Ben & Esther’s Vegan Delicatessen — Restaurant in Portland

Happiness has arrived! I'm super picky about Bagels. We have traveled all over the city comparing Bagel shops and so far my favorite has been Eisenhower's (still great, but it is a solid 20 minutes away). The anticipation for a Bagel shop in the Rocky Butte area can not be understated, so these folks had a high bar to meet.

They did not disappoint! Their bagels have an excellent chew on the outside with a soft inside that avoids the dreaded BJF (bagel jaw fatigue). Even better they hold up to the "next day" test with flying colors! Lightly toasted these bagels were just as delicious the next day. I would have tried them on the third day test but they had all been ravenously consumed by the household.

Really enjoyed the Lemon dill spread with its light flavor and easy spreadability. Can't wait to try the others!

Price was great! We had a half dozen bagels and a tub of spread for $15. Considering this equaled 6 meals, $2.50 a meal was a steal!

Staff has been super friendly and helpful and I really can't wait to get back in and try more of their options. This will require an extra workout day for sure but will be more that worth it!

Welcome to the hood...

Ok, I know this is going to make me sound like an idiot, but I didn’t know this was a vegan deli. The word “vegan” is really small on the outside sign, and the latest screen menu mentions it in tiny print in the bagel section (I only know these things because I studied the photos on Google Maps).

So imagine you’re new to the area and you don’t realize that it’s a vegan deli and all you want is a bagel and lox because finding good Jewish food in Portland is weirdly difficult. And you pay your $13, and excitedly bring your little package back home, anticipating a lightly toasted everything bagel, cream cheese, thinly sliced smoked salmon, nom nom nom. And what you actually get is a soggy, untoasted bagel with mother-effing carrots in it. Carrots!!

I’m sorry. Maybe this would have been different had I known it was vegan (I actually really enjoy vegan food)… but the gulf between expectation and reality was too vast and I threw it away after three bites. Soooo disappointed 😢

Portland, please stop pretending like your vegan food is made from meat. It’s confusing and...

We finally got to stop here after a busy weekend. They were a little picked over as a result and were out of many of their usual sides and dishes like lox and egg salad. 100% vegan here BTW.

What we were able to order was delicious! We tried a bagel sandwich, a hoagie, and a sandwich on rye bread. The bagels are very flavorful and the jalapeño bagel is definitely spicy! The portions are generous although expensive like most vegan food (most options are $8 - $14 without sides). The "jammer" cookies were, I kid you not, the BEST vegan sugar cookies I have ever had. Made even better with delicious, glaze-like fruit filling. I would come back just to pick up a dozen for a party.

The turkey hoagie was good but the turkey substitute was not my favorite. Flavor wise it was tasty enough but it's quite thick slices which is not my preference. The bagel sandwich with cheese, egg and bacon was my favorite of the 3.

Ordering inside for to-go took about 15 minutes for 3 sandwiches. Little longer than anticipated but...