Best Burgers in Portland, Oregon: Food Carts

The best burgers in Portland, Oregon, come from three places: neighborhood taverns, food cart pods and Burgerville, the regional chain founded in 1961 just across the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington. Look along Alberta Street, Mississippi Avenue, Hawthorne Boulevard, Division Street and Sandy Boulevard, and in the Pearl District downtown.

Portland builds its burgers from Pacific Northwest produce. Tillamook cheddar comes from the Oregon coast, and sweet Walla Walla onions grow in southeastern Washington; Burgerville turns them into seasonal onion rings each summer. Food carts grouped in pods let you compare a smash burger and a vegan one a few steps apart, and plant-based burgers are mainstream here, down to a vegan drive-thru in North Portland. Oregon has no general sales tax, so the menu price is what you pay before the tip.

Burgers in Portland: key facts

• Neighborhoods to explore: Alberta, Mississippi Avenue, Hawthorne, Division, Sandy Boulevard and the Pearl District.
• Regional ingredients: Tillamook cheddar from the Oregon coast and Walla Walla sweet onions from Washington.
• Food carts: many of the city’s burger cooks work from carts grouped in pods.
• Plant-based: vegan and vegetarian burgers are a standard part of local menus.
• Getting around: MAX light rail, streetcars and buses; most east-side burger streets are easy by bike.
• Currency: US dollar (USD), with no sales tax added in Oregon.

Every guide we publish on Portland is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. For other cities, browse all our burger restaurant guides.