Food tours can be hit or miss. It's always fun to find a gem or two.

I have lived in Portland for a decade and I think the reason that it wins in ranking like this is the variety of solid offerings. There are only a few spots here where it is amazing. Most spots will be as good as your favorite in another city- not blow you away. But, that said , you can get 7-9 stars of Ramen, Thai fried chicken, pork belly, waffles, donuts, pizza, farm to table meats, indian and pakistani food, seafood, lots of South American... and on and on.. we are not likely to beat a city in what it is known for.. we are likely for anyone who spends a lot of time here able to give you 2 dozen meals all really really good and none of them the same.

Chicken and Guns makes a great chicken. Burritos at El Brasero are way better than decent. Burgers at Bottle Rocket? Yes please. Poutine at Potato Champion…also yes please especially after a few beers at Apex on the other side of Ladd’s Addition. I’d rather have poutine in Quebec…but here I am not far from Cartopia. There’s great pizza here in town as well, but not so much (that I’ve found) at food carts-there’s some amazing pizza around SE and NE Portland. Mmmmmmmm….Rogue. But check the food cart at the Barley Pod (60th and Halsey) where one can get great beer from Baerlic and an amazing chicken sandwich at Flew the Coop. So many great food trucks here in town.

Me and my wife on our way next week, can’t wait to try a million food spots and see what Portland has to offer us!

I'm a Portland local and I have to say I think the majority of our carts are mediocre or are coasting on their reputations from ten years ago. Plus best of lists are weird - and food tours can feel pretty biased and canned (I always feel like I am at someone's cousin's restaurant). I think we really shine with our smaller farm-to-table-ish places - both small, casual cafes and nicer fine dining restaurants - and with our farmers markets. And of course our Pinot Noir. That being said, my one meal I go to time and time again in PDX is from a cart (or their more recent brick and mortar) - the Roasted Duck Jian Bing from BIng Mi! I could eat that every week and never tire of it!

Choices were made this day, mostly not the best. Beginning with that tour! Should have started across the street at Lardo's for a great sandwich, then either eat Chinese on Hawthorne or go to a different neighborhood's pod. Or just go to Alberta or Division

First bridge - Hawthorne! Cartopia is good - hard to find parking tho. Our whole food-cart scene was much bigger and better a few years before Covid, especially downtown. Things have changed a lot - but there is still amazing food in Portland! Sadly, you only went to a few places - everything is spread out these days. Girl, I could have taken you a food tour - it would have been a more authentic food tour of what Portland has to offer. Maybe next time.

Thanks for sharing

Thanks for this yummy vlog Laura!My favorites: Waffle and lamb curry! I enjoyed it a lot! Thanks!

Loved the video Laura 🙂 it’s so much fun to see US videos with you 🙂

Great vid. Bummer that some of the food options were disappointing. Years ago, I took one of the walking food truck tours there. I was thoroughly impressed, not only by the food, but by the stories behind it. There was the guy who only served salmon that he had personally caught in a particular river in Alaska. Then, there was the couple - Korean woman, Mexican guy, or maybe vice versa - who served Mexican-Korean fusion such as Bulgogi tacos, which were were amazing. I also ended my tour with incredible waffles (not sure if the same as yours or not). All that was to say: definitely try it again some time!

Mmm, I'm still dreaming about all the food in Portland...

What’s the name of the waffle food cart? It looks amazing! 😊

I was in Portland for 7 months on business and ate out every meal. I never understood how it got such a high ranking. It trys hard to have food from everywhere, just not exactly like the food from where they are representing. Plus, girl, you are such a well-traveled foodie nobody can fool you.

So much negativity in the comments. Bunch of miserable people. The food carts are one of the things I miss about Portland since moving away six years ago. Nowhere is all good or all bad. The food cart pods are one of the good things about Portland.

Hi Laura OMG do not do tours in portland right now My advice if you come thru again watch Somebody feed Phil He found some of our best spots Prost Kachka Han Oak Ruthie's ....

You hit food carts. Yes, they are great, but that is only one part of Portland's food scene... and not the best. There are innovative young chefs here and old established eateries here. You didn't even walk by and smell them. But thanks for coming. Hope you return a wider, more balanced eye. And, yes, hit those waffles and lamb again, too.

Happy Pride month 🏳️‍🌈♥️

Coming from Portland. In my experience it's a hit and miss town. We have amazing food. It can bring up your expectations but then the next day you can be let down. This city has a problem with consistency. But the ingredients on the other hand are amazing.

Excellent video as always. Thanks for always being honest. We felt the same about Portland. Surprisingly Seattle blew us away, which was completely opposite of what we expected!

Portland punches above its weight for the size, but there’s no world that exists where Portland is the 10th best food city on the planet, let alone in the US. I’m not even sure on the smaller city scale, it outdoes places like Austin or Charleston. There are literal neighborhoods within Los Angeles, not even considering the city as a whole, that offer better food than Portland. That being said, PDX is a really good food city for its size, and great place to be and dine and drink when the sun is shining.

Hello again Laura, im from portland. Glad you were honest, I really dont understand the hype. 10th in the WORLD?! So the food carts are fun and unique I will give it that. Theres lots of little spots in Portland, many types of cuisine, but its all mediocre! I have eaten food in Mexico and even Californians say "there is no good mexican food here" so I completely get that aspect. I've never been to Charleston S.C., New Orleans, or had BBQ in Memphis TN or Houston Tx...I heard these places know what food is!! My favorite Indian food cart is Best Taste of India on 82nd in Cartlandia, and Christinas Cartel food cart in clackmas. Other food places in Portland outside of that area dont seem to get enough attention too. Ive been to that waffle cart, I do like the dessert style waffles I will say.

I live in Portland and moved from Los Angeles, now LA is foodie city, Portland is a joke, some of the worst meals and service I’ve ever had, how they can be rated in the top is beyond me, people with no taste buds must be rating this garbage, take me back to LA any day of the week, where you can get any type of food any time of day, you can’t be considered a foodie city if you shutdown by 10 pm in most places in this stinking town. Don’t believe everything you read about the food on the internet or food reviews, most those younger generations reviews haven’t developed their taste pallets yet 😂

I can't stand Portland or the people there. I'll bet the food prices were outrageous too.

Here in California we're doing just fine without their notoriously shitty food, but thanks for the heads up 👍

It's hardly worth talking shit about, from what I hear.