Vegan
Pizza
Italian
Vegan Italian restaurant that offers pasta and pizza with plant-based cheese as well as soup and salads. Open Mon-Fri 3:00pm-9:00pm, Sat 12:00pm-10:00pm, Sun 12:00pm-9:00pm.
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Last update on 12 Sep 2024 by Lillapdx
Update business info -
Added by OperationChowhound on 03 Jun 2022
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82 Reviews
First Review by OperationChowhound
Jeff1138
Points +21
Arrived excited, left disappointed - Edit
I was SO excited that an all vegan Italian place had finally come to Portland. I wasn't sure what to expect based on most of the reviews being either really good or really bad. Well, in our group, it depended on what each person got.
Read moreI got the chicken parm, which was insanely salty and I LOVE salty food. The pasta was absolutely terrible. It was so tough and chewy. It wasn't al dente, it was clearly way overworked dough. I didn't eat more than a few bites of it and everyone else at the table agreed it was bad. The marinara was fine, but nothing special.
Fried mushrooms were disappointing. They looked really good in customer pics, but ours were all little broken pizzas, over-fried and kind of tasteless. The "dill aioli" that came with them didn't taste like dill at all - it was bland. It also came with marinara but the portions of sauces that came with the shrooms were laughably tiny - like shot glass size for a big bowl of mushrooms. Weird.
The pizzas were very good. Their crust is amazingly good.
The butternut squash was dynamite. It was also well-salted, but not overly so.
My wife really like the Brussels sprouts salad, too.
The decor and is odd as others have said. I would prefer less "modern casual" and more traditional Italian, but I'm not knocking off stars for that.
The hostess/server (with the blue hair) was very sweet. She was running the whole front of house by herself.
Sadly, the kitchen service was not good. My chicken parm came out pretty quickly, but the server said the chefs were having problems with pizzas (which is what 3 out of 4 of us got). It literally took another 30 minutes for them to come out. So the rest of my group stared at me while I ate my salty, gross chicken parm.
I really wanted to love this place, but not sure I'll go back. If I do, I'll stay away from the pasta, which is a super bummer because fresh vegan pasta is tough to find around here.
Pros: Pizza crust, Butternut squash soup, Front of house service
Cons: Pasta, ew, Kitchen service, Fried mushrooms
Guest
jchongster
Points +718
Delillalicious - Edit
Why didn’t anyone think of a vegan Italian place already ?? It seems like a no-brainer, and we are glad Lilla went with it. The dishes are familiar and fulfilling. The portions are just right. The space is cozy clean, but unpretentious. The house-made sodas were delightful. Buon appetito !
Read morePros: Familiar dishes, Delicious, Unpretentious
Cons: Can be a wait to get a table on busy evenings, Dishes took a while to arrive
Guest
PaulAtreides
Points +1083
Unfuckwithable - Edit
Don't believe the bad reviews, Lilla is my partners' and I's favorite fancy date spot. It has never let us down. Food and service are always incredible. When I die, I want to be stripped naked and dipped in their marinara sauce so I can enjoy it in the afterlife like a pharaoh.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-01-08
Pros: Incredible food, Friendly and attentive staff, Chef's kiss
Guest
Forager
Points +343
Bland and boring - Edit
Cool that Portland has a vegan Italian place, but unfortunately the food here is not very good. The marinara is pretty plain like what you could get from a supermarket and the pizza was super bland. When we came they only had one server and the service was super slow and inconsistent. Won't return.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-01-06
Pros: Vegan
Cons: Bad service , Food isn't very good
Guest
jcsbuss
Points +151
Not recommended - Edit
Overall our meal was very disappointing. The food took over an hour to appear. Two of three dishes were cold. Pasta not cooked. Not worth the money or the wait.
Read morePros: All plant based
Guest
plantboss
Points +59
Evocative - Edit
The whole time I was enjoying the Carbonara, I was taken back to my family's recipe that I enjoyed for so many years. The slight gristle of the bacon, the egginess of the noodles. It was incredible! The polenta mushroom appetizer also impressed with some fantastically deep umami flavor. And the artichoke bruschetta was a beautiful combination of flavors.
Read moreGuest
FrancescaJosette
Points +34
Delicious - Edit
So great to find a vegan Italian place as we're so used to making our own pasta dishes which just aren't the same. After reading through reviews I went for the pesto pasta and was not disappointed and my boyfriend had the carbonarra which was lovely and creamy and tasty. My Omni friends hate it when I say this but I'm convinced no one would know it was vegan... To me it tasted just like pasta in Italy!
Read morePros: Delicious , Good sized portions , Friendly staff
Cons: Toilets are outside the building
Guest
Kevbromley
Points +578
Really tasty food - Edit
Sometimes it seems like vegan places to eat are either too healthy or too junk. This food is perfect for just decent normal eating. Tasty simple pastas and sauces. Would come back.
Read morePros: Good simple food
Guest
whateveromgkms
Points +24
Great food and great prices - Edit
Really delicious food! It was hot and fresh and homemade. I had the fried mushrooms and carbonara. The tomato sauce with the mushrooms was delish and I believe they fried them in cornmeal for a nice texture. The carbonara was rich and smokey and the pasta cooked perfectly. It’s sad that they’ve had to cut prices in an attempt to bring people in BUT it’s unheard of in this town to get an entree for less than $25. Hand crafted pastas are $11-$15 and full pizzas are $9-$12!! I hope the community starts pouring in so we can keep Lilla around.
Read morePros: Delicious , Affordable, Local ingredients and homemade
Cons: I would love less counter service vibes
Guest
d2lo
Points +431
Finally, all vegan Italian! - Edit
I’ve been on a quest to find a vegan Italian spot and am so happy Lilla opened up. We started with the fried mushrooms. Very yummy. The gnocchi Bolognese was solid and the bucatini carbonara was great with the past cooked nice and al dente. We will be back soon for sure!
Read moreGuest
FrizzeFrazz
Points +290
Excellent food! - Edit
I got take out tonight and I waited for over 30 minutes after the time it was supposed to be ready. I was peeved but then I tried the food and it was DELICIOUS! We got the bruschetta, the autumn salad, and eggplant parm- all delicious!!
Read moreGuest
Zahavaraba
Points +120
Rare Vegan Italian Restaurant - Edit
This food was delicious beyond my expectations. We had the eggplant “parm” and pasta with a vegan protein patty. (I won’t use animal names.) Cooked to perfection, perfect texture and flavor, generous portions. And the usual beautiful, awesome, pleasant person working there as in the owner’s other restaurants. The recipe creator/chef is clearly an artist in all food media. Pleasant spacious interior.
Read morePros: All vegan , Flavorful , Generous
Cons: Parking is hard (inner city), Restrooms are out the door…..go at home
Guest
wiseharts
Points +2489
Hard to find vegan Italian - Edit
Bruschetta was delightful, the carrots had incredible flavor, and the mint really brought it all together. Fried mushrooms were crunchy with good sauces. Tagliolini was absolutely scrumptious. The risotto was delicious, though salty, the squash helped balance that out. We each had an old fashion, and they were just about perfect.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-11-12
Guest
MindSculptor
Points +24
Best Vegan Pesto Pasta. - Edit
Great over all experience, food was 10/10.
Read moreA must in Portland
Pros: Great taste , Reasonable price
Cons: None
Guest
AmberPollard
Points +565
The pesto is 👩🏽🍳 💋 - Edit
…also perfect pasta. Seriously.
Read moreGuest
Shelstar71
Points +99
Tasty and good portion sizes - Edit
A friend and I ate here last night. We were greeted promptly and invited to choose a table (it was early and not busy). There was a table tent with a QR Code for the menu, ordering and the bill. I get that this is the new, technological world order but personally, I'm not a fan. I'd like a server to interact with. That said, the process went smoothly and our food was delivered in a timely fashion.
Read moreThe croquettes were tasty although could have used a little more seasoning. The mayo dressing wasn't something I cared for, but the marinara was nice. My friend had the asparagus risotto and enjoyed it. It was a tad oversalted, but not so salty as to be a problem. I had the chicken parmesan. The pasta was perfectly cooked with a nice toothiness and the sauce was lovely. I enjoyed it. We finished our meal by sharing the olive oil cake.
I felt that the decor was a little "modern Portland" for an Italian place, but also felt that this was very American Italian....basically the vegan version of Olive Garden minus the endless breadsticks and salad. I would eat there again, and would recommend people try it, but this isn't quite hitting the mark of an authentic, vegan Italian experience in my opinion.
Updated from previous review on 2022-10-11
Pros: Nice portion size, Clean, Tasty
Cons: Basically counter service, Lacking authenticity for Italian
Guest
srivegan12
Points +53
Amazing pasta! - Edit
Pesto tagliolini was great. The rigatoni marinara was a little saltier than we liked. We also had the orange olive oil cake which was really good.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-10-09
Pros: Fully vegan menu
Guest
GadgetGirl375
Points +133
Will definitely visit again - Edit
I love that we have an all vegan Italian restaurant now! The food was delicious! We started with the bruschetta with artichoke spread and roasted carrots. My husband thought it was a little salty, but I thought it was perfect. The gnocchi and tagliolini were divine. The pesto was so good!! I’d go back again just to order the pesto again and again. And dessert? The olive oil cake was so moist with a lovely chewy crust.
Read morePros: It’s all vegan and delicious, Sit down restaurant in a quaint space, Reasonably priced
Cons: Limited bar
Guest
theplantbasedsoul
Points +658
Great, great, great! - Edit
Everything was 👌🏼 Definitely want to come back and try the other pastas, all was super tasty and filling. Was hard to pick a favorite 😋 cute dining area, but a bit on the small side (especially if dining with more than 4people).
Read moreGuest
beepster
Points +20
Can’t wait to go back! - Edit
This pasta was unreal! So delicious. Everything on the menu is Vegan. Gluten free options. Yummy house made garlic butter. There were so many dishes we wanted to try. Casual interior and you order your own food on your phone via QR code.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-09-23
Pros: All Vegan, Beautiful menu, Nice portions
Guest
NO’L
Points +247
Great experience - Edit
So happy to have a 100% vegan Italian restaurant! Had an Old Fashioned, the Alfredo, the eggplant and garlic bread appetizers. All was delicious & drink was well made.
Read moreGuest
PaulDughan
Points +40
Superb! - Edit
Food was fantastic and the service using the Q code for your table is pretty cool as well. Chicken / pesto Pizza and the risotto were excellent
Read morePros: Great options across the menu, Super friendly, Very clean
Cons: None!
Guest
humanjeremy
Points +42
Great Vegan Italian Food - Edit
Enjoyed everything we ordered in the menu and now want to go back and try everything else that we weren’t able to!
Read morePros: Vegan, Very Friendly, Lots of Options
Guest
SarahMays
Points +1267
Yummy vegan Italian food! - Edit
We were surprised by how much we liked Lilla! The pesto was my husband’s favorite dish of our Portland vacation. I ordered the gnocchi and enjoyed it as well! Everything we tried was flavorful, not too salty, and a nice portion size. The waiters were friendly and attentive. It is a small space, but designed well and it feels open and inviting. We are looking forward to going back on our next trip to Portland!
Read morePros: Flavorful vegan Italian options , Pasta, pizza, and salad options , Great house wine!
Guest
PDXFox
Points +175
The place for Italian! - Edit
What a wonderful addition to the Portland dining scene. Excellent food and it's all vegan. Located near the Asylum food cart pod, Lilla presents a sit down meal option. The decor is light and cheery and designed to ensure that even in this very high ceiling space you can have in intimate conversation. The kitchen is on view as is the bar (small but satisfying selection of cocktails and wine). As the chef told us, this is his first plant based menu and he hopes to add seasonal complexity in the next iteration. But the menu is just fine now.
Read moreTwo of us shared the Dos Hermanos ciabatta, gnocchi in Bolognese, eggplant parmesan (small plate) and the small salad topped off with the orange olive oil cake. The ciabatta was perfectly crispy with just the right amount of garlic in the butter. The gnocchi was less chewy than some yet present a wonderful mouth feel with its sauce. The eggplant parmesan was bright yet filling with its wonderful house made mozzarella and marinara sauce. (This version may be one of my all time favorites!) Usually there's not much to be said for a small green salad. But here the variety of tomatoes, the greens and the dressing made for something we just had to finish. The small salad was large enough for us to split. And the cake with its slightly crispy edges, mild orange flavor and chocolate sauce with hazelnuts made for the perfect ending.
The staff were friendly and helpful. It was a pleasure to meet the chef and hear a bit of his personal story and his plans for the menu going forward.
We will be back to try more of this budding restaurant's offerings!
Updated from previous review on 2022-08-27
Pros: Italian food that just happens to be vegan, Pleasant option for indoor dining, Plenty of on street parking
Guest
helvegen
Points +44
Needs a lot of work - Edit
I feel similarly to most of the endeavors by the owners of Sudra. Food is passable but pays very little homage to the cuisines origins. The restaurant feels confused. It’s fast casual yet portions are small and presented like they are supposed to be from a fancier place. The marinara we had was extremely salty which we were told had been a complaint from others that night. I would’ve liked to see the decor also reference Italy in some way as it was very bland inside. The place has potential but a lot more effort has to be put in. We need a truly spectacular vegan Italian experience in Portland.
Read morekia5025
Why so negative? Man you are a harsh and rude critic. This restaurant is wonderful. I would hate to be your server.
Read morehelvegen
I’ve heard the quality of the food has improved and the prices have been reduced so I will give it another shot. This was just my honest first impression. I’m never rude to servers.
Read moreGuest
MicheleYurgin
Points +171
Reel Italian - Edit
Italian right from Italy! Big flavors and quality ingredients.
Read morePros: All vegan, Fast, Cute spot
Cons: Hidden location , Bathroom threw kitchen
Guest
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