With over 1000 food carts and food trucks throughout the city, Portland has the BEST food cart scene in the world! These food carts and food trucks are just a handful of our favorite food-on-wheels options all over the city. If you want to eat at tons of food carts, make sure to join the ultimate food cart experience on our Portland Food Cart Tour, operating weekly! Just to note, this list is only around 1% of all the best food carts you’ll find throughout Portland.
If you want to visit Portland’s best food carts but are getting a bit stressed on where to start or how to make it happen, relax and let the experts at Lost Plate Food Tours lead the way. The Portland Food Cart Tour visits at least a half dozen of the best food carts in the city, including a couple of food cart pods, a food hall, and a brewery. With over 1000 food carts in the city, try the top ones with Lost Plate. All food and drinks are included in the tour price, and your local guides will introduce you to food cart owners to take your food cart hopping to another level. Truly a 5-star experience and great value!
For a classic American hamburger, head to Mid City Smash Burgers. This food cart serves up burgers smashed to perfection (aptly named a Smashy Boi) and are generously topped with American cheese and special sauce. This is definitely one of the best burgers in town, and at $6 each, the price is definitely unbeatable. Don’t forget to get the Mr. James Fries to round out your meal! Details here.
Jianbing is finally making its way into western countries – and we’re so glad the rest of the world is waking up to the excellence that is the perfect Chinese breakfast crepe. Bing Mi in particular is doing an excellent job acting as an ambassador of Jianbing in Portland, so check them out for a tasty meal that may be as much as 2000 years in the making! Bing Mi describes the crepe best, saying, “made with a freshly scrambled egg, the Bing includes black bean paste, chili sauce, pickled vegetables, green onion, cilantro, and a crispy fried cracker all rolled into a perfectly grilled crepe.” We LOVE these on our China food tours and we think they are worth trying out here in Portland, too! Details here.
We could literally eat here every day! The Korean BBQ here is delicious, whether it’s in a bibim box or piled high on a plate with kimchi and daikon bon chan. And if you plan your visit right, you might have a chance to try their infamous Munchwrap. Oh, and did we mention the KJG hotdog is literally one of the best things you will ever have? Go here, order everything, and live with no regrets. Details here.
Sellwood is an awesome neighborhood in SE Portland we think everyone traveling to Portland should check out. Right on the main drag you’ll find a stand-alone food cart, Samurai Lunch Box, known for packed-to-the-brim bento boxes. Each box is packed with rice or noodles, meat, and veggies… and don’t forget to drench everything with their many house made sauces. The portions are generous, and the prices are reasonable, making this a popular spot for lunch. Details here.
If you’re a fan of Chinese dumplings, this is going to be your new fave spot! Shanghai’s Best has one of the simplest menus in town, offering Shanghai-style dumplings. They’re crispy but soft, juicy and flavorful, and handmade with love. Technically this spot is not an actual cart anymore, but is located inside the Pine Street Market food hall; which means you can stay nice and warm while you enjoy these delicious dumplings indoors! Follow them on Instagram here.
To start your morning off right (or for an afternoon pick-me-up), head to Tōv Coffee. It’s more than a food cart, it’s a full-size double decker bus, equipped with a cozy seating area up top. The Egyptian coffee is the star of the show here, but there’s also other specials and unique drinks plus house made treats. And if you need help deciding, Joe will help you out. Tōv is located on the bustling Hawthorne Blvd, so after you enjoy your coffee, walk down the street for the best secondhand shopping in the city. Details here.
Located at one of Portland’s newest food cart pods, Lil’ America (which features all BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ chefs), Frybaby is quicky becoming one of the most popular food carts in town. Korean fried chicken is the star of the show, and these wings are super crispy, moist, and drenched in superior sauces. We highly recommend getting the wings with Snow Cheese to wow your tastebuds. Details here.
For some Cuban flavor, check out Havana Station. Owner, Ariel, was born and raised in Havana and learned all of his cooking, recipes, and techniques from his great aunt. Everything from the Cuban sandwiches, to the traditional plates, to the croquettes are all authentic, delicious, and sure to please. The cart is located in the Portland Mercado, a hub for Latinx food, culture, art, and entertainment. View the Havana Station menu and info here.
Not only does Maisha serve next level East African cuisine, everything on the menu is plant based. Located at a tucked-away food cart pod in the Sellwood neighborhood, at Maisha you’ll find Kenyan staples like Sambusa, Chapata, and Ugali on the menu, along with other East African inspired delights. With just one bite, you’ll see just how much love and passion cart owner, Tachibana Sheikh, puts into every dish. Details here.
Chinese style noodles are pulled by hand at this Downtown Portland food cart, available Monday through Friday! Xuemei and Duane Simard run this little cart that is pumping out huge portions of fresh noodles with big flavors. Chinese soup with noodles, pan-fried noodles, and more are on the menu here. And as you’ll tell by the constant line, they are doing noodles right. On most days you’ll be able to watch Xuemei stretch the noodles herself before they plop into your bowl. More details here.
Matt grills up some of the best Texas-style BBQ at two carts in Portland. The OG cart, located on the popular Mississippi Ave, serves incredible smoked meats and great sides. His second cart, Matt’s BBQ Tacos, is across town slinging the same BBQ in taco form, including our personal favorite, breakfast tacos! Matt is originally from New York, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is churning out some incredible smoked meats and great sides on par with what you would find down in Texas. See the full menu and location details here.
Ever heard of a pelmeni? If not, you’re missing out! These Slavic dumplings filled with chicken and topped with sour cream are amazing, and the portions are generous. Located in one of Portland’s biggest pods, the Hawthorne Asylum, you can enjoy your Slavic bites under cover on the rainy days, by the fire on cold days, or get it to-go and walk around the nearby Ladd’s Addition neighborhood. No matter where you eat it, the pelmeni is delicious, comforting, and filling. Try it, plus a lot more, on Portland’s best food cart tour!
Portland has what we think is the best food cart scene in the world. These Portland food carts & food trucks are our favorite food-on-wheels options in the city! Just to note, the order is not indicative of a ranking, they’re just what we think are the best Portland food carts.
We put this article together to shed some light on what Portland is like during Covid-19. Please keep in mind changes and updates seem to happen daily in Portland and throughout Oregon, but will keep this updated the best we can.
If you’ve ever been on one of our Portland food tours, you know we are passionate about the food and drink we serve. You probably even heard your tour guide say the dish was “the best thing on the menu” or their “favorite food in all of Portland!” So we’ve compiled some of our favorite recipes from our tour right here, plus a boozy extra, for you to try at home!
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