Kalga Kafe

07/04/09

Doesn't exist anymore

by Idra

Kalga Cafe was one of my favorite vegetarian spots in Portland until they closed abruptly in 2008. I will miss their food & the host/owner greatly.

• Pros: high quality vegetarian food
• Cons: gone

09/19/08

Best organic vegan food in town.

by 4cats1room

This is a great small, eclectic restraunt which feels very relaxing and inviting. The waiters never bother too much, there is just enough light from the candles & the music is always good. The food is always excellent and can be ordered based on spicyness. Mild plus or minus, Medium plus or minus, Hot plus or minus. And make sure you specify whether you want your food to be vegan. I have gotten so comfortable with this city being vegan that I have forgotten on occasion, but the extra help behind the counter never seem to mind, it's a free meal to them! I really enjoy coming here after a long day to eat a great home cooked meal and relax in the ambiance.

Over the years Kalga has changed their hours repeatedly, changed their servers, reduced it's menu and recently they upped their prices by a dollar or three. The food can be pricey, but it is well worth spending a little more for mostly organic fare. The owner is an excellent cook and all meals are always very satisfying. Indian portions can be small, so appetizers or more flat bread should be ordered. The small portions can be deceiving at times, so it's really based upon how hungry you are and how rich your palate is. Their miso soup is excellent! Sadly, they no longer have their black bean burrito (one of their best dishes) and I haven't tried their pizza yet. A favorite of mine is their largest plate, Pad Thai, the best Pad Thai in the city, in my opinion. The Olive tapenade is also excellent, as are their samosas. I personally don't like their falafel too much(and I am a big fan of falafel usually), but my husband really enjoys it. They always have a large assortment of drinks from tea to juices to ale and wine. Their chai, made with rice milk, is very good and they have a great assortment of Tao of Tea loose leaf teas.

• Pros: ambience, quality of food, mostly organic, vegan cheese, vegan desserts, that hat the owner/cook wears
• Cons: they never change their art (but the art is quite good), music can be loud (but also can be turned down or changed upon request)

07/14/08

Very spendy, but great indian food

by pdxmodchick

Darn, I love the Indian food they make here. So tasty and really spicy! The pizzas are too small but decent, but the real star is their salads. So big and wonderful!!!

07/10/08

Just OK

by tommy7

Been to Kalga many times and for the most part the food is good. However, I often find that it is over salted and over spiced. Someone in the kitchen has a heavy hand with the salt shaker. If you're truly health conscious, over-salted food is not something you want to be doing. Once I remember, I wasn't able to eat my meal because of it. I'm not a young hippie type. I'm an old hippie wannabe. On many occasions I have had to ask them to turn the music down. I don't know what it is about a lot off places in Portland, but they seem to think that blaring music is something that attracts customers. Personally, I don't like having to yell to my dinner mate over blaring music. The decor is dark with shellacked plywood tables, some of which have balancing problems. The service is OK, but no one is rushing to greet me at the door. For the prices, I expect certain things besides just food. Know what I mean? One thing they could do in an otherwise healthy food restaurant, is serve filtered water. Giving patrons water from the tap is disgusting to me. Portland water might be good, but it's not that good. There is great potential here but they don't seem to take advantage of it. Uniqueness of the building is a selling point and with just a few changes, they could attract way more than the hippie crowd, not that it's a bad thing. There is also very limited table space. This is a place I go to on occasion but not one I want to do all the time. Too bad.

• Pros: Can't think of any
• Cons: Service, decor, overpriced

02/15/08

Delicious and Unique

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

01/29/08

Left Hungry and Upset

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

11/17/07

disappointing

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

11/05/07

Good, not great

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

08/30/07

Fantastic food, and always has been

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.

08/04/07

Excellent Vegetarian

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