1. C2 Portland Press Herald / Wednesday, July 29, 2015
FOOD
With soymilk served at all the best locally owned roasteries and Maine-made artisanal tempeh and tofu on all the hip kitchen menus, Portland provides a
welcoming home to vegetarians.
But just as in any other city, some eateries do a better job preparing plant-based dishes than others. So which are the standouts? Who has an all-veg
menu? Where should you take vegetarian friends when they come to visit? What if you only want drinks? Or just dessert? Or vegan pizza?
These are questions readers ask me all the time.
Many requests pop up in my email and on Facebook, and I quickly type up a list of restaurants and hit send. Inevitably sometime later – maybe in five minutes
or when I wake up at 3 a.m. or when I’m shampooing the following morning – I remember a handful I left out.
I’m sure the person who asked me has already made a decision and moved on, but I feel a sense of duty to the local veg-friendly eateries that help sustain me,
so I follow up with another message, and hit send. Then a while later, I think of one more restaurant and send another message. In such a case, I once sent as
many as five(-ish).
In an effort to answer all these questions at once – and to save my readers from my incessant emailing – I’ve put together My Personal Guide to the Best
Vegetarian Menus on the Portland Peninsula.
The restaurants I’ve included always offer both vegetarian and vegan dishes and know how to please a plant-based palate. Should you need a walk after your
veg-heavy meal, I’ve included three vegetarian sightseeing spots. And fair warning: If, despite this column, you still email me for restaurant suggestions, be
prepared for a barrage of responses.
Avery Yale Kamila is a freelance food writer who lives in Portland. She can be contacted at:
avery.kamila@gmail.com
Twitter: AveryYaleKamila
AVERY YALE KAMILA
VEGETARIAN KITCHEN
(Vegetarian guests coming to town? Here’s where to take them to eat)
ROLL OUT THE VEG CARPET
~ New or notable ~
~ Food trucks ~
~ Pizza ~
~ Dessert ~
~ Veg-centric sightseeing ~~ Dinner ~
~ Drinks ~
~ Lunch ~
~ Breakfast ~~ Destination ~
~ Totally Vegetarian ~
Perfect for date nights and out-of-
town guests, the pan-Asian menu
at the Green Elephant (608
Congress St.) is filled with fa-
vorites such as Thai ginger
noodles and peanut curry.
If you’re ordering dessert
at this lunch and dinner
spot, go for the choco-
late-orange tofu mousse
pie. Want to be surprised?
Order the fried Brussels
sprouts with tamari.
An extensive tea menu
pairs with mostly Middle
Eastern fare at Dobra Tea
(89 Exchange St.). In addition to
hummus and baba ganoush plates,
the light fare includes rice bowls,
couscous and miso soup. Tasty
za’atar seasoning is used liberally.
Known for its addictive bags of
popcorn, Little Lad’s Bakery (482
Congress St.) offers an all-vegan buffet and sandwich menu for lunch. The food is
delicious. My favorite is the chick’n salad sandwich, which comes with popcorn.
And I rarely pass up a chance to enjoy one of their flaky fruit tarts.
Whether you like your smoothies green, fruity or mostly chocolate, the Maine
Squeeze Smoothie & Juice Café (51
/2 Moulton St.) satisfies with on-the-go drink-
able meals such as the Kale Storm, the Chocoholic and the ElizaBEEThian. This
location also stocks chilled salads (soba noodles, tempeh salad) and two wraps.
Eleven veg-friendly food vendors fill two stories of the Public Market House (28
Monument Square), offering burritos, soups, wraps, pizza slices and vegan cupcakes,
plus a full juice bar, salad bar and artisanal cheese counter. Grab a window seat to
watch the people go by in the square below.
Want more action with your eats? Then head to Bayside Bowl (58 Alder St.). Rent
a lane or just watch the games at this bowling alley, bar and restaurant, where you
won’t want to miss The Rachael, a spot-on vegan Reuben, on the veg-heavy menu.
Sports jackets and little black dresses have replaced the Sunday best in former
church Grace (15 Chestnut St). With one vegan/vegetarian entrée each night, you
won’t find much choice, but you will enjoy the same soaring architecture seen by
influential vegetarian advocate and Seventh-day Adventist Church founder Ellen
G. White when she worshiped there as a child. Fair warning: A lively bar scene has
replaced the pews.
Additonal options for plant-centric dinner dates:
n Empire Chinese Kitchen (575 Congress St.)
n David’s (22 Monument Way)
n Emilitsa (547 Congress St.)
n Caiola’s (58 Pine St.)
n Five Fifty-Five (555 Congress St.)
The city’s original gourmet pizza shop Portland Pie (51 York St.) offers six vegetar-
ian pizzas on its regular menu (the Shipyard is my favorite). Local vegetarians love
this spot for its dough (which comes in regular, thin crust, gluten-free or seasoned)
and because they offer vegan cheese.
Other pizza places for vegetarians:
n Slab (25 Preble St.)
n Flatbread (72 Commercial St.)
n Leonardo’s (415 Forest Ave.)
When it comes to vegetarian options in the morning, Local Sprouts Cooperative
Café (649 Congress St.) nails it with tofu scrambles, vegan pancakes and a range
of baked goods, including vegan and gluten-free. Enjoy live music with your locally
sourced brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday.
Other solid morning options for vegetarians include:
n Hot Suppa (703 Congress St.)
n Bayside American Café (98 Portland St.)
Whether you are in the mood for the Falafel Attraction (my favorite) or the
Peace, Love and Veggies, the menu at Silly’s (40 Washington Ave.) has oodles of
veg choices. How else does it rock the veggie world? With a dedicated vegan fryer,
weekend brunch, vegan triple layer cakes and dairy-free milkshakes.
More spots for a veg-friendly lunch include:
n Pom’s Thai Restaurant & Noodle House (571 Congress St.)
n Olive Café (127 Commercial St.)
n El Rayo Taqueria (101 York St.)
n India Palace Restaurant (565 Congress St.)
n Tu Casa (70 Washington Ave.)
n Federal Spice (225 Federal St.)
Zapoteca Restaurante y Tequileria (505 Fore St.) isn’t new, but its addition of a full
vegetarian/vegan menu is. From coliflor a la plancha (cauliflower steak) to relleno de
quinoa y frijoles negro, this high-end Mexican menu makes plants the stars. Should the
agave plant be your friend, cozy up to the bar for a flight of premium tequila shots.
Also new and veg-friendly:
n Tiqa (327 Commerical St.)
n Evo Kitchen + Bar (443 Fore St.)
Known for a menu with a split
personality, the Wicked Good
Truck (@wickedgoodtruck)
is all vegan on the good
side, which includes Fri-
to pie (veg chili served
over Fritos), raw pad
Thai salad and falafel.
Look for the bright
green truck around town
and at festivals.
Also stay alert for these trucks:
n Mami Food Truck, which serves Japanese street food
n El Corazon, which serves Mexican food
n CN Shawarma, which serves what it describes as “Arabian BBQ”
If you and your vegetarian guest happen to be out on the First Friday Art Walk,
swing by Monument Square, where caterer 13th Cookie typically sells its vegan,
gluten-free cookies. Having trouble spotting the table through the crowd? Look for
the Cookie Monster – the baker dresses in blue fur top to toe.
Other sweet spots that cater to vegans and vegetarians:
n Holy Donut (7 Exchange St. & 194 Park Avenue)
n Gelato Fiasco (425 Fore St.)
n Gorgeous Gelato (434 Fore St.)
n Mount Desert Island Ice Cream (51 Exchange St.)
Animal rights activists aren’t new to Portland, a fact that comes to life when you
visit the Stanley Pullen Fountain (Federal Street behind the fire station). Built in
1910, the granite watering trough for horses is a memorial to Pullen, an attorney
who in the late 1800s helped found both the Portland Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals and the Maine Society for the Protection of Animals.
More plant-centric sights:
n Portland Farmers’ Market (Wednesdays in Monument Square; Saturdays in
Deering Oaks)
n Mt. Joy Orchard (slope between Washington Avenue and North Street)
File photo
Portland Pie’s veggie-friendly Shipyard pizza.
File photo
Asian-inspired fare at
the Green Elephant.
Shutterstock.com
MENU
A beer lover’s beer bar, Novare Res (alley on Lower Exchange St.) offers a
rustic menu with regular vegan and vegetarian dishes, such as a top-notch
Mediterranean plate and frequent specials. Bring your credit card because these
first-rate beers aren’t cheap.
For veg options alongside beer that are easier on the wallet, visit:
n Three Dollar Deweys (241 Commercial St.)
n LFK (188 State St.)
n Binga’s Stadium (77 Free St.)
Courtesy photo
File photo
A peanut-crusted tempeh dish at Grace.