Laughing Planet

http://www.laughingplanetcafe.com/
3320 SE BELMONT and other locations
Portland, Oregon

The Laughing Planet has several locations in Portland and one in Eugene. It is everything I look for in a good restaurant, cheap, filling, healthy, and with vegetarian options. I eat here at least once a week and usually get the same thing, the Soylent Green. It is a bowl with a barley-quinoa pilaf, steamed chard and broccoli, tempeh and choice of a sauce. I usually stick with the cilantro pesto. It is amazing, healthy, fresh, invigorating, and pretty cheap.

Another one of my favorites is called Chairman Meow, a pretty simple bowl of brown rice, steamed veggies and either shiitake mushroom or a Thai peanut curry sauce. I always get the curry and top it with tempeh. It is just so fresh tasting and the curry gives it a little kick. They don't skimp on the veggies and it is a great balance of rice to veggies.

Another thing they are famous for is their burritos, or wraps. They have an assortment for all tastes. There is a classic Mexican-style burrito, Southwestern, mole, my favorite Thai-me-up and always a special burrito of the week. Of course we cannot forget sweet treats. They always have an assortment of cookies and a delicious pie.

Por Que No

http://www.porquenotacos.com/
3524 N MISSISSIPPI AVE
4635 SE HAWTHORNE BLVD
Portland, Oregon

Two locations are not enough for one of the best Mexican places in Portland! Luckily one of the locations is pretty close to me, it's open late and has great deals. Tacos are $0.50 off from 3-6pm and Tuesdays 3-close.

Definitely start your meal off with some chips. Chips and salsa or guacamole, you can't go wrong. These chips are perfect! I would go just for the chips, and have a side of chips to go with it. They are fresh, crunchy and salty. They are not to thick or thin but really, perfect. I am not a chip aficionado but they were the first thing that made me really notice this place. These really are perfect chips, which really seems like a simple thing but lots of places don't do it right. I'm not sure what it is but they know what they are doing!

They do several things well besides chips. Their tacos are also pretty amazing. If I am eating meat I go for the carnitas. I don't know if I would say "the best" carnitas but they are definitely very good. Can't go wrong with carne asada as well. They also have bowls, which I guess seem to be one of my favorite things. I definitely prefer bowls to plates and spoons to forks for that matter. Back to their bowls, Bryan's Bowl is where it's at. "Your choice of meat or veggies in a bowl with beans, rice, guacamole, salsas, queso fresco, crema, cilantro & a side of chips or 3 tortillas" all for less than $7. Most items on the menu can be made vegetarian and they have a great selection of beverages, alcoholic and non-. Of course what would Mexican food be without horchata?

Blossoming Lotus

http://blpdx.com/
1713 NE 15th AVE
Portland, Oregon

The best vegan food in Portland. Well I haven't tried them all but when I am in the mood for something filling, delicious, nutritious and beautiful, I head to Blossoming Lotus. While I do eat quite a bit of meat and am not vegetarian by any means, this place is the bomb!

Thai BBQ Wrap

Live Pizza

They serve all vegan food and have a big selection of live foods. While I prefer my meals to be warm and filling, the live food really is pretty good. Everything that I have tried at Lotus has been nothing short of amazing. I definitely recommend their bowls.
The Green Goddess Bowl is definitely my favorite, with an addition of their tempeh or soy curls. It is a big meal so go hungry! You can have either quinoa or brown rice (I like quinoa), topped with steamed kale, salad greens, alfalfa and a delicious sauce. I always get tempeh cause it rocks!