A 3.5-hour walking tour starting at Cartopia in southeast Portland that visits five carts in 12 blocks, with poutine, vegan bowls and Egyptian flatbreads.
Tip: Book on Lost Plate's site. The afternoon cart tour is daily; the wine and donut tours run separately.
Address: Meets at Cartopia Food Cart Pod, 1207 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland
Portland's original eastside food cart pod on SE Hawthorne at 12th, open since 2008 with a covered seating area, fire pit and a rotating cast of carts.
Try: Pod with rotating carts: pizza, Thai, Egyptian, vegan
Tip: Pyro Pizza wood-fired pies, Whiffies fried pies, Potato Champion poutine and Chicken and Guns are the long-running anchors.
Matt Vicedomini's pit-smoker on N Mississippi at Prost Marketplace in Portland, central Texas-style brisket sold from a cart since 2015.
Try: Central Texas brisket and ribs
Tip: Arrive by 11:30 or risk a sellout. Cash and card. Sides are sized smaller than the brisket.
Sandy Di's jianbing cart in downtown Portland near Pioneer Square, with savoury Chinese street crepes wrapped around scrambled egg and crisp wonton skins.
Try: Jianbing Chinese street crepe
Tip: The original with the wok and the pan is the cart at SW 6th; the sister Bing Mi Dumpling shop is NW Vaughn for noodles.
Yair Maidan's falafel counter in the Zipper micro-restaurant collective on NE Sandy in Portland, Portland Monthly's pick for best falafel sandwich in town.
Try: Falafel pita, salad, rice bowl
Tip: Counter order, shared dining room with four micro-restaurants and a bar. Falafel is fried to order; expect 8 minutes.
Portland's original eastside food cart pod on SE Hawthorne at 12th, open since 2008 with a covered seating area, fire pit and a rotating cast of carts.
Try: Pod with rotating carts: pizza, Thai, Egyptian, vegan
Tip: Pyro Pizza wood-fired pies, Whiffies fried pies, Potato Champion poutine and Chicken and Guns are the long-running anchors.
The Prost! beer-garden food cart pod on N Mississippi in Portland, with a covered heated patio, Matt's BBQ, gluten-free Indian and Korean-style tacos.
Try: Pod: Matt's BBQ, Koi Fusion tacos, DesiPDX, Native Bowl
Tip: Order beer from the Prost! bar and food from the carts; the patio is shared. Heated tents stay open through winter.
