Wait time was a little long, but it was also during one of first weeks the new pod was open, so expected. You would never know it's vegan! The plantains were sweet and soft, the arepa had a nice crisp outside, soft inside, and full of flavor. I will deg be returning! read more

El Salto - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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New location in the cart pod on Foster south of Powell. All vegan but it's hard to tell sometimes. Arepa was delicious but don't try to eat it while driving - ended up eating most of it with a fork after it fell apart into a delicious platter. Sweet and slightly savory plantains on the side, and an empanada full of savory ham and gooey melted cheese. Plus a shave ice worth the brain freeze. Friendly service and the cart pod has seating, a water station, and multiple tap options. read more

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I was one of these people that tried this too late! It was one of their last days open (I'm pretty sure they are open now) and we got an order for pick up. It was honestly so fantastic all the food we ordered was incredible! I am going again and again ! read more

It's been about five years since we have lived in Miami and had Venezuelan food. This was super good! I am not vegan but honestly, I didn't miss the meat at all. We had the patacón and the yucca fritas and it was delicious. The plantains of the patacón were perfectly cooked and the filling was flavorful. We live in the neighborhood so we will definitely be back! read more

El Salto - Patacón y Yucca fritas - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I have been wanting to try El Salto for a while now. Definitely did not disappoint. We had a poyo patacon it was shareable or if you're really hungry it is so filling. The poyo is well seasoned and the guasaca sauce is so flavorful. We also had an empanada filled with soyrizo that was very delicious (the pastry was almost too greasy). The carne asada arepa was large and the filling was extremely flavorful. The maduros were sweet and well made. I would order everything again. Fortunately the seating area is directly across from the cart and there is a decent amount of seating. The cart pod is unassuming but it is cozy. read more

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I was looking for some unique vegan foods. El Salto had some. Will definitely be back to try some more. Great service, well balanced garnish, very satisfying! read more

As a non-vegan, this is some of the best food I've found in Portland. Absolutely impressed, and I've been back several times since they moved to Carts on Foster. Plus the owners are super friendly! read more

El Salto - Patacon de Chorizo - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Ordered the chorizo arepa and oh my goodness, it was absolutely delicious and full of flavor packed into a fluffy arepa pocket. No pics cause I wasted no time eating it up. Also such a good location, love the Bite on Belmont carts! read more

Fresh tasting, healthy and delicious. Friendly service. A nice addition to the Foster Food Carts.

I enjoyed arepa de chorizo and an order of pastelitos, all perfectly prepared and so fresh. I'm glad to see them at the Foster Food Carts.

New to the Bite on Belmont, I was so stoked to try El Salto and they do not disappoint! I had the Arepa de Pollo con Queso, Tostones and Aguapanela, all of which were incredibly tasty! The Arepa was generously filled, flavorful and super moist, and the tostones were perfectly salted, crisp (and their garlic sauce is awesome). The Aguapanela is tart and refreshing (and dangerously chuggable). The owners are super sweet and gave awesome recommendations for my first visit. I feel honored that they're sharing all of their tasty regional treats with us! Plus, they have the cutest cart puppers! 110% would and will recommend this spot, even if you aren't vegan! It's tasty food made with lots of love & care. PS. Don't sleep on any of their Guava/Cheese dishes!! A delicious and (for me) unexpected combo, I'm stoked to try more! read more

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Visited their new location on Foster. Excellent food and great recommendations as always! read more

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Delicious!!!! Friendly service and incredible food ... had the Reina Pepiada ... so damn good. read more

Quite literally the most mouthwatering delicious food I've had in Portland. The Arepa Reina Papiada is mouthwateringly good. The garlic alioli and gausacaca sauces are soooo good. I also love the empanadas and tequenos. Keep doing what you're doing. This cart is a little piece of heaven. read more

An absolute portland vegan staple run by the most amazing and sweetest folks! You will not regret eating here! read more

El Salto - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Went here on a limb with no knowledge of it being vegan. Safe to say I was bamboozled, run amok, and flat out deceived, as I had absolutely no idea until after eating that it was. THIS S*** WAS FIRE!!! Specifically, the soyrizo and maduros are crazy delicious. I promise you, you are doing your taste buds and serotonin levels a disservice by not coming here read more

The food is amazing! We had patacones, and arepas. The reina pepiada arepa was the best!! My spouse is Venezuelan and she loves the place so much we had to come here for her birthday. It's a plus that is vegan but there is no sacrifice in taste at all! read more

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Great all vegan fare place. I recommend the empanada. We also ordered a patacon, which was a sandwich in between two fried plantains. The arepas were good as well. read more

El Salto - Arepa de Poyo con Queso - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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First visit at the new location on foster. Split two specials (shrimp arepa & raspaditos/venezuelan shaved ice) and the carne patacone. The shaved ice deserves to be a permanent item - I'd crave that on snowdays. The food.. Super delicious, and vastly different than any other dish you'd be offered in this city, especially the VEGAN ones. While the specials may not be available by the time you make your visit, rest assured whatever they are offering is going to be delicious. Plantains and corn flatbread-pockets as vehicles for delicious fillings aside flavorful soy curls & seitan. The extra sauces they offer for a dollar are addicting. I hope they can establish a loyal following to lock down a brick and mortar some day. Truly incredible flavors and consistently delicious, satisfying and worth the trek however far you come from. Service & ambience top notch also.. read more

Purely unique, excellently prepared and utterly satisfying. Let's discuss each reason for praise. When I say it's unique, I mean that in three ways. One being that Venezuelan food is already uncommon as it is. Factor in that it's vegan at the same time, and it's a rarity to find even if you look throughout the entire US. Secondly, the style itself is distinctive. Paola goes for authentic tasting versions of her people's food. She's trying to have you take a bite out of Venezuela, and won't sacrifice taste because it's vegan. So, where as a restaurant may be boring and just use naturally vegan ingredients like a Black Bean Arepa with no meat or cheese, El Salto gives you the full package. It stays hearty, gooey, tender, juicy, and flavorful. If places do somehow manage to do a vegan Arepa with a meat/cheese option, it's more than likely a name brand like Impossible. Nothing wrong with Impossible inherently, but it probably means they aren't enriching their meat with deep flavoring and just the right texture like Paola does. She makes all her meats from scratch, and her labor of love is what sets her apart from competitors who offer less interesting, more copy-and-paste vegan options (which wouldn't exactly wow a typical client, let alone a food critic). A good analogy would be like carnival food vs restaurant quality. Where one reels you in mostly by milking your brain's chemicals, another is clearly winning you over from a longer check-list of qualities that make food satisfying. From the perfect seasoning, to a great feel when you bite into it, a fulfilling sensation in your stomach that doesn't make you feel like you'll be hungry in two hours, and yet not too overwhelming in any one category of judgement. Thirdly, it's unique to have so many options of both the kinds of different foods, as well as different variations of the main entrees. El Salto offers a total of FIVE Arepas: Chicken, beef, chorizo, cheese, AND a chicken/cheese combo. That's plenty to get addicted to. They also have four kinds of patacones, and four sides. PLUS, if you're lucky enough to come in when she's doing a special, you'll have even more options. A little Trupia told us that the tequeños are becoming a regular item soon, so look out for that! As for the excellent preparation, well, take a look at any pictures of her food and you'll see an outstanding and mouthwatering result. The presentation is simply worthy of photo-taking. Please stop by to pick up her incredible cooking. Seriously, you'll be impressed by how thoughtful her creations are from start to finish. When the word is out about El Salto, you're going to want to brag about how she was your favorite before it was cool. read more

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Great new Venezuela pop up! The food is fresh and absolutely amazing. Everything is vegan but don't fret if you love me at - my meat obsessed partner loved the faux chorizo arepa and soy curls. Also can't pass up getting the tostones! read more

El Salto - Chorizo arepa, patacon and tostones - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The food is delicious . Best vegan meat i have tasted and had. I Cannot wait to try more. The location is good with parking near by. Great service and food. Plenty of seating, nice and peaceful sitting there on a sunday. I had the arepa SO good. My non vegan friend really enjoyed the patacon guisado. Super good as well. Highly recommended read more

El Salto - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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So delicious! Authentic cuisine made vegano! Husband said the arepas were better than his own mothers (which are tough to beat)! Owner was kind and you can tell she puts love into her food. Highly recommend! read more

El Salto - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Soooo happy to find a 100% vegan Venezuelan spot! The arepas were huge and overflowing with flavor. And they had hallacas! I haven't been able to have hallacas since going vegan, and these really hit the spot. The patacones were delicious, the guisado was tender, and the sauces were very flavorful. We can't wait to try the empanadas! The service was fantastic - very warm and welcoming. We ordered a lot of food, and it didn't take long for our order to be ready. Thank you for existing and for making delicious food! We will definitely be back :) read more

El Salto - Patacon de Carne Mechada - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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El Salto totally rocks the vegan game with a twist on traditional Venezuelan comfort food. We had picture perfect arepas loaded with flavor-packed fillings and every bite was a taste explosion. The owners are super nice and passionate, and their ever-evolving menu keeps us coming back. We just ordered a few Empanadas, Tostones and Hallacas (see pictures) with mouthwatering sauces for a friend's get together. Vegans, non-Vegans, Latinos, and non-Latinos, everyone just loved it. It was so good. If you're into delicious irresistible comfort food, elsaltopdx is a must-try. No doubt, it's a straight-up 10/10! Every time. read more

El Salto - Vegan Hallaca with delicious filling - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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First off, the food is incredible! Everything is made in house so the flavors are both unique and absolutely delicious. The service is quick and the owners are super friendly and helpful. Highly recommend the tostones! I will be back! read more

El Salto - Patacon de Poyo con Queso - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Flame de la flame. I cannot believe this ish is vegan even the cheese was melty gooey and down right ridiculously delicious. Death row meal level awesome. I'd give up everything i love to have this everyday (no drama). read more

Amazing food. The Poyo Guisado was so fresh and delicious. The Aqua Vanilla was insane. read more

El Salto - Poyo Guisado - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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The menu is a QR and is inaccessible to people without a phone. They ignore you if you request a printed menu.

I eat at El Salto at least once a month at this point and it has never once disappointed me!!! I order the chorizo arepa with avocado and have also tried the seasonal strawberry juice. The plantains and the guasacaca are insanely delicious. I would take a non-vegan here and feel so certain they'd be happy. Great service, cute food cart pod! read more

Super excited to have traditional and delicious vegan venezuelan food in Portland. i've been coming here since they opened and has been consistently amazing. I'm so looking forward to see what comes next. Thank you!! read more

I wish I could have the option to put 10 stars! AMAZING food and really pleasant and personable owner. I went here a couple days ago with my stepson (who is not vegan). We both loved it. I got the arepa chorizo which was also GF. It was so full of flavor. Very hard to eat it slow and mindfully;) The plantains were also cooked to perfection and the green sauce was really yummy. I can't remember which arepa my stepson got but I tried a bite and it was also really delicious. I tend to have high standards when it comes to eating out. I love to cook and throw different flavors together and I'm really good at it, so if I am going to go out and pay money for food-I want it to knock my socks off. This place did it! I will definitely be back here. read more

I had no idea it was vegan. Pablo serves up the best empanadas and arepas I've ever had - absolutely worth checking out!

One of my favorite places in Portland. Lovely people and amazing Venezuelan food. Best arepas in town. Their masa is so good! They are so creative so you can eat it all the different ways. Just had their very excellent burger special. Highly recommend! read more

The arepas are outstanding. I am not vegan but I found the food outstanding - well prepared, fresh, and well seasoned! I will be adding this place to my regular rotation. This is truly a hidden gem. read more

Wow delicious! Even if you are not vegan the food was delicious! We had patecon mechada and the "meat" was amazing, so flavorful! We also had the empanada with "cheese" and guava in an empanada made with sweet plantains...I had to order another to go. Definitely recommend for vegans and non-vegans alike. read more

El Salto - Empanada - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

El Salto is amazing and the owner Paola is one of the nicest, most passionate people you'll meet. She's super helpful and will answer any questions you have about the food. I've gone a few times, and have gotten different things each time and everything is sooo good and leaves you feeling good after too! The cheese used is one of the best vegan cheeses I've had, and has the perfect texture and taste so you can't even tell the difference. My partner isn't vegan but loves this place as well and will swear by it! I'd recommend it to anyone thinking about trying it or looking for something new! You get a great chance to experience authentic Venezuelan food, and the cart has a great vibe to it! Get there as early as possible as they tend to sell out before the end of the night :) read more

El Salto - Patacon de Poyo con Queso - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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I've been dying to try this place and was not disappointed. The arepa was made to perfection and the "streak" texture and flavor were on point. I'm a non-vegan/vegetarian and loved every bite. I can't wait for her business to grow. Portland gem for sure. read more

El Salto - Venezuelan Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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It was my first time having vegan Venezuelan food, and I must say, it was incredibly tasty. One of my new favorite spots!

Such good vegan goodness!! Prices are reasonable too! Excited to have another vegan spot to go to.