After travelling the West Coast this summer, Portland really sticks out in my mind for the amount of amazing food options. The city is filled with exciting bakeries, restaurants and cafes. For those of us with dietary requirements, (see my article on negotiating a gluten free world) Portland is like heaven on Earth. For me I was spoilt for choice, it had been a long time since I could go into a food establishment and eat literally anything on the menu! There is so much good vegan gluten free food in Portland!
Back to Eden Bakery
If you type into google “Vegan Gluten Free food in Portland” this place comes up in the top 10 every single time, and with good reason. Everything on the menu is Vegan and Gluten free (which led to me taking about 40 minutes to decide what I wanted to eat). They have everything from donuts, cinnamon rolls and cupcakes, to biscuits and gravy and mac n cheese! Since I went to visit over Summer their menu and shop space has expanded, meaning there is even more of a reason to stop in for some yummy food!
I went back to visit twice because I simply couldn’t get enough! I bought biscuits and gravy with an added ‘sausage’ and for dessert an almond and raspberry cupcake, which honestly was one of the best cupcakes I’ve ever eaten! On my return we bought even more cakes to share for our journey up to Seattle.
The range of food they offer is so wide, it’s amazing to be able to feel normal whilst eating out and be able to eat foods that would usually be off limits. The staff were incredibly helpful and friendly. They gave their opinion on the best items they sold to help with our choice and they were patient whilst we took forever to decide!
I 10/10 would recommend stopping by at one of their three locations in Portland whilst you are visiting.
Petunia’s pies and pastries
This was actually the first place I found that was all vegan gluten free food in Portland. When I walked in and realised I could eat absolutely anything in there I was overcome with excitement! There were donuts, cakes, cheesecakes, waffles, sandwiches and soooo much more! We wandered round a little to see if there was anywhere else nearby where we could all eat together (I was the only one who required vegan gluten free food), but I couldn’t think of anywhere I wanted to eat apart from there. I decided to leave the other two and walk to get something from Petunia’s before heading back to meet them.
I bought a donut (they only sell them on weekends and I didn’t want to miss out) and a scoop of ice cream which was super yummy!
I literally could have bought everything in the bakery (If my money supply and stomach space were unlimited). Although I didn’t get chance to eat in, the atmosphere and store were so beautiful, it would be a wonderful place to stop for brunch or to catch up with friends over some yummy treats!
Tidbit food cart
This isn’t actually one food store it is a collection of food carts. Before you even get down to eating the delicious food on offer, the space that this food tuck collection is located in, is so beautiful. The outdoor seating, fairy lights and happiness emanating from the people is an experience in itself. As usual it took us a long time to decide what we were going to eat! There was simply so much choice. I finally settled for a Macho Taco Salad from Garden monsters (which I modified to make it Vegan by adding mock chicken and a vegan Santa Fe salad dressing). Normally, when I go out to eat, if someone says “the salad is Gluten Free” I will roll my eyes because “I don’t want to just eat salad.” But this was an exception! They are known for doing HUGE salads, and as I was also getting something from a different stall I decided to go for a small to have as a side. They accidentally messed up (massively in my benefit) my order and I got a large salad for the price of a small!
To accompany my large salad, I ordered from the Tandoor’s Saffron Indian Kitchen cart. They had a deal for two portions of curry with rice and 2 naan bread for $7. I asked if they minded substituting the naan bread for one of the plain dosas (so I had something GF to dip into my curry). They very kindly agreed to do that for me, and the whole meal was incredibly tasty!
When we sat down to eat I had sooo much food that for the first time in a long time, I had to get a doggy bag and take some of the salad to go.
The people working on the stalls were so helpful with any questions I had, and many of the menus already had labels on showing which foods were OK to eat.
If you want a fun night out with a chilled environment and delicious food, this place is perfect for that.
Side note: Back to Eden also have a cart.
