Disclaimer: My family was provided with VIP passes for dinner last week. All opinions are my own as always!
Prior to moving out to Portland I had heard about Native Foods but since there are currently none the East Coast (there are however two opening in D.C. soon) we had never been. We were thrilled to first try Native Foods at their Bridgeport location last year but since we don’t make it down to Bridgeport Village very often we haven’t been back. Needless to say I was thrilled to see that they had a new location at the Clackamas Town Center which is close to where we live in SE Portland.
Now the Clackamas Town Center Native Foods doesn’t officially open until May 21st but they have been doing VIP events since last week to give people a sneak peek of their new restaurant and the food. We received VIP passes for last Wednesday night and we were able to sample a variety of items.
Starters:
Butternut Polenta BitesSaigon Roll
Entrees:
Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger with Seasoned FriesKids Mac and Cheese with Broccoli
Drinks:
Lavender Lemonade & Watermelon Fresca
Dessert:
Thoughts on the Food:
We really liked both of the starters that we ordered and I would definitely get the Saigon Rolls again. I was actually a little surprised I liked them so much but they were really good. As for the entrees neither of us enjoyed the Twister Wrap it was a little boring and by the time I ate my half (we were sharing) mine was super soggy and I ended up eating two bites before removing the “chicken” and eating that on it’s own. The side salad that came with our Twister Wrap was good though!
I really liked the Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger despite it not being what I think of when I want a vegan burger. It isn’t so much of a burger but rather a sliced seitan sandwich, either way I thought it was tasty and I was glad we ordered it because I don’t think I would have had we not been at the VIP event (aka it was free). The side of fries that came with the Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger where meh. They were super salty and just not great fries. Edith enjoyed her mac and cheese and Neil and I both had a bite and thought it tasted good.
Lastly dessert and drinks. Neil chose the lavender lemonade which was SO good I made him go get more because while Edith enjoyed her kids size watermelon fresca I just didn’t love it. As for dessert we all loved the Peanut Butter Parfait and some little munchin decided to devour it before we even got more than two bites. We also got a sticky toffee cake that we took home with us and shared after Edith went to bed. It was so good!
Service:
The service was great! Super friendly, super efficient and helpful!
Overall:
Overall we had a good experience at Native Foods. I have to say we would probably get a meal of lemonade, starters and desserts because those were our overall favorites but there are so many things on the menu to try like the Chicken Run Ranch <–regretting not getting this after hearing other people rave about it. Also umm have you see the colossal nachos? I think we need to try those too!
Giveaway:
Since many of you guys out there don’t have a Native Foods near you they have agreed to send out one of their cookbooks to one lucky reader!
Erin
That picture of Edith enjoying the dessert is adorable!
catherinemryan
I order their kale salad—it’s seriously DELICIOUS!
pechluck
The butternut polenta bite sounds tempting to me!
Cadry's Kitchen
The Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger is one of my favorite sandwiches anywhere. I would definitely order that.
Mel
Everything looks great, but I would probably go with nachos!
Helen
I would go with the Greek Gyro earth bowl! Sounds delicious. I’ve never heard of this restaurant!
Lindsay Ingalls
I need to try this one!
Elisabeth
I totally love Native Foods. Everytime we go to Portland, we always try to cram as many trips in as possible. And its the second best thing about trips to Southern CA (besides Disneyland). We usually order the nachos and the OK Bacon Cheeseburger. I also love their Chai tea.
Kaycee
I love the Native Nachos! So yum!
Lindsay Ingalls
These are on my ‘to try’ list