Amongst the cluster of Portland food carts or special diet-tailored food trendsters, finally someone has brought this town what it has been hungry for—good old-fashioned food. But a visit to Sloppy Town is more than a late-night bite, it’s a unique experience.
To understand that experience, one has to go to Sloppy Town. In just over a month in operation, they have already garnered regulars who love their various sloppy joe-inspired fare. Their menu boasts a range of sloppy joes, even a vegetarian variety, rivaling a selection of mac and cheese that quickly won a spot on my personal top five best mac and cheeses of Portland.
Upon entering, customers will encounter Karen, who will most likely be laughing an infectious room-filling laugh as she engages patrons and commands the cash register.
“Menu creator Scott Collins took the idea of the sloppy joe to a gourmet level with slow-cooked chipotle BBQ beef, slow-cooked pulled pork and a chipotle mushroom for our vegetarian fans,” Karen said. “Our macaroni and cheese is creamy without being heavy; our slaw is made fresh with each order.”
Sloppy Town makes food that simply feeds the soul. Each bite goes to fill a hole in my heart, bored out with deep-seated abandonment issues. Screw chicken soup; just go to Sloppy Town for whatever ails your soul.
The signature “Sloppy Town” provides a sloppy religious experience with their chipotle beef, cheese sauce and slaw. Most will be surprised at how well done the slaw is—generally a side dish, slaw plays as much with your sense of taste as the rest of the sandwich.
If you dare and think you can truly handle it, the Sloppy Seconds is a mountain of taste and provides a challenge—though not in any sense of overeating. I don’t know which is the best part, the bacon, the slaw, or the chipotle. So much is happening in this sandwich, yet its flavor succeeds while not in competition with itself.
Like the opium dens in days of old, Sloppy Town gives you a hit of incredible sensation before overtaking you. The only downside to the place is that there are no cots offered for when the inevitable and euphoric food coma sets in.
The restaurant isn’t quite what one would expect, but this off beat operation just adds to the rather enjoyable character. Downtown Portland regulars may already be familiar with Geraldi’s Italian Eating Place off Fourth Avenue. But once Geraldi’s closes its doors, Sloppy Town opens them right back up, transforming the establishment to serve their sloppy delights. Only people who know to head to Geraldi’s in the dead of the night get to enjoy these late-night munchies.
That’s the other thing about Sloppy Town; their hours are designed more toward the nocturnal. Open from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, the restaurant collects an eclectic array of the Portland nightlife entering through its doors. Part of this evening transformation into Sloppy Town includes a museum, of sorts, of trucker hats lining the walls. And after regulars complete a punch card of purchases, they get to take a clever hat home—ranging from the redneck adage “It’s all about the rack” to the campy “WPP: Witness Protection Program.”
“I meet some really interesting people,” Karen said. “I love to talk and enjoy when customers want to banter with me.”
Sloppy Town is cash only, so bear that in mind as you wander through downtown after leaving a bar in search of that ideal late-night bite. That search should lead you to this fine establishment of guilty pleasures.
“The idea has been to branch out to a late night crowd who want something to eat after a night of clubbing and to give the under-21 group a place to do the same,” Karen said. “We just try to keep it light, friendly, funny, maybe a tiny bit irreverent.” ?