Portland is known for its extensive street food scene. The food carts in Portland line blocks of downtown and the Pearl district, and pop up in clusters throughout the east side of the city. When there are over 20 carts within a 5 minute walk of each other, it’s difficult to choose one to eat from. Luckily, we were able to go a couple times.

One thing to keep in mind when planning a meal here is the hours that the carts keep. While they’re not all open at the same time, most of them will be open for lunch throughout the week, and a handful open for dinner. But we found that by 3pm, a lot are closed for business.

Our successful trip for lunch was by SW Alder St and SW 9th Ave. There are so many cuisines and foods to choose from – Egyptian, Korean, Ethiopian, Mexican, Japanese, mac and cheese, and more. No matter your mood, you’ll probably find something good to eat. At the craft market we visited over the weekend, we got a recommendation to go to a Scottish man’s food cart for fish & chips. In an effort to try different things, my mom and I shared fish & chips and Korean BBQ.

The Frying Scotsman had a variety of fish to choose from for frying. We took the road less traveled with red snapper – more fishy than classic cod/haddock (#nigerian). For Korean BBQ, we chose their Bulgogi-Chicken combo with rice, noodles, chicken, beef, kimchi, and what looked like iceberg lettuce.

Not pictured: salt + vinegar additions (no ketchup, that’s so American)

The chicken was more flavorful than the beef but it was all good.

 

If you’re in Portland, check out this food cart Google map of the city to guide you. There’s most likely a hub of carts in a couple areas you’re planning to check out anyway.

Have a favorite food cart corner? Share below! And stay tuned for next week’s review on VOODOO doughnuts!