Food at XOXO 2015

Portland’s street food scene is legendary, with over 400 food carts dotting the city, gathered together in “pods” like a family of whales, averaging 6-8 carts per pod with the largest at over 60.

For a festival about independent art and tech, food carts are the culinary counterpart. The barrier to entry and costs are low, letting you experiment with new ideas and build a following without falling into deep debt. And many of Portland’s best carts — like Lardo, Salt & Straw, and Nong’s Khao Man Gai — leverage their fan base to open brick-and-mortar locations.

About 80% of XOXO’s attendees come from out of state, many of them visiting Portland for the first time, so we try to bring the best of Portland to you. Every year, we try to build the best cart pod in the city for four days — an all-star lineup of some of PDX’s best food and drink. Here’s what we have lined up for you for XOXO 2015.

Pine State Biscuits

Every year, XOXO attendees make a pilgrimage to Pine State Biscuits for their incredible Southern breakfasts, so this year we’re bringing them to you. Breakfast starting 9am. (Friday/Sunday only)

Whole Bowl

Also new this year, Whole Bowl is a Portland mainstay, serving their beloved vegetarian bean and rice bowls, expanding to six locations since they opened in the Pearl in 2001. (Thursday-Sunday)

Zenbu

This is Portland, of course you can get sushi from a food cart. Sellwood’s popular Zenbu found a fanbase with their flavorful sushi rolls and pan-Asian dishes, expanding soon to a second outpost. (Thursday-Sunday)

Fried Egg I’m In Love

The best breakfast sandwiches, and arguably the best-named food cart, in Portland. With dishes like Yolko Ono and Huevo Mutilation, Fried Egg I’m In Love’s roots are in music, started by two bandmates from Fort Union. They’re serving breakfast, lunch and dinner every day at XOXO, so come out early. (Thursday-Sunday)

Bunk Sandwiches

The mobile arm of chef Tommy Habetz and Nick Wood’s sandwich empire of Bunk Sandwiches. Avoid gimmicky carts like Big Ass Sandwiches, and stick with the real thing: simple, high-quality ingredients on damn-good bread. (Thursday-Sunday)

Nong’s Khao Man Gai

Nong’s Khao Man Gai — Taken from the street food of her native Bangkok, Nong Poonsukwattana only makes one dish: poached chicken & rice, wrapped in butcher paper and served with a spicy sauce. But it’s so insanely good, the lunch lines at her 10th & Alder location often stretch down the block, leading to two new locations to satiate the addicts. (Friday-Sunday)

Kim Jong Grillin’

Kim Jong Grillin’ is the stuff food cart legends are made of. Han Hwang’s wonderful Korean BBQ food cart won the Eat Mobile Competition in 2011, and burned to the ground while he was picking up his award. Last year, his cart reopened to acclaim and sell-out crowds after an appearance on the Food Network’s Chopped. (Thursday-Sunday)

PDX 671

Named after Guam’s area code, chef Ed Sablan brings the Chamarro cuisine of his native home to Portland with PDX 671, a delicious and unique fusion of Filipino, Spanish, and Malaysian influences. Winner of the Eat Mobile festival in 2012, and featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Hafa Adai! (Thursday-Sunday)

Fifty Licks

Chad Drazin, the founder of Fifty Licks Ice Cream, moved to Portland to make beer, but ended up applying his food science background to ice cream, focusing on his two part manifesto—"purity of flavor" and “texture above everything else.” Fifty Licks expanded from trucks to a new brick-and-mortar location on SE Clinton. (Friday only)

Salt & Straw

It wouldn’t be XOXO without Salt & Straw, and we’re thrilled they’re returning to XOXO for lunch on Sunday. In the last four years, the handmade “farm-to-cone” ice cream by cousins Kim and Tyler Malek has taken over Portland, expanding from a single tiny cart to three retail stores and expanding to an outpost in Los Angeles. (Sunday only)