Food Carts!

The Midtown Beer Garden by Expensify is a vibrant, highly-rated outdoor space in downtown Portland that features a diverse collection of food carts alongside a full bar and spacious seating areas.

 The Cart Blocks is a significant downtown food cart pod, established in 2021 in Ankeny Square, primarily to re-home many vendors displaced by the redevelopment of the former, legendary Alder Street Pod. This revitalized public space hosts a diverse collection of carts—many of which are family- and immigrant-owned—and serves as a community hub intended to help reactivate the central city. 

 The University Station pod is a major gathering of food carts located right near the Portland State University campus in downtown, making it a very popular lunch spot for students and the surrounding community. It hosts around a dozen vendors offering an international mix of cuisines, including Thai, Indian, Mexican, Mediterranean, and comfort food like mac and cheese. 

 The Third Avenue Food Cart Pod, situated in the downtown core, is a long-standing and busy collection of carts that has earned the nickname "Gyro District" due to its historical concentration of Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern cuisine vendors. This pod remains a popular lunchtime destination, featuring a wide array of global flavors like Egyptian, Thai, Mexican, and vegan comfort food, with the nearby Tom McCall Waterfront Park serving as an excellent spot for a picnic 

 Carts on the Square is the informal name for the small but popular collection of food carts located in Pioneer Courthouse Square, affectionately known as "Portland's Living Room." This central, highly-trafficked location allows people to grab a quick, diverse lunch—featuring options like specialized breakfast sandwiches, healthy bowls, and cheesesteaks—and enjoy their meal while taking in the downtown atmosphere and people-watching.