For a town boasting some of the nation’s best fresh seafood, Portland is curiously light on fish and chips options compared with Seattle or the Oregon coast. Located in Carts on Foster in the far northwest angle of the FoPo triangle, Year of the Fish offers creamy clam chowder for a cold rainy day and responsibly sourced fresh oysters; however, the core mission here is fish and chips, fried to the ideal crispy-moist balance. The cod is a solid option, but when fresh halibut is in season, few will regret spending a little extra to enjoy the north Pacific’s subtly sweet crown jewel.

Portland is no stranger to Italian food carts, but too often a paper plateful of pasta thwarts the grab-and-go nature of street food. Enter: panzerotti, a fried mini-calzone from Apulia (the “heel of the boot”) and the house specialty at Bari. The fillings range from classic mozzarella, mortadella, and tomato, to more creative specials like smoked salmon; it’s hard to wrong, thanks to the dough itself, almost croissant-like in its lightness.

Suited to a neighborhood that’s a bit of everything, Favela is at once a café, a Brazilian market, and a self-described “intergenerational community gathering space.” Favela features community events like movie nights, live music, Portuguese language workshops, and one-of-a-kind gatherings like “Hot Dog Sip and Paint,” along with a menu of sweet Brazilian coffee drinks — such as cafe doce de leite, or caramel coffee. For something heartier, Favela offers a small menu of simple sandwiches and desserts, as well as the light-and-cheesy pão de queijo, or Brazilian cheese bread.

It’s common knowledge that Portland is chockablock with outstanding breweries, but only one of them serves pizza elite enough to regularly crack “best of Portland” pizza lists. Add that it might just be the best Detroit-style pizza in the city, and suddenly Assembly Brewing is on the cusp of must-visit terrain. The tap list is about half IPAs, with a smattering of stouts, ambers, and other less hoppy suds. For those looking to snack without weighing themselves down with the brick of a Detroit-style slice, the juicy pepperoni rolls transcend your typical bar app and highlight the ingredients that make the pizza so stellar — vegetarians can opt for the equally excellent brick cheese rolls.

Bodega culture in Portland isn’t nearly on the same level as places like New York City, but this neighborhood market and sub shop brings some of that mom-and-pop spirit to the city (sans a bodega cat, unfortunately). The sandwich counter stacks ingredients into subs like the Waste Management (roast beef, arugula, provolone, Mama Lil’s Peppers, garlic sauce) and the NYC staple Chopped Cheese (ground beef, American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, served hot). In addition to the requisite corner store snacks and drinks, Bodega has a grab-and-go cooler full of items like chicken noodle soup, hummus, and deli salads. House-made treats like cookies, rocky road brownies, and baklava are unmissable in a counter case at checkout.

Da’ Hui is an honest-to-goodness Hawaiian bar and grill with plenty of ramshackle driftwood and velvet painting charm. The drink menu features stiff tropical standards like Mai Tais, Zombies, and Blue Hawaiians, but the real star here is the food, highlighted by the luscious 10-hour-smoked Kalua pig and fried Spam. All entrees come with mac salad, naturally.

Brunch standards go vegan and vegetarian at this laidback restaurant which is the second coming of East Burnside’s A.N.D Cafe. The Blue Plate is a hearty breakfast that includes Off The Griddle’s crispy-edged house-made sausage, hash browns, a biscuit smothered in country gravy, and your choice of eggs or herb tofu scramble. For some hair of the dog, Off The Griddle’s standard bloody mary can be boosted with house-infused vodkas in flavors like spicy (jalapeno), gazpacho (cucumber, bell pepper, garlic), or Bangkok (Thai basil and ginger).

Inside the small-but-amply-stocked El Campesino grocery lies the unassuming Salt & Pepper, unaffiliated with the popular Southeast Belmont cart of the same name. A short flight of stairs leads up to a sparse dining area, where the Peruvian and Mexican food — each in their own menus rather than Mexican-Peruvian fusion — is the focus. Citrus-drenched ceviche is simply but tastefully presented alongside hearty sides of potato and corn, an entrée on its own or a shared opener to one of the richly seasoned beef dishes like seco norteño or the cau cau tripe stew.

Launched in 2015, the Portland Mercado has quickly become an indispensable Southeast Portland gem, featuring a wine bar, coffee shop, carniceria, and nine food carts representing different corners of Latin American cuisine. If the food carts are the heavy-lifting muscles of the Portland Mercado, Barrio might just be the heart. It’s the sort of bottle shop and wine bar easy to step into and hard to leave. The Mercado building housing Barrio still feels freshly-constructed, but this small bar has already acquired the organically cluttered patina of a neighborhood gem that’s been around for decades. Warm, friendly bartenders chat with regulars as they pour South American vintages — along with a healthy range of Oregon wines, a handful of local brews, and seasonal sangrias.

Opened by chef Edilberto Puch after he experienced a pandemic layoff, this Portland Mercado cart’s Yucatecan offerings are grounded in the peninsula’s “three sisters”: corn, beans, and squash. Highlights include brazo de reina, corn dough filled with boiled eggs and ground pumpkin seed, and polcan, masa balls stuffed with beans, epazote, onion, chives, and ground pumpkin seed. The Mercado offers covered outdoor and indoor seating.

While most carts in Foster-Powell cluster together in busy pods, La Hidalguense is a gastronomic island in a stretch of Southeast Foster surrounded by insurance offices and dive bars. The three taco special, including rice and beans for just $8, might just be the best deal in Portland, with expertly cooked to order meats served on house-made tortillas that would be a treat all on their own. Outside the world of tacos, the signature dish at La Hidalguense is the unforgettable guajolote: a fried torta housing cheese, boiled egg, and hot dogs sliced lengthwise.

Near the north entrance of the bustling Eastport Food Carts on Southeast 82nd, Tastes of Afghan encompasses influences from all of the country’s neighboring cultures: Persian, Chinese, Mongolian, as well as south Asian. The cart executes better-known dishes like butter chicken and chicken tikka with care, though the move is to go for Taste of Afghan’s specialties — the sweet and savory harmony of Afghani pulao, tender steamed mantoo dumplings, and a cup of dogh, a tangy mint and cucumber yogurt drink. Indoor seating available, as well as covered outdoor seating with fire pits.