Here’s why Portland’s food cart scene is the best on earth

Don’t get us wrong, Portland, Oregon is an amazing city and if you haven’t been it should be high on your U.S. bucket list. However, of all things going on in Portland, perhaps nothing better sums up this progressive hipster nirvana better than the city’s food carts. Portland’s a place where all things mass produced are rejected and if it’s mainstream it’s not cool. If you’ve never partaken you’re in for a treat, literally. Here are 6 reasons why Portland’s food cartsreally are worth the trip alone:

Also: 15 things never to say to a Portlander

Cart after cart of unique food! (The Bite on Belmont pod, 4255 SE Belmont) | Photo courtesy of GettingStamped.com

Home to the most food carts in the country

According to local experts, there are now more than 700 hundred food carts scattered across the city. The rise of the food carts in Portland is a relatively new phenomenon. At the end of the last decade, as the economy spiraled into the gutter, a few creative citizens decided to hit the streets with their own unique food carts. The low start-up cost and lax zoning laws of the city made it possible. With so many carts, it’s tough to even know where to begin. If it’s your first trip to the city, try a Portland Food Carts and Neighborhood Tour from eatadventures.com to help you navigate the expansive food map.

A 12-ingredent Thai salad prepared to perfection and served streetside (Carte Blanche, 3207 SE Hawthorne Blvd) | Photo courtesy of GettingStamped.com

Insanely good food

Just having an obscene amount of food carts in the city isn’t really what makes it noteworthy. The real story here is that the food these chefs are preparing in these mobile micro kitchens is top shelf. We’re not just talking about hotdogs and french fries here, these carts are putting up complex dishes that you’d expect at trendy brick-and-mortar restaurants. You wouldn’t expect to have life changing authentic Japanese ramen from a cart parked in Portland, but you can. If you only have time to visit a few carts, make time to visit the pod of food carts named “Cartlandia” (8145 SE 82nd Ave) which is full of some of the city’s finest all in one place.

Only in Portland will you find a light and delicate keish served up fresh out of a food cart (Lula’s, 1477 NE Alberta St) | Photo courtesy of GettingStamped.com

It’s local

The city as a whole, but the food cart scene especially, has embraced the local food and the farm-to-table movements. Portland is a city where everything seems to be “micro,” and if it’s not made in a small batch their not eating it. This passion for local cuisine shines through in the dishes and also leads to ever changing menus as the seasons and ingredients change.

Who’s up for some Viking Soul Food? (4255 SE Belmont St) | Photo courtesy of GettingStamped.com

Flavors from around the World

You could easily sample food from around the world without leaving city limits. On the streets of Portland, you can find anything from amazing fresh Thai salads to gourmet espresso to Georgian (like the country Georgia) cheese breads. One noteworthy international cart is Viking Soul Food (4255 SE Belmont St), serving up northern European favorites wrapped up in their famous Norwegian Lefse.

Fusion perfection at Koi Fusion Korean taco food cart (4237 N Mississippi Ave) | Photo courtesy of GettingStamped.com

One of a kind fusions

A top cart to visit for fusion cuisine is Koi Fusion (4237 N Mississippi Ave). This cart has been all about fusion since day one and is even built into the name. Grab a Korean bulgogi beef taco with homemade kimchi fused with traditional Mexican flavors and ingredients.

“Mississippi Market Place” pod full of tasty food carts in aPortland neighborhood (4237N Mississippi Ave)| Photo courtesy of GettingStamped.com

It’s more than just food, it’s a culture

As the food cart scene exploded over the past decade in Portland, words like ‘pod’ came to define groups of symbiotic food carts. All around the city, parking lots were transformed from a place to leave your car to mobile food courts, or as they coined them in Portland ‘pods’. Each pod is like it’s own little community. Many pods have rules like that only one of each type of restaurant is allowed in each pod because it’s more about community rather than competition. Like many small businesses they depend on the success of the carts around them for their success. The power of having several restaurants in one spot allows them to have more facilities and some can even serve some of Portland’s great beers.

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In a lot of ways, the food carts of Portland truly embody what the city is all about:They’re local, they’re passionate, and of course a little quirky.

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