Los Angeles may have its food trucks, New York City its hotdog stands, but up in Oregon, Portland has its food carts – over 500 of them and counting – and they’re turning the city into a foodies’ paradise.
Oh Portland, you had to be a little different didn’t you, you card-carrying hipster you!
For the uninitiated, food carts are pretty much like food trucks, although they don’t move around.
But your stomach doesn’t know that, and your stomach certainly won’t be complaining when it begins digesting all the delicious food you’ll be consuming in Portland.
Note: being stationary and all, food carts tend to congregate together in groups called pods – kind of like those street food hawker stands you see all together in Thailand and Malaysia – which means you’ll be able to rock up to a pod and gorge on different cuisines and treats until you bust an artery!
With that understood, here are four of the best pods in Portland to grab some great, kick @$$ food.
1. Tidbit Food Farm and Garden
Source: www.viamagazine.com
Located on the corner of SE 28th Pl and Division St, this pod is home to undoubtedly the best ramen I have ever had outside of Japan at Hapa PDX Ramen.
Pro tip: definitely order the “G Special” if it’s on the menu that day.
Other notable carts worth checking out at Tidbit include Paper Bag Pizza (wood fired pizza), Love Belizean (Belizean food) and Namu (Hawaiian and Korean cuisine).
There’s also a beer garden on site, and a warm fire pit for those chilly Portland nights.
2. Alder Street Food Cart Pod
Source: http://eatosaurusrex.com/
For the largest concentration of food carts in Portland, head downtown and feast yourself silly in between Southwest Alder and Washington streets, and Southwest Ninth to Southwest Tenth avenues.
A must-try for sure, order the garlic and ginger-infused chicken and rice paired with dipping sauce at Nong’s Khao Man Gai – you’re totally welcome!
Other delectable options at Alder include traditional British fish and chips at The Frying Scotsman, and delicious veggie bowls at The Whole Bowl.
3. Mississippi Marketplace
Source: www.hashitoutpdx.com
Popular breakfast haunt Hash It Out serves a mean meat and egg-heavy hash using organic and locally sourced ingredients at Mississippi Marketplace, located on hip-and-happening North Mississippi Avenue.
But foodies usually come back here for their lunch and dinner – so good is the food! Vegan friendly Native Bowl dishes out delicious stir-fries using only fresh ingredients, whilst meat lovers can get their protein fix at 503 Burger.
4. PSU pod
Source: http://roaminghunger.com
Mexican, Egyptian, Thai, Vietnamese and more – yep, you can eat your way around the world at this popular pod located on Third Avenue.
Vegetarians and Vegans often make a bee line straight to DC Vegetarian when their bellies rumble, often heading to gorgeous Waterfront Park for a post digestion stroll.