Portland is bursting with reasons to explore what it has to offer, and its exciting food scene tops the list—especially when it comes to Portland’s greatest salads.
The Bridgetown Bites crew had a blast curating this lineup of must-try salads, featuring everything from beloved classics at iconic restaurants to creative newcomers and even standout food carts. You never know where you’ll discover the salad of your dreams, so we invite you to dive into this list all summer long and share your favorites with us, which may or may not be included below.
Google’s “helpful” content update continued to wreck havoc on the blog, but the good news is that it put a fire under me to implement an alternative strategy. Good news: things are better in June. The numbers for May? 8,800 unique visitors and a little over 11,000 page views.
As for the top five posts May, it was a fascinating mixed bag: the real estate angle on food cart pods, some openings, closings … and Salad Week post from 2022 about where to get a big salad in Portland!
Thanks, as always, for reading and sharing stories from the blog.
Over the years, I’ve heard people ask, “So where can I get a big salad in Portland?” If they are a New York transplant, they are probably thinking of those chopped salad and panini spots that were (are?) ubiquitous in Midtown Manhattan. Or the kind of “Big Salad” referred to in Seinfeld. But really—sometimes you just want a big salad, no matter where you come from.
A big salad from Garden Monsters—The Hercules with chicken
Over the years, I’ve heard people ask, “So where can I get a big salad in Portland?” If they are a New York transplant, they are probably thinking of those chopped salad and panini spots that were (are?) ubiquitous in Midtown Manhattan. Or the kind of “Big Salad” referred to in Seinfeld. But really—sometimes you just want a big salad, no matter where you come from.
Here are some places where you can get the classic “Big Salad”—but instead of a bowl of “big lettuce, carrots, tomatoes like volleyballs,” a la Seinfeld, you can get a mix of diverse ingredients that will be delicious and satisfying—enough for a whole meal (sometimes two, if you play your lettuce cards right—Romaine stands up better overnight compared to mesclun greens).
Canteen
Photo credit: Yelp
Self-described at a “world famous organic juice and smoothie bar,” the food here I would say is nutrient dense, healthy, and fresh—the kind of place I like to go when I need to nourish myself. They offer two substantial salads at their SE Stark location:
Walnut Taco Salad: mixed greens, carrot, red cabbage, avocado-curry sauce, walnut taco crumble, pico de gallo, cashew nacho spread, avocado, green onions.
Quinoa Confetti: quinoa, curried cashews, currants, apple, celery, mint, cilantro, lime, balsamic vinaigrette. (Add a bed of balsamic dressed greens for $2.)
I usually get a smoothie with my salad (The Orange One is a fave). I love eating here. Definitely put it on your list of tasty healthy crunchy food spots.
Welcome to the inaugural Portland Salad Week! We are happy to dedicate this week on Bridgetown Bites to celebrating salad in its many forms, highlighting some of the delicious salads you can eat in Portland, ways to make your own salad at home with Portland ingredients, and what’s tasty to kids and adults alike. As we’ve come to understand through this project, salad is a wonderful vehicle for creativity; there are many out there with tasty and memorable flavors, texture, and ingredients.
We’re back with another roundup of the most popular posts on Bridgetown Bites from the month before (February 2018). The posts about Saima Thai & Sushi were boosted last month by a Facebook post by our friends at the Hollywood Star newspaper, and we are grateful for that. As always, thank you for reading!
While I was sick and not on my A-game, the news of the impending arrival of Garden Monsters was reported by Chad Walsh at the Portland Mercury. Full disclosure: I hadn’t heard of Garden Monsters before this post but I’m sure glad I do now. The menu is primarily salads (“mini” and “monster” sizes), with the option to turn any of them into a wrap, and a couple of “Monster Melts.” They will be renting that little space adjacent to Saima Thai & Sushi that used to be Pono Soul Farm Kitchen’s meat market.
