Surrounded with string lights, chimes of clinking beer glasses and the scent of countless foods, the small yet vibrant community found off Portland’s SE Powell Boulevard is home to various food trucks, ready to serve both locals and tourists who have a craving for adventure. If you are looking to try something unique during your summer outings in the city, we suggest these three businesses, all conveniently located in one spot.
Jojo Food Truck
With an Instagram full of raunchy memes and a love for hulk- ing fried chicken sandwiches, Jojo’s social media presence has been used to establish itself as a Portland food staple destination. Serving mammoth-sized cheeseburgers, patty melts, fried chicken and fresh-cut jojos, the food truck is best known for coating its food in smoke, sauce and spices. If readers are interested in visiting this addictive and belly-filling establishment, we recommend trying their classic southern fried chicken sandwich with added Nashville kick spice. Compiled in a soft bun with coleslaw, pickles, specialty house sauce and buttery chicken that is almost too hot to handle, this sandwich is perfect for a weekend reward – complete with a side of their seasoned jojos. Sandwiches and burgers range from $10 to $15, but we can assure you the portions and quality are worth the price.
Super Bowl
Portland’s food scene has grown extensively, hosting a space for small business owners to deliver diverse items that offer more than your standard fast-food chain. Super Bowl is a delicious food truck serving Thai and Japanese street eats like pad thai, house curry and miso ramen. Attendees of the food truck hub seeking a quick bite to eat should devour Super Bowl’s chicken karaage. Battered and deep-fried in oil, karaage is a special Japanese cooking technique used for various foods – most often chicken – to create a flakey and crisp-coated dish. Super Bowl also provides delicious homemade soy sauce combined with chili and curry powder, perfect for dipping side dishes or main entrees.
Pricing their appetizers, such as the karaage, from $5 to $8 and main entrees from $12 to $13.50, Super Bowl has an authentic take on East Asian foods, housed in the bustling streets of Oregon’s beloved city.
Bobablastic
Switching from foods to drinks, bubble tea has become a global craze and is expected to grow by almost $2 billion dollars by 2027, according to CNN. There is a reason why this drink is so irresistible, and Bobalastic is just the place to find out why. The truck serves hot, iced, creamy and blended teas with an array of flavors like chocolate, honeydew, lavender and much more. Additionally, customers get to choose from a wide range of tapioca balls to include in their drink, such as fun flavors like “Mango Jelly” to “Popping Peach.” Our favorite is Bobalastic’s iced creamy taro tea mixed with lychee jelly boba for extra sweetness. This option is ideal for those craving an eccentric treat that has the distinctive taste of Fruity Pebbles cereal milk.
Bobablastic prices their drinks at around $6 and also serves food items such as chili cheese dogs, bananas dipped in chocolate and many other elaborate desserts. Delivering sweetness and quirky food items, Bobalastic adds to the greatness and exciting nature of Portland’s food cart scene.
Businesses within the city are transforming, and in-person dining is no longer the go-to for a high-quality meal. This May, we encourage readers to explore the multitude of food options that Portland’s food truck culture has to offer.
Emily is a senior studying integrated strategic communication at WSU Vancouver.