Skip to main content
One of Portland's best food cart pods is about to get even better.
Burger Stevens, which has been closed since early in the COVID-19 shutdown, will soon return in a new location, at Prost Marketplace at 4233 N Mississippi Ave., home of Matt's BBQ, Little Conejo, Fried Egg I'm in Love and Desi PDX, among others.
Owner Don Salamone plans to move his Pioneer Square cart north for what he hopes will be a late September opening.
"It's logistically a pain in the ass, because of coordinating with Pioneer Square, coordinating with the towing company, and we have to get a permit to cross the MAX line," he says. "And we can only cross the MAX line if the MAX is not running. So it has to be at, like, 2 in the morning."
Burger Stevens will take over the space formerly occupied by Pastrami Zombie, near the Skidmore entrance. Expect an even simpler version of what was already a minimalist menu: single and double burgers, fries, and a few add-ons, with one new variation.
"There will be the usual, which is basically a 'deluxe' in old-school burger terms, which means lettuce and tomato," Salamone says. "But then we're gonna do a more simple one, which is McDonald's-inspired: pickle, onion, ketchup and mustard. That's personally my go-to whenever I make a burger for myself."
Salamone's Stevens Italiano takeout pop-up, which has been operating out of the Burger Stevens takeout window at Dig A Pony, is currently on hiatus, but is likely to return—though Dig A Pony itself remains closed.