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    • women dances with large fans outside on a city street surrounded by people in colorful dragon costumesView All Attractions
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    • people dining at picnic tables in front of a food cartView All Culture
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    • Central Eastside
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    • Northwest / Nob Hill
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    • St. Johns
    • Sellwood-Moreland
    • Williams
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John Patrick Pullen

people sitting at a picnic table in front of a line of colorful food carts people sitting at a picnic table in front of a line of colorful food carts
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Founded in 2015, the Portland Mercado acts as an incubator for Latin-owned businesses and features more than a dozen businesses offering various Latin American foods and products.
Credit: Travel Portland
Culture / Food / Food Carts

Popular Food Carts

From breakfast to dessert, Portland’s eclectic food carts have diners’ cravings covered, all over town.

Updated June 26, 2023 4 min read

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.

Food Cart Finder

Search 200+ Portland food carts by cuisine, trademark dishes and dietary needs.

Find Carts Now

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.

More Food
a group of people enjoy drinks on a rooftop bar patio overlooking the city

Portland’s Best Rooftop and Patio Bars

Whether you're looking for a cocktail bar, a brewpub or a dive, enjoy your favorite summer beverage at one of Portland's rooftop bars or outdoor patios.

people seated at picnic tables talk and eat with food carts in the background

Food Carts

Portland is one of the world’s great street food cities — explore international flavors and unique new food concepts (without the wait of a sit-down restaurant) at Portland’s many food cart pods.

Dogs at Victoria Bar

Dog-Friendly Patios in Portland

Portlanders love their dogs, so it’s only natural that the city has plenty of dog-friendly eateries. Discover the best patios to bring your pup in Portland.

A white plate of aloo gobi sits next to a platter of rice, samosas and naan on a wooden table in front of a large window.

Portland Indian Food Carts and Takeout

From comforting aloo gobi to softball-sized samosas, explore our non-comprehensive local’s guide to excellent Portland Indian food trucks and takeout.

dozens of diners sitting at long tables enjoy an outdoor meal

Farm Dinners Around Portland

Eat local by visiting Portland-area farms that bring the dinner table to the fields!

two people enjoy a picnic beneath a tree with a scenic city view

Portland Picnic Guide

Nothing beats spreading out a picnic blanket on a sunny day, and Portland has no shortage of delicious grab-and-go eats and scenic spots for a feast.

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.

Late-Night Dining

Where to eat after last call? These Portland bars and restaurants keep their kitchens open late, serving high-quality food into the night.

Read More

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, Food Carts

Are You a Food Cart Owner?

Add your food cart to both our Food Cart Finder and Near Me Now tools with just a few quick steps.

Food Cart Owners

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