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Popular Food Carts
From breakfast to dessert, Portland’s eclectic food carts have diners’ cravings covered, all over town.
John Patrick Pullen
Too much of a good thing? That’s one reaction to Portland’s staggering number of food carts (now well over 500). But rather than being overwhelmed by the options, why not embrace the delicious dilemma? Go whole hog (hmm, sounds like a good name for a food cart) and choose a day’s worth of meals from these popular Portland food carts.
Breakfast
Beloved, long-running breakfast spot Fried Egg I’m In Love serves up delicious fried egg sandwiches. Their playfully named menu items — like the Yolko Ono and the Sriracha Mix-A-Lot — feature flavorful sourdough, fresh produce and (of course) perfectly fried eggs. Choose between two cart locations: one downtown, another at North Portland’s Prost! Marketplace. If you’re in Southeast Portland, find another great breakfast sandwich at the Belmont neighborhood’s Kind Coffee cart. They’ll pile your favorite ingredients on an English muffin or a locally baked bagel. If you’re still hungry, indulge in their popular house-made cannoli.
Any time is a good time for a taco, and that includes breakfast. Since exploding onto the scene and winning rave reviews in 2019, Matt’s BBQ Tacos has offered a truly covetable morning meal. Breakfast taco options include brisket, pork belly, jalapeño cheddar sausage and portobello mushroom, all served with eggs, potato and cheese, and all worth the almost-guaranteed wait. La Osita PDX is another can’t-miss spot to start your day. This dedicated breakfast cart keeps the Montavilla neighborhood well supplied with chorizo breakfast burritos, egg-and-avocado brunch tacos, espresso drinks and more.
Lunch
On Southeast Division Street, Kim Jong Grillin stands alone, no pod required (the cart even has its own covered seating area). Chef Han Ly Hwang turns out stellar Korean barbecue; go for a bibim box lunch featuring a delectably marinated protein, cart-made kimchi and a freshly fried egg. Speaking of stand-alone carts that are well worth a visit: Loncheria Los Mayas serves authentic Yucatecan cuisine you won’t want to miss. The cochinita pibil (slow-braised pork) is excellent — order it up in menu items likes tacos, tortas and burritos, or try one of their other tempting proteins.
If you’re in the mood for a slice, Pyro Pizza has managed to cram a brick oven into its cart in the Cartopia pod, where they wood-fire Margherita and puttanesca pies that are sized perfectly for sharing or hoarding. Prefer your dough fried? Foster-Powell’s popular Bari serves panzerotti, a Southern Italian specialty. Fresh dough is loaded up with mozzarella and other ingredients of your choosing, rolled into a calzone-like turnover, and deep-fried to crispy, gooey perfection.
Eat Outdoors
Enjoy a delicious meal (or a refreshing libation) while soaking up some rays.
Dinner
To satisfy a range of cravings, head to the Portland Mercado in Southeast Portland. Outside the market you’ll find a row of rainbow-colored food carts, each serving up its own traditional recipes infused with Portland flair. Cuisines on offer include Mexican, Cuban, Argentine, Oaxacan, Costa Rican, Yucatecan and Peruvian. One standout is the Colombian cart Que Bacano. Dig into satisfying favorites like stuffed arepas, house-made empanadas and fried yucca.
Northeast Portland is another excellent dinner-time food cart destination. Kee’s Loaded Kitchen offers an ever-changing menu of soul food classics and specials. Enjoy fried chicken, ribs, pulled pork, mac and cheese, baked beans, potato salad and much more. Mole Mole in the Alberta Arts District is a family-run operation specializing in authentic Mexican fare (don’t miss the excellent namesake moles). As an added bonus, they serve their food on beautiful, hand-painted plates.
Snacks & Sweets
We’ve all found ourselves stuck between meals but still in need of a nosh — Ruthie’s offers a dedicated “Snacks” menu for just such an occasion. Try out the perfectly bronzed honey-butter Grandma Rolls, or go for the rockfish sliders. The dishes are based on recipes perfected by co-owner Collin Mohr’s grandmother (the eponymous Ruth), and everything is made from local ingredients in the cart’s wood-fired oven.
Some Portland food carts offer treats delicious enough to warrant their own dedicated visit. Tito’s Taquitos is worth a stop for award-winning tacos and hand-rolled taquitos, of course. But the dessert menu — with offerings like tres leches cake and Mexican chocolate brownies — can draw diners all by itself. Baon Kainan is known for artfully blending classic Filipino flavors with inventive, modern preparations — but you you couldn’t be blamed if you paid them a visit just for the delectable ube-flavored rice cake. Honeycuspe offers a variety of waffle-based desserts with toppings like vanilla custard, strawberry-lemon capote and fresh fruit. They also serve breakfast. And come to think of it, breakfast is delightful — maybe it’s time to take it from the top and do the whole delicious day all over again.
Food & Drink Events
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Farmers Market at Portland State University
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Hollywood Farmers Market
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