The Cheese Plate

Don’t let the name fool you! This place has some of the best offerings for vegans in town. A vegan cheese plate, with house made vegan cheeses and chocolates? Oh yes please. The mac is to doe for, but the beer cheese soup is truly amazing. Out of this world! Will be vey sorry to see this cart go… but very much looking forward to the brick-​and-​mortar these guys will be opening soon. YUM!

YES PLEASE! MORE THANK YOU! I’ve had this place bookmarked for over a year, as I do many cheese shops, creameries, and grilled cheese places. I finally made it to Portland, and was sure to stop by.
There was a wait, I’ll admit it was a longer wait than I expected but as I watched them preparing the food, I could see that they were actually COOKING the food, grating the cheese over the pan. I totally appreciated that and all the love going into this cheesy deliciousness.
We ordered the classic mac and cheese $ 7.50, the top shelf mac and cheese $ 9.00, the kids grilled cheese $ 5.00, and the cheese sampler plate. Everything was fresh and tasty but what really blew my mind was the top shelf mac and cheese. It has fontina, cheddar, and blue cheese. I’ve tasted many types of mac and cheese at various creameries and cheese shops but this top shelf was by far, THE BEST EVER. It’s such a large portion as well, it will feed 2 – 4 people depending on if you are willing to share once you’ve tried it.
The cheese sampler came with a blue cheese, goat cheese, pepper jack, preserve, house made crackers and house made pickles. I didn’t share, it was that good. Even the pickles were so on point. Wish I could teleport back to Portland at will. I love you Cheese Plate. You are the stuff of my cheesy dreams.
There was a street fair going on so it made parking a little tricky but the street fair made this stop even more interesting.

The instant I tasted my very first sample of vegan cheese from this food cart, I knew I was starting a new habit. Not only is the cashew-​based cheese very creamy, rich and satisfying, the gluten free crackers with small salt diamonds are a triumph.
It’s the first time at a place that my daughter and I plotted to return to even before when had left. It’s that good. Luckily, it’s on my way home – just a half mile out of my way, so I’ll be back within a week of writing this.
Next time, I’ll skip the smoked version – the smokey saltiness over powered the cheese, but I’ll definitely get the chives again and experiment with another vegan concoction.
My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Even though I’m not into vegan stuff, I love good cheesy dishes. The macaroni was awesome.

The Mac and cheese is awesome!!! Super cheesy and delicious! I mean it just melts in your mouth and your mouth gives you two thumbs up. Cute outdoors to eat too.

Crunchy. Bland.
Had the three cheese and a special (mushroom and pickled asparagus). Good, just bland. Very crunchy, both the sandwiches and potatoes chips. That is my major memory… Crunchy.

If you like grilled cheese sandwich, then this is your spot. My daughters loved it here, except for the blue cheese which was in the 3 cheese sandwich. I loved the one with asapragus.

A perfect three-​cheese gluten-​free grilled cheese sandwich. It’s not fast food and you’ll have to wait a good while to get your sandwich, but it was so worth the wait.

Delicious VEGAN grilled cheese sandwiches! The best ever!

So, I’ve been here a couple times now but if I lived local, it’d be more… all the vegan options lured me in and I’m hooked! I’m pretty sure they’ve changed their menu but the vegan grilled cheese (s) has yet to disappoint… and chatting with other vegan cheese eaters — the Mac & Cheese is something, too…

My heart and my tummy is overwhelmed with emotion and this mac & cheese. If I had more time I would kick the shit out of a review for this place.

Great location and setup, ample seating on a Friday night. The Ale cheese soup packed some flavor and they did not skimp on the croutons. The Spinach cheese sandwich with onion was average, not great. A fresher, more interesting bread choice would do it justice. The Marionberry Lemonade for $ 2.50 was refreshing. Prices seemed about right, except for the bottled hot sauce which was $ 10. Another try and I will probably bump to 4 Stars; the Mac n Cheese seems like the one to order. The guys running it were very nice.

So I love cheese… Split a three cheese grilled cheese and while it sounds like the safest choice, it was definitely very flavorful. Also tried a friend’s spicy mac & cheese with spinach, it was very cheesy but not overwhelming. Went very well with the sauce. Surprised the portion was so big, pictured it to be a side portion but it was like a whole meal.
A few rows of tables for taking a breather and a band was playing when we were there.

Not sure what all the vegan fuss is about. After taking at least 15 minutes to get our order out, we both found the vegan mac and cheese to be pretty bland. The texture is definitely enjoyable and creamy. However, the sauce itself was bland. I would’ve loved to seen some spicy «sausage» option or even a touch of hot sauce in there. Overall, I’d skip it.

One hell of a delicious grilled cheese.
I backed The Cheese Plate on Kickstarter when they were expanding their operation, and as a result found myself with four vouchers and three hungry friends.
We ran the gamut of their grilled cheese options — the Rosemary Lavender, the Tomato Basil, and even the Vegan Cashew. I had the Tomato Basil, and it was easily one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches I’ve ever had.
Crispy, buttered bread, gooey cheese and a stunning good basil aioli could easily make this sandwich my mainstay for years. It’s not cheap ($ 7) and it’s not quick — it’s only one guy in a small cart after all — but it’s delicious and oh so worth it.

Delish! I was bummed when I got there and the Habanero Grilled Cheese that I saw in another review was no longer available but I decided to go with the Three Cheese instead– it hit the spot! Lots of cheese and the blue cheese crumbles complimented it nicely.
They let me know that they switch out there grilled cheeses every 6 – 8 weeks and have served over 50 different versions of grilled cheeses. So don’t get fixated on anything you see in the reviews, it may no longer be availble.
We also tried a side of mac and cheese as well which was good but very heavy. Had to take it to go– the sandwich and chips were plenty.

This food cart is adorable and cheesy!!! It’s located with some other carts in Alberts with some seating and a stage for live music.
Tried the three cheese grilled cheese and the spicy mac n cheeee. The grilled cheese was very good and came with some plain kettle chips on the inside. Good combo!
The spicy mac n cheese was so deliciously creamy with aardvark sauce on it. It was like crack. And the portion size was huge!
Im a definite cheese fan and it hit the spot. I would love to try some of their more interesting creations though!

I’ve recently become a fan and contributor to Kickstarter, a crowd funding site. I recently contributed to a Cheese Plate campaign and received their recipe for Cheddar Ale Soup for my trouble. I was also in Portland last weekend, and got a chance to visit The Cheese Plate in person. I didn’t advertise my association, and simply enjoyed select part of their cheesy goodness. The Cheese Plate is located in a Food Cart Pod on this block of Alberta. Ample seating and community energy (including their just completed stage) are also available.

This is my «go to» vegan cart. If you are a vegan you know how hard it is to get a good vegan breakfast fix (especially without waiting for crazy long), well I present to you… The Cheese Plate!!! On the weekends you can get awesome vegan breakfast sandwiches here while your non vegan friends enjoy cheese in their sandwiches.

It doesn’t stop with amazing vegan breakfast sandwiches, their vegan grilled cheese sandwiches are my favorite in town. There location is also a major part of my love affair with the cart. In the winter you can sit by the fire and enjoy a Captured by Porches beer with your yummy food. They also carry treats from Missionary chocolates which is another one of my favorites.
The owners of this place could not be any nicer ! Good food /​good people there’s really no reason to not go to the Cheese plate.

After a few months of looking at their food pictures and drooling over the specials, Nick and Carina succeeded in getting my otherwise-​lazy rear to the cart.
When I did get there, I really craved some type of grilled cheese. The sandwich a la carte is $ 6. It’s $ 8 total when you add Pacific Northwest kale chips, Masala Pop popcorn, or some cart-​made pickles to your order. You’ll pay $ 9 when adding a cup of soup with your grilled cheese.
There are four options on the grilled cheese (two of them vegan), and I ordered the one with local aged cheddar, blue cheese, caramelized onion and fig jam on levain bread. Yes, fig jam.
Wonderfully prepared grilled cheese, pleasing crunch, lovely golden brown. I really enjoyed the savory and sweet harmony the cheese and the fig jam shared. I thought it was the right amount of blue cheese so it wouldn’t overpower the other flavors.
I got a cup of cheddar ale soup with my grilled cheese (otherwise, it’s $ 5 for a small and $ 7 for a large). The cheddar provides a slightly creamy texture and a nice bite. I’m still able to detect the ale used in here. So delicious. The cart-​made croutons on top started crunchy and softened in the warm soup.
I’m sure tomato soup has been an option at this cart in the past, especially during the winter months. That’s probably my one suggestion for the soups: keep the tomato soup option all the time. I’m a complete sucker for that stuff, so more money probably ends up coming out of my crying wallet.
I sampled some of the Masala Pop savory popcorn, which is seasoned with some light Indian spices sprinkled on top. More palate-​pleasing snacks!
Finally, I shifted to their «healthier» portion of the menu. I tried some of The Cheese Plate’s awesome cart-​made seed crackers and some of the tasty avocado dressing that goes on a salad that they once ran as a special. The seed crackers contain several types of seeds, and all crackers are made in their dehydrator.
The menu changes from time to time, but they always have vegan and gluten-​free options available.
The Cheese Plate recently competed in the Kelly’s Jelly Challenge, which concluded early last week. Their winning dish consisted of a quesadilla with cilantro, chevre, pesto, and Kelly’s habanero jelly. It was served with a spicy avocado cream and a beet salsa (which also contained the habanero jelly). Frankly, that dish helped in getting this cart over as one of my elite spots to hit up.
You’ll always get an amazing presentation when coming to The Cheese Plate. Be sure to eat at the pod so that you’ll have your meal on a mini cutting board.
The Cheese Plate also carries vegan and gluten-​free options, so virtually anyone can dine here.
Another highly recommended cart, especially if you’re a cheese addict! Head on over to The Cheese Plate ASAP!