Gumba
Italian restaurant · Vernon
1733 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211, USA
Highlights
Scratch-made pasta, house burrata, fry bread, inventive Italian dishes
Scratch-made pasta, house burrata, fry bread, inventive Italian dishes
"At any given time, this food cart has only 5 or 6 items on the menu—each of them conceived and executed with the precision of an established restaurant. Come for the pasta, and explore other menu items for even more indulgence. The spaghetti with burrata and an egg yolk is especially memorable, and the recently-added arancini are a must! If you have it in you to eat more, stop at the nearby Fine Goose cart. It's owned by two French chefs and offers up beautiful takes on classics like ratatouille, duck confit, and croissants." - OMFGCO
"A pasta hotspot on Alberta included among the street’s prominent dining names." - Dianne de Guzman
"Gumba serves expertly crafted bowls of pasta — topped with things like braised short rib or squid ink — alongside burrata-topped fry bread and mains like pork saltimbocca. Even after leaving their original cart behind, owners Robin Brassaw and Jesse Martinez have retained their sense of culinary whimsy. Case in point: meals should always finish with a slice of eggplant olive oil cake, dripping with coffee caramel." - Katherine Chew Hamilton
"Previously Portland’s best Italian food cart, Gumba has moved inside, taking over the space previously home to Aviary. Gumba’s take on Italian food is intentionally loose, happily incorporating menu items like fry bread or pairing charred calamari with marinated chickpeas. Menus regularly change, but visitors will often find voluminous pasta dishes like al dente pappardelle with braised beef short rib or slabs of lasagna. For dessert, opt for inventive treats like eggplant caramel olive oil cake." - Eater Staff
"Food cart-turned-restaurant Gumba prepares some of the most inventive pasta dishes in town, taking inspiration from Italian cuisine and adding Pacific Northwest ingredients. The restaurant’s squid ink spaghettini is a must-order — the dish has a citrusy heat and brims with scallops, Manila clams, and mussels, with a crumbly cheese frico topping it off. Daily specials are posted to the restaurant’s social media accounts in the afternoon." - Janey Wong
