Buddy’s Steaks

This place was incredible. To be able to pull off a vegan mozzarella stick is highly impressive and it was delicious, in many ways better than a regular mozzarella stick. I loved the marinara too. I got an egg roll filled with their vegan philly filling and it was also amazing, the vegan cheese dipping sauce was bomb.

We are visiting from Central Oregon and we’ve tried a handful of vegan places in the Portland area and Buddy’s is by far one of the best places we went to. We got the cheese steak, cheese steak fries, and mozzarella sticks. Everything is flavorful and to die for. I don’t think I’ve had mozzarella sticks in years and ngl I’ve missed them and this satisfied all those cravings! No nasty vegan cheese texture or nothing! I suggest the provolone cheese wiz over the cheddar. The cheese fries were awesome I would come back for the mozzarella sticks and cheese steak fries all day!

Fantastic taste of Philly served with a smile. The house made mozz sticks are a must have for cheese lovers (plant based or otherwise). The classic Philly satisfies, I suggest mushrooms and onions, or just try the Southside, which has peppers as well!

As a southern raised gal and someone who has never been a fan of cheesesteaks….I must excitedly admit that Buddy’s completely converted me!!! I don’t even tend to enjoy 98% of seitan I’ve tried (and I’ve tried a lot!) but whatever he does makes it ~*work*~. He also is making gluten free popcorn chicken now that is arguably the best in town (and fried chicken was my absolute fave meat of choice back in my omnivorous days so I do not claim this casually ). His mozzarella sticks are also soOoOo craveable. The man knows his way around food and is just as good at customer service as he is recipe development. Big fan of all things Buddy’s!!!!

I love their Mozzarella sticks! My husband loves their Cheese Steaks! Everything is made to order.You can tell that the owners put a lot of time and pride into their work. We have eaten here a few times and the food is always scrumptious and service is always top notch. Definitely give it a try even if you are not a vegan.

Wow. Just wow. I’ve been vegan for almost five years and had never experienced vegan mozz sticks. I was absolutely delighted to learn about Buddy’s and ordered soon after hearing about them. It was love at first bite. Positively scrumptious flavor and texture. Thank you so much for making this vegan happy. The fries are completely bomb too 😍

Ordered the classic Philly and I think it was missing a lot of toppings. It was a gut bomb of just vegan seitan meat on pretty okay roll. All in all it was okay. I wouldn’t eat there again. It was just kind of meh. Couldn’t finish half a sub because it lacked anything interesting in each bite - just kind of the same mush throughout.

Best vegan food in Portland, no question! At this point I've had every item on the menu and it has all been amazing. The buffalo chicken cheesesteak has a special place in my heart but so do mozzarella sticks so what's not to love about this place?The fries with a side of provolone is also a must.

Holy sh*t so good. Like, this review can do no justice. The pizza steak?! Yes. The mozz sticks?!?! Oh my god yes. My partner from Philly says it's what's up. Also Buddy is from Philly so also knows what's up. Thanks Buddy

Holy Plant! You're telling me that I can have a vegan Philly Cheesesteak and have it be absolutely amazing? You're out of your damn liberty bell mind! Yet somehow, Buddy here has managed to create a cheesesteak that is finger lickin', non-dairy cheesin' bangin' that turned out to be one of the highlights in my PDX eats. We ordered a regular cheesesteak but you could also go with their "chicken" option as well. Each cheesesteak is topped with plant-based meat, sautéed onions, and their cashew cheese sauce. You can also opt for a non-cashew option if you have a nut allergy. First bite fresh off the oven - WOW. What on earth was I eating?! The plant-based meat was delicious and the Philly flavors were all there for me. Not sure how they made their cheddar cheez but it is on point. Maybe it's just a load of nutritional yeast in their cashew sauce, but either way, it looked and resembled like cheddar and the gooeyness of it all permeated the entire toasted sandwich. Buddy - you did it. I am in love with this cheesesteak. Whether you're a long-time vegan or trying to dabble into a more plant based lifestyle, this will prove that you don't need to sacrifice flavor for your health or the animals (though let's be real, this is vegan junk food at it's finest lol).

Buddy's Steaks is a vegan cheesesteak food cart located in the Rose City Food Cart pod. The owners are "Philly born" so their standards are in the right place. But the sandwiches are "Portland made," which to me means they're delicious, quickly made, and served by friendly folks. I stopped by for their sandwich week special, and it was big and tasty. This cart is definitely going to go into my regular rotation, especially as it's in one of my favorite food cart pods. Cheesesteaks aren't even my favorite thing but how can I deny a yummy vegan sandwich? P.S. I've heard the mozzarella sticks are a must. Don't miss out.

Buffalo Chix? BOMB! Mozzarella sticks? BOMB! Kale salad? BOMB! Loaded fries? BOMB! If I could nutritionally subsist on just the Mozzarella sticks for the rest of my life I 100% would. Also the Cheez sauce is probably the best vegan Cheez stuffs I've ever encountered. Always have a variety of specials rotating through, and they're always delish. Staff is super sweet and always a hoot. Pro Tip: On spicy days hit them up for a nice, cool cup of Water Ice.

Good vegan food. really amazing kale salad. The vegan cheese fries are tasty. Portion size is plenty for 2 people or more. Nice to have good fries at Belmont Eats!

Best (vegan) cheesesteak in Portland. Having lived in Philly and eaten my fair share of cheesesteaks, Buddy's are legit and delicious.

Wow, this place is . I felt like eating vegan and also philly's so finding buddy's was right up my ally for my weekend cravings haha..ordered through doordash and got the Philly with mushroom, peppers and both "cheeses", fries and had to try the cheese sticks based on reviews. The cheese sticks were absolute ! Don't know what they use to get such an amazing cheesy flavor with it being vegan but they do and probably the best "cheesesticks" I've ever had! The fries are also delicious! The Philly was really good too but if I had to give a critique, it would be that it was super greasy. Still delicious and you expect that from a Philly but was a tad more than I'm used to. Will definitely try this place again.. this is coming from a non vegan/vegetarian btw

Amazing sandwiches! Enough to win me over, and I'm not even a strict vegetarian. They make such good food here that you may never go back to eating meat-based cheesesteaks again. I'll definitely come back--again and again.

DAYUM.THiS.IS.GOOD... a-yund... in this latest chapter of my search for the best French fries in Portland... we have A BRAND SMACKIN' NEW #1, yes, the one basket of fries to rule them all, indeed and forsooth! We've eaten here a lot now, too much actually, but the cheese Gromet, CHEESE! So creamy, sticky, tasty and full of real cheese flavor... only VEGAN! The "meat" is charred up on the grill and really passes pretty well for shredded cow with all the flavor and texture we're looking for. We get two with Provolone and peppers (a must) and a basket of heaven called fries to share. We pretend we are eating healthy because vegan and we can each finish only 1/2 of a sandwich (pretty big!). But, that's super cool, because some time in the next few days, I toast up a bun, heat up the filling (the original bun has gone to its great soggy bun reward in the sky) maybe add some grilled onions or whatever, refry the leftover fries and voila! Bon apetit! But, let's not forget the fries! So crispy! Are they coated in rice flour? I just don't know, but every single fry is crispy crunchy... and yet... fluffy wuffy to the fullest extent allowed by physics and the universe. But wait for it... there's a knockout punch! YOU.CAN.GET.CHEESE. You heard me, the same amazing ooze they put on the cheesesteak, right on top of likely the only fry crispy enough to hold up under all that tasty, oozing, cheesy goodness. Ok, now for the great Insider Secret part of the review... Right to the left is J Vein Caffé, which serves the best espresso, chai, handmade gelato and granita this side of New York. And... if you bring your doggie or your other, less furry (well, hopefully non-furry) child, or both, ask him about his secret special for the furred and unfurred children. Even ask about the secret seating if things are crazy busy. There ya go... SECRETS. Do I ever disappoint?

OMFG y'all gotta try this, I can't believe it took me so long to finally try Buddy's but I'm so glad I did. I got the chickn cheesesteak & the moz sticks, after eating only half the sandwich and one stick I'm already full. Only regret is not grabbing a mountain of napkins!

First of all...WOW! So I found about this place from doing research on YouTube. Then after looking online I saw they had gluten free options. I messaged them on Yelp and they got back to me letting me know what options they had and told me to call ahead of time to make sure they had the gluten free bread that day. And I did just that! I got the chicken steak on gluten free bread with mushrooms, onions and peppers. I also got fries with their cheese sauce. Both were absolutely amazing. My friend got the same thing and she actually ordered it again the next day cause it's so good. Unfortunately, I ate my food too fast that I forgot to take a picture of the food. Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend this place.

So delicious and great service. Both the "chicken" and regular cheese steak were amazing. The cheddar whiz is sooo good. I can't believe they managed to make such a convincing vegan cheese sauce. My non-vegan fiancé liked my cheese steak so much that he got one for himself. That has never happened at any other restaurant. The kale salad with peanut dressing was simple and flavorful. We also had the dessert, Emma and Lottie's biscuit with strawberries and whipped cream. This was basically a strawberry shortcake, and it was lovely and perfectly balanced.

I'm sorry but not a fan. Went with high hopes for awesome vegan food but disappointed. The service is good. We ordered 2 classic cheese steak, mozzarella sticks & fries, $43. The cheese steak tasted like a blob of cheese & no flavor. We used the fries to scrape some of the cheese off. The cheese sticks were the closest to mozzarella sticks that I have found & the fries were good.

The Philly eggrolls and cheesesteak were both incredibly good. We ordered thinking it was meat, but we were pleasantly surprised when we realized it was plant based. Their seitan is made in house, and it's so yummy. Vegan or not, please try them! The owner was cool.

Buddy's is the best!!! I tried the chicken cheesesteak for the first time the other day and have been thinking about it literally since I finished it, had to go grab another today! The owner is also super sweet and has made both experiences so nice :) highly highly recommend!!!

A great place to have a cheesesteak sandwich. I didn't realize it was a plant based food cart until I ordered. I'm glad that I did order it as it was very good. It's better than some of the regular meat cheesesteak that I've had in the past.The food came out pretty quick and there was plenty of seats in the pod area.

Great service. They are a vegan cheesesteak place. No real meat. Amazing service and food.

What a nice vegan alternative! The original 'cheese' and vegan steak were delicious and super filling, the portion size is huge! First time trying a vegan mozzarella sticks and was impressed, not as stringy as the original but definitely worth a try.

Whether you are vegan or not, you MUST try buddy's at least once. Stopped here with a friend to try their vegan philly & vegan mozzarella sticks at long last. I've known about them since before they officially opened this cart and we're doing pop-ups so it's been on my radar for awhile. We split the sandwich and mozzarella sticks and it was the perfect portion. We got the philly with provolone whiz and added mushrooms and it was truly spectacular. I'm a sucker for philly cheesesteaks and this one was one of the best I've had, including the none vegan ones. The house made "meat" was tender and juicy, the bread was perfectly soft but held everything together without being too messy. Everything was just so damn good. The mozzarella sticks were also standout and something I'd suggest trying and sharing with a friend. Everything was great and Buddy and his staff were so kind. I'm already looking forward to my next time back.

I was listening to 101.9 and heard them talking about Buddy's. I love a good cheesesteak so I decided to order a little everything. A "Beef" and a "Chicken" cheese steak, both with mushrooms one with broccoli rabe. We also ordered mozzarella sticks and fries.... Well wow! Mozzarella sticks were crunchy and creamy, fries had a good crunch but the cheesesteaks both had great flavor and the texture was spot on. Much better than some of the sandwiches I have had in the area claiming to be a Phili. We will dine here again.

Everything is so good. Every time I've gone they are super friendly, too. Vegan mozz sticks are such a treat and theirs are perfect.

I've had A LOT of vegan cheezesteaks in my days, this place is hands down the best ever. Incredible attention to flavor detail in every component. True art. 10 stars. The mozzarella sticks were quite similar to other vegan mozz sticks I've had, too gooey/a little off. Thats obviously not the fault of Buddy's though.

While I'm not completely vegan, I have cut most meat out of my diet, including beef, and resigned myself to never having a delicious Philly cheesesteak again. You see, I've been burned by vegan cheesesteaks in the past. I won't openly disparage a small business, especially during hard times (unlike most Yelpers, apparently), but another local vegan place that uses seitan as their meat replacement earned $13 just to line my compost bin a few years back, so I was a little hesitant to try Buddy's. Boy am I glad I did! I'm not sure if he's using seitan or something else, but it's delicious. Really nice texture and flavor. And the mozz sticks? As someone who does still indulge in dairy-based cheeses now and then, I could easily give up the standard mozz stick for these. Buddy is just one of the many examples of Portland's vegan chefs absolutely killing it (without having to actually kill anything). Portland is so lucky to have him!

Il start by saying that I'm a vegetarian who still eats animal cheeses and these are the best mozzarella sticks that I've ever eaten in my life. The sandwiches are addicting. Everybody is really friendly. I've been eating here consistently for a year and the only time I've ever been disappointed is when the cart moved out of my neighborhood. 10/10 would recommend to both vegans and non vegans.

Buddy's is one of my favorite places. Their food has flavor, their service is unparalleled, and off the record, Buddy has amazing eyes! I'm never disappointed with any of the menu items. Every time I try something new, I'm always pleased! Keep up the excellent work! I wish I had a picture to post of their food, but every time I order from them, I eat it immediately.

Great vegan food truck bringing that signature Philly Cheese Steak flavor to PDX. The owner is such a nice guy and enjoyed chatting with him about the east coast and his journey out here. Everything we tried so far was amazing! Highly recommend the cheeses steak with provolone and the mozzarella sticks! They're also in a great location with a beer garden on site and a decent amount of tables. Don't sleep on this spot!

Wow this place is excellent! I think the chicken cheesesteak was actually my favorite thing I've tried! The fries are also amazing! Cheese sticks are awesome too! I'm a big fan!

Great stop for a vegan steak. The mystery "meat" reminds me of seitan and has a deep umami flavor with some crispiness and a great texture throughout. It actually reminds me of gyro meat that's been crisped up on the griddle. I think these guys should expand to vegan gyros because they'd be on par with normal gyros. My only quibble is they need to add more cheese sauce and cook their peppers down a little more. Friendly staff, good service, good peeps.

10/10 would recommend. The loaded fries are SO GOOD! I'm not vegan but absolutely love this vegan menu. Prices are also great. Thank you!

Knees buckle vegan cheese steak - is that a thing?! Well, nevertheless, you are missing out on a future top 100 vegan Portland food. I got the classic Philly cheese steak and it was very filling and satisfying for one person - and could easily be split with a side. I dipped my in ketchup for those retro pre-vegan vibes. I want to try the mozz sticks next please.

The chicken cheesesteak is one of my favorite eats in all of Portland. It just makes me want to go back for more and more. Also, pro-tip: always get the provolone cheese whiz. It's exceptional. Get a side of it and put it on your fries. Get a side of it and put it on your pasta. It's that damn good!

I ordered delivery from Buddy's for my husband's second COVID birthday, and they went above and beyond! The cart always sells out by dinnertime, so the owners put the ingredients aside for us, cooked them up later, and even gave us bonus bday mozzarella (not-zarella?) sticks. They were so kind, the food was jus scrumptious, and the portions were huge. Also, as someone who grew up vegetarian just outside of Philly, it was such a treat to finally taste for myself what everyone's been raving about. Now I understand! Thank you, Buddy's, for a delicious dinner (actually, two dinners and one lunch) and for making it a special birthday in these trying times!

Great service, creative menu. Water ice is amazing. True gem in Portland Oregon. Would be nice to see a "combo deal" price for sandwich and fries.

I'm not a big vegan food fan. I love meat! But I heard about this place on the radio. I have to say, it tasted nothing like meat. But... it was amazing!! I ordered the cheesesteaks and mozzarella sticks. We are HUGE philly fans. I am a lover of mozzarella sticks. Me and my manager enjoyed half of the philly. We couldn't finish. Too much dense weight. Two of our employees finished the other half. They were equally happy. "Mozzarella sticks" were EPIC!!! Thank you. You've set the bar too high.

I had the Buffalo chicken sandwich and was delicious. It was a little pricey for the portion, maybe a side of fries with it would be a good meal price.

Ok, this place is amazing. Everything we got was so good! I could eat the sausage with peppers and onions every day. Also, Buddy is so nice and genuine. Definitely the kind of place you want to support over and over!

5 stars 10/10 I am originally from Philadelphia so I am bringing my honest and genuine Philadelphian stamp of approval! So many places claim to make a "Philly" cheesesteak outside of Pennsylvania but Buddy's hits the mark 100%. It is so hard to find a decent east coast style cheese steak anywhere else in the country let alone a vegan one and Buddy has came to the resuce. I find myself eating at Buddy's 2 to 3 times a week the taste, the price, and Buddy's outgoing personality will keep anyose coming back for multiple visits. Buddy is at the window every visit greating everyone and you can tell there is a genuine smile under his mask. The provolone wiz is amazing on top of a cheesesteak or for dipping your Philly rolls and really fills that void of a messy cheese experience. The philly rolls are an out of the box creation that will leave your taste buds in heaven. If you are in the mood for some authetic greasy plant based food Buddy's will not disappoint. Oh also they offer legit Ritas Italian ice the same texture and flavor found on the east coast has been locked away inside buddy's wonderful food truck they have a ritas machine so there is no difference to the product at all... brought the nostaligia of being a kid on the east coast right to the pnw. No need to even have a meal if you are looking for a cold sweet snack they got you covered. I will be a long time customer of this establishment and once you taste the food and get a taste of the friendly people who prepare it all you will be too.

I'm a big Philly cheesesteak guy, and since going vegan I've never been able to satisfy that craving - until now. No joke, their Philly is so good it even beats out the "real meat" ones I've had.

Omg!! I don't know where to start!! The mozzarella sticks were crisp on the outside and yummy cheesy good on the inside! The fries were nice and crisp and we ordered cheese dip on the side for them... melty yummy heaven...I was skeptical about what the cheese"steak" was going to taste like since I do eat meat, but this cheesesteak tasted better than most of the real cheesesteaks we have eaten in Portland! The flavor was incredible, the texture was great!! This is my go to spot for cheesesteaks now!!! Did I mention how hugely stuffed this was! Very filling! And very grateful it is vegan!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

Food is amazing! Customer service is even better! I had the cheese steak with mushrooms and peppers and it was exactly what I've been wanting! It hit the spot! More importantly, the customer service was so great! I wanted ranch with my mozzarella sticks, and even though they didn't have any available, they still managed to give us some from a neighboring cart. I can't remember the last time I felt inclined to write a good review for a great experience, thank you so much for that! Don't change, you're fantastic!!!

Omg my hubby and I just tried Buddys today for the first time how did we not know about this place!! Amazing!!! Hands down the absolute best sandwiches we have ever had ever!! The cheesesticks were the best and the cheese whiz sauce I can't believe it's vegan!! We live in beaverton but will be making a weekly trip to Buddys for sure

Go here and get food. Everything is great from he fries to chicken cheesesteaks. They even have a kale salad with the most delicious peanut dressing that has ever dressed greens.

TL;DR: OMG. GO THERE NOW!!! Serendipity struck when I noticed Buddy's while I was picking something else up at a different vegan Rose City Park food cart. (There are multiple great options there!) The chance to try a vegan cheesesteak was irresistible, so I ordered one. Best decision ever! The sandwich was HUGE and packed with incredibly flavored and textured steak shavings. There were tons of crispy areas and other soft gooey areas. It was packed into a soft but tasty roll that was the most delightful mess in eating. I happily ate a few big mouthfuls while it was hot, but since it wasn't my intended meal, I packed up most of it. I actually got two full meals out of it. And it reheated amazingly well a few days later without sacrificing taste or texture. I went back again and it was just as good. I added broccoli rabe and highly recommend that to give a bit of bitterness to cut all the richness of the steak. (I added mushrooms the first time. It was good but they got lost in the umami richness.) Also, the mozzarella sticks were incredible!!!! Perfectly fried, ooey-gooey, with the exact taste I remember from childhood. Buddy was also a super nice guy!

They really nailed the texture of the meat and cheese whiz! Best vegan Philly cheesesteaks in Portland.

My wife is a vegetarian, but I eat meat. We decided to try Buddy Steaks during our latest trip to Rose City Food Park. Cheesesteaks are one of my all time favorite sandwiches. I admit, upon the first bite, I could taste it was not beef. But after a couple bites, all I knew was that it was DELICIOUS! My wife loved it as well. They give the option to add toppings (mushrooms, peppers, etc) for $1 each, which is a nice touch. We will be returning. A+

I got the original cheesesteak with provolone - SO GOOD! It hit the spot! It was enough for 2 meals for me. I think their meat could satisfy any carnivore. I also got the mozzarella sticks - AWESOME! I will be a regular at this food cart!

The cheese steak was top notch!! Super delicious!! I loved it!!! I need to go back and try the mozzarella sticks. As good as the food was, however, the best thing about Buddys was the friendly service. The owner couldn't have been more pleasant. It's such a pleasure to get food from a vegan place in Portland where the people taking your order don't look like they want to stab you in the neck. This alone makes me want to go back. Vegan establishments need to take note. Friendly service from people that don't look and act like criminals makes people want to come back. I will definitely be telling all my friends about this place and I'll be back for sure.

10 stars! Cheesesteaks were one of my favorite things when I was Omni.... I have not had a good one since making the switch 4 years ago. Buddy's cheesesteak with pepper and mushrooms was BOMB!! So freaking good! I'll be back.... Soon!

Words can't explain how delicious this food is...I swear. The mozzarella sticks are to die and kill for lmao and the VEGAN CHEESESTEAK... I mean come on...it's what dreams are made of

First off, Buddy is so sweet! This water ice is super authentic and really yummy. The Philly cheesesteak is out of this world and super flavorful. I've had it twice now and can't wait to come back!