Cart Blocks is a

food cart A food cart is a mobile kitchen set up on the street to prepare and sell street food to passers-by. Food carts are often found in cities worldwide selling food of every kind. Food carts come in two basic styles. One allows the vendor to sit ...

pod in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

Ankeny Square Ankeny Square is part of the North Park Blocks in Portland, Oregon. The square is south of Burnside Street. One local reporter described it as "a little nub of SW Ankeny Street between Broadway and Park". In 2014, the square was home to a food ...

, in the United States. It is operated by Friends of the Green Loop and has capacity for 24 to 26 carts.

History

The pod opened in 2021, following closure of the Alder Street food cart pod in 2019. Permitting for the pod took longer than expected. Some of the food carts that had been displaced by the closing and developing of the former location were temporarily housed at a nearby Post Office and eventually moved here to continue their businesses. The pod is part of a vision to revitalize

downtown Portland Downtown Portland is the central business district of Portland, Oregon, United States. It is on the west bank of the Willamette River in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and where most of the city's high-rise buildi ...

through building a “culinary corridor,” which would allow carts to occupy parking spaces across several North-South blocks stretching from

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the next ...

to NW Burnside Blvd as part of the

Green Loop The Green Loop is a proposed urban design concept for a 6-mile-long linear park in Portland, Oregon, United States. First put forward in 2012, The Green Loop is part of the Portland Central City 2035 plan. Rather than have a single consistent des ...

. Former mayor

Ted Wheeler Edward Tevis Wheeler (born August 31, 1962) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 53rd mayor of Portland, Oregon, from 2017 to 2025. A moderate member of the Democratic Party, Wheeler served as the state treasurer of Ore ...

supported the Cart Blocks by setting aside financing for them in his budget recommendations for 2021 and a federal grant was obtained in 2022 to connect the Cart Blocks with Darcelle XV Plaza. The city hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the pod's opening. In December 2023, Portland signed a five-year deal to keep the pod open.

Events

The pod has hosted events. In 2023, the site hosted a floral installation, as well as a dance party and ice cream social following the Pride Bike Ride. In 2024, the Cart Blocks hosted another dance party for

Pride Pride is a human Emotion, secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's Identity (philosophy), identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on conte ...

and a

Juneteenth Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States, federal holiday in the United States. It is celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the End of slavery in the United States, ending of slavery in the United States. The holiday's n ...

market highlighting

Black-owned business In the United States, black-owned businesses (or black businesses), also known as African American businesses, originated in the days of slavery before 1865. Emancipation and civil rights permitted businessmen to operate inside the American leg ...

es. In 2025, the pod hosted "illuminated" performances as part of an

LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corresp ...

drag show A drag show is a form of entertainment performed by drag (entertainment), drag artists impersonating men or women, typically in a bar or nightclub as a burlesque-style, adult-themed nightclub event. The modern drag show originated in the speake ...

Businesses

Businesses that have operated at the site include: * #1 Bento * Anna Thai Basil * Beijing House * Cookie McCakeface * Fernando's Alegria * Hua Li House * Kafta House * kBap Korean food *

Kim Jong Grillin' Kim Jong Grillin is a Korean restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States. As of 2025, the food cart operates at 770 West Burnside Street. Previously, the business operated in southeast Portland's Richmond neighborhood in 2022. Plans to expan ...

* Rachel & Rose * Shanghai's Best * Tito's Burritos * Villa Angel Taqueria

References

External links

* *
The Cart Blocks Comeback
City of Portland {{Restaurants in Portland, Oregon 2021 establishments in Oregon Food cart pods in Portland, Oregon Restaurants in Southwest Portland, Oregon

History

Events

Businesses

See also

References

External links