The Vita Cafe

02/07/08

Good food, horrible waiter

by branchitout at Citysearch

I have been going to vita for a few years now, and always bringing new people along. Most people are so pleased to find a vegetarian and vegan friendly place that the few drawbacks can be overlooked. The food is great but the service is sometimes lacking.

To be fair I have had plenty of friendly and helpful servers in the past, however the last two or three times I have had the same waiter. I am not quite sure how he has stuck around so long considering he is downright rude to customers. I really don't know that it is worth coming here for the food when you have to put up with him.

I recommend Vita Cafe for the food, however maybe avoid it if you can't handle a rude server, I can't seem to escape him even though there are other servers there!

• Pros: great food, fun atmosphere, good price
• Cons: rude waiter!

12/26/06

Food is okay, rather poor customer service

by oregonamy at Citysearch

I've been here several times, always hoping that the service will be better or that I've just been there at an "off" time. While the vegetarian food is pretty decent, I could make much of it at home and it would taste better. Order something on the menu you wouldn't normally make at home. Their almond gravy is pretty bland.

Don't expect to be in & out in a hurry - service is slow and rather unfriendly.

I'd go again, but I don't think I'd recommend it to anyone looking for good vegetarian food in Portland.

• Pros: lots of vegetarian/vegan choices
• Cons: bad service, mediocre basics

07/17/06

Average Vegetarian served poorly

by kfcook at Citysearch

Well, first I would like to say that I have eaten at the Vita Cafe four times now. Each time the service has been HORRIBLE! The waitresses were rude and not interested in working at all. The food however, has been h*t or miss; never terrible just one time excellent and the rest either slightly below average to good. I personally like consistency. That doesn't mean I don't expect to order something that doesn't fit my taste buds. I understand that, but when something just doesn't taste good and may even be the same dish that once was good and once was bad, I have to wonder about the management, staff training, and of course quality of the ingredients. I would say if you are a vegetarian, try it. Just don't go in expecting too much, and then you won't be disappointed!

• Pros: Lots of vegan/vegetarian options
• Cons: terrible service, inconsistant food quality/taste

04/09/06

Mixed bag

by lw001 at Citysearch

I tried Vita Cafe the other night and concur with alot of the comments made in the other CitySearch reviews. Our waitress was very nice & took good care of us - so we did not experience the "attitude" others had experienced. However, we did experience the "bland" food. Being a vegetarian I had high hopes that we'd find a little gem in Vita Cafe. I can say that my house salad was excellent - spinach, dried cranberries, pistachios & gorganzola with a citrus vinegarette, but my entree & those of my dining companions were very bland and not terribly inspiring. So sad... I'd eat there again, but won't go out of my way to do so.

• Pros: Organic ingredients
• Cons: Bland flavors

03/07/06

Nothing special, but good for the vegetarian

by rockzemo at Citysearch

Not being a vegetarian myself (but married to one), I found the food to be honestly a bit bland. However, the veg entrees and sandwiches are diverse and apparently quite tasty to one with a bit less of a carnivore's palette. And the decor of the cafe itself was quite engaging.

02/21/06

service getting worse; food hit n miss

by scoombs at Citysearch

Been going to the Vita since it opened. I've always loved the food, but lately the food has taken a downswing. Staff is always hit and miss but since the one good waiter left, it's just getting worse. i was served cold food today. It sat on the counter for over five minutes, while my server took checks, made our smoothies at the last minute and waved to friends. My potatoes managed to be mushy and burnt, gross. I'm going to take a break from this place and try again in awhile in hopes things change.

• Pros: prices, vege options
• Cons: poor service

01/15/06

expect bad service

by mtngoat at Citysearch

i went saturday night without high expectations. waitress was not that friendly, but seemed to be on top of it. then the rest of our party showed up. (we were there to celebrate a birthday, 8 for dinner and told the waitress more might come.) i understand how frustrating it is to deal with large groups: people change their minds, switch seats, come and go... but deal with it! the clincher was when we got the bill- it said there was a gratuity added onto it because we were a large party. fine, makes it easier for us. so we paid up. then our waitress came over and told us that we hadn't included a tip! huh, mandatory gratuity that wasn't added onto the bill although it said it was included? it was all very confusing. had to break out the wallets again. it just made for a sour experience.

• Pros: location, wide menu selection, inexpensive
• Cons: service, service, service

11/26/05

Hipper than thou.

by santafestray at Citysearch

I want to like this place. The food's good, the herbal tea is great, it's right in my neighborhood... and, well, the service sucks. Get another waitress already. We went in for lunch and they had one surly server for the entire dining room and bar. I even saw her mouthing obscenities behind one customer's back. The staff is too busy, and they aren't sweet and nice to balance things out. They do have big portions (a breakfast burrito is enough for three meals) and fresh produce. But it comes with a big side of attitude.

• Pros: Good food, tea
• Cons: service, cold, bathroom

03/26/03

Don't bother

by janice at Citysearch

Clearly, more folks need to open vegetarian restaurants in this town, 'cause the fact that this place is crowded feels like the result of a lack of options. Firstly, what kind of veggie restaurant serves beef?? Secondly, the waitstaff sucks. They ignore customers and don't even know their own menu. Twice we went, with the same question about an entree, and twice got the same response: "ya know, I don't really know..." (or care, and can't be bothered to go find out). Great, thanks. With so many unemployed right now, is it really that hard to find good waitstaff?

They have an extensive menu but the food's mediocre. I'm disheartened that a "vegetarian" place, especially one with vegan options, deserves a bad review... but this one does.

• Pros: many veggie options
• Cons: mediocre food, lame waitstaff

09/18/02

change of opinion

by taliba at Citysearch

I am rewriting my review after a second visit to this vegetarian restaurant. This time our food was less than appealing. My soup had this horrible strong flavor that was hard to swallow. The salad was mediocre at best, I wouldnt recommend the lemon-tahini dressing. I had to ask for new dressing, this took a long time to arrive. His pasta meal was okay, but not good. Everything is just on the verge of being tasty... but it never quite gets to that point. The service is slow, the seats uncomfortable and the water warm. I wont be going back unless it is for a quick snack of an appetizer or something... and then, only if I am in the neighborhood and The Leaf and Bean is closed.

• Pros: vegetarian, cute decor
• Cons: poor service, uncomfortable seating, bad food.