Lilla

"An Italian restaurant where traditional pasta and dishes are made without eggs using psyllium husk and chickpea flour." - Anastasia Sloan

"Pulling off vegan Italian food is exceptionally tricky; so many dishes lean on a snowy pile of cheese, a binding egg yolk, or luscious rendered pork fat. That’s what makes this tiny Italian restaurant on Southeast Madison so special — all of its pizzas, handmade pastas, meatballs, and risotto are animal product-free. Skip the pizzas in favor of the restaurant’s pastas, which range from rounded orecchiette cradling puddles of sun-dried tomato pesto to carbonara with smoky vegan bacon. For dessert, a mind-boggling panna cotta is the move." - Eater Staff

"Lilla, from The Sudra owner Sanjay Chandrasekran, is a vegan Italian wonderland, with creative riffs on all the dishes one expects from a classic red sauce joint. House vegan cheeses, made with sunflower seeds and soy, decorate plates like handmade pappardelle bolognese or chicken pesto pizza with cherry tomatoes. Dishes pair well with Italian wines by the glass or the expected cocktails, like an Aperol spritz or a Negroni." - Thom Hilton, Michelle DeVona

"Many of Portland’s pasta shops can whip up a vegan dish or two, but Lilla is the only one that’s entirely vegan with a number of gluten-free options, as well. At this cute cafe with tiled walls, butcher block tables, and bright blue eiffel chairs, start with small plates of potato croquettes with rosemary-garlic aioli, eggplant parmesan, and mushroom-topped polenta cakes. Large enough for sharing, entrees like handmade tagliolini with basil-hazelnut pesto and roasted squash risotto with pine nuts make Lilla a popular spot for vegan pasta and wine date nights. Although pasta is the restaurant’s specialty, it also serves margherita, pepperoni, and mushroom personal pizzas topped with sunflower mozzarella and almond parmesan." - Waz Wu

"Lilla will be Portland’s first fully vegan Italian restaurant since Portobello closed in 2016. It will offer handmade pastas with sauces like hazelnut pesto and marinara, as well as Italian-style comfort foods, including meatballs, bruschetta, soy chicken parmesan sandwiches, and 12-inch thin crust pizzas. The vegan cheeses used will be made in-house from sunflower seeds or soy. The restaurant will also offer beer and wine pairings, take-and-bake lasagna, and other pasta dishes for takeout." - Waz Wu