Portland Food Trucks

The people of PDX are certainly no strangers to excellent street cuisine. Portland happens to be home to a proliferation of food carts. These eco-friendly vessels are run by amicable folks from all over the globe and with their delicious, affordable, and locally sourced offerings, they simply fit right in with the fun, earthy, and foodie vibes of Stumptown.

In fact, the food cart culture here is so ubiquitous, there are designated food cart pods such as Alder Street, Cartlandia, PSU (and many more) located throughout downtown and other happening areas where the locals love to flock whenever it's time to chow down. These collections of carts are cooking up something scrumptious for everyone, with gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options aplenty. These wonderful pods host some of the city's most popular picks, such as Fuel Mobile Kitchen, where you can where you can ignite your appetite with their incredible selection of sliders, salads, and sides. Chowdah is your one stop shop for authentic New England Clam Chowdah, along with the best cheeseteak sandwich you may ever eat, and the The Grilled Cheese Grill... where you're in for some great ooey goey grilled gourmet goodness.

Food Carts & Food Trucks

Food carts, food trucks...what’s the difference, right? Great question!

In Portland, food carts = food trailers. Carts/trailers AND food trucks all have space for full kitchens and are all appended with wheels.However, a food truck comes equipped with its own engine and can hit the road all on its own. A food cart must be towed by a separate vehicle. With this distinction, food trucks and food carts both offer various advantages. Food trucks are easy to park and are ideal for chefs who like to serve at multiple locations throughout the city on a regular schedule. Food carts are more affordable and are better suited to stay at a location for longer, such as in the pods of PDX.

Now you understand the difference and you can go on with your street food savvy self!

But wait! You should also know that while food carts are quite prominent in this city, Portlanders are huge foodie fans of food trucks too. In fact, here are a few of the favorites:

Koi Fusion is famous for bringing a taste of the West Coast to Oregon in the form of fantastic Korean & Mexican fusion creations, like the fresh and flavorful Bibimbap Burrito or the pleasantly spicy Kimchi Quesadilla.

Up N Smoke has been blowing the minds of the locals with their succulent BBQ selection, including the slow-smoked pulled pork and the tender, saucy brisket sandwich. The late night crowds go absolutely nuts for the authentically savory Moroccan-American dishes from Gamila. Their legendary Philly Cheesesteak sandwich is apparently one the best things you can experience in all of P-Town.

When the carts aren't busy serving their pod patrons and the trucks aren't busy rolling from fest to fest, they're all quite happy to come out to your next big event to dazzle your guests with their incredible specialties.

Check out the map above to see all the exciting eats near you! And if you're looking to book any food trucks for your wedding, party, or corporate catering event, go to our catering page to book a food truck.