Portland’s dining scene is as rich in flavors as it is in diversity, built upon an incredibly eclectic network of sit-down restaurants, walk-up windows, cafes, pop-ups, and food carts.
At the latter, you’ll often find meals prepared with as much creativity and skill as those served in award-winning restaurants. Portland’s reputation as a food cart mecca is so heartily embraced that in 2022, the mayor declared April “Food Cart Month” — which greased the griddle for the creation of Food Cart Week.
This year, Food Cart Week runs Sunday, April 14-Saturday, April 20, and is intended to promote and support the hardworking families and individuals behind your favorite food carts. From smash burgers to sushi burritos to smoothies, you can taste your way through Portland’s famous food cart culture by visiting this year’s participating cart pods. Determined to visit all 24? There’s a passport for that.
Here are a few of our favorite participating carts:
Pizza Creature | St. Johns Food & Beer Porch
Any menu item (even by-the-slice) can be made vegan — just ask.
La Mai Plate | Sellwood Corner Food Carts
Try the hearty mango curry or the signature La Mai Plate if you like herbal rice, nuts, and raisins. Portions are huge so plan on having leftovers.
St. Johns Food & Beer Porch has 16 food trucks and 12+ rotating taps of craft beer, hard cider, and kombucha.
Photo by Cambrie Juarez, PDXtoday
Chicken and Guns | Cartopia Food Carts
Translation: chicken and potatoes. If you don’t mind a little heat, go for the carrot habanero sauce.
Le Bistro Montage Ala Cart | Hawthorne Asylum
If cheese is your love language, you’ll fall hard for the Spold Mac.
Fried Egg I’m In Love | Pioneer Courthouse Square
Made with softly toasted sourdough (read: it won’t tear up your gums) and a perfectly jammy egg, the signature Yolko Ono is a tried-and-true crowd-pleaser.
If you stumble upon a food cart that blows your mind — or introduces you to a cuisine you’ve never tried before — let us know.
