Where does a vegetarian eat dinner in Joseph, Oregon in late January? Winter is way off-season for this cute town near Wallowa Lake in eastern Oregon. We brought plenty of food to cook in our cabin during our snowy two-night stay. But we found ourselves too lazy to cook and craving a restaurant meal. Some of the most promising places on Happy Cow and Urban Spoon were locked down for the season.

Veg calzone at Silver Lake Bistro in Joseph, Oregon

And quite a good salad, too.

Fortunately, the Silver Lake Bistro stays open all year. On the main drag of Main Street, it’s easy to find. They specialize in wood-fired pizzas and calzones, and have great salads, too. Ours featured avocado, grated beets and cilantro vinaigrette. The server was super helpful in devising a veg calzone for me, hold the cheese and the bacon mayonnaise. Yes, fellow vegetarians, watch out for that bacon mayonnaise.

Two transplants from Bend opened the cafe in late 2014. In keeping with local history, the Silver Lake Bistro features a nice portrait of Chief Joseph on the wall, to help diners remember whose land this was way before settlers built the cute modern town.