• Portland: Hopworks Urban Brewery takes things to a new level

    9
    June 8th, 2010mr meanermore restaurants (not LA), portland

    Portland, Oregon is an is insanely vegan-friendly city. It is therefore perhaps the best place for West Coast and Midwest vegans to go on vacation for a long weekend, and is an especially good place to get away from the dry heat of a Southern California summer. It’s worth noting that just about every restaurant has several vegan options on the menu and there’s a big emphasis here on sustainability, environmental responsibility and liberal, yet fiscally responsible politics. A vegan heaven, right?

    Right on. So, it was with glee that, on our recent visit, we discovered the Hopworks Urban Brewery (or HUB as they like to be called) which not only uses no animal products in the manufacture of its beer, but also has a very, very vegan-friendly menu including a vegan cheese offering on its vegan NY-style pizzas. This, to me, is heaven.

    We showed up mid-afternoon, and grabbed a table at the comfortable bar. After an informed discussion with the bartender (who knew exactly what “vegan” means) we ordered a couple of beers and set to peruse the menu. While the place is decidedly omni, much of the menu is either vegan, or can be made as such. There are all the usual vegan standbys such as hummus, roasted nuts, soups and salads but we were drawn to the amazing-looking pizzas, and when we saw that us vegans were specifically called out on the menu such: “VEGANS! Substitute cheese w/ our homemade tofu based non-dairy cheese. Just $2.00” we were sold on ordering a pizza.

    Before we get to the food, though, let’s talk about the beer. We ordered a couple of cask conditioned IPAs which were smooth, with a fine hoppy finish, but without being overrun despite the IBU of 75. I’m a HUGE fan of micro-brewed beer, but HUB has an emphasis on craftsmanship which shines through in every sip. Just on the beer alone, HUB will rate very high for you as a must-visit on a trip to Portland.

    OK, this is a food blog, so thanks for indulging me about beer. After we were almost done with our first round of beers we ordered another round (duh!) and decided to get the “medium” pizza and cover it with ingredients from the extensive build-your-own list.

    vegan pizza with daiya cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, and banana peppers.

    We went for vegan cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes and banana peppers atop the NY Style thin crust pizza. When the thing arrived we were blown away.

    It’s not surprising that HUB has its own Pizza Chef, because it’s clear that, just like the beer, somebody really cared about the formulation and preparation of our food. The crust was perfectly crispy yet chewy, and the toppings were incredibly fresh, tasty and succulent. Indeed, this rates way high in the vegan pizza world, and even if you’re not in the mood for a drink, HUB would be worth a visit for the pizza alone. The pizza was a little pricey at $22.95, but it was a generous 14″ in size and would comfortably feed 3-4 people.

    In fact, we got the rest of ours to go (in a custom made box, no less!) and enjoyed it back at our hotel that evening. One thing to note is the cheese isn’t actually “homemade tofu based non-dairy cheese” as it says on the menu but regular Daiya Italian Blend (we saw Daiya on a specials board as we were leaving as well). That’s a good thing in my book, but be aware that if you’re not a Daiya fan you will be in for a surprise.

    The historic (1948) building that houses HUB is an amazing industrial edifice with thick concrete walls, exposed woods and brickwork and plenty of nooks and crannies to hide away in while you while away hours of beer drinking and pizza eating. Also, the place is huge with two separate dining areas and a long bar connecting them.

    Decorated with retro beer cans from the 70s, pierced sheet metal and smooth woods, the place evokes a pleasant Pacific Northwest vibe and everybody there (staff and customers) seem happy, contented and… perhaps just a little buzzed.

    Seriously, Portland, you have a real gem here. I’m insanely jealous that I don’t live within walking distance of HUB!

    Hopworks Urban Brewery
    2944 SE Powell Boulevard
    Portland, Oregon 97202
    (503) 232-4677 (HOPS)
    Sunday – Thursday 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
    Friday – Saturday 11:00 am – 12:00 am

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8 responses to “Portland: Hopworks Urban Brewery takes things to a new level” RSS icon

  • Da Data Monkey

    Peppers? WTF? Peppers? Looks damn good.

  • One of my best friends used to work there. The booze is awesome. Can’t wait to go up again and try the pizza!

  • So is it a homemade cheese (3rd paragraph) or is it Daiya (picture caption)?

  • It’s Daiya. The reviewer pointed that out in the paragraph below the box picture: “One thing to note is the cheese isn’t actually “homemade tofu based non-dairy cheese” as it says on the menu but regular Daiya Italian Blend (we saw Daiya on a specials board as we were leaving as well). That’s a good thing in my book, but be aware that if you’re not a Daiya fan you will be in for a surprise.”

  • After seeing these pictures, suddenly vegan pizza seems like a perfect Tuesday morning breakfast!

  • I was just there on June 4th and on that day “homemade tofu based non-dairy cheese” was just that and NOT Daiya. Perhaps they were just out the day you were there? If you go and it matters to you, just ask!

  • It is so Portland of me to never have been there and not even know that they had vegan pizza because there is vegan pizza showing us its leg at every corner in this town. Spoiled. Did you guys go to Mississippi Pizza?

  • I was so bummed…I went here for lunch so excited for the Daiya cheese and the waitress didnt know anything about it or even if they had it. I asked if she could find out. She went and asked someone and came back and said they didnt have it for sure and didnt know where they got their vegan cheese. She thought it was from a company called Cysco (sp?) Disappointing…..what even happened to the “homemade tofu based cheese?


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  • […] Portland, Oregon is an is insanely vegan-friendly city. It is therefore perhaps the best place for West Coast and Midwest vegans to go on vacation for a long weekend, and is an especially good place to get away from the dry heat of a Southern California summer. It’s worth noting that just about every restaurant has several vegan options on the menu and there’s a big emphasis here on sustainability, environmental responsibility and liberal, yet fiscally responsible politics. A vegan heaven, right? Click here to continue reading! […]

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