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Not all forced evictions are tragedies. Sometimes they're opportunities.
Earlier this year, when Matt’s BBQ got bounced from its original location—a pawn shop’s parking lot on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard—there was little doubt it would resettle quickly, given the cart’s widespread reputation for the best Texas barbecue in town. But landing on the patio at German beer bar Prost!, it felt as if Matt’s was finally where it always belonged.
For one thing, the fact that you couldn’t enjoy pitmaster Matt Vicedomini’s impossibly tender brisket ($11) and smoky-hot jalapeño cheddar sausage ($4.50) with a giant boot of rare Kölsch for the first three years he was in business seems like a terrible mistake in retrospect. And now, instead of scarfing down ribs in the front seat of your car during the rainy months, you can eat at a covered picnic table like a civilized adult.
It’s a perfect marriage. But truthfully, even if Vicedomini had set up his twin smokers next to a dumpster on Swan Island, Matt’s would still draw a crowd—especially considering the cart is home to one of the craziest meal bargains in town: the Whole Shebang, which gets you samples of everything on the menu, plus sides, for $22.
Pro tip: It’s easy to overlook the chips and queso ($4, $7). Don’t—if anything here can be considered a hidden gem, it’s that tub of velvety melted cheese.
GO: Matt's BBQ, 4233 N Mississippi Ave., 503-504-0870, mattsbbqpdx.com, 11 am-7 pm daily