Portland, Oregon: Departure Restaurant & Blue Star Donuts

Portland is amazing! The locals refer to it as the vegan food capital and I can certainly see why. Everywhere I turn there is delectable vegan fair. There are even fast food chains that offer 100% plant based menus, like the Veggie Grill. In Portland, you can find bakeries that are 100% vegan and 100% gluten-free. Besides the great selection of completely vegan restaurants, many of the other restaurants in Portland offer vegan friendly menus and dishes. I feel like I’ve died and gone to food heaven.

During my stay in Portland I have had so many good eats, but I’ve narrowed it down to share with you a couple of my top favorites of the trip…

Departure Restaurant & Lounge

525 SW Morrison Street, Portland, Oregon 97204 P 503-802-5370

@DeparturePDX

A fun modern Asian restaurant and lounge, with an unbeatable view on the 15^th floor, downtown above Macy’s. What a special place! Not only is the atmosphere astonishing, the food is incredible. Besides their regular menu, Departure offers a vegan menu and a gluten-free menu. All you have to do is ask your server and the dishes will blow you away.

Me & My Hubs dining outside with a stunning view of the city

2 thumbs up on a superb delicious margarita!

My favorite dish of the trip:

Sweet Potato Tempura Roll – spinach, ginger, sweet soy

So, so, so, so good! Did I say it was good?

I also loved the

Brussels Sprouts – chili, lime, mint

And the

Greens & Seeds Roll – avocado, cucumber, herbs, pumpkin seed, sesame

There were many other dishes on the menu I wish I could have ordered and tasted, it all sounded really good!

For breakfast we couldn’t wait to try out the famous

Blue Star Donuts

1237 SW Washington Street, Portland, Oregon 97205 P 503-265-8410

@BlueStarDonuts

Marry a man who will take you for donuts!

Blue Star Donuts offers a couple of vegan options which makes choosing especially hard. With a little bit of help deciding I went for the

Blueberry-Bourbon-Basil Vegan Donut

It was ridiculously good…

I mean come on look at that! If I could take a bite off the screen right now I would.

All I can say is you have got to go there and try it!

Honorable Mention:

The Kofta Fritter from Blossoming Lotus Restaurant. This dish is also gluten-free, soy-free, and oh so good! My husband and I loved it.

Blossoming Lotus @BLPDX is a completely vegan restaurant located at 1713 NE 15th Ave, Portland, OR 97212 P 503-228-0048

Also worth mentioning :

Portobello Vegan Trattoria 1125 SE Division Street, Portland, OR 97202 P 503-754-5993

Although we sadly have not had the opportunity to visit on this trip to Portland, we’ve previously had the great experience of dining at Portobello @PortobelloPDX, and to this day it is probably my favorite 100% vegan restaurant.

With love, good eats, and exciting travels,

Wendy Irene