Birria Ramen made with locally foraged chantrelle mushrooms, from Mis Tacones. Photo credit: Veganizer.
It’s back! World Vegan Month 2025 is happening in Portland throughout the month of November. Now in its third year, this is a great opportunity to try and experience the variety of vegan and plant-based offerings in Portland, through dishes made especially for this occasion.
The spread at Next Level Veggie Grill. Photo credit: Next Level Veggie Grill.
Next Level Burger relaunches as Next Level Veggie Grill. I saw this pass through an influencer email list I’m on, but saw that Rachel Saslow at Willamette Week covered the change. Basically, last year Next Level Burger acquired Veggie Grill, a fast-casual vegan competitor of theirs, and had a business baby. Now there’s burgers and bowls, and much, more. It kind of reminds me of Laughing Planet.
The first location to transform will be on SE Hawthorne and 42nd Avenue, with a grand opening party this Saturday, October 25 from 11am to 1pm. Read more on WW. 4121 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland
Galette des rois—whole—and sliced—at the Alliance Française in Portland.
It’s almost time for king cakes! King cake season usually starts on January 6—Epiphany—and continues in some cases until Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday. There are three main kinds of king cakes you can find in Portland: the northern French galette des rois, NOLA-style king cakes, and rosca de reyes, which is popular in Mexican and other Latin American countries.
Here’s our roundup on where access these delicious king cakes in Portland in 2025.
Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy: The Three Wise Men” (named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar). Detail from: “Mary and Child, surrounded by angels,” mosaic of a Ravennate italian-byzantine workshop, completed within 526 AD by the so-called “Master of Sant’Apollinare.” Photo credit: Nina-no on Wikimedia Commons
Over the years I’ve talked about the Galette des Rois, the king cake popular in France. This year I thought I’d expand the article on two other kinds of king cakes—the NOLA-style king cake and the Rosca de Reyes, popular in Mexico. Here’s the rundown of how to access these tasty treats in the greater Portland area.