Northeast Portland is known for being diverse and the food carts in the area are no different. It’s easy to try flavors from all around the world in a single food cart pod. You can be eating anything from Thai food to Italian to Hawaiian in a matter of steps. While there are several food cart pods in Northeast, the Rose City Food Park on Sandy Blvd. and the Alberta District Food Carts offer some of the most unique meals in the city.
THE SUGAR SHOP
5221 N.E. SANDY BLVD.
I like to start with dessert first, because I’m a rebel and nothing satisfies my ridiculous sweet tooth like The Sugar Shop. This cart has everything you need to be put into a sugar-induced coma—from a delectable Nutella swirl cheesecake to salted caramel stuffed brownies that put your mom’s baked goods to shame. My personal favorite is the beer caramel corn, because who needs teeth anyway?
PDX SIX SEVEN ONE
5221 N.E. SANDY BLVD.
For some authentic Guamanian cuisine, look no further than PDX Six Seven One. The food cart, which got its name from combining Guam’s area code and Portland’s airport code, prides itself on mixing local ingredients with the cooking practices of Guam. All items on the menu are less than $8 and features everything from deep-fried spring rolls to shrimp fritters.
GARDEN MONSTERS
1477 N.E. Alberta St.
Do you ever eat a salad and then an hour later you’re starving again? You must not have ordered it from Garden Monsters. Serving fresh and local ingredients, this food cart offers entrée-sized salads that you can create yourself or order off the menu. Their signature salads all come with a hearty serving of meat and a wide variety of vegetables. The food cart also has quite a few homemade dressings to choose from.
STUMPTOWN DUMPLINGS
5221 N.E. SANDY BLVD.
Just a hop, skip and a jump away from Garden Monsters in the Alberta Arts District, Stumptown Dumplings makes their delicious bao and dumplings from scratch. While their menu may be small, their entire menu will leave you wanting more. You can order their “stumplings” with ground chicken, ground pork or chopped spinach and their bao can be made with roasted pork, curried veggies, red bean paste or coconut custard. I recommend dipping the dumplings in some asian chipotle sauce for a little zing.
