Food Cart Tour - All Around Town

Experience Portland's famous food cart scene while getting an informative, yet lighthearted, three-hour driving tour of the town with Eat Adventures. This is a great option for those really rainy days when you don't want be stuck inside, and your taste buds will thank you!

Our tour met downtown at the Heathman Hotel, which is an iconic Portland landmark that's worth seeing.

It's nice to have an excuse to see the Heathman Hotel without feeling like a nosy tourist

Our first stop was a downtown pod close to where the food cart scene originated back in the 90s. Our tour guide had some interesting info on the past, present, and future of the food cart scene and why Portland's is so unique (spoiler: most cities have laws preventing non-mobile carts).

Downtown food cart pod  

Bao buns. A unique food! Most people said it was their favorite stop

We drove from location to location in a 12-seat van and parked nearby. Walking and exposure the the elements was fairly minimal. Some food cart pods have heated outdoor seating while others have dedicated indoor space.

A new food cart pod in SE

Fear not: warm seating is a priority!

This jackfruit burger was my favorite of the day. Vegetarian and any other dietary requests are not a problem. With Portland being so food enlightened, most carts cater to every diet. This jackfruit burger was from a classic BBQ joint called Bark City. Most of the other tour guests were chowing down on spare ribs!

So much food and so good. I did not end the day hungry.

We ventured on to other locations in SE and NE, both with indoor seating AND beer options. Personally, I picked up a cup of coffee at a pod to avoid slipping into a food coma. 

Beers to complement your food and elevate your mood

Indoor seating - and bathrooms

The final stop of the day was to get dessert at Smaaken (and more beer). All in all, it was a fun experience that I enjoyed even as a long-time Portlander. I'd totally send my parents on this tour. with Eat Adventures. It really made the somewhat exotic food cart scene more accessible and the food selections were excellent.

Worth the calories