This food is perfect. I loved my black-eyed pea/kale/tahini bowl so much that I cooked my own version of it at home the next day, and then ordered it again the next week. Size small($ 4) is more than I can eat in one sitting. Definitely add the ginger molasses root vegetables($.50) and tempeh($.50). Go before the lunch rush so they don’t run out of root vegetables! Mmm. So freaking good.
Heather F.
Place rating: 5 Portland, OR
After eating Sonny Bowl three times in one week, it is about time for my five star review. This is definitely one of my top five favorite food carts, and I keep coming back because it is just so satisfying! I should also mention: I am not a vegan. I am not even vegetarian. I never expected a vegan cart to be a favorite, but Sonny Bowl far exceeds all expectations. First of all, the bowls are delicious and full of amazing flavor! This is not a bland and healthy tasting meal even though it is pretty healthy. Score! Second, the bowls are filling! I usually get the large($ 7), and it is more than enough. If you have a normal appetite, the small is probably sufficient for a light lunch, and that’s only $ 4. In sum, delicious, healthy, filling, AND affordable. That meets all of my requirements for a quick downtown lunch. Also note, they are moving into a storefront soon(possibly November 2015?) in the big pink building. I will miss the cart location, but I will definitely follow the kale and beans and soy curls wherever they go.
Hannah P.
Place rating: 5 Portland, OR
I was having a really down day and stopped by for some healthy rehydration. I got the Ginger Berry smoothie. This already would have been an awesome smoothie but the woman working asked me how much I liked ginger and if I would like an extra scoop which I happily accepted. I think she was trying to be nice since she could tell I was having a bad day. It was also the best smoothie I have ever had. A plus smoothie A plus customer service. A little spicy in both meanings of the word and very fresh tasting,
Rachel B.
Place rating: 5 Seattle, WA
The black bean bowl + avo was on point! I am not vegan, and I did not find this meal to be lacking in any way. I especially enjoyed that each section of the bowl had its own sauces and flavor profiles, instead of the entire bowl being mixed together. Also, the large bowl($ 7) is enough for two meals. The only downside is the $.50 upcharge for using cards, which I didn’t notice before paying. I will absolutely be back!
Julie R.
Place rating: 5 South Florida, FL
Awesome food cart! We had already picked up food at another food cart around the corner, but they were out of several items. We passed Sonny Bowl and were in the mood for some fried tofu or something, and they had it. All we got was a little container of fried non-meat(see my photo — you’ll want some!). It was REALLY good, and had we not already had other food, we would have gotten more at this food cart. The service was really good — nice and pleasant. I think it only cost $ 3 — which was fantastic. I love all the food carts in Portland, and especially that there are so many vegetarian and vegan ones to choose from.
Trevor M.
Place rating: 5 Sherwood, OR
Let me start by saying I’m hardly a vegetarian let alone a vegan. I do occasionally eat a veggie meal but it’s usually not the first thing I run to when my big guts start eating my little guts and I get that rumble in my tummy saying«eat!» However, my wife challenged me to spend a week eating vegan(she’s flirted with vegetarianism along with my daughter for a long time now and is trying to go vegan). Why is any of this important? Well beyond the point that I like to set the mood and provide too many details it’s because as a career omnivore who has spent too many days eating animal byproducts, I freakin’ loved this place! Seriously though. I had the large black bean bowl. The flavor was amazing. The faux-rizo surprised me with how dang tasty it was and the kale salad struck the knock-out blow to my taste buds. I was full before I could finish the whole thing and I snacked on the leftovers later in the day. Truth be told, I didn’t realize you could make vegan taste so good and if I could replicate this I might just consider becoming a vegan monk(that’s a thing now, totally…). Great meal experience!
Rebecca M.
Place rating: 5 Portland, OR
There are so many food carts to choose from in this part of town but, there are not so many with great tasting healthy options at a very reasonable price. Sonny bowl is fantastic! I eat here for lunch very regularly. I would suggest you try the OKQ salad, but you really can’t go wrong. Even if you think you don’t like vegan food, I would suggest you give it a shot. You might be pleasantly surprised. The staff is very friendly and despite being a very popular spot at the lunch hour their turnaround is generally pretty quick.
Stephen F.
Place rating: 5 Portland, OR
Unbelievable! Delicious, huge portions, healthy! A happy, vegan meal. I’d recommend adding the root veggies, and topping your bowl with some nutritional yeast and sriracha. Can’t got wrong with any of the bowl options they offer.
Zeo C.
Place rating: 5 Los Angeles, CA
I am no longer local but had to visit this cart while in town. Better than I remember, and definitely faster too! These people are awesome. One of my favorite Portland carts.
Karrin P.
Place rating: 4 Montclair, NJ
Food truck adventures span all over Portland. My SW romp took me to Sonny Bowl, an all-Vegan food truck with lots of delicious plant-based options to satisfy your taste buds. They offer yummy bowls and salads along with smoothies and coconut water. I got the O.K.Q. Salad with kale tossed in tahini dressing topped with quinoa, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, and smoky tempeh. It was delicious and portable, so you can eat while seeing the city sites. There aren’t a lot of places to eat by the food truck row and it can get crowded, so you can take your carton of food and be on your merry way! The food came out fast, the cooks and servers were friendly and helpful. I can’t recommend Sonny Bowl enough. Try it out!
Liz C.
Place rating: 5 Seattle, WA
Next to all the fatty, delicious food stands is Sonny Bowl, a food stand offering healthy alternatives and options. After all the traveling in Vancouver and Oregon, I was ready to have something hearty and nutrient packed. Before grabbing the bus home, my partner and I decided to step by the food stands on Washington St and 3rd Ave. Sonny Bowl was staring right at me as if it knew that I would walk over there. I got the black bean bowl with added avocado(75 cents). I have no idea what kind of magic lies in the sauce here but it is so good. The sauce makes every component of the bowl stand out and taste that much better. Kale is usually pretty bitter to me and hard for me to eat, but the tahini dressing on top really took away the biterness. Every bite of kale was quite scrumptious. The cilantro lime sauce that is smothered over the beans took the ordinary flavor of black beans to the next level. The slaw on top with cumin-lime dressing added a nice textural crunch, as did the pieces of walnut faux-rizo. I really like how they layer the entire dish so that every forkful has a piece of everything. There is a nice layer of brown basmati rice, then the beans, then the kale and slaw. Furthermore, they put the sauce in every layer so that each piece has slaw. You don’t have to worry about the sauce just being at the top. The bowls are offered in a small and large size($ 4 and $ 7 respectively). I found this to be an amazing price for hearty, healthy food. I got a large and couldn’t finish the bowl so I had leftovers for lunch the next day! Bottled water is $ 1 here which is great when you are on the go and in need of some hydration. They also offer up some fresh juices/smoothies. I really appreciated the lady who took my order. She was friendly, patient and talkative. They make their food pretty quick so it’s great if you are on the go! Definitely would recommend if you’re looking for a healthy bite that is delicious too.
Elissa D.
Place rating: 5 Camas, WA
Omg! This is the vegan food dreams are made of. Everything is soooo good! Add on some other worldly tempeh to your bowl and I promise– .blown.
Shaneldon W.
Place rating: 5 Portland, OR
Consistently delicious. Creative and yummy vegetarian options. Vegetarian or not, just plain good food. I have had each of the bowls and many of the smoothies and everything has been great. The small is the perfect size for lunch and is very filling. The cart is also reasonably priced for a healthy lunch option.
Sonya L.
Place rating: 5 Boulder, CO
Amazing, flavorful food. It was also cheap! I got the chickpea bowl for 7 bucks. They are open for breakfast too. Very fast service
Lucy M.
Place rating: 5 Portland, OR
Inexpensive, delicious, fast vegan food and great service. They now have breakfast in the mornings(between 8:30 and 11:00 if I remember correctly.) Their breakfast menu includes two tofu scrambled with potatoes(Mexican, the other Middle Eastern). They also have a delicious black rice, coconut milk and apple porridge called the Darkside. I recommend everything on both their breakfast and lunch menus.
Nick Z.
Place rating: 3 Portland, OR
I’ve been vegan over a decade now, and sometimes we annoy me. There is a stereotype of vegan food as bland, susceptible to superfood fadism, low fat, crunchily raw, and deaf to culinary tradition. You know what I’m talking about: quinoa, kale, some sort of Asiany tahini sauce, wrapped in an incongruous flatbread. These restaurants hurt my people. Sonny Bowl has some of that, except it’s actually a well-composed, cheap meal. All the elements of an annoying, unsatisfying healthfood experience are present, but these are curtailed by yumminess. Yes, the flavors are muted, I suppose to be totally inoffensive. For something so much in a salady vein, there really ought to be some acidity. Spice would be welcome(providing patrons with ubiquitous Aardvark sauce is not good enough; a man cannot live on Aardvark alone). All this said, I was still hungry when I finished. Vegans, until we show the world we can make cuisine as greasy, indulgent, and arguably inadvisable as everyone else, we’ll never be taken seriously.
Charlie M.
Place rating: 5 Portland, OR
Today: The large black bean bowl to share between Ali and I. Also got the Power Smoothie. The bowl was very nice; we added the tempeh on top. They also participate in the GoBox program locally :)
Lily S.
Place rating: 5 Seattle, WA
I am not vegan. I love vegan food, but let’s just clarify: I am not vegan. That being said, I would eat at Sonny Bowl every day for lunch if I could. Why? b/c their food is the bomb! Ordered the blackbean bowl today with soy curls and what I got was an amazing bowl of food, fresh ingredients, and chock full of delicious flavours. And soy curls. SOYCURLS. Who the hell knew they were so goddamn good! I wish this food truck were in my backyard.
Sarah M.
Place rating: 5 Santa Cruz, CA
So so so good! I’ve had the black bean bowl with BBQ soy curls and the O.K.Q salad with added molasses ginger root veggies. Both were excellent! The salad was my favorite with the root veggies(ADD those!) seriously. Yum. The grilled tempeh had so much flavor and the dressing was light and flavorful.(Tahini based) I’ve also had the ginger berry smoothie which is seriously good! Super refreshing! They’re menu is small but perfect for a food truck and the add ons/exchanges allow for more creativity. Service is relatively quick even when they’re busy.
Parker T.
Place rating: 4 Portland, OR
I visited Sonny Bowl today & was thoroughly pleased with the friendly & swift service as well as the healthy, tasty cuisine. I tried the large O.K.Q. salad & added the ginger molasses root vegetables – it was easily a two-meal-sized portion for $ 8& I felt nourished as well as full after eating the abundance of kale, quinoa, chickpeas, tempeh, artichoke hearts & root vegetables. I look forward to returning.