Portland Food Tour With Lost Plate
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I received a free Portland food tour from Lost Plate in exchange for sharing my honest opinions with my readers. All opinions below are my own!
I am a Portland, OR native born and raised! And yet, I had never ever been to a food cart in my life…. how is that possible?! Well, this all finally changed when I went on a Portland Food Tour with Lost Plate. Lost Plate is a walking Portland food tour that takes you around the Hawthorne area to explore flavors from around the world. They have Portland food tours including: Food Carts & Pods, Coffee & Donuts, Evening Food & Drinks, and even Private Dining events.
Portland is well know for our food carts, and you can find them literally everywhere. But I was surprised to see how many food cart pods there were around town- some even walking distance from each other! Food cart pods are permanent food cart “families” all in one location. One of the newest and mot popular in Portland is the Hawthorne Asylum.
Believe it or not, the Hawthorne Asylum food cart pod is actually in the location of the only previous insane asylum in Oregon! Complete with a creepy, wrought iron gate, and a chain link and stone fence- you can feel the history around you as you’re transported into a different world.
The Hawthorne Asylum Food Cart Pod is one of the many stops in the Lost Plate Portland Food Cart Tour. Take a look below to see all the fantastic stops along the way, along with the delicious bites we grabbed!
Where Did We Go On Our Portland Food Tour?
Cartopia Food Cart Pod:
First stop, Cartopia! This is one of the original and longest running food cart pods in the Portland area. Nestled on 12th and Hawthorne, it is a perfect place to grab lunch while shopping, or to hit up the night life. There are tons of options for food, including wood fired pizza, handmade sodas, chicken, potatoes, and more!
What did we eat?
Potato Champion:
Oh. My. Goodness. Their Poutine was on fleek! Is that even still a phrase? Doesn’t matter, because is it accurate. I have had several poutines from Portland, and they can either be amazing, or blah. Potato Champion uses Local Tillamook cheese curds to top their twice fried french fries, and smother it all with your choice of 5 gravies, including a vegetarian option- so it was obviously incredible! This is definitely a classic comfort food of you’re looking for something to warm you belly on a rainy Portland day.
Pyro Pizza:
We had to pace ourselves on the food with 9 food cart stops, but we did get to try their handmade sodas and drool over the smell of their pizza! Their sodas are hands down one of the best I’ve tried- and there were so many unique flavors to try like: Pomegranate Mint, Hibiscus, Natural Cola, and my personal favorite- Dr. Whatever. 😂
The owner of this food cart actually built his stone pizza oven by hand inside of his food cart. Talk about talent and commitment to what he loves!
Hawthorne Asylum Food Carts:
One of the newest and largest pods in the area- and obviously well loved based on how busy it was! I actually “forced” my husband to come back with me just a few days later because I NEEDED more Plemeni and to try out a few more bites. (I’m totally kidding, he was 10000000% a willing participant to come eat a bunch of food with me, haha!)
What Did We Eat?
Pleasant Peasant:
Our first stop at this pod was the Pleasant Peasant, and the owner was DELIGHTFUL! I am not a very picky person, but I have to admit I was a bit skeptical when he handed each of us a heaping bowlful of fried cauliflower over a fresh salad. And lemme just say…. I. Was. Wrong.
Oh my goodness, the intense cumin flavors complemented the creamy sauce and crunchy salad perfectly! The cauliflower of flash fried with tons of seasonings, so you get a bit of crunch along with the tenderness of the cooked cauliflower. This was definitely one of my favorite stops, and there were even more to come.
Pelmeni Pelmeni:
Pelmeni, Pelmeni: a phrase I am familiar with, but had never gotten to try! My husband is Russian, and has talked about Pelmini so many times. I’ve mane many Russian foods for him, but I hadn’t gotten around to trying my hand at this yet. Pelmeni is a chicken and chive filled dumpling that was served with sour cream, Russian ketchup, and lots of fresh dill and green onion. Hands down, this was my favorite stop, and the reason I came back to the Hawthorne Asylum Carts with my family. I couldn’t stop thinking about them all week!
We also washed the pelmeni down with a classic Russian drink called Kvoss. Much like kambutcha, kvass is a type of fermented drink that is sweet and lightly fizzy. And you’ll never guess one of the main ingredients: bread. Yep, the yeast from the bread is what helps the fermentation process. Trust me, you’ll love it!
Burmese Delight:
Ahhhhh, this Shan Noodle Salad was everything, and the owner is simply the sweetest! You’ll get a taste of authentic Burmese food, since the owner uses traditional family recipes straight from Burmese. Stop by for Shan Noodle Salad, a slice of cake, and a quick chat & history lesson at this fun food cart!
Smaaken Waffles:
Savory waffles, sweet waffles, waffle sandwiches, and more- Smaaken Waffles was da’ bomb! We got to try out one of their best sellers: A crisp dutch waffle filled with Oregon jam, lemon-vanilla Bavarian cream, and fresh whipped cream. And it was absolutely incredible!
Everything in their food cart is locally sourced, from the berries, to the cream, even to the wheat! It can’t get much more local and simple than this- and you can taste the difference. Stop by for a waffle….. or two…… or three today! C’mmon, they are all different, so it’s justified. 😉
Portland Papusas & Taquiera
What We Ate:
Portland Papusas & Taquiera:
Before stopping here, I had actually never had papusas! I absolutely love Hispanic food, so I was surprised this was my first time. We go tot try out his Cheese & Veggie Blue Corn Papuss, and lemme tell you. It. Was. Incredible. If I didn’t know if was vegetarian, I wouldn’t have even been able to tell!
The flavors of the seasonings, blue corn, and cheese was fried to a crispy perfection. There was a crunchy burst of flavor in every single bite. His Papusas were smothered in his own Salsas which had the perfect mix of flavor and a touch of spiciness that rounded out the meal. I HIGHLY recommend stopping by, and don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try the Cheese & Veggie one, you won’t regret it!
Rogue Brewery:
What We Ate:
Rogue Brewery:
Okay, full disclosure: I am NOT a beer person, but I am always willing to give everything a try. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the beers we tried! They have dozens on tap, and even brew their own beer in house. We sampled a light and dark beer, and they weren’t exactly traditional.
Rogue Brewery boasts beers with notes of honey, florals, spices, and more! It gave a “little somethin’ extra” to the flavor, and really drew me in as a person who doesn’t typically like beer. We also scarfed down their pub pretzels with a grainy mustard- oh my goodness, you’ll definitely need a basket of these out by their fire pit! Rogue Brewery has the perfect atmosphere for a chill afternoon, or a night out with the friends.
But I Wanna Taste Them All! 😭
Well, then you’re in luck! You can sample all of these tasty bites and more by booking a Portland Food Tour with Lost Plate today! Whether you’re coming from out of town, or you want to explore your own backyard- you will love the flavors the different Lost Plate Portland food tours offer!
