and we chatted about vegetarian and vegan fare throughout the northwest. This little luncheon spot might just be the best.
On our way out we stopped to grab menus to take back to everyone else at studio, at least we’d be back for sure. The owner piped up and said that next Wednesday (September 24) will be their last day of operation. NOOOOO. If you’ve come to know this spot, or have been waiting to give it a shot, your window of opportunity to try out breakfast, brunch, and lunch one more time has just become much smaller.
But like she said, in terms of bring responsible culinary alternative to the masses, «When one door closes, 3 more open.» It is too bad that they all have to be in Chicago.
Aww well, c’est la vie and Bön Voyage!

I appreciate Veganopolis for many reasons. One– you can get good raw or regular vegan food there. Two– They have fake meat but still have healthy vegan food. Most restaurants go one way or the other. Fake meat almost always means a lot of bad-​for-​you deep friend and oily food, but not a lot of inventive vegan options free of soy products. This place has combined both soy products and natural vegetable options in a delicious manner. This is my favorite place for Brunch. The only downside is they are closed way more then they are open.

Veganopolis proves (even to a cheese lover like myself) that a meal can tickle your taste buds and satisfy a hungry belly even though its meat & dairy free.
This is a perfect spot to share a nice casual lunch with a friend. After reviewing the many lunch options, we ordered at the counter, snagged a table, and in just a short while — we retrieved our prepared lunches and began feasting.
It is fairly noisy in the restaurant and the music was louder than it should have been. The food was tasty but just slightly more expensive than I would expect for the quality and ingredients used. All around Veganopolis offers a pleasant, but not outstanding, experience.

Stopped in here today on my hunt for juice and a pastry before work, and admired their collection of kombucha beverages before grabbing an O.J. At the counter they have a case of reasonably priced pastries made with spelt flour. I bought a cookie and the juice and was on my way out the door when I heard the man in line behind me ask the counter person: «Are these cookies made with wheat?»
«No,» she said, «they’re made with spelt.»
Um… FYI to Veganopolis employees: spelt IS a species of wheat, and is not suitable for people with celiac disease or in many cases people with wheat allergies. I hope that dude realized it too.

where do I start?
Second time at this place, the first time I went and whatever I ordered was ok but bland and mushy. This time I went and it was a tragedy! I went with a friend from new orleans and that is where «muffaletta’s» orig. from. So he ordered the sandwich because he was hungry and I dragged him there «thinking» the first time I went it was just a mistake on whatever I ordered. First there was nothing original about this «muffaletta». I understand most people in portland have no clue what that is… I understand. However when he tried to speak to the owner/​manager about why she decided to make it not original (out of conversation and unhappy with the dish it realllly tasted bad no matter what) she acted like a fool. First she started bitching about how all these other places in town make this sandwich etc. and turned this situation into something it should have not been. She then ran around the facility to her reg.‘s and bitching about him as we stood there having to listen (because someone daRRrrred to have imput on her food). I have tasted muffaletta’s several times and it tasted nothing like it should have (and wait yes you can make any dish vegan and taste right!). What I ate was also bland and mushy again. Oh then she ran over to her camera’s and started pointing them at us as if we were going to «do something» (???), while we waited for a partial refund on his food (that he did not want original, just wanted to talk about it as most «new orleaners» do). As a vegan eatery it is already hard enough to have «non-​vegans» want to eat this type of food, why make it harder and make vegan food taste bad when it does not have to, and why make yourself as an owner and manager look like a foolish spoiled brat because someone makes a comment on your food, beats me…
The food was horrible, the service was ok until that point, but the manager/​owner sucked asssssssss.
it time for a beer
— — — — — — — — — –
(update)
to many emails from this owner… I tell you… what a waste, and the owner sent a friend of mine an email with an address (that I think she tought was his) stating that her regs. «would come by» and visit him??? because he also did not like her food… does not like hurting animals but will take a bat to those knees… lovely

I was a bit torn about writing a review for this place. Even tho I’m not a vegan, a lot of my friends are & we go to a lot of vegan places. Everyone pretty much raved about this place and I had high hopes. Esp after my great Bay Leaf experience.
First off, we were a large group there for the breakfast buffet. The spread looked great, and they had sectioned off most of the upstairs area for our group. Cool, good start, I thought. And they had a tofu scramble, which is always top on my list. And there was a dish with broccoli — another favorite of mine.
Unfortunately, the food looked good, but tasted pretty bad to me. The tofu scramble was heavy on the salt (as, it seemed, ALL the food was) and way too heavy on the bell peppers. The broccoli dish, to me, tasted like moldy food. But some of the other people who tried it, loved it. Maybe it’s an acquired taste?
Other than the overly salted bland food, the other turnoff for me was the sticky floors, shelves, wrappers, and handrails. Seemed like everything I touched was sticky with greasy dirt/​dust. And this was right after they opened that day, so everything *should* have been fresh and clean. Yucky. I went to look over the 2^nd floor railing, but it was so sticky with grease and dirt I had to go wash my hands. And that’s when I saw the cockroach in the bathroom right next to the kitchen. Double icky. I’m not naïve — I’ve lived in downtown PDX and know most places, esp the older bldgs, have at least some roaches. But still… maybe if they cleaned the grime off the floors and such, it would be a bit better. I was surprised they got such high Health Inspections ratings, cause it obviously had not been cleaned in a loooooong time. Grime that thick takes a long time to build up!
I wasn’t all too thrilled with the «weigh the food» idea. I ended up paying over $ 25 for not very much food.
I must, however, mention one thing I found FABULOUS here… the Lavender Lemonade. Tho it was dispensed out of some second hand jar, it was really good. Good enough that I went back from a second one.

I really like it here! It doesn’t have to be expensive, I ordered from the buffet and got a flaky unchicken pot pie for like 5 or 6 bucks. My husband got the bread pudding which was really moist and flavorful and I’m still craving it a few days later. I assume that the prices are high because rent is expensive down there, not for some other more sinister reason. But I actually didn’t notice exorbitant pricing, it seems that if the salad is too expensive you can order a cheaper sandwich or something from the buffet then go home and make yourself a salad for dinner. Problem solved! I dunno, you can get your food fast, the staff is nice, everything tastes fresh, seating is abundant. I try to stop in every time I’m over there, even if it’s only for that banana blueberry muffin.

I feel really middle of the road about Veganopolis.
Our food was good– not great, but not terrible.
The selection was pretty large– but nothing really stood out as amazing.
It’s excellent to have a place where you know you can grab a vegan sandwich, salad or soup any day of the week… but I don’t feel like its really worth going out of your way for. There are plenty of other Portland restaurants with vegan options on their menus.
If I worked nearby, I could see this place becoming a go-​to spot for a quick lunch. otherwise, I’d go again if I was in the neighborhood and hungry.

Meh… nothing that special BUT, i reserve the right to revise and up my stars if/​when I go back in.
I did get a delicious bowl of lentil soup from Veganopolis. The portion was big, there was a lot of stuff in the soup (lots of lentils, yum), it was nicely seasoned and all of the ingredients blended together nicely. I really enjoyed it and would 100% order it again. 4.5 stars for the soup.
What I didn’t like was how pricey everything was. I wasn’t really interested in spending $ 9-​$ 10 for a lunch salad or sandwich. The menu had some great sounding stuff on it but I just wasn’t into spending that much at lunch.
What I also didn’t like was the rock hard bread that was served with the soup. It was supposed to be some type of grilled bread but it didn’t appear to be anything other than gross. Also, they had these baked spicy fries that sounded awesome that I got a side order of that were just a cold soggy mess. If I wasn’t already a few blocks away when I realized how nasty they were I would have gone back in and returned them. Negative stars for the bread and fries.
Remember on Top Chef when CJ got voted out for serving the single worst dish (broccolini) in Top Chef history? The fries would have gotten Veganopolis not only thrown out off the show but possibly banned from any other Top Chef activities for life and maybe physically thrown out of the studio by Padma. That is how bad they were.

Lots of vegan options gets this place 3-​stars.
The fact that Veganopolis suffers from the downtown plague that inspires restaurants to grossly overcharge for salads that lack substance keeps them from getting any more stars. Lettuce is so cheap… why is it that restaurants think they can get get away with charging between $ 8 and $ 10 for a salad when they sell a burger with similar fixins for a less? I don’t get it. It’s the price we all have to pay for wanting a fresh lunch downtown I guess.
I did like my ‘custom chef’s salad’ ok, but for the price, expected more avocado or something. The vegan dill ranch dressing was pretty good. But I could see how others would have a problem paying in the $ 10 range for lunch and walking away still hungry… I do.
I am sure I will return and try more of the menu, when I can afford to. Veganopolis does have a bit of a corner on the super-​healthy food market downtown. Until I want to go all the way over to Blossoming Lotus and pay out the ass for a simple healthy lunch, this will be a decent alternative.

This is Vegan heaven! There are at least 18 different burger/​sandwich plates, 8 salads, 16 side orders and 7 + drinks to choose from.
Six of us ate here recently and will definitely eat here again when we’re in town.
The décor seems a little slick and upscale but the service is quite friendly and down-​to-​earth.
We had:
Quinoa Burger (Quinoa, tahini, chickpeas, sweet potato & spices~my hubby and sis-​in-​law loved theirs.
Democracy Burger (Vegan chik’n patty with avocado, kalamata olives, almond feta, grilled onions, spinach and tomato)~my bro and our teen son LOVED them.
Portland Cheese steak (Grilled vegan steak slices, melted soy mozzarella, peppers, onions, romaine and house vinaigrette.
The sandwiches/​burgers come with roasted potatoes and coleslaw or the soup of the day (a delicious roasted tomato the day we are). We shared everything and gave it all 12 thumbs up!
We also had a couple of vegan shakes (chocolate and strawberry) and
woofed them down!
Thanks Portland Unilocalers for recommending Veganopolis-​we loved it!

Veganopolis offers 100% vegan cafeteria style food. Don’t let «cafeteria» send you in the wrong direction, by this I mean Cafeteria Of The Future– clean, simple, and streamlined meals served quick, made-​to-​order, and on a tray! The interior of the place it self mirrors the food, white modern digs.
The menu is best for lunch consisting mostly sandwiches (grilled paninis), «burgers», soups, salad… and of course delicious fries. The menu is on-​point and offers vegan gems like grilled cheese, rootbeer floats, and rueben sandwiches.
Plan on getting there early because they close shortly after the lunchtime.

GOOD BYE Veganopolis. You’ll be missed!
Best vegan sandwich in town! Get the tofu sandwich, the Rueben, or the BLT. The soy chicken sandwiches aren’t that great. If you feel fancy, try their breakfast buffet. They change the buffet every week. Country potatoes, tofu eggs, fruit salad, bread pudding, mock sausage patty, and really good condiments (try the garlic ketchup with the potatoes). Aside from Quantum Leap in Manhattan, I would say this place is the best for vegan deli.
The owner of the place is a couple whom are really nice and chatty. They also hire the cutest boy in town to work there.
The only downside is veganpolis closes as early as 3 or 4pm. Sometimes I crave their Seitan Sandwich for dinner.

This place was good, I had they vegan BLT. Now I love meat, so there. The bacon wasn’t really that bacon-​like, definitely not in the color, it looked like bologna. The sandwich was pretty good though overall, the avocado was fresh and the tomatoes were pretty juicy. It wasn’t too expensive either.
I however did not like the coleslaw, it was really sour tasting, but I guess that’s my fault since I love my coleslaw really creamy.

Good solid inexpensive lunch place. I wouldn’t write home about it even though I gave it 4 stars for being one of the few all-​vegan joints in town and the price is reasonable.
Really an amazing spot if you are looking for a standard — but happens to be cruelty-​free lunch. Yeah, I’d probably take my omni friends elsewhere… but sometimes you just want a ham n cheese-​ish lunch for a few bucks and this place fits the bill. And, root beer floats too — can’t be that bad!
The caesar is pretty tasty too!
PS — the menus are on the counter by the front register!

Here’s the thing… if you were actually EVER open I would have given you another star. My band used to come to portland to play at least once a month, everytime we came we would try to go to veganopolis and besides two times early on it has never been open– even twice when according to the sign it should have been. We’ve pretty much given up driving around the maze like streets of 3^rd and burnside, looking for nonexistant parking just to find that veganopolis is once again closed.
Besides that the food is decent, nothing I couldn’t make at home but good anyway. I like that there is no food tax in oregon. I’ve had a few different sandwiches and have no complaints. So yeah, probably would have gotten 4 stars but the hours are stupid and inconsistant.

Good for vegan, passable for omnivores. We headed to the buffet because we couldn’t find a menu posted anywhere and were at a loss for the protocol.
The lasagna had an unflavored tomato sauce, which I think is inexcusable. We really wish we had waited for someone to get back to the register and ordered off the menu.
Update: My benign 3-​star review inspired a passive-​aggressive swipe at myself and all San Franciscans in a private message from a Veganopolis staffer. Apparently, we’re all mean-​muggin’ crankypants who announce ourselves whilst vacationing? Huh?
Downgraded to 1-​star.
* * * * * * * * * *
From george b.
Sent 11 hours ago
menu’s are posted 6 across on the FRONT WINDOW. multi colored to-​go menus in holder on front windowsill.
large daily specials signage on front counter at register-​always printed in very bright collers-​stack of menu’s in holder .
large sign on buffet sneezeguars «VEGAN BUFFET-​SELF SERVE–
$ 6.95 lb weighed at refister 2-​plate tare.
we get hate mail-​nasty visits from people from san francisco all the time. ask other staff-​they ccome in with angry faces all the time. weird. owners and staff cannot figure out why? been going on for 2 years. they always mention ‘i am from san francisco.» what gives?
no reply needed.
* * * * * * * * * *

I ate at Veganopolis while visiting Portland for the day with my 4 year old niece. It’s in a great location for getting there from the MAX (I think that’s what it’s called) train and close to Powells books. The place is nice and cute and «hip» (word I like to use for vegan restaurants that are just really… well, hip!).
I got the Pesto Seitan sandwich, it came with a side of coleslaw. The sandwich was just all right. Nothing special. It tasted like a pestoie chicken salad sandwich. I couldn’t eat the coleslaw, it had some weird really strong flavor. I couldn’t figure out what to get my niece. She wanted a simple grilled cheese (she’s picky, doesn’t eat much and is not vegan) so I asked the dude if we could have their grilled «cheese» but with none of the extra crap. Just a piece of bread and cheese. We ended up getting the piece of bread with cheese but also got to pay the 7 bucks for it. My niece liked the sandwich and ate it all (except the crust ofcourse), I on the other hand thought the vegan cheese was the most disgusting thing I had ever tasted! I swear, throughout the day I kept thinking I smelled it and kept getting grossed out! But my niece did like it soooo… that’s all that matters.
p. s. My niece had NO idea that it was fake cheese. That’s AWESOME!

I can’t believe I’m the first one to review this restaurant, unless it has (forbid the thought) gone out of business.
This place is another thing that I really miss about Portland. My boyfriend isn’t even vegetarian and he loves the mock tuna salad sandwich, and his non-​vegetarian dad enjoyed the food, too.