Little Red Bike Cafe

Little Red Bike Cafe is located in the North Portland’s University Park Neighborhood  and has a small-town feel to it, similar to The Blue Moose on Freemont, or The Laurelthirston Glisan. This is a place I just want to pick up and give it a good squeeze, bury my face into it, and make funny noises because it’s just too cute. I’ve enjoyed reading their blog and viewing the pictures over the many months of my infatuation. If my vegan foodie friends were omnis, this is the type of cafe they would run – small, local, organic, unique and creative, with love in every dish. The cafe is brightly painted with lots of windows that light the space even on a gloomy day. There is a small inside seating area, a small eating bar, and outside seating for those gorgeous Portland summer afternoons.

With that said, my first visit left me very disappointed. They do not serve tofu scramble, ever, and this happened to be the one day I actually wanted it! Living in a town riddled with tofu scrambles, this was surprising. Little Red Bike Cafe is very vegetarian friendly, but seems to only have two vegan items on the menu because they must (like The Tin Shed) – but they do it fantastically (like The Tin Shed) - Vegan BLT and Curried Tempeh. No tofu scrambles, ever.

I opted for the Vegan BLT as my first real meal at the Little Red Bike Cafe and it was the best food decision I made all week. The sandwich was smaller than I expected for the $6.50 price tag, but after tasting it, itwas perfection and I didn’t care what I paid. The ciabatta bread wasn’t so crusty it hurt my mouth, like some other sandwiches. The bread was covered in Vegenaise and book ended perfectly plump, thick-cut tomatoes, smooth and creamy avocado, lettuce, and thin cut, smoky marinaded tempeh. The sandwich was a little smooshy, but in the best way possible. The thick avocado really made this sandwich stand out from other TLT’s around town that often skimp on this delicious fruit. I will be dreaming about this sandwich for weeks to come. 

Even the flavor of the side salad was delicious. The mixed greens were flavored with a light vinaigrette and seemed to have been tossed with raw garlic because the flavor was strong, I just couldn’t find the garlic. Topped with green apple, it added to the sweet, but tart taste of the salad.

Next time you’re in North Portland with an omni, in the afternoon, visit The Little Red Bike Cafe for a damn good sandwich, or keep moving west along Lombard until you arrive at Proper Eats. Just don’t stop across the street for pizza at Nicholas’ Pizza, because the food wasn’t good enough to go back to write a proper review. Support cute, local, businesses like Little Red Bike Cafe!

Tempeh Lettuce Tomato and Avocado Sandwich:

Tempeh Lettuce Tomato and Avocado Sandwich, Inside: