Voting for the finest food cart in the Portland region, the next category in The Oregonian’s Readers Choice Awards, is now open.
We appreciate the time and effort of the hundreds of readers who nominated their preferred food carts. The most nods were in the ten slots below. There is a good representation of the diverse range of local foods, including pizza, oysters, and cookies.
Voting is available once daily until 11:59 p.m. at the link at the bottom of this post. December 17, 2024, Tuesday. The results will be made public on Friday, December 20 at atoregonlive.com/readers-choice.
Cookie McCakeface
As one reader put it, “This woman-owned cart sells cakey cookies that are massive, gooey, and so good.” Regular varieties include Midnight Society, a parody of S Mores with dark chocolate cookie dough, gram crackers, and marshmallow fluff, and Cookie Meister, a large blue cookie with eyes that is filled with Oreos. We also heard from readers that they enjoy sampling the monthly specials.
770 W. Burnside St., Monday through Friday, 12–6 p.m. or sold out; cookiemccakeface.com
Hunker Down
Fresh-shucked oysters, sandwiches, mac & cheese, fried and roasted vegetables, a delectable braised pork cheek served on polenta, soft serve, and sundaes are all available at Hunker Down, one of our favorite new food carts from the previous year. Do yourself a favor and get the pancakes if you go to brunch.
11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 2216 S.E. 50th Ave. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The website is hunkerdownpdx.com.
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Mole Mole
This family-run Mexican food cart is one of our favorite new food carts of 2022. Alejandra Rendon, Roberto Flores’s wife and sous chef, helps him prepare the food. His boys assist when they’re not in school, and his daughter Brenda Flores runs the counter, preps, and manages other parts of the firm. Each of their three moles is excellent, fresh, and attractive on the individually painted Pueblan plates.
11 a.m. to 9 p.m., 2231 N.E. Alberta St. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday. Every day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday; 4237 N. Mississippi Ave.; molemolepdx.com
Monster Smash
With its homemade turmeric pickles and salty fries accompanied by a Spanish-style garlic aioli, Monster Smash, one of our favorite smash burgers in Portland, goes above and above. The cart offers some of the greatest grilled cheeses in the city, and vegans may eat a burger made with Beyond Meat patties.
12–8 p.m., 4500 S.E. Stark St. Monday through Saturday, 12 to 6 p.m. Monstersmashpdx.square.site on Sunday
The food cart at Reeva Cafe y Cocina a la Le a contains a wood-burning pizza oven.Graves, Mark/The Oregonian
Reeva Cafe y Cocina a la Le a
Portland’s best wood-fired pizzas can be found at this food truck on Northeast Sandy Boulevard. Try the Reeva original Pizzaleada, which is a twist on the Honduran baleada and consists of refried beans, four different kinds of cheese, and sour cream folded in the portafoglio (also known as wallet) manner that is a street food staple in Naples.
Sandy Blvd., 7727 N.E., 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday. Reevapnw.square.site on Sunday
Sorbu Paninoteca
The word “paninoteca” means “sandwich shop” in Italian, and this one was included in our list of the top new food carts for 2021. The truck bakes bread every day, and the menu rotates every two weeks to feature locally available, in-season products. A vegetarian sandwich with roasted delicata squash, cannellini bean spread, mozzarella, and farm greens is currently available, as is a sausage panini on sourdough ciabatta.
5011 N.E. 42nd Ave., Thursday through Sunday, 12–7 p.m.;sorbupdx.com
Tacos Fita
This taco truck produces its own salsa, flour tortillas, and corn tortillas. One reader described the dinner as a huge taste explosion. You’ll discover salads, burritos, tortas, and more in addition to tacos.
11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily at 701 SW 6th Ave.; 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily at 621 S.W. 19th Ave.Instagram tacosfita
Tidal Boar Shuck Truck
Located in a largely industrial region east of Portland International Airport, Tidal Boar’s food cart pod near Level Beer’s brewery and taproom offers fresh-shucked oysters, poke, and fish and chips. The oysters are something we adore.
148th Ave., 5211 N.E., 4–8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tidalboarfoods.com on Sunday
Tokyo Sando
After closing in December of last year, this well-liked Japanese sandwich cart found a new location at Midtown Beer Garden a few months later. One reader commented, “You can taste the quality and authenticity of their ingredients in every bite.”
Wednesday through Monday, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., 431 S.W. Harvey Milk St.; tokyosando.com
Walter French s
Walter French’s, another sandwich cart, gets its name from an adorable French bulldog. There are sandwiches like the Garden Melt (roasted tomatoes, Greek olives, Havarti, and feta on sourdough) and hoagies like the Mama Fratelli (capicola, prosciutto, ham, and mozzarella).
12–5 p.m. at 1027 N.E. Alberta St. 12–4 p.m., Wednesday–Saturday. WalterFrench.com on Sunday
Vote here
Voting is open once day until 11:59 p.m. December 17, 2024, Tuesday. The results will be made public on Friday, December 20 at atoregonlive.com/readers-choice.
Mims Copeland is a social media producer who writes on popular subjects for OregonLive and The Oregonian. Her email address is [email protected].
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