Food Carts in Portland – the Story Behind the Icon

I will admit, I hesitate to write this article, because what could I possibly say about food carts in Portland that has not already been said?  Probably nothing, but it has been fun for me to travel down some rabbit holes, learning the history of how food carts have become synonymous with Portland.

Officially, the food cart scene blew up in 2008, during the Great Recession. Although that was 95 years after the first food cart set up moveable shop in Portland.  As you can imagine, the cart was pulled by a horse back then!

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So What Makes a Smaaken Waffle so Tasty Anyway?

Guess what?  There are a lot of types of waffles out there.  Because we live in a big world and people all over love waffles!  The most popular types are Dutch waffles and Belgian waffles.  But let’s not forget the American waffle, the Italian style waffle and varieties of Asian style waffles (from Hong Kong to Vietnam). 

Portland is well represented with waffles and I will admit I declared one of my favorites sometime last year.  All it took was one bite into a Smaaken Waffle and I was hooked.  When I learned that the word smaaken is Dutch for tasty, it was so obviously befitting.  In fact, Smaaken Waffle is one of my overall favorite food carts in Portland and my go to on a regular basis, even when I am not bringing people there for the Bustling Buckman Food Tour.

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