Food Carts Portland

Location: Roaming The Story: One trend that really took the food cart world by storm was to use social media as a tool to build buzz and a loyal audience. One tactic is to announce your location via Twitter. In other cities where the carts can’t necessarily park in the same spot every day, it [...]

Location: SE 13th and Lexington Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 12:30-8 or 9pm The Story: Summer is here and it brings the heat. While Portland doesn’t experience the heat like the south or the muggy conditions like the east cost, when the mercury crosses 80, we start to sweat and seek out the nearest water. Portlander’s also look [...]

Location: SE 21st and Tibbetts The Story: SIP is one of those carts we have heard about for years, but have never had the pleasure of visiting. Now I kick myself for not going sooner. SIP is that shiny silver vintage trailer in the courtyard of People’s Co-Op in southeast Portland that serves up some [...]

Location: 6010 NE Killingsworth (next to the Best Fuel gas station/convenience store) The Story: Taqueria Mendoza is a little ocean blue trailer tucked into a scruffy strip on NE Killingsworth. It’s located in the Best Fuel gas station parking lot if that gives you any indication of the ambiance. Yet, Mendoza does this neighborhood a [...]

Location: N Killingsworth and Greeley in North Station The Story: Eat a lot! That is the saying in every Korean home when you sit down to a meal. I love it! I think it should be my mom’s dinner statement since she always tries to get one of us to finish off everything left on [...]

Location: SW 2nd and Stark The Story: It was another one of those days when you are out shopping – you know, hitting the Home Depot and Bed Bath and Beyond and maybe even a visit to Shoe World – and you begin to get hungry. We were on one of those treks when we [...]

Location: Ala Cart cart pod. SE 102nd Ave and Stark The Story: The Shalimar Cafe cart  in Portland’s gritty outer SE 102nd Ave and Stark Street is worlds away from the ancient and majestic Shalimar Gardens in Pakistan. Yet, Portland’s Shalimar Cafe is 100% authentic Indian/Pakistan in both food and spirit. North India and Pakistan [...]

Location: Ala Carts cart pod – SE 102nd and Stark The Story: Smokin’ Jim is a super friendly, big bear of a man with a big grin and one seriously big BBQ, Bar-B-Que,  Barbecue, or however you want to spell it.  For example, Jim’s smoker, attached to the back of his cart, is the size [...]

Location: Area 23 Cart Pod 2314 N.E. Alberta St. The Story: This cart’s mission is an attempt to accomplish several things at once. It’s partially solar powered, sources most of its food from within a 200 mile radius, serves all manner of sweet and savory waffles to hungry Portlanders, and  is also a non-profit training [...]

Location: Mississippi Marketplace 4237 N. Mississippi The Story: Some people think sushi means mostly raw fish rolled into or placed on top of vinegar seasoned rice. This is a common misconception. Although the Japanese invented sushi and indeed love to eat just about anything that swims in the sea, sushi traditionally refers to the rice [...]