Portland’s Awesome Food Cart Pods

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

Collective Oregon Eateries

Address:
3612 SE 82nd Ave
Portland, OR 97266

Hours: Tues-Sun 11am-8pm

This 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

Hawthorne Asylum

Address:
1080 SE Madison St
Portland, OR 97214

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. Carts set their own hours, so check before visiting. 

Cartlandia

Address:
8145 SE 82nd Ave
Portland, OR 97266

Hours: Open 7 days a week

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.

Portland Mercado

Address:
7238 SE Foster Road
Portland, OR 97206

Hours: 11am-8pm every day

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. 

Eastport Food Center

Address:
3905 SE 82nd Street
Portland, OR 97266

Hours: 9am-9pm every day

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.

Eastport Food Center

Address:
3582 SE Powell
Portland, OR 97202

Instagram-famous Southeast Portland fried chicken sensation JoJo makes its home on Powell Street, alongside popular Texas barbecue truck Holy Trinity. This 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. 

St. John’s Food & Beer Porch

Address:
7316 N Lombard Street
Portland, OR 97202

Belmont Street Eats

Address:
3423 SE Belmont Street
Portland, Oregon 97214

Grab some fried chicken at Frickin Fried Chicken or big bites for big girls and boys at the gluten-friendly Fatsquatch. They’re serving everything from fried foods to hearty bowls, crisp salads, and ridiculously yummy wraps. This food pod is open everyday from 12pm to 8pm.

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.

Rose City Food Park

Address:
5235 NE Sandy Blvd
Portland, OR 97213

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.

Nob Hill Food Carts

Address:
1845 NW 23rd Place
Portland, Oregon 97210

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.

Killingsworth Station Food Cart Pod

Address:
1131 N Killingsworth Street
Portland, OR 97217

Hours: Mon 11am-8pm; Tues-Fri 7:30am-8pm; Sat 8am-8pm; Sun 11am-6pm

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. 

Shady Pines Vegan Food Court

Address:
5240 NE 42nd Street
Portland, OR 97218

Plant-based eaters, rejoice! This pod is home to 5 vegan food carts including local favorite Avocadamama, known for their vegan mac and cheese. Dirty Lettuce’s Southern comfort food — seitan fried “chicken” — is another popular choice. Safframen’s Persian-influenced Japanese ramen is another can’t miss cart. Like most Portland pods, the carts set their own hours, so be sure to check their website before you visit. 

Cartopia

Address:
1207 SE Hawthorne
Portland, OR 97214

Hours: 11am-11pm

This 8-cart pod sits a couple of blocks away from Hawthorne Asylum and features 3 roaring fire pits and a heated tent for colder weather. Pyro Pizza is a standout here, with a brick pizza oven in the trailer serving up popular wood-fired pizzas. Potato Champion’s poutine is another cart popular with locals for a late night bite, as this pod is open later than most others.

Prost Marketplace

Address:
4233 N. Mississippi Ave
Portland, OR 97217

Hours: 11am-7pm every day

Locals know to pair their Pilsners with Matt’s BBQ, a contender for the best Texas barbecue in Portland. Matt’s is part of a 10-cart pod that surrounds Prost!, Portland’s favorite German beer hall. Other fan favorites include Vancouver transplant Little Conejo’s tacos and Fried Egg I’m In Love’s fried egg breakfast sandwiches which can be made vegan or gluten free.

Piknik Park Food Cart Pod

Address:
1122 SE Tacoma Street
Portland, OR 97202

Located in the heart of the Sellwood neighborhood, this pod is home to 8 carts plus a beer/wine/cider cart with a stand-up bar. A covered seated area (heated in colder months) offers a comfortable place to enjoy Moroccan wraps from Taste of Casablanca, Nepalese momos from Yatra, and Jin Dak’s Korean fusion. The pod is open seven days a week from 11am-7pm. The carts have different closure days, so check the website before you visit. 

Multnomah Village French Quarter Food Cart Pod

Address:
3518 SW Multnomah Blvd
Portland, OR 97219

There are 9 food carts that call this pod home, including Yoshi’s Sushi creative rolls. Insiders say you can’t miss chef Yoshi Ikeda’s sauces like his ginger miso that tops the lime green roll. Yoshi’s is currently only taking phone orders (no walk-up orders), so call ahead. The majority of carts are closed Mondays. Indoor and outdoor seating is available, and pets are allowed on leash.

Sellwood Corner Food Carts Pod

Address:
7875 SE 13th Ave
Portland, OR 97202

Located in the popular Sellwood neighborhood, this pod is home to diverse eats from spots like the fabulous Mexican meal mavens at Taqueria Luna, to the creamy cold sweets at Hurry Back Ice Cream. There’s something to satisfy every craving, from sushi to Indian food (including a customer favorite Rose Lassi). It’s right across the street from locally owned game store Cloud Cap Games where folks can play board games for free. Cart hours are set individually so be sure to check ahead.

Do you know of a permanent food truck spot that didn’t make the list? Has a truck closed or their hours changed? Click here to leave us a note so we can keep this article up to date.