Kerri WaldronPortland may be known for its ice cream, doughnuts, cured meats and fish sauce chicken wings, but it’s also a heavenly spot for healthy food options such as salads and smoothies. Nourish yourself at these whole-food-focused restaurants.
Salad
When someone says “healthy food,” most people immediately think of salad, but not all piles of leafy greens are created equal. At Portland’s Crisp Salads, you can build your own nutritious masterpiece from a wide selection of seasonal ingredients, including six types of greens, 12 dressings and numerous toppings like toasted pumpkin seeds and cranberries. And with two locations in Portland, you’re never far from a fresh lunch.
Another salad standout, Garden Monsters, crushes the “rabbit food” stereotype with massive salads sure to satisfy even the biggest appetites. The “Paul Bunyan,” for example, comes loaded with grass-fed steak, red potatoes, bleu cheese and croutons. Prefer your salads sans meat? Swap out any animal protein for tofu or vegan chicken in any dish.
Vegetables
Portland provides plenty of options for loading up on garden-fresh, local veggies. Family-owned Verde Cocina piles plates with farmers’ market produce garbanzo beans, earthy mole and tortillas hot from the griddle. The Sudra reimagines Indian food to include kale-infused dosa, lentil kofta and broccoli pakora.
Sometimes, when a pickle craving strikes, you just need to go all in. At Aaron Adams’ preservation-focused lunch counter Fermenter, pickled and fermented foods — including cultured beverages, plant-based cheeses and charcuterie, and plenty of pickles — take center stage. (Pickling crocks are also available for purchase.) Fermenter’s all-vegan menu changes with the seasons, but you’ll want to make sure to try their house-made tempeh featuring local beans and cultured spores imported from Indonesia. After lunch, grab a pickle stick (literally a dill pickle on a stick) to go to cleanse your palate.
Dining with Dietary Restrictions
Vegan Guide to Portland
From hearty vegan comfort food to plant-based fine dining options, discover the many excellent vegan restaurants Portland has to offer.
Gluten-Free Restaurants
As the demand for gluten-free options has grown, Portland’s forward-thinking chefs have set their tables for diners with dietary restrictions.
Vegetarian Guide to Portland
Nearly every Portland menu features vegetarian options made from fresh, local ingredients, and many restaurants serve vegetarian food exclusively — experience the Portland vegetarian scene that foodies of all stripes have come to love.
Juice Bars
Folks looking for liquid meals have plenty of options in Portland. Local juice bars Harlow, Kure, and Poa Café have a wide array of fresh green juices and smoothies. Amp up your order with superfoods like maca, goji berries, turmeric and spirulina. If you’re still hungry, simply add a cozy oatmeal cup, macrobiotic lunch bowl or raw vegan dessert.
Want to kick it up a notch? If so, Xocotl offers uniquely delicious smoothie toppers, like the homemade sweet and savory chamoy sauce found on their signature Chamoyada. Housed inside the vibrant Portland Mercado, in addition to cold-pressed juices, smoothies and bowls, they also sell fresh-cut fruit peppered with Tajín (a mouth-watering, chili-lime seasoning). Healthy has never tasted so good.
Special Diets
Portland makes it possible to enjoy a great meal whether you eat soy-free, gluten-free, animal-free or all of the above. Laughing Planet is a quick-service restaurant offering nutritious and delicious fare. With multiple locations across the city, their menu offers an abundance of clean, whole foods, tons of fresh veggies, and surprising global flavors.
Blossoming Lotus, another favorite among folks with special diets, offers gluten-free, soy-free, raw and vegan dishes. Order the much-loved live nachos (made with pecan chorizo and dairy-free cheese sauce, collard rolls and superfood doughnut bites).
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Source: travelportland.com
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