WW's Top 5 Food Carts of 2016

Despite a litany of apocalyptic social-media grumblings heralding the death of the food cart, the state of Portland's mobile, inexpensive cuisines remains Herculean. Peep our five favorite carts of 2016, and check out wweek.com for Cheap Eats: our comprehensive guide to dining on a budget in Portland.

Co-cart of the year: Chicken and Guns

1207 SE Hawthorne Blvd.

(Rachael Renee Levasseur) (Rachael Renee Levasseur)

Dustin Knox's latin-inspired grilled chicken and double-fried potatoes will have you eating there multiple times a day.

Co-cart of the year: Matt's BBQ

4709 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

(Emily Joan Greene) (Emily Joan Greene)

Matt Vicedomini's barbecue was already very good before his odyssey to central Texas, but by December 2015, he was making some of the best barbecue in Portland.

3. Straits Kitchen

1122 SE Tacoma St.

Laksa Lemak curry (Straits Kitchen FB) Laksa Lemak curry (Straits Kitchen FB)

Straits Kitchen showcases the traditional cuisine of the Chinese-Malaysian Baba-Nyonya people.

4. La Camel

Southwest 9th Avenue between Alder and Washington streets, 503-778-0604, lacamel.com. Lunch and early dinner Monday-Saturday.

(Michaela Fujita-Conrads) (Michaela Fujita-Conrads)

La Camel serves elaborate, ceramic-cooked tagines and North African-style paellas, slow-cooked foods prepared with uncommon care. The kefta tagine is the cart's flagship—a Moroccan-spiced meatball stew served in thick tomato sauce and topped with egg. $.

5. Mole Prehispanic Cuisine

2671 NW Vaughn St.

Mole Prehispanic Cart (Kayla Sprint/WW)

Chef Luis Ochoa brings stunning and labor-intensive Mexican moles to the Northwest Industrial neighborhood.

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