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.

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

I think it's they got the ranking on the massive amount of food establishments, diversity of food, generally high quality and tasty, and (even being a US city) very affordable. Are you going to get better tacos in Mexico City? Sure. Are you going to get more high-end fine dining in New York? Of course. But I have to say.. if you want an all types of good food that won't break the bank adventure.. I'm heading to Portland. (also.. you took a food tour, as opposed to vetted recos? Seems weird)

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

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!

Thanks. I’ve only been through Portland. You make really good videos. I’ve been watching your channel a few years

Another Portland native here.. and worked for the public.. rankings are nice, it brings in tourists but never have I figured out exactly what other people's tastes are and in comparison and experiences of others who highly rate certain cuisines and therefore whenever someone asks me what I would recommend they could go and try and eat, I could never provide them that answer w/o being biased based on the cost, quality, and quantity of what they would find satisfaction from. Though I am sad that after the pandemic, a lot of places have closed down and whenever new management takes over businesses, the niche foods I enjoy no longer exists. One example would be Noodle Company's Steak Stroganoff, though they've brought it back a few times on special occasions, the flavorful and tenderness of the steak which completes it is irreplaceable even though the sauce and noodles have been replicated. Another place I favored was this place in Downtown Portland called Boxer Ramen where their broth was rich and creamy that it helped elevate their noodles and toppings.

"I don't even like waffles" ???? wha??? who doesn't like waffles? I'm originally from Portland. Left there in 1989. I am moving back this fall and am so proud of how far it's come since I left. Go, PDX!!!

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!

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.

The vietnamese food here is awesome, some good ones on Sandy Blvd in Hollywood district. And so many good choices of mexican food here. I like El Sombrero in the Parkrose district on Sandy Blvd. Neighborhood a little sketchy, but good chili colorado and pork verde and seafood dishes too. Lilla's in inner se portland has great italian food

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

Thanks for sharing

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.

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

Although we are famous for our food carts, I always had better meals at the restaurants. Portland is such a beer city, I am surprised the food tour picked Rogue. Cough... That is probably the last one I would recommend, but feel like food tours kind of partner with vendors. Maybe you should come back and visit our wineries and the fantastic farm to table restaurants in that area. Or If you are a beer lover, head out to Bend where you find the most gorgeous landscapes, awesome food and the best beer in Oregon. Or if you want the best Indian food, you have to come out to the suburbs. It is really hard to not to gain weight in this state. LOL

Portland native here, and I will just say that any "best of" ranking is nearly useless. There are amazing resturants here (try Nostrana or Arden) and there are sub-par resturants...just like anywhere else. Not sure I would let a few random food carts (we have LOTS) color your expeience of the Portland "food scene." Honestly, next time you visit, find a local foodie to share some gems then see what you think. Thanks for the fun video!

Thank you for visiting!

I live in this neighborhood snd i have to say its a shame you didn't name more of the carts you went to, the people making your food deserve the recognition

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.

Bro went on a food tour omg just go to lardo, kati, doe donuts, queen of shiba, eem

Rogue Brewery is a solid choice among a long list of good breweries in Oregon.

Variety and diversity. That's why it's up there. Also. You should probably try some expensive food

you missed Kim Jong Grillin, I eat there at least once a week, it's amazing

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

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

Some years back there was a place in Portland called Stanich’s that served a really good burger. One of the best I've ever had (not the best, but very good), and it was just a grungy little neighborhood dive bar. Then a food wtiter named the place his pick for best burger in America, and Stanich's closed five months later. It had been overrun with tourists and hipsters all complaining that the place was low class, dingy, the burger wasn't that good actually, and now you have you wait five hours to get a burger. Sixty-eight years it was open, and died within five months of being named the best. That's how strongly hype can effect people. Maybe it wasn't actually the best in America, but it was good, and hype killed it (along with a heaping portion of human nature). Portland is a really good place for food, generally speaking. But if you come here with the idea in mind that you're going to have some kind of transcendent, life-altering experience then you're setting yourself up for disappointment. No city can beat that kind of hype.

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 ....

6:49 Just get recommendations next time! Food tours get a kickback

It was great. The riots and then covid hit Portland especially hard. As far as getting base ingredients Portland is still a top ten city. For example u-pick fruit. Meat quality for the price. Farmer markets. etc

I'm not sure how long your visit was, but you've only scratched the surface of the food scene. Hope you get to stay for a month next time. I live in Portland and can suggest a bunch of places, but I too have so many places yet to discover.

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!

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.

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.

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.

I've lived in the PNW most of my life and can honestly say I prefer Portland, ME over Portland, OR (MY OPINION)

Happy Pride month 🏳️‍🌈♥️

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!

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.

Your first mistake was thinking the “best food” is from a food truck pod. Maybe skip the shitty tour and try one of the many incredible restaurants Portland has to offer.

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.

completely incorrect, city is burned down, please don't come, nobody here but us fish

No more tours you gotta stop this

Absolute crap take on Portland's food scene, this video should be taken down. Where to begin with the criticism? First, you went to food trucks only, Portland is much more then that. Portland's dining scene is revered for its delicious and relatively inexpensive fine dining restaurants: Le Pigeon, Canard, St Jack, Urdaneta, Yaowarat, Magna Kusina, Kann, Kachka, Republica. Not to mention places like Lardo, Grassa, Frybaby, and Pasture. You went to none of them. You also went to two of the crappier food cart pods, the Asylum is a joke. Good work visiting the OG at 12th and Hawthorne but no chicken and guns? no fish sauce Brussels from bottlerocket? why didn't you go to Prost food cart or Hinterlands for Matt's bbq tacos? To top it off you got beers at Rogue? The worst Oregon brewery by a country mile! No Breakside, no Baerlic, no Level??? Do your research, don't be so lazy and don't slander my awesome city's food and beer scene ever again. Shame on you.

Thanks for honesty. I'm don't know why Portland is considered a "foodie town". Has to be cause of the venues and the variety, not neccessarily because of the quality.

Portland is NOT in the top 10 in the US. 😂

I moved to Portland from San Francisco and Portland food should not be in the top 10. Sorry. People here are very passionate but food here is lackluster.

I would never go to Portland

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