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The Best Carts for Awesome Asian
Bombay Chaat House:
804 SW 12th Ave., 380-3087, bombaychaathouse.org. 11:30 am-7 pm Monday-Saturday.
Avtar Kaur's vegetarian snacks are the best vegetarian snacks.
* Kim Jong Grillin':
4725 SE Division St., 926-2868. Noon-9 pm Tuesday-Friday, 1-9 pm Saturday.
Get the Bibim Box, with strips of insanely tender, savory barbecued meat, a fried egg, kimchi, rice, and stir-fried potato noodles.
Number One Bento:
Southwest 10th Avenue and Alder Street, 971-570-6040. 11 am-6 pm Monday-Saturday.
A slight misnomer—this Korean cart's bibimbap is even better than its bento.
Nong's Khao Man Gai:
Southwest 10th Avenue and Alder Street, 971-255-3480, khaomangai.com. Open at 10 am Monday-Friday and 11 am Saturday; closes when the food is gone.
This Thai boiled chicken is like poultry from another plane of being, infused with garlic, ginger and chilies.
Samurai Bento:
Southwest 9th Avenue and Alder Street, 757-8802. 11 am-4 pm Monday-Friday.
Completely authentic Japanese lunch fare, fried pork and all.
* SomTum Gai Yang:
Southwest 10th Avenue and Alder Street, 522-9543; Southwest 3rd Avenue and Stark Street. 11 am-7 pm Monday-Saturday at both locations.
Excellent Thai barbecued chicken and papaya salad.
* Yogio:
2124 NE Alberta St., 750-1315, yogio.weebly.com. 6 pm-2 am Thursday, 12:30 pm-2 am Friday-Saturday, 12:30-7:30 pm Sunday.
Korean Frito pie!
The Best Carts for Beverages
Buckman Brewing:
Good Food Here, 4262 SE Belmont St., twitter.com/buckmanbeercart. 2-8 pm Thursday-Saturday.
Beer!
Captured by Porches:
D Street Noshery, 3221 SE Division St., capturedbyporches.com. 3-8 pm Thursday, 2-10 pm Friday-Saturday.
More beer!
Chai Chuski:
Southwest 5th Avenue and Morrison Street. 10:30 am-2:15 pm Monday-Friday.
Delicious, comforting teas gathered from the owner's travels throughout Asia.
Sip:
3029 SE 21st Ave., 964-0820, sipjuicecart.com. 10 am-7 pm daily.
Organic, vegan juice and smoothies.
The Best Carts for Fried Stuff
Fuego de Lotus:
D-Street Noshery, 3221 SE Division St., 753-9167, fuegodelotus.com. 11:30 am-8 pm Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday, 11:30 am-10 pm Friday-Saturday.
While this Venezuelan cart serves more than arepas, the cheese-filled fried corn cakes are the reason we keep coming back.
Frying Scotsman:
Southwest 9th Avenue and Alder Street, 706-3841, thefryingscotsmanpdx.com. 11 am-4 pm Monday-Friday, 11:30 am-3 pm Saturday.
James King's rampant lion flag does not mislead; his haddock and chips are as good as any you'll find in Glasgow.
* Nuevo Mexico:
Mississippi Marketplace, 4237 N Mississippi Ave., facebook.com/nuevomexicopdx. Noon-5 pm Wednesday-Friday and Sunday, noon-6 pm Saturday.
The posole and green chili stew are great, but what makes Nuevo Mexico really special are the light, fluffy sopapillas—New Mexico's savory answer to the elephant ear.
Potato Champion:
Cartopia, 1204 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 593-9933, potatochampion.com. Noon-3 am Tuesday-Sunday.
Best fries ever. Hold the gravy.
* Whiffies Fried Pies:
Cartopia, 1204 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 946-6544, whiffies.com. 11 am-3 am Tuesday-Sunday.
The best fried pies are late-night fried pies.
The Best Carts for Meat
* LeRoy's Familiar Vittles:
Southeast 48th Avenue and Division Street, 442-7421. Noon-7 pm Monday-Saturday.
Far and away the best spareribs one may purchase from a trailer in Portland.
* The People's Pig:
Southwest 9th Avenue and Alder Street, site.thepeoplespig.com. 11 am-3 pm Monday-Friday.
The specialty here is porchetta—thick, juicy rolls of roasted pork belly and loin.
* Robb's Really Good Food:
5205 SE Foster Road, 724-8384, twitter.com/RobbsGoodFood. 11 am-11 pm Tuesday-Sunday.
The sign does not lie—the sweet, chipotle-spiked pulled-pork sandwich is really good.
Saucy's:
North Station, 2730 N Killingsworth St., 807-7015. Noon-7 pm Tuesday-Saturday, 1-7 pm Sunday.
The rib sandwich slaps a charred, hefty pork rib in an undersized white-bread bun, generously doused with owner Rick Johnson's smoky-sweet sauce.
The Best Carts for Mediterranean
* Artigiano:
4808 SE Woodstock Blvd., 781-3040, thepastawagon.com. 11:30 am-2:30 pm and 5-8 pm Tuesday-Saturday.
Rachael Grossman and Tyler Johnston's bright-red trailer serves handmade gnocchi, ravioli and
fettuccine.
Aybla Grill:
Southwest 9th Avenue and Alder Street, 490-3387; Southwest 5th Avenue and Stark Street; Good Food Here, 4298 SE Belmont St. 11 am-5:30 pm Monday-Friday and noon-4 pm Saturday downtown, 10 am-8:30 pm Monday-Thursday and 10 am-9:30 pm at Good Food Here.
The best Syrian/Cretan restaurant in Portland. Get the dolmades.
Mono Malo:
Southwest 9th Avenue and Washington Street, 964-0126, monomalotapas.com. 11 am-4 pm Monday-Friday.
Portland's first Spanish tapas cart vends croquettes, tortilla Española and cheeseburgers.
Wolf & Bear's:
Southeast 20th Avenue and Morrison Street, twitter.com/wolfandbears. Noon-4 pm Wednesday-Saturday.
A slightly skewed take on classic falafel, with thinly pressed patties of lightly fried chickpeas, grilled eggplant, roasted red peppers, tahini and the best pita ever.
Ziba's Pitas:
Southwest 9th Avenue and Alder Street, 473-9372, zibaspitas.com. 10:30 am-3:30 pm Monday-Friday.
Ziba's are still our favorite Bosnian baked flatbread sandwiches.
The Best Carts for Pizza
* Pizza Contadino:
Crystal Food Garden, 7525 N Richmond Ave., 935-4375, pizzacontadino.blogspot.com. 1-11 pm Tuesday-Saturday, 1-8 pm Sunday.
Contadino's crust, made from a sourdough starter dating back to the 1890s, is the perfect balance of chewy and crispy, doused with a bright, pepper-speckled sauce.
Pizza Depokos:
North Station, 2730 N Killingsworth St., 247-7499, pizzadepokos.blogspot.com. 5-9 pm Tuesday-Friday, 5-10 pm Saturday.
Damn good pizza, including classic Lebanese pies like the spice-and-sesame seed mixture za'atar.
* Pyro Pizza:
Cartopia, 1204 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 929-1404, pyropizzacart.com. 11:30-3 am Tuesday-Sunday.
A one-man operation that cranks out whole-wheat single-serving pies with impressive speed.
Wy'East Pizza:
3131 SE 50th Ave., 701-5149, wyeastpizza.com. 4:30-9:30 pm Tuesday-Saturday.
Crisp, lightly charred 12-inch pies that are every bit as tasty as the goods at almost any wheel-less pizzeria in town.
The Best Carts for Super Sandwiches
Addy's Sandwich Bar:
Southwest 10th Avenue and Alder Street, 267-0994, addyssandwichbar.com. 11 am-3 pm Monday-Friday, 11:30 am-3:30 pm Saturday.
House-cured ham, Gruyère and butter on a Little T baguette.
Big-Ass Sandwiches:
Southwest 3rd Avenue and Ash Street, 803-0619,
bigasssandwiches.com. 11 am-9 pm Monday-Wednesday, 11 am-3 pm Thursday,
11 am-3 pm and 11 pm-3 am Friday,
11 pm-3 am Saturday.
Scrambled eggs, french fries and bacon on ciabatta. Oof.
The Big Egg:
Mississippi Marketplace, 8233 N Mississippi Ave., twitter.com/thebigegg. 8 am-2 pm Wednesday-Sunday.
One Monte Cristo to rule them all, with one egg, ham and Gorgonzola on brioche French toast, drizzled with maple glaze.
* Garden State:
Mississippi Marketplace, 8233 N Mississippi Ave., 962-9265, gardenstatecart.com. 11:30 am-3 pm Tuesday, 11:30 am-7 pm Wednesday-Thursday, 11:30 am-8 pm Friday-Saturday, 11:30 am-5 pm Sunday.
Oh. My. Cod. Grilled cod, that is, with capers, napa cabbage, potato and oranges on ciabatta.
Grilled Cheese Grill:
113 SE 28th Ave. and 1027 NE Alberta St., 206-8959, grilledcheesegrill.com. Alberta: 11:30 am-9 pm Tuesday-Thursday, 11:30-2:30 am Friday-Saturday, 11:30 am-3:30 pm Sunday. 28th: 11 am-8 pm Tuesday-Saturday, 11 am-3:30 pm Sunday.
"The Gabby," with cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella and Colby Jack on Portland French Bakery white is a big, stretchy, gooey, multilayered melted mess.
Lardo:
Good Food Here, 4262 SE Belmont St., lardopdx.com. Noon-3 pm and 5:30-8 pm Tuesday-Saturday.
Any place that slings a porchetta is welcome in my book, but the Fra' Mani mortadella sandwich ($7) with spicy peppers and provolone, absolutely kills.
PBJ's:
Northwest 23rd Avenue and Kearney Street, pbjsgrilled.com. 11 am-5 pm Wednesday-Sunday.
The rich, creamy Good Morning proves that everything—even a PBJ—is better with bacon.
* The Rolling Stoves Gimme Sandwich:
North Station, 2730 N Killingsworth St., 310-486-4006, twitter.com/gimmesandwich. 11 am-6 pm Tuesday-Sunday.
One hell of a French dip—a generous mound of juicy, mild beef in an herbaceous pan-drippings broth.
Savor Soup House:
Southwest 10th Avenue and Alder Street, 548-7652, savorsouphouse.com. 11 am-4 pm Monday-Friday.
Some of the city's best soup and a killer grilled cheese menu.
* Tábor:
Southwest 5th Avenue and Stark Street, 997-5467, schnitzelwich.com. 10 am-3 pm Monday-Friday.
It's been seven years, and no one has yet managed to top the Schnitzelwich's combo of fried pork loin, paprika and horseradish.
The Best Carts for Sweets
Chai Chuski:
Southwest 5th Avenue and Morrison Street. 10:30 am-2:15 pm Monday-Friday.
Delicious, comforting teas gathered from the owner's travels throughout Asia.
Cool Harry's:
Southwest 10th Avenue and Alder Street, coolharrys.com. 11 am-5 pm Monday-Saturday.
Good frozen yogurt, topped with fruit.
* Fifty Licks Ice Cream:
Good Food Here, 4262 SE Belmont St., fifty-licks.com. Hours TBA.
Maple bacon ice cream. No more need be said.
* FlavourSpot:
North Lombard Street between Denver
and Greeley avenues, 289-9866, flavourspot.com. 6:30 am-2 pm
Monday-Friday, 8 am-3 pm Saturday-Sunday. North Mississippi Avenue and
Fremont Street, 282-9866. 8 am-3 pm Monday-Friday, 9 am-4 pm Saturday, 9
am-3 pm Sunday. Southwest 3rd Avenue and Ash Street. 8 am-2 pm
Monday-Thursday, 8 am-2 pm and 11 pm-3 am Friday, 10 am-2 pm and 11 pm-3
am Saturday,
10 am-2 pm Sunday.
The OG waffle wagons offer plenty of savory options, but we always go for the maple pecan.
The Sugar Cube:
Good Food Here, 4262 SE Belmont St., 890-2825, thesugarcubepdx.com. Hours TBA.
The home of the triple threat cookie: a sandwich of chocolate, espresso and pecans with chocolate ganache.
The Best Carts for Tacos
Cora y Huichol:
Southeast 82nd Avenue and Holgate Street, 995-6606,
9 am-9 pm daily.
Handmade tortillas, covered seating, excellent carnitas and carne asada in an 82nd Avenue convenience store lot.
* Koi Fusion:
3221 SE Division St. For roaming locations and hours, see koifusionpdx.com.
Bo Kwon did not invent the Korean taco, but he did bring it to Portland, and for that we are grateful.
La Jarochita:
Southwest 5th Avenue and Stark Street, 421-9838. 7 am-6 pm Monday-Saturday.
Giant, overstuffed tacos. Get a huarache, too.
Lindo Michoacan:
3360 SE Division St., 313-6864. 11 am-9 pm Monday-Friday, 11 am-7 pm Saturday.
Hands down the best tacos al pastor you'll find between I-205 and the Willamette.
The Best Carts for Wieners
Altengartz:
Southwest 10th Avenue and Alder Street, 699-4962, germanbratwurst.com. 11 am-4 pm Monday-Wednesday, 11 am-4 pm and 10:30 pm-3 am Thursday-Friday, 11 am-4 pm and 9 pm-3 am Saturday.
The original late-night bratwurst wagon.
Beez Neez
Gourmet Sausages:
Southwest 3rd Avenue and Stark Street, twitter.com/BeezNeezSausage. 11 am-4 pm Monday-Thursday, 11 am-2:30 am Friday, 8 pm-3 am Saturday.
This unassuming hot-link stand serves reindeer sausages. How can you pass up the opportunity to consume one of Santa's little helpers?
* EuroDish:
Southwest 10th Avenue and Alder Street, 971-344-3704. 11 am-6 pm Monday-Saturday.
Classic Polish kielbasi, slow-cooked and stewing in their own juices.
The Fried Onion:
Southeast 3rd Avenue and Alder Street, 961-2534, thefriedonion.com. 10 am-2:30 pm Monday-Friday.
This is the chili dog you are looking for. Red Sox fans pay extra.
WWeek 2015