Today in our never ending quest to find Bend's Best Bites, we came across an absolute gem of a lunch stop. Located in an Old Bend Neighborhood off the beaten path, we found a wonderful small batch vegan restaurant called Root Down Kitchen. This entirely plant based restaurant really packed in the flavors we love and made us forget there was no meat. Root Down Kitchen calls themselves "Vegan comfort food" and we absolutely agree.

We began our flavor journey with the Red Lentil Fritters. This dish offered two large fritters topped with pickled onions, cilantro, pesto, spicy aioli, and avocado crema over a bed of spicy slaw. Not only was this dish packed with such a myriad of flavors, it was also so gorgeous to look at that we hardly wanted to dig in... but we are so glad we did.

After leaving no trace behind of the fritters, we started in on our mouth watering sandwiches. Our two selections for today were the Bulgogi Tofu Sandwich and the Sesame Dijon Tempeh Sandwich. Each had unique flavors and we were equally impressed with both. The Bulgogi Tofu Sandwich offered a wonderfully flavored piece of tofu, miso roasted broccoli, pickled onions, pickled cucumbers, cilantro and a spicy siracha mayo. We absolutely could not get enough! 

When it came to our second sandwich, the Sesame Dijon Tempeh, we loved every bite! The patty popped with the tanginess that comes with a Dijon glaze; it was firm yet perfectly moist on the inside, not dry at all! The flavor combination between the yuzu vinaigrette, chopped kale, sumac marinated onion created a merry symposium that will tickle your taste buds and appease your need for a slight crunch! We were very impressed with this vegan sandwich as well! 

Overall, we loved our lunch outing to Root Down Kitchen. The charming picnic table seating outside was the perfect place to enjoy our lunch on this fabulous 60 degree day. 10/10 would recommend for anyone wanting an outstanding meal. We absolutely will return!

-The Bend Premier Foodies