November Is World Vegan Month in Portland

Sweet Mary Jane, a vegan pizza at Virtuous Pie. — Sweet Mary Jane Pizza: topped with cashew mozzarella, TVP bacon, caramelized onion jam, shaved parmesan, and hot honey, at Virtuous Pie. Photo credit: Veganizer.

Portland ranks high as a vegan-friendly city in recent lists (Wallet Hub in 2023, Happy Cow in 2024). So embracing World Vegan Month is probably one of the most on-brand food celebrations of the year here. And there sure is a bounty of delicious things you can try this month that, as they say, “do not have a face.”

World Vegan Month started thirty years ago as World Vegan Day on November 1, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the The Vegan Society. It grew to World Vegan Week, and later to what we know it as now. And while the vegan movement isn’t in the shadows at all here in Portland, in other places it could use the proverbial “light” shined on this way of living, eating, and drinking.

Veganizer and Waz Wu

One of the main drivers behind this animal-cruelty-free thirty days in Portland is Veganizer, whose events in Portland are put together by Waz Wu, a local “food and travel writer, content creator, and event producer.” She wasn’t originally a vegan; she started as an omnivore, then became a vegetarian, and then a vegan. She says on her blog, “The more I learned about where our food comes from, the more I realized that I no longer wanted to consume animal products. A vegan lifestyle is healthier and kinder to my body, to the animals, and to the environment.”

She also says, “I believe the best way to promote veganism is by raising awareness of the positives of the lifestyle and by celebrating great food that just happens to be vegan.” So presenting World Vegan Month is a great match with her passion and talents.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream cake from Kate's Ice Cream. — Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream Cake from Kate’s Ice Cream. Photo credit: Veganizer.

Participate in World Vegan Month in Portland

Here’s how to participate throughout the month of November. This dining program is now in its second year.

Visit any of the 33 participating restaurants and enjoy their vegan food and drink specials for the month.
Complete the dining passport (8 stamps).
Earn a chance to win prizes.
Know that a portion of what you spend on a meal will go to relevant nonprofits.

Vegan specials include appetizers, entrees, desserts, and drinks. Organizations supported range from humanitarian and justice initiatives to food equity and animal welfare groups (selected by each participating location).

More on the Passport

You can pick up a passport at any of the participating restaurants. Each special you enjoy gets a stamp in the book. When you fill the passport, drop it off at any of the participating locations. It will be entered to win a prize.

And the prize is pretty boss: a $25 gift card for each of the participating spots! Three runners-up will receive a $50 gift card to whichever location they prefer. Winners will be notified in December (after World Vegan Month).

Participating Restaurants

You can find the list of participating restaurants on the Veganizer World Vegan Month website. Or, check the image below:

The World Vegan Month website is really easy to use—just click on the name of the restaurant and it will drop you to its listing further down on the page. They’ve also got a Google map that shows the restaurant locations in a visual format.

Also nice: You can also filter which places are gluten-free, too.

There are many spots I’d love to check out that readers have recommended to me: Epif, Exquisite Creatures, Jade Rabbit, Maruti, Rad Magic Subs, Virtuous Pie. BTW, Secret Pizza Society recently got a refresh.

The Veganizer World Vegan Month website also lists the different organizations each restaurant will benefit with a portion of sales. Also check out the Veganizer Instagram for deeper dives into the participating restaurants and their specials.

So consider trying out some new vegan foods in November. It’s a great way to get familiar with the vegan scene here, especially if you don’t consume too much in the way of vegan restaurant food the rest of the year. Happy World Vegan Month!

World Vegan Month
November 1 to 30, 2024
Various location around Portland
Veganizer’s World Vegan Month 2024 restaurants | Instagram | Facebook