The Whole Bowl

Fresh, healthy and tasty! I’m a regular and my advice is to not go around lunch time, they never have more than one person working and the line is at least 10 – 15 minutes wait. Giving it 4 stars due to slow service.

Yeah — you probably could’ve made this at home, but you didn’t and hot damn if it isn’t convenient and delicious.
For me The Whole Bowl is comfort food. A take on Mexican food, minus the spice plus the ooey gooey. The secret is in the tali sauce, otherwise it’s a sad burrito bowl. I think they use pace salsa (get a rope!) which is the only real ding for me. A house made salsa would really put this thing into overdrive.
Simple ingredient that culminate into an addictive little bowl.

Great (and filling!) vegetarian locale. The Big Bowl looked small at first but it was filled to the brim and getting avocado, sauce, olives, along with the staple beans and rice was certainly a $ 6 value. Good friendly service.

Wow, this food cart is delicious. I wasn’t expecting it to be so good. The serving looks small, but it’s very filling. Whatever the sauce that they put on is so tasty. They’re only open for lunch (at least it seems like that), but it’s easily one of the best food carts in Portland.

The Whole Bowl is one of those carts with a consistent long line every time. Judging from my first visit on my most recent Portland trip, I can now understand why.
Simple, filling, and oh so delicious. The Whole Bowl is the perfect stop if you’re craving something fresh and on-​the-​go. A cart among all the many Thai, gyro, and bahn mi neighbors, that caters to the vegetarian and vegan diet.
The Whole Bowl offers a fully loaded «Bambino Bowl» for only $ 5.50 and under 500 calories. A fully loaded bowl comes with the following wholesome ingredients: brown rice, red and black beans, fresh avocado, salsa, black olives, sour cream, Tillamook cheddar, cilantro, and the special Tali Sauce (garlicky taste to me). My family and I opted to level up and share the Big Bowl for just $ 0.50 more. Bowls are made to order (read: one at a time) which also explains the usual long line. It goes by fast though, and is definitely worth the wait!
Service was super friendly. The lady (is it Tali?) holding down the fort always has such a cheerful demeanor and welcoming smile. We witnessed a few regulars ahead of us, and she remembered them all.
You get exactly what you order here at The Whole Bowl. There is no mystery, which I appreciate. You can actually see her putting your bowl together through the cart window.
Simplicity. A nice change among the potentially overwhelming amount of food order choices at Alder.

I wish I could make beans and rice taste this good at home!
Fresh ingredients, and the perfect amount of each in this little bowl of tastiness.
Will definitely be back for more– can’t beat the price either.

Simple. Delicious. Reasonably priced. Very, very popular. There’s a good reason this food stands holds long lineups. The service and quality of meal is great and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for something different than a Gyro Or Thai food in Portland

I love love love this simple food cart. Delicious goodness in a bowl, with simple or all the toppings. Eat it with chips or nah. Either way it’s sooooooooo good. It’s getting 3 stars for the food cart cause of the days and hours it’s open. Hours are limited which is understandable but to not be open on weekends is upsetting and depressing. I won’t cry about it but please do come try this food cart ! Or even the actual location on Hawthorne. Do it do it !

Definitely worth the visit! I had to pour my bowl into a bigger bowl so I could mix it up but I bet it would be just as yummy without mixing it.

Healthy, filling option at the downtown food carts. Lots of protein and fiber in this bowl.
I only wish that the sole lady working there (don’t know if it’s Tali or someone else) would be more efficient. Like how bartenders will ask the person next in line in addition to the person (s) at the front of the line what they want, so they might be able to make multiple drinks at once.
There’s really only one menu option so it’s an even easier job than what bartenders would have to do in that example. She scoops everything only after you order it. If three unrelated people in a row are getting the same thing, then she should scoop everything into three bowls all at one time (so much time and work savings! get the line moving faster!) instead of doing it separately again and again.
I tried calling in to make my order in case there was a long line, but no one picked up. Luckily the line wasn’t too long that day.
And… remember that Portlandia episode set in a vegan restaurant? Yeah.

I don’t rate service, ambiance, cleanliness and wait times; they are too variable. I can put up with anything if the food is good. It is all about the food– that’s it. All of my ratings are based on vegan options only.
Notes: 5 stars? Uhh. It’s not enough food first of all. I did 3 stars b/​c it was pretty solid, but not «Yay! I’m a fan!» good. Flavor worked. Idk on this one. I would go back if it was outside where I was shopping, and I wanted a quick, healthy option. Nothing to blow out of the water like these other people are doing.

Honestly, I didn’t want to love it. Surely it was overhyped and overrated. No way it was worth that ridiculously long line people always stand in. Why get this when there are so many other options?
Oh because once I tried it, I started to crave it. That’s the thing. On days when the line’s not long, I’m stoked to get right up tot he counter and order my bowl (no sour cream). Wow. Normally I don’t even love olives that much, but they really work in this bowl. I always feel healthfully satiated afterwards.
The girl serving here is always super friendly — you never feel rushed. The only criticism I’d offer is that the fixin’s counter and hot sauces can be a bit messy, but who has time to clean that up when there’s a 30-​deep line wanting their bowls?

You can find me at least once a week standing in the line for Whole Bowl up off Alder. Absolutely worth the wait every time!
I love that there are only a few options to choose from, short and simple is always better. I’d love to see an option to add chicken or another protein source but for now the beans will have to suffice.
The sauce is DELISH! Better than Café Yumm for sure. It really adds to the whole experience and like I’ve heard from so many others «it almost calms the soul».
Unfortunately, I’ve never asked for the girls name who I always see working this cart but she’s fantastic! Happy, funny, nice, and she’ll remember your order after the second time you come in. «No Sour Cream?» Pretty amazing considering she always has a line up the block filled with devote fans.

This bowl creeps up on you and blows ur mind! When I first got it I thought it was small but it’s a great size. It’s full of flavor and any sauce u put on it compliments the original bowl ingredients. I’m super satisfied with this bowl and the person working here is super positive too. She presented my bowl saying «tadaaaaa» with a big smile: D

The service was friendly, swift, & accommodating. My vegan big bowl was $ 6, light but filling, & full of things (beans, avocado, black olives, salsa) that I enjoy immensely. I look forward to visiting again soon.

I was craving something tasty, good for me and nearby, and had been meaning to test out the hype of the The Whole Bowl. I was not at all disappointed! The one woman working the cart had mastered the art of carefully preparing the bowl and did so quickly. I usually don’t care for olives and thought about asking for my bowl without, but to me the idea of a place called «the WHOLE bowl» suggests that you should try everything. Clearly it’s a tried-​and-​true method, right?
It was all delicious. The olives worked! Just the right amount of sweetness, tartness, creaminess from the cream/​cheese, and heartiness from the rice. The bowl felt a little small when I toted it back to the office, but it was plenty to fill me up and leave me feeling satisfied and healthy. Give it a try when you’re craving all flavor with no guilt.

The friendliest cart I’ve encountered to date. There’s a reason the line snakes all about the sidewalk come noon at this pod.
The bowl is stacked with fresh goodies and with care every time, just watch– and the flavor explosion in your mouth from that Tali sauce, well it just makes you happy. I’ve been getting the larger bowl of the two, and it keeps me well-​sated until dinnertime. For a great price too, $ 6 for all the fixin’s.
If you have vegan leanings, it sounds like she’ll accommodate you with a smile too, at least from eavesdropping on a couple orders ahead of me.
My favorite: you get your order on a little pedestal like you won an award.

WOO HOO! Sauce was great as was the bowl. I can make something similar but there is something really special about the sauce. The ingredients taste fresh so you may get something cheaper elsewhere but you sacrifice taste.
Also, the line looks long but unlike the other places where you order and then wait on the curb, the line is the line to get food so it was not much longer a wait then nearby places.
I saw a few people walk away when they realized there was no meat in it – open our minds people, beans have protein too!

Seriosuly, i’ve been going there forever and it never occured to me to review until today.
What can I say? Best place to eat lunch, and so filling and healthy. Cheap too, I get the small for $ 5 and i’m full for hours.
I want the recipe for Tali sauce. Badly.
I can’t stress enough that it’s not only worth it, but delicious and induces cravings that can’t be filled by cheap immitations (*cough* Yum bowl *cough*)

Why hasn’t this location been reviewed yet? Anyway, this is the location that I usually go to when I’m out and about. Healthy, vegetarian (or vegan if you leave out the cheese and sour cream), and reasonably priced.
The large bowl is $ 5.50, and I usually get 2 meals out of it unless I’m starving. There is usually a line at lunch hour, but it moves pretty quickly. I’ve had great service at all of their locations. They’re open 11 AM-​3 PM Monday through Friday. I wish that they would open Saturday as well.
The menu for all of their locations is the same. Steamed brown rice, red and black beans, fresh avocado, salsa, black olives, sour cream, Tillamook cheddar, cilantro, and Tali Sauce. Of course you can leave off any of the above. I don’t care for cilantro, so I ask them not to add it.
Sure, you could make the same thing at home, but it’s a quick and easy lunch on the go.