Jianbing, one of China’s most popular portable breakfasts, gets the Portland treatment at Bing Mi’s food cart. The savory Chinese crepe boasts a variety of textures and, while it typically doesn’t include meat, this Nob Hill food cart offers added proteins like BBQ pork, Vietnamese sausage, or Chinese sausage with bacon. Gourdet goes for the roasted duck loaded bing, medium-spicy. Meatless options are available, like the vegan jianbing, with an onion-fried tofu option or an Impossible patty stuffed into scallion pancakes. Add lettuce or an extra cracker for additional crunch.

Kabba’s cart sits in a spacious lot just past the curve where the bustling stretch of North Mississippi Ave turns into Albina. Owner Kabba Saidikhan serves “Senegambian” fare, with dishes originating from West African neighbors Senegal and Gambia. Kabba’s favorite dishes include the fish Yassa — a whole grilled tilapia in tangy lemon onion sauce, served over yellow rice with pickled veggies — and the Thiebou Yapp, a flavorful lamb dish. Diners can quench their thirst with homemade iced hibiscus and ginger drinks.

For this cart’s namesake dish, you’ll get a variety of fillings sandwiched between fluffy slices of shokupan (Japanese milk bread). Owner Taiki Nakajima takes customers on a flavorful journey to his hometown of Tokyo via addictive Japanese-style egg salad sandwiches and other specials, like the decadent Scotch egg sando. Extra-hungry folks can round out their meal with a side of karaage (Japanese fried chicken) or Japanese-style potato salad. Specials rotate weekly, so keep an eye on the cart’s Instagram for the latest offerings. Orders can be placed in advance on their website.

Fans might come for the “jojos”—the crunchy and giant, hand-cut and double-fried, potato wedges—but the truck’s burgers, sandwiches, fried chicken, and patty melts should not be overlooked. Located in a pod right next to the Eastside location of John’s Marketplace, diners can also grab a beer (or other adult drinks) from the window. Look out for the cart’s brick-and-mortar restaurant, which is slated to open this summer in the Pearl District. Right now, orders can be placed through Clover.

Tucked behind an alleyway off of restaurant-packed Division Street, the Ruthie’s cart sits in a shared courtyard with a couple other carts and the chic cocktail bar Someday. Childhood friends Collin Mohr and Aaron Kiss put a modern spin on Mormon food, like funeral potatoes and Jell-O, in the cart named after Mohr’s grandma Ruth. Menu items requiring flames go into the wood-fire oven nestled inside the cart. The duo sources from local farms like Wild Roots, Vibrant Valley, and Farrah Farms, making for hyper-seasonal menus with rotating salads. First-timers could build a meal around the menu’s cornerstones: Grandma’s rolls and the rockfish slider. Patio seating is available; there’s often a short wait, so put your name on the list and enjoy a cocktail in the alleyway in the meantime.

Chef and owner Richard Van Le provides a Việt Kiều experience for visitors of his cart. Keep an eye out for special drops such as VFC (Vietnamese Fried Chicken), which comes with coconut mashed potatoes with nước chấm gravy, gỏislaw, and a pandan roll. Be prepared for a long line on the weekends, and get there early, as the cart typically sells out. Always on the menu is the Vietnamese staple dish thịt kho (braised pork belly with egg) and Grandma’s special, which features thinly sliced steak seared with Thai basil and onion. For dessert, grab a wildly fluffy pandan doughnut that’s been lightly dusted with coconut. Covered seating is available at the cart’s next-door neighbor, Metalwood Salvage.

Fans of the East Coast deli should make their way here for a short-but-sweet menu of classics like chicken, meatball, and eggplant parms. All of the cart’s sandwiches have plentiful fillings bursting out of 8-inch rolls, which are baked daily. Chef Gourdet suggests that first-timers go for the tried-and-true Italian Sandwich, stuffed with Italian cured meats, house-made giardiniera, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a drizzling of red wine vinaigrette. The spot shares a dining pavilion with Kim Jong Grillin’ as Han Hwang co-owns the spot with namesake Reuben Demarco. Call in orders, or place them through Postmates.

A standout truck among the stellar lineup of Latin American cuisine at the Portland Mercado, Tierra del Sol serves up authentic Oaxacan dishes, including tlayuda: a 14-inch crispy corn tortilla topped with asiento (chicarrón bits), black beans, queso Oaxaca and queso fresco, cabbage, tomatoes, red onion, radish, avocado, and cilantro. (It’s enough to feed two.) The cart also features a variety of moles, which all have richly complex flavors. Try the Mole Coloradito, the traditional red mole of Oaxaca, or the Pipian de Pollo, a green mole that originates from owner Amalia Sierra’s hometown. Patio seating is available, Tierra del Sol’s website takes orders online.

After working in kitchens across Portland, chef Erica Montgomery started offering her Atlanta-style Southern comfort food to the masses early last year. Entrées come with two sides, plus a wonderfully soft cornbread muffin with crisp edges. Choose from dishes like the perfectly seasoned, cornmeal-crusted catfish (crunchy outside, tender inside), or the chef’s grandma Ruby’s salmon croquettes. Gourdet recommends the ATL wings, which are dressed “extra wet” with a hot lemon pepper sauce. Erica’s offers gluten-free and vegan options, and is open Wednesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner, with a two-hour break between.

Serving classic North American favorites, Mando’s was started by friends and former underground rappers George and Mando in 2018. Juicy burgers are named after Portland’s neighborhoods, like the beer-battered jalapeño bedecked “Laurelhurst.” Chicken-wing enthusiasts might beeline straight for the “remix wings,” which are battered for maximum crunch before getting doused in Mando’s secret sweet and savory sauce. For dessert, ask about the cupcake flavor of the day from George’s wife’s company, Creme de la Creme Cupcakery. Seating is available at the Food Cart Heaven pod.