Must-taste dishes from four food truck pods that serve as the hub of Bend’s foodie revolution. It’s been over a decade since the first food truck popped up in Bend, the iconic silver Airstream trailer with the Spork name emblazoned on the side. That pioneering food cart showed that great cuisine doesn’t require a reservation, a cloth napkin or even a table. Since then, the food truck scene has blossomed. Today, you’ll find dozens of food carts sprinkled across Bend and beyond. There are food carts in Redmond, Sisters and Sunriver, but the epicenter of the revolution is in Bend where food truck clusters like The Lot and On Tap have become go-to destinations. Here’s a look at what you’ll find around Bend along with a few recommendations on what to eat.
On Tap
1424 Cushing Drive
Tucked in a lot on Bend’s eastside near the hospital is On Tap, a food cart pod with a view of Pilot Butte. The attractive three-sided structure at the center of the action presents more than thirty rotating taps featuring a wide variety of beer, cider, wine and kombucha. A handful of tables are inside, and a clear plastic tarp closes off the structure entirely to ward against the weather in the off-season. More tables are outside, as well as cornhole, fire pits and more casual seating to enjoy on warmer days.
“What shall we eat?” we asked Elliot the bartender. “Do you want quality or quantity?” was his response. We opted for both. Quality came at the Bleu Rooster by way of the P.B.L.T (see below). Quantity was Phillystyle Bend’s cheesesteak hoagie—thinly sliced steak with your choice of cheese (cheez whiz is an actual choice) and fried onions on an authentic Amoroso roll. (We overheard another patron happily refer to this selection as a “fat-kid sandwich.”)
If neither is your cup of tea, the six trucks on-site deliver a little bit of everything, from shaved ice and acai bowls to BBQ to momos—hand-made dumplings stuffed with meats and veggies, noodles, and other delights inspired by the Himalayas.
Visit on Monday for local day with happy hour prices on beverages all day, and check the website for regular trivia nights and live music events. Kick back in the summer air and give a toast to the sun setting over Pilot Butte at this eastside enclave.
Dish not to miss: Blue Rooster’s PBLT
The former executive chef of Bend local’s favorite brunch restaurant CHOW brought his culinary genius to the food truck Bleu Rooster to make “global cuisine, family-inspired.” The menu is lush with dishes like pomme frites to a Cubano, but the piece de resistance is the PBLT—crispy pork belly with Sriracha aioli, lettuce, tomato, and house-made bacon-tomato jam on Big Ed’s brioche bun.
The Lot
745 NW Columbia Street
If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then Dave Staley should be downright embarrassed at all the praise for The Lot, his west side food cart collective that has become the template for nearly every food truck business in Central Oregon.
Staley and his wife Michelle acquired what was previously a “weed-covered lot” in 2012 and spent more than a year working through the permitting process for the business, the first of its kind in Bend that provided not just food carts but a central gathering space to enjoy the diverse food options, plus craft beer on tap to wash it down.
Staley obsessed over the details, designing a scale model of The Lot in his garage prior to construction, and it shows. He designed the decorative lava rock wall, added a gas fire pit and then worked to evolve the design, adding roll-up garage doors that made it suitable as a four-season destination.
“That was part of the fun, doing something that no one had done,” said Staley.
He hasn’t stopped tinkering and experimenting, as evidenced by his decision to buy an old double-decker bus that he converted into a food truck kitchen in partnership with Brandon Chambers of À la Carte, one of the tenants at The Lot. Dubbed Frickin Faco, the bus/truck specializes in fried chicken and fish tacos and offers patrons seating on the upper deck of the retrofitted double-decker.
Dish not to miss: A La Carte’s Vladimir Poutine
We love a good play on words and this shareable dish hits all the right notes. Cheese curds nestled greasily on a bed of thin-cut fries and topped with beef and cajun season scream cardiac collusion. For something more traditional, try the Po Boy Fried Chicken Sandwich from Frickin Faco. Battered and deep-fried hunks of chicken are stuffed into a Big Ed’s potato bun and topped with homemade slaw, pickles and lime aioli.
River’s Place
787 NE Purcell Boulevard
The restaurant scene has been traditionally sparse on the east side. A pair of food truck lots has helped to fill the void. The newest of those is River’s Place, a homey space tucked behind the Subaru dealership (welcome Westsiders!) near Costco.
River’s Place follows the winning formula developed at places like The Lot and Tumalo’s The Bite, with a mix of indoor and outdoor seating separated by a pair of roll-up garage doors and windows that easily seal out the elements on those days when a puffy coat just isn’t enough. But River’s Place really shines in summer when customers can sprawl out across the lawn that includes a kids’ play area, gas fire pit and casual seating flanked by almost half a dozen food carts.
Choose from hand-tossed personal pizzas, island flavors, hoagies and more. Inside, welded stools let you belly up to high-top tables and take in a ballgame or drill down on a bingo card. Casual seating in the corner is there for extended chill sessions and quickly converts to a stage for live music. Use a Costco run as an excuse to drop by if you must, but River’s Place is worth a trip.
Dish not to miss: The Zone of Bend’s La Cubana Calzone
A calzone like you’ve never seen. The Zone of Bend’s La Cubana Calzone blends Italian and Cuban influences to create something out of the ordinary and very delicious. A combination of ham, pork, Swiss cheese, mustard and pickles are all artfully enclosed within a crispy pocket. Matt, whose Italian roots and his wife’s Cuban background intertwine in this culinary creation, has brought a unique twist to the typical calzone.
Podski
536 NW Arizona Avenue
With ten food carts, Podski is a culinary alcove that can handle overflow traffic from the adjacent Box Factory area but it’s become a destination in its own right. The space, which debuted in 2018, features a fully enclosed beer garden and seating area, along with ample outdoor picnic tables and a cozy fire pit.
Developer Mikel Lomsky said of the food truck cuisine, “I’m trying to get a taste of everything around.” And he’s done just that, you can get your Polish pierogies from Big Skis, fresh oysters at Mother Shuckers and a sweet treat from Little Slice of Heaven Cheesecakes all in one place. Pick up your favorite Thai dish from Thailandia or chow down on tacos from Tacos la Catrina.
“It kind of depends on what part of the world you want to do that day,” said Lomsky, who wisely declined to say if he had a favorite dish among his vendors’ offerings. With so much to choose from, from sushi to charcuterie, it’s hard to blame him for not being able to single out just one for praise.
Dish not to miss: Toasty’s Nacho Crunchwrap
Prepare to have your perceptions of plant-based dining completely upended by Toasty’s scrumptious vegan nacho crunch wraps. These delectable creations have been causing quite a buzz since the tin cart opened its doors in 2020. And for good reason, the perfectly grilled tortilla that cradles creamy avocado, hearty beans, Beyond Meat and a luscious vegan nacho cheese sauce combines to create a truly mouthwatering dish. This tribute to the iconic Taco Bell meal has quickly become a beloved local favorite and is proof that plant-based dining doesn’t have to be boring.
La Pine’s Badland Distillery and Food Trucks | Read more about our local food trucks with 5 Bend Food Trucks to Track Down. Or head over to our Central Oregon Dining Guide for more on Central Oregon’s dining scene.
