My wife and I were in Portland for a quick weekend getaway from Vancouver, BC, and decided to try Lilla on a whim. No reservation, so we ended up waiting about an hour for a table.
Totally worth it!
We shared a pizza and the bolognese, and both were fantastic. So good, in fact, that if we’d been in town one more night, we would’ve come back again the following night.
Our server was warm and friendly—and based on the hospitality and generous use of “y’all,” almost certainly a southern transplant.
We’ll absolutely be back the next time we’re in Portland. Thanks, y’all!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Karlach Cliffgate
I’m disappointed by this response. I expressed concerns about my order by phone, but I did not harass, threaten, or use abusive language toward staff. My review reflects my experience with the food and service. I'm happy to resolve this respectfully. I called once before my order was prepared and twice afterwards to address the issue. During one of the calls afterwards, I was informed the conversation was being recorded, at which point I ended the call because I did not consent. My intent was to resolve the problem, and I was dismissed by the worker answering the phone. My tone may have not been the most pleasant at the time, and for that I apologize. I did not yell at anyone. Seeing how defensive your other replies are to even somewhat negative reviews makes a lot of sense. Food used to be great but went downhill over this past year. It's too bad :/
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Elias Sanchez Vollum (DailyAverageNobody)
Ordered breaded mushrooms, crocche di patata, brussel sprout salad, and Alfredo and mushrooms. All of it was incredible! I’m not vegan, but this place blew me away! I think adding a small wedge of lemon with the breaded mushrooms would be perfect, since it reminded me of a calamari dish. But coming back for the crocche di patata and alfredo! Also, the staff are all so kind and made the atmosphere comfortable. Thank you for the meal!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jeremiah F
The food was great and the hostesses were so nice!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
J Foley
Vegan Italian food that tastes a lot more sinful than it is. Amazing service. The food was hearty and filling.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
kyleholmes
Great spot to take a family who’s reluctant to go to a vegan spot.
Got a couple of the apps, all were fanstastic except the fried mushrooms which were still decent. The focaccia spread and eggplant tower were both insane.
Our family got 4-5 of the entrees and everyone loved theirs.
Updated from previous review on 2025-12-13
Gloria K
As someone newly needing to find dairy and soy free options, Lilla exceeded my expectations. The food was fantastic. Server Belle was friendly and helpful. We tried Focaccia, spicy Alfredo pasta, potato and leek pizza and the orange olive oil cake.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Luckie Smith
As a dedicated carinvore and lover of Italian food I was a suspicious of a full vegan restaurant, but the food at Lilla knocked it out of the park! The foccacia is made in house and is everything it should be. Light and pillowy, the dough tastes amazing and is served lightly grilled. For an entree I tried the new Chicken Parm. It was made with a soy-based product that was breaded and fried to delicious crispy perfection. I wouldn't have known it was vegan if I had been told. The noodles are also house made and the chef cooked them perfectly al dente. For dessert I had the olive oil cake. It was dense and flavorful, topped with a strawberry reduction that made me want to lick the plate. Can't wait to go back and try their pizza. Lilla- if you know you know!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Parm, Potato Croquettes, Side Marinara
Selene Starchild
All vegan with multiple gluten free options. I was very pleased. Service was spectacular and food was so very tasty. Thank you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Patrick McNearney
Loved this little spot! Came here for my late birthday meal and enjoyed everything from the house made meatballs to the pesto pasta to the friendly and chill service. They offer a full bar and nice portions. I didn't feel rushed which was also very nice! I would skip the desserts next time and I want to try a pizza next-- they looked amazing out of the oven.
I was really excited for a vegan Italian restaurant. It's cozy and nice looking. The service was good. The food was disappointing. The chicken Parm tasted nice but not the pasta that came with it. The risotto was warm at best and lacked any flavor. No one in our group of the really enjoyed the food. Please keep trying! I want to give it another taste.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Tyson Smith
This was the best vegan food I've ever eaten. Excellent food, and I'm not even vegan. I would not be able to tell that it was. The service from Belle was great, and I will definitely be coming back again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
H Bermudez
Wow Best meal I have had in a long time. It was amazing. It was my birthday surprise from my daughter. We ordered spicy salad, pizza and pasta. It looked beautiful. Our dessert was not that impressive, I will probably skip next time. I am looking forward to going again.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Terry Kingry
Our family had a great experience at Lilla with the wonderfully personable Abby! Yes, the food was awesome! Yes the butternut squash soup too! And even the Italian soda too. Abby nailed it though and she and my 8 year old left the place with hugs because they both made such a fond connection. Fair warning about the soup; you’re going to want that bigger bowl. It’s too good to have only a little! The meatball sub’s TVP base tasted a bit like field roast though better. The orecchiette pastas had good flavor. It’s not one I’ve tried in the past so I will say if the noodle isn’t supposed to be a bit chewy then ours may have been cooked or made differently than usual. Most pastas I’ve tried are less chewy though. The atmosphere inside is really nice. The decor and lighting made for a good ambiance. The focaccia bread with the olive oil and vinegar were also very good. I definitely would have wanted a whole basket full of it instead of only 3 slices but the price for those 3 made that a choice I opted out of sadly. I should also say that there was parking at Lilla itself where it can otherwise be a challenge to find at some Portland places in the area. It gave some extra peace of mind to be able to keep an eye on things as well. Thank you Abby and thank you Lilla for a great time and great food!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nick Tustin
-Spicy Orechiette Kale Alfredo - 8/10 very good, quite spicy -sundried tomato pesto - 8/10 very good, a bit plain, not the greatest presentation -carbonara - 5.5/10 okay, not similar to carbonara, sauce had kind of a slimy, globby texture. Wasn't a fan of the smoky tofu 'bacon'. Have had much better plant based bacon. -potato and leek pizza - 6/10 okay, we weren't a fan of the tofu bacon, wasn't great presentation
Loved that they made their own pasta and great service, but have had much better vegan Italian food, especially for the prices. Also very cold inside, felt like AC was on us and it was already a cold evening.
My wife and I were in Portland for a quick weekend getaway from Vancouver, BC, and decided to try Lilla on a whim. No reservation, so we ended up waiting about an hour for a table.
Totally worth it!
We shared a pizza and the bolognese, and both were fantastic. So good, in fact, that if we’d been in town one more night, we would’ve come back again the following night.
Our server was warm and friendly—and based on the hospitality and generous use of “y’all,” almost certainly a southern transplant.
We’ll absolutely be back the next time we’re in Portland. Thanks, y’all!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I’m disappointed by this response. I expressed concerns about my order by phone, but I did not harass, threaten, or use abusive language toward staff. My review reflects my experience with the food and service. I'm happy to resolve this respectfully. I called once before my order was prepared and twice afterwards to address the issue. During one of the calls afterwards, I was informed the conversation was being recorded, at which point I ended the call because I did not consent. My intent was to resolve the problem, and I was dismissed by the worker answering the phone. My tone may have not been the most pleasant at the time, and for that I apologize. I did not yell at anyone.
Seeing how defensive your other replies are to even somewhat negative reviews makes a lot of sense. Food used to be great but went downhill over this past year. It's too bad :/
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Ordered breaded mushrooms, crocche di patata, brussel sprout salad, and Alfredo and mushrooms. All of it was incredible! I’m not vegan, but this place blew me away! I think adding a small wedge of lemon with the breaded mushrooms would be perfect, since it reminded me of a calamari dish. But coming back for the crocche di patata and alfredo! Also, the staff are all so kind and made the atmosphere comfortable. Thank you for the meal!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was great and the hostesses were so nice!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vegan Italian food that tastes a lot more sinful than it is. Amazing service. The food was hearty and filling.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Great spot to take a family who’s reluctant to go to a vegan spot. Got a couple of the apps, all were fanstastic except the fried mushrooms which were still decent. The focaccia spread and eggplant tower were both insane. Our family got 4-5 of the entrees and everyone loved theirs. Updated from previous review on 2025-12-13
As someone newly needing to find dairy and soy free options, Lilla exceeded my expectations. The food was fantastic. Server Belle was friendly and helpful.
We tried Focaccia, spicy Alfredo pasta, potato and leek pizza and the orange olive oil cake.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
As a dedicated carinvore and lover of Italian food I was a suspicious of a full vegan restaurant, but the food at Lilla knocked it out of the park!
The foccacia is made in house and is everything it should be. Light and pillowy, the dough tastes amazing and is served lightly grilled. For an entree I tried the new Chicken Parm. It was made with a soy-based product that was breaded and fried to delicious crispy perfection. I wouldn't have known it was vegan if I had been told. The noodles are also house made and the chef cooked them perfectly al dente. For dessert I had the olive oil cake. It was dense and flavorful, topped with a strawberry reduction that made me want to lick the plate.
Can't wait to go back and try their pizza.
Lilla- if you know you know!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Parm, Potato Croquettes, Side Marinara
All vegan with multiple gluten free options. I was very pleased. Service was spectacular and food was so very tasty. Thank you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Loved this little spot! Came here for my late birthday meal and enjoyed everything from the house made meatballs to the pesto pasta to the friendly and chill service. They offer a full bar and nice portions. I didn't feel rushed which was also very nice! I would skip the desserts next time and I want to try a pizza next-- they looked amazing out of the oven.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I was really excited for a vegan Italian restaurant. It's cozy and nice looking. The service was good. The food was disappointing. The chicken Parm tasted nice but not the pasta that came with it. The risotto was warm at best and lacked any flavor. No one in our group of the really enjoyed the food. Please keep trying! I want to give it another taste.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
This was the best vegan food I've ever eaten. Excellent food, and I'm not even vegan. I would not be able to tell that it was. The service from Belle was great, and I will definitely be coming back again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wow Best meal I have had in a long time. It was amazing. It was my birthday surprise from my daughter. We ordered spicy salad, pizza and pasta. It looked beautiful.
Our dessert was not that impressive, I will probably skip next time. I am looking forward to going again.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our family had a great experience at Lilla with the wonderfully personable Abby! Yes, the food was awesome! Yes the butternut squash soup too! And even the Italian soda too. Abby nailed it though and she and my 8 year old left the place with hugs because they both made such a fond connection. Fair warning about the soup; you’re going to want that bigger bowl. It’s too good to have only a little! The meatball sub’s TVP base tasted a bit like field roast though better. The orecchiette pastas had good flavor. It’s not one I’ve tried in the past so I will say if the noodle isn’t supposed to be a bit chewy then ours may have been cooked or made differently than usual. Most pastas I’ve tried are less chewy though. The atmosphere inside is really nice. The decor and lighting made for a good ambiance. The focaccia bread with the olive oil and vinegar were also very good. I definitely would have wanted a whole basket full of it instead of only 3 slices but the price for those 3 made that a choice I opted out of sadly. I should also say that there was parking at Lilla itself where it can otherwise be a challenge to find at some Portland places in the area. It gave some extra peace of mind to be able to keep an eye on things as well. Thank you Abby and thank you Lilla for a great time and great food!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
-Spicy Orechiette Kale Alfredo - 8/10 very good, quite spicy
-sundried tomato pesto - 8/10 very good, a bit plain, not the greatest presentation
-carbonara - 5.5/10 okay, not similar to carbonara, sauce had kind of a slimy, globby texture. Wasn't a fan of the smoky tofu 'bacon'. Have had much better plant based bacon.
-potato and leek pizza - 6/10 okay, we weren't a fan of the tofu bacon, wasn't great presentation
Loved that they made their own pasta and great service, but have had much better vegan Italian food, especially for the prices. Also very cold inside, felt like AC was on us and it was already a cold evening.
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