Bright and colorful new inner eastside cart pod WonderLove packs in tasty food, room to play and spectacular views.
Portland loves its food cart pods. And new groupings of carts are springing up all the time. The new WonderLove pod on the corner of SE Main and 2nd Avenue is setting itself apart with space for events and a very cool, three-level, storage-container building that holds a bar, indoor seating and a rooftop seating area with excellent views of downtown. Fun is a key component of the pod’s concept — and something families can especially enjoy, maybe after a visit to nearby OMSI.
I took my 9-year-old son, Cruz, to check out WonderLove for lunch on a Tuesday. While waiting for our lunch, Cruz and I explored the pod that spanned half a city block. The second story of the storage-container building had a bank of televisions and cushy club chairs around tables. But the breezy rooftop area was extra fun. We took in the views of the neighborhood and downtown. One of the tables had a giant Jenga game on it.
Back on the ground level, we also spotted a ping pong table and giant Connect4-style game. And we noted all the vibrant street art on the walls. Cruz noticed and appreciated the artificial turf under the tables in the shaded seating area. He tried to verbalize what he thought, “It makes it feel …” “Less industrial,” I responded. “That’s it! Because these containers are very industrial,” he said.
Some of the carts Cruz had been excited to try, Honeycuspe waffles and The Electric Slider Co., were closed. After we made the rounds of all the open carts (there are currently 10 carts in the space), he decided on a pepperoni pie ($15) from Wondercat Pizza. “It’s the kind of pizza I like because it’s got lots of mozzarella on top and you can’t see the sauce,” he said. The personal-sized pizza is big enough for a kiddo to split with someone — or eat leftovers for dinner, which Cruz did.
I settled on the palak paneer plate ($15) and veggie samosa (two for $8) from Platter Division Indian Grill, an established cart with three additional locations. The sizable plate came with a generous serving of cumin-studded rice; soft, warm naan; punchy pickled onions; and a hefty serving of spinach curry with big chunks of Indian cheese. The curry was mildly spicy, satiny smooth, and rich and satisfying. I ate as much as I could without overdoing it. The samosa was also delectable with a crunchy exterior and flavorful filling.
Cruz’s sister, Adela, was home sick, so we brought a carne asada burrito supreme ($13) from Tu Tia Taquería back to her. The big burrito also had beans, rice, cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and guacamole. She wasn’t super hungry for lunch, but ended up devouring her leftovers for dinner. I also ordered cinnamon-sugar churros ($5) from the cart, which came in four pieces with chocolate sauce. Cruz ate his as we were leaving and gave it a thumbs up. I did, too. The churros were perfectly fried, which can actually be harder than it seems.
Also worth noting, there’s also a stage area as WonderLove plans to host events, including 21+ concerts. While the pod is family friendly, it’d also make a great spot for a date night!
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