Kalga Kafe

02/15/2008 Posted by nomadwanderlust

Kalga kafe is very over priced for SE Portand, but if you are from the east coast or are used to eating in downtown portland , the prices will seem moderate.Considering the fact that it is one of the only of not THE only restaurants serving organic AND vegan food , it is fairly priced. The Indian thali plate is delicious but it would be nice if there were a little more variety. It would be nice if the portions on the thali plate were a little larger or at least the small bowls were 1/2 full. I eat at the Kalga Kafe about once every 2-3 weeks, and usually eat indian food, but would eat there more often if the Thali plate would change a little. The cabbage, peas and potatoes are well flavored, and served at the perfect temperature, but more often than not I have a difficult time finding more than one piece of potato in the subji. The chapati is always fresh and the kheer is some of the best that I have ever had. The chai made with rice milk is delicious and well spiced but again, it would be nice for a $3.00 cup of chai to be refilled once, or the price to be slightly lowered if there are no refills. I have always found the wait staff to be very accommodating in bringing just a little more of something if asked--sometimes the price appears on the bill and sometimes not. In any case they have always been very attentive. I find that the best attitude for me to take while eating at the Kalga Kafe is to be relaxed and patient--something that seems difficult for many people. All in all, my experience while eating at Kalga Kafe is that Ithe food is prepared with care and after eating there I feel good and continue to feel that way through the evening.

Pros: delicious and healthy food,help wait staff

Cons: slightly overpriced, small portions

01/29/2008 Posted by jadank

Very disappointing and expensive for such small portions. I was hungry after 30 minutes of eating a personal pizza. $12 for a paper-thin crust 6 Inch pizza is absurd. The Indian food was so spicy that you can not taste anything but the spiciness. Vegetarian food should be serves in larger than expected portions because of the lack of protein that it mostly consists of, and not small than expected like the Kalga Kafe

Pros: ambient potential

Cons: food, value

11/17/2007 Posted by nprao

I found this place to be quite disappointing. I went there with a vegetarian group of friends, the service was just ok, the music was a tad loud and the atmosphere was dark, almost gothic-like. One can get better vegetarian Indian dishes at other restaurants, it is overpriced for what they have to offer. I never went back in 3 years.

Pros: big menu of different cusines

Cons: quality

11/05/2007 Posted by emilybtownsend

I think this restaurant might do well to narrow their focus a little bit. I had the pad thai, which was tasty, but not as good as any of the better Thai restaurants in town. My friend had an Indian entree, which was pretty plain - peas, potatoes, cabbage, but still relatively good. The atmosphere and drink list are worth paying for if you're here with a date, but I wouldn't go just for the food. Also, I was charged more on my credit card than I signed for - possibly a mistake? Also possibly a server taking an extra two bucks where he can.

Pros: Lots of menu variety, ambience, full bar, good wine list

Cons: A little expensive, so-so service, food is just ok

08/30/2007 Posted by wildvegan

I have enjoyed the Kalga Kafe since shortly after they opened in 2001. Their green curry is amazing – maybe the best I've had in Portland. The atmosphere is excellent, and the staff very friendly. I've never had the sort of problem described by a previous reviewer ("f00d p0is0ning"), and would remind the readers here that such problems can take as much as 24 hours for onset – the episode described could have been caused by some food eaten a day before.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

08/04/2007 Posted by pdxconsumer3

The Kalga is a sure fire spot for great veggie food, nice decor and kind service. Since it's past 39th, it's not obnoxiously crowded like other SE eateries. The menu is diverse enough to please herbivores, carnivores and omnivores alike. The atmosphere is that of a hidden oasis.

Pros: quiet, romantic, moderatly priced

Cons: none

08/02/2007 Posted by rodmclaughlin

Great food. The beer was good too.Shame about the service. I went there on 29th July. We sat down. The waiter asked us to move so a big party could take two tables. No problem. I had the Indian thali, she wanted the felafel with a few changes - no cucumber, extra tahini, and rice instead of pita. The waiter made a big issue of these minor requests. "The chef might be able to do it, or he might not". It's not a top-class French place, it's a mid-range veggo-hippie hangout on SE Division. So I didn't like the attitude. It cost $55 including a tip (exactly 15% :).

Pros: Great food

Cons: Poor service

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

07/26/2007 Posted by nevenmrgan

Kalga looks like a friendly, quiet place. The decor is interesting, the location is nice. Their menu is quite odd - miso soup, pizza, burritos, dal, pad thai... A little bit of everything. Prices are higher than average, but not unreasonable. I ordered a black bean burrito last night, which looked pretty good on the plate and tasted a little... different, but I figured that was their style. Within half an hour of leaving Kalga, I was getting stomach cramps; within an hour, I was violently ill from f00d p0is0ning (CitySearch won't let me use that word; they should ask my doctor for another term then). I'm typing this from my sick bed now. I'm 26 and an adventurous eater and traveler, and I have never been this sick from food anywhere. I certainly didn't expect it from a cute neighborhood restaurant. Perhaps it just happened this one time; perhaps Kalga is good most of the time. I won't be going there again to find out.

Pros: location, decor, ambiencem service

Cons: food made me sick

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

07/22/2007 Posted by darclight

I went here after doing a search for veggie/vegan to eat during my trip to portland, and my fiancee and I braved the drive. We were not let down, this was an extremely cute little place. We loved the decour and the atmosphere. The menu was extremely tempting, and we juggled various dishes, as they all sounded delicious. The food itself was amazing, and very well portioned. The vegan german chocolate cake was was quite delicious

Pros: Great service, atmosphere, and food

Cons: It was a bit loud

07/16/2007 Posted by timothym

I was invited to try this restaurants while I was visiting from NY and always being eager to try a new place I agreed. I met my beautiful friend Juliette there (food aways tastes better with a charming companion) and we had some of the best drinks I've ever enjoyed. The food was beautifully prepared and absolutely delicious. Our server recommended a few appetizers to start and since there were plenty of seats available (it was about 8:oo ) we prepared ourselves for a long comfortable dinner. The first course was sooo good that we decided to let our server surprise us noting the few limitations we each had and off she went. What followed was a dinner to fly for - a wide variety of regional dishes served quickly and piping hot. Our server was attentive without hovering and left us to revel in one of the finest meals I've had in ages. The prices were very reasonable, the lighting perfect and the music gently drifting in the background. If you have not yet been -go go now if you have then you know what I'm saying is true. Good food served with care. Kalga does it right thank you. T&J