The Portland-Based Chain Serving Up Allergy-Friendly Comfort Food Bowls

Portland is often considered one of the top culinary cities in the U.S., and it's well known for its incredible food cart scene with pods full of delicious grub and beer vendors dotted throughout the city. One of the originals that's rarely on any modern lists of top food carts in the city, but is a popular lunch staple that often has a line, is The Whole Bowl. And while it has 6 locations around Portland, you can also find one in Lake Oswego, Oregon and another in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Its menu is simple — only serving rice and bean bowls, chips, drinks, and cookies. The ingredients list is small: brown rice, red and black beans, Tillamook cheddar, sour cream, black olives, avocado, cilantro, salsa, and its famous yellow Tali Sauce. It truly belongs on our list of nourishing grain bowls that make you feel healthy A.F., and fittingly, its tag line is: "It's like eating a hug."

Missing from the list of ingredients is anything with the common allergens of nuts, gluten, and wheat. Plus, your order can easily be made dairy-free by removing the cheese and sour cream — as the company says on its website, you can "ask your Bowlista to 'veganize' it!". If you want more allergy-friendly restaurants, we have a list of our top chains right here.

Tali sauce is a secret. It's a tangy, yeasty, garlicky vegan yellow sauce that makes the dish unique and craveable. It was created by owner Tali Ovadia in the early 2000s when her cart opened.

The Whole Bowl wasn't the first to make rice bowls with wholesome veggies and a tasty, bright yellow sauce — that honor belongs to Café Yumm! which opened in 1997. The Yumm sauce may look a lot like Tali's, but it has a nuttier and cheesier flavor from highlighting the nutritional yeast. Read our primer on nutritional yeast and its uses here to learn more about this staple of vegan cooking. 

The other major difference between the sauces is that Yumm sauce contains almonds, making it inedible to those allergic. Finally, while Café Yumm! has multiple bowl options and add-ons, The Whole Bowl sticks with making just the one dish. The internet abounds with attempts at making Tali Sauce duplicates that often involve garlic, lemon, chickpeas, and nutritional yeast, with a mix of spices like cumin, turmeric, and mustard — but for the real deal, you'll have to head to The Whole Bowl instead.