Look, we get it—Yelp insists on calling them “food trucks,” but here in Oregon, we know the truth: they’re food carts, and we love them like family. And apparently, the rest of the country is finally catching on.
Ahead of National Food Truck Day (Friday, June 27), Yelp released its annual list of the Top 100 food trucks in the U.S. And while no Oregon-based cart cracked the top 10, our humble little state still made a massive showing—15 Oregon food carts landed on the list, second only to California.
Not bad for a state where you can’t throw a locally sourced vegan corn dog without hitting a food pod.
Portland flexed the hardest with several heavy hitters making the cut, including Yoshi’s Sushi at No. 15 (our highest-ranking cart in the state), Bake On the Run at No. 18, and Iolani’s Plate Lunch at No. 20. But it wasn’t just Portland repping the Beaver State. Eugene, Bend, Aloha, Tigard, Tillamook, and even Astoria showed up to the party with deliciousness in tow.
Here’s the full Oregon lineup:
- #15 – Yoshi’s Sushi (Portland)
- #18 – Bake On the Run (Portland)
- #20 – Iolani’s Plate Lunch (Portland)
- #24 – Chochu Local (Portland)
- #26 – Surf 2 Soul (Astoria)
- #28 – La Pachanga Mexican Food (Aloha)
- #36 – Bari Food Cart (Portland)
- #44 – Bing King (Eugene)
- #50 – Recess (Tillamook)
- #64 – Toasty (Bend)
- #71 – 503 Hibachi (Aloha)
- #72 – Mama Chow’s Kitchen (Portland)
- #77 – Hina’s Island Grindz and Catering (Tigard)
- #85 – Tacos Pihuamo (Bend)
- #91 – Habanero Burrito (Portland)
Notably, Portland was also ranked the #2 best food cart city in the entire U.S., just behind Austin, Texas. We’ll let Austin have this one—for now.
So what’s fueling Oregon’s food cart takeover? Creative menus, hyper-local ingredients, affordable eats, and a community that supports small food ventures like they’re Michelin-starred restaurants. And maybe a little rain.
Here’s your reminder that some of the best meals in Oregon aren’t in fancy dining rooms—they’re being served out of converted trailers, shipping containers, and windowed shacks with Christmas lights on them. We wouldn’t have it any other way.
