Caffe Vita

as much as i wanted to like this place after two visits i had to stop. overpriced and bland despite the great location and decent ambiance. more

Oh man I ordered the biscuits and gravy (as a vegan I don't get a chance to have that in restaurants often) and I was NOT disappointed. Delicious brown gravy over handmade crusty-but-soft biscuits. Delicous! (The other people in my group had good dishes as well, but I don't remember what they were.) Also, the dessert (mint chocolate multi-layer cake) was outstanding and a huge portion. It was a little slow on service, but I would definitely go back again for another try. Pros: great selection of vegetarian/vegan dishes and desserts Cons: service tends to be slow, but friendly more

This restaurant draws a decent vegan following, and as a vegan, I'd like it if I were deprived of delicious, vegan food. I give a big thumbs up to the nachos, but I'd rather head over to Paradox to give them my nacho business. The fish and chips are sad - battered triangles of tofu, and mediocre fries - and should be named as such, without any pretense. I hear the mac & cheese is variable - and in our case, it was clearly an off night. Even the ""country comfort"" - a promising mix of biscuits, gravy, potatoes and vegetables - had good promise, but failed. The potatoes had been sitting around, the gravy is bland, and even though amazing fresh vegetables are available in June, the veggies were steamed cabbage?! Again - go if you can't cook for yourself, and don't know what you're missing. Pros: nachos, veggie-friendly, fun outdoor area Cons: the food more

We are re-opening Friday May 19th. Thank you to all of our customers, venders, staff memebers and the construction crews who worked so hard to get us re-opened after the fire. \r \r Please come and check out the garden patio, bocce court, kids area and newly updated inside. We serve primarily vegan and vegetarian food, using local and organic products as much as possible. Our specialty cocktail list includes a house made wasabi spiced bloody Mary. \r \r Kids eat for a buck everyday from 5 to 7 pm. Check out the Weds night eat and drink specials. \r \r We are open breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. Looking forward to seeing everyone again. \r \r Best, The Vita Cafe Pros: great food, good people, more

I like the Vita Cafe. The review that says to order something you won't make at home is right on. I go to this place if I'm craving some sort of vegetarian junk food- Reuben or mashers and gravy. Service has always been average, but not outstanding or bad. Pros: relatively cheap, good veg and vegan food more

We love the Vita. It's a great place for a family, very mellow, unpretentious, and we always get good service. I love the sippy cups for my kiddos, and the seasonal and low cost menu. Pros: good for kids, happy staff, great menu Cons: can be busy more

We have been here twice and have been disappointed each time. The menu looks great and the atmosphere is inviting, until you try to get service. The first time, over a year ago, the service was aloof; they are just too cool for school. The second time, we tried to give them another chance. We brought our two wiggly kids and they have toys and crayons - great! But 10 minutes after we were seated we realized we were deserted. A table of 12 came in and they got all their waters and our waitress even started taking their orders before we... well, we were not acknowledged after that because we up and left. If you have kids and want family friendly and prompt service, go to the Tin Shed instead; we're sure glad we did. Pros: eclectic menu Cons: not friendly. at all. more

We had a fantastic dinner here. I loved the lemon thyme risotto fritters and the spicy tempeh sticks. My friend tried the quinoa salad with ginger carrot dressing and I had the sietan cheese steak. We also tried the sundried tomatoe polenta with roasted vegetables. I was impressed by the amount of organic ingredients on the menu and the affordability. We also enjoyed a few cocktails and dessert- the cheese cake was to die for. I found the service helpful, simple and friendly. We had a great evening and plan to come back over and over again. Pros: Big menu, lots of vegan choices more

I had eaten here once before, alone, and had a fairly nice experience. This time I took my three year old and my dad and had an unfortunately poor experience and don't think I will risk going back again. When we arrived it was fairly busy and it wasn't the table we were waiting for it was any sign from anyone to acknowledge our existence. Once seated we were attended to promptly and the kid's order I put in early came rather quickly which was great however they brought me a scramble and I had ordered the special with tempeh(which I had asked our waitress if the special was good upon ordering)so then they bring me the special but with tofu. By now I had waited too long and was too hungry to have them change it yet again, however I did mention the mistake to our server and she just said ""oh, yeah"" and walked off. Now I am a server myself and perhaps my expectation are high. I want to be served as I serve and I feel this experience lacked greatly. We probably won't be going here again and my search continues for the perfect place with great food, atmosphere, and superb service. Pros: great taste Cons: service lacked greatly more

I just found out about this little gem. My partner and I tried breakfast last weekend and just tried dinner. It a great local diner that cters to the vegans and veg heads. We had a wonderful server, colorful entertaining and a great meal. Pros: Yummy food Cons: wish it were in the SE more

I've been here several times, always hoping that the service will be better or that I've just been there at an ""off"" time. While the vegetarian food is pretty decent, I could make much of it at home and it would taste better. Order something on the menu you wouldn't normally make at home. Their almond gravy is pretty bland. \r \r Don't expect to be in & out in a hurry - service is slow and rather unfriendly. \r I'd go again, but I don't think I'd recommend it to anyone looking for good vegetarian food in Portland. Pros: lots of vegetarian/vegan choices Cons: bad service, mediocre basics more

I love the vegan and vegetarian food at Vita Cafe. I adore their vegan Mac & Cheese and I always have them add broccoli. I've never been disappointed with the food. Although I have eaten in the restaurant, I usually get my food to go so I cant say much about the service. I guess the few times I've eaten in the wait staff has been too busy to be very attentive and we tend to wait a lot for them to check in on us. But no one has ever been rude to us. I guess it doesnt matter if I always get take out. You definitely owe it to yourself to check out the vittles at Vita especially if you are partial to vegan or veggie food. Pros: Vegan Mac & Cheese, Vegan Nachos, Tofu Scrambles Cons: It gets really busy on the weekends and service can be slow more

This is a great neighborhood cafe. The food is good, simple and huge portions. The garden patio with the bocce court is one of the best I have found in Portland. My favorite breakfast item is the corn cakes, with organic maple syrup. My friend ordered on of the scrambles with tofu. Plan to wait a bit on the weekends for brunch. Pros: good service, huge portions Cons: a bit of a wait more

I was sad to read the review about morning star sauasge links. I think it was a huge misunderstanding, one that the Vita would surely take extremely seriously. This is one of the only restaurants in Portland who respects and works hard to provide many many vegan options. There philosophy is to have a menu with 90% vegan options, 8% vegetarian options and a few items to make the carnivors happy. \r \r Where else can you get vegan cheese add on...or even a vegan seitan ""cheese"" steak sandwhich, a huge variety of vegan desserts, even a vegan bloody mary and many vegan wines. \r Pros: vegan options galore more

We thought this would be a decent casual destinationg for a light veggie meal. The outdoor patio was inviting. However, the rude, flippant attitude of the waitstaff contradicted the vibe of relaxed and friendly Alberta. The food was mostly unpalatable: cold, bland mashed potatoes, unseasoned frozen vegetables, and a general lack of any seasoning or presentation. It would seem that a place specializing in vegetarian fare would use some fresh vegetables and maybe some herbs. It was beyond bad. The whole experience felt like an insult, and in the end, we couldnt believe they were taking our money. Pros: patio, outdoor dining Cons: service, food quality more

Well, first I would like to say that I have eaten at the Vita Cafe four times now. Each time the service has been HORRIBLE! The waitresses were rude and not interested in working at all. The food however, has been h*t or miss; never terrible just one time excellent and the rest either slightly below average to good. I personally like consistency. That doesn't mean I don't expect to order something that doesn't fit my taste buds. I understand that, but when something just doesn't taste good and may even be the same dish that once was good and once was bad, I have to wonder about the management, staff training, and of course quality of the ingredients. I would say if you are a vegetarian, try it. Just don't go in expecting too much, and then you won't be disappointed! Pros: Lots of vegan/vegetarian options Cons: terrible service, inconsistant food quality/taste more

OK - here is my scoop -\r \r Tasty & fresh food.\r Comfy atmosphere.\r Big outdoor area.\r Many GOOD vegan options. I'd like them to cut out the burgers - the rest of the stuff is well worth the trip and doesn't freak people out by being veggie even when they are not.\r I love the french toast and the desserts. Great teas.\r Good and interesting music.\r \r The only thing that I cannot stand about Vita is the one waitress - the one who smiles at me when I come in, but after that acts like she is soooooo very bothered to get me anything. I once asked for catsup after I had placed my original order... I had to get up and get it 15 minutes later. Next time I thought that I'd ask upfront when I placed the order.... still never brought it to me and when I asked for it - she seemed quite peeved to be bothered. She will not check in on you, except to bring food and take the order. And, honestly has gotten my/our orders wrong about half the time.... which I could deal with if she would be fine with fixing it after you tell her nicely. I always tip well in hopes that she will remember and won't be grouchy next time - but it doesn't work. It seems that she is only interested in chatting with other staff and ignoring the customers. I hate to say it, but the fact that it seems like I have gotten her the last 5 times I have been, makes me not want to go again.\r \r Anyway - if you don't mind not getting what you order and having to serve yourself... then that shouldn't stop you from going.\r \r The rest of the staff is amazing... I think this one waitress might just have emotional issues and can't deal sometimes.\r \r Pros: yum!, many veg*n options, comfy Cons: 1 mean server more

Holy Macaroni! How Vita is changing! First of all, I actually met the new owner who was really approachable and nice and gave me the scoop on the remodeling and what's to come. Secondly, there are more servers, which magically makes them nicer servers. There used to be only two servers for the entire restaurant, and they would run around, bussing, seating, taking orders, bringing out food, cleaning up. We get seated faster, the service is better, the food...well, the food I think of as veg comfort food with greazy diner overtones, so within those parameters, I love it. The gravies, mushroom and almond, are tastier, but the vegan cheese sauce is still kind of bland. They've been running out of certain dishes the past few times I've been there, so try to have a couple in mind when ordering. They've really opened up the side patio, lots more seating, but they need more umbrellas over the tables or a roof. Vita has a kids play area and also will have a bocci court and a liquor license in July. I really appreciate how the new owner is trying to create a comfortable environment with a whole lot less attitude. Pros: Breakfast menu available all day (just ask!), kid friendly Cons: Loud music, yuppy jerks in restaurant, kinda slow kitchen more

OMG- gone are the days of wondering your food was cooked in a creepy environment. the new management really cleaned up the place. more

I tried Vita Cafe the other night and concur with alot of the comments made in the other CitySearch reviews. Our waitress was very nice & took good care of us - so we did not experience the ""attitude"" others had experienced. However, we did experience the ""bland"" food. Being a vegetarian I had high hopes that we'd find a little gem in Vita Cafe. I can say that my house salad was excellent - spinach, dried cranberries, pistachios & gorganzola with a citrus vinegarette, but my entree & those of my dining companions were very bland and not terribly inspiring. So sad... I'd eat there again, but won't go out of my way to do so. Pros: Organic ingredients Cons: Bland flavors more