Quirky, food-loving Portland is home to cuisines from all over the world. Food trucks, trailers, and carts cluster together in pods. With a pod in nearly every neighborhood, the best way to get to know the city is by eating.
LessThis new, 36,000 square foot space is one of Portland’s largest and best food truck pods. CORE is home to local favorite Chicken & Wings’ second outpost, serving wings with add-ons like pork belly or fried eggs. Famous Breakside Brewery sells drafts out of a converted “Winnebeergo.” CORE’s goal is to showcase culinary diversity: You can get everything from a seafood boil from The Drip’n’Crab to Hainanese chicken and rice from Jas Kitchen to From Russia With Love’s piroshkis.
The eclectic Hawthorne neighborhood is home to this 21-truck pod. Comfort food in its many forms is the theme here: Try vegan Egyptian food at Peri Koshari, Southern po boy meets South African flavors at South, curries from Burmese Delight, or Russian chicken dumplings at Pelmeni. Black Dagger bar serves up drafts and sangria (a 42 tap full-service bar is slated to open at the back of the pod in late 2021). Carts set their own hours, so check before visiting.
Cartlandia is what the locals call a super pod, made up of a whopping 30 carts and a family friendly beer garden (where you can bring your food to enjoy under the big tent). The carts are global in scope: Laotian-Thai fusion at Kesone Asian Fusion, Hawaiian-style Korean barbecue at HI KBBQ, and poke bowls and boba tea at Bobablastic. The pod is pet friendly as well. Open seven days a week, but confirm hours with the carts you want to visit.
A hub for Latinx culture and flavors in Portland, this pod in the Foster-Powell neighborhood is home to 9 carts celebrating Latin American flavors. Food carts here run the gamut from Colombian to Yucatecan to Cuban cuisines. Arepas and fried yucca from Que Bacano are popular with locals, as are the dinner plate-sized tlayudas from Tierra Del Sol.
This larger food cart pod near Portland’s Jade district is nestled in one of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods, and the 25 carts that reside here reflect that. Here you can try Afghan cuisine from Taste of Afghan, Sheger’s Ethiopian dishes, and Turkish Agha’s doner wraps and plates. There is also a beer garden that serves beer and wine.
Instagram-famous Southeast Portland fried chicken sensation JoJo makes its home on Powell Street, alongside popular Texas barbecue truck Holy Trinity. Their food pod patio backs up onto the beer window of John’s Marketplace, one of Portland’s largest and longest running bottle shops with nearly 3,500 beers, 100 ciders, and 1,200 wines.
On the edge of Portland’s St. Johns neighborhood, this food pod features 16 trucks serving up everything from Italian meatballs to Japanese gyoza. A standout here is Arlo’s fish and chips, serving perfectly flaky hand-cut and battered wild caught cod. The adjacent beer porch has 9 beer taps, 3 cider taps, and 1 kombucha tap. Most trucks are open noon to 6pm Fridays through the weekend. Check the website for each truck’s individual hours.
This vibrant food park in Portland’s Hollywood district features a brightly colored mural and 14 food trucks with a family friendly neighborhood vibe. Visit Vivi’s Yummy Rolls for the popular bahn mi and lemongrass beef rolls. Another noteworthy stop is Skidbladnir’s Celtic comfort food ranging from cured salmon open-faced sandwiches (smorrebrod) to cream of chanterelle soup made with local Oregon ingredients.
This Alphabet District pod at the base of the Fremont bridge is home to 8 trucks. Locals love Bing Mi’s Northern Chinese-style savory crepes called jianbing. The carts’ cuisines favor Asian and Southeast Asian flavors, like Japanese ramen from Ramen Ippo and Rollin’ Fresh sushirritos. Standout smashburger cart Farmer and The Beast also calls this pod home. Most carts are open every day from 11am-7pm.
This 10-cart pod opens early most weekdays, making it the perfect spot to grab a breakfast burrito from Coffee Villa or Oaxacan memelas (similar to a sope) from Tehuana Oaxacan Cuisine. La Puerta PDX serves up popular Salvadorian specialties like pupusas and fried plantains, which you can wash down with an horchata or michelada.