Dirty Lettuce
Vegan restaurant · Cully
4727 NE Fremont St, Portland, OR 97213
Highlights
Vegan Southern comfort food: ribs, fried chicken, mac & cheese
Vegan Southern comfort food: ribs, fried chicken, mac & cheese
"Hailing from Mississippi, Alkebulan Moroski serves entirely vegan Southern comfort foods made with Moroski’s own shockingly meaty seitan — that come in the form of well-spiced crispy-fried “chicken” and breaded “catfish” strips — that will even leave meat-eaters mystified. Tangy barbecue ribs arrive alongside equally delicious sides, like cornbread, Cajun mac and cheese, fried okra, and red beans and rice. The Fremont restaurant also serves as a vegan corner store, carrying Dirty Lettuce’s cornbread mix and coffee blends, as well as snacks, home goods, and pottery from local makers." - Anastasia Sloan
"Mississippi-born Alkebulan Moroski is an artist of seitan at their vegan restaurant, Dirty Lettuce, transforming humble wheat gluten into Southern classics that are true to the textures and flavors of the originals. Look for light, crisp cornmeal-breaded catfish, charred, sticky barbecue ribs, and juicy, crackly fried chicken. Sides are no afterthought here, from gooey Cajun style mac ‘n’ cheese to stewed collard greens, complete with little bits of vegan meat for pops of flavor. Even the tartar sauce might be one of the best in town, vegan or not." - Katherine Chew Hamilton
"Few culinary traditions are so deeply connected to animal proteins as soul food is to pork, chicken, shrimp, and catfish. Some might ask: is vegan soul food even possible? Dirty Lettuce proves the doubters more than wrong, with a dazzling selection of seitan ribs and fried chicken, konjac root shrimp, and sides that highlight the rich vegetable-forward side of soul food, including collards, mashed potatoes, and cauliflower. Carnivores might not find the same exact mouthfeel, but the taste and care that chef Alkebulan Moroski puts into every creation will have many returning for seconds." - Ron Scott
"Few culinary traditions are so deeply connected to animal proteins as soul food is to pork, chicken, shrimp, and catfish. Some might ask: is vegan soul food even possible? Dirty Lettuce proves the doubters more than wrong, with a dazzling selection of seitan ribs and fried chicken, konjac root shrimp, and sides that highlight the rich vegetable-forward side of soul food, including collards, mashed potatoes, and cauliflower. Carnivores might not find the same exact mouthfeel, but the taste and care that chef Alkebulan Moroski puts into every creation will have many returning for seconds." - Ron Scott, Nathan Williams
"Alkebulan Moroski is exacting with the meat-free proteins at their vegan restaurant, Dirty Lettuce: The chef goes down to the very foundations of the protein structure, mimicking the balance of fat and muscle that gives chicken its juiciness or pork ribs that “fall off the bone” quality. But at the core of Dirty Lettuce is an allegiance to the true Southern classics, be it a Cajun mac and cheese that boggles the mind with its faux sausage, or a fried “chicken” with a crackly skin indistinguishable from the real thing. The mission is to make vegan comfort food that feels true to the original, in an effort to get people more interested in eating less meat — non-judgmental, but intent on excellence. And trust us: Eating those gravy-topped mashed potatoes won’t feel like any sort of sacrifice, even without the dairy." - Eater Staff
