Midtown Beer Garden by Expensify
Food court · Downtown ·
Food cart pod with diverse vendors, bar, seating, live music
Food cart pod with diverse vendors, bar, seating, live music
"For an after-work option in downtown Portland, this food cart pod on Harvey Milk offers plenty of onsite seating, many noteworthy food options, and an onsite bar cart for Portland-made beer and cocktails. Live musicians often make appearances, serenading visitors awaiting gorgeous Japanese-style sandwiches, hand-pulled noodles, and loaded jianbing. In terms of secondary locations, you’ll find a handful of bars nearby, including dive-adjacent spots like Kelly’s Olympian and ritzier cocktail lounges like Abigail Hall." - Asia Alvarez
"I observed that Midtown Beer Garden is reopening its downtown pod to host new vendors: Tokyo Sando debuts there today, Bing Mi is aiming for mid-March, and the pod is also welcoming Global Pizza, the Codfather Fish & Chips, and Midtown Grill." - Janey Wong
"I note that Midtown Beer Garden reopened next to Expensify's global headquarters in Portland, Oregon as part of another public-facing experiment; CEO David Barrett teased a "secret question being tested by the MBG," invited people to visit and "experience it," and wrote that "there's nothing else quite like it." - Dianne de Guzman
"I've watched the longtime food cart pod on Southwest Fifth Avenue (between SW Harvey Milk and SW Oak) get a full revamp and reopen as the Midtown Beer Garden: a redevelopment by Expensify and ChefsTable that preserves its role as a downtown lunch standby while adding live music, seating for 300, picnic-table seating, a stage for performances, permanent restrooms, abundant live plants, heaters and tents for colder months, and an all-ages, dog-friendly vibe. It reopened with 20 carts (with at least five more expected soon), houses returning carts such as Korean Twist, La Jarochita, and Gyro Place as well as new entrants like Stretch The Noodle and a Fracture Brewing bar cart, and now features 24/7 security and a fenced perimeter after a history of pandemic-related foot-traffic loss, vandalism, and an onsite explosion. The pod, a downtown fixture for more than three decades, will hold an opening party on Aug. 20 at 431 SW Harvey Milk Street." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden
"I've seen this line of food carts along Southwest Fifth Avenue—between Southwest Harvey Milk and Southwest Oak streets—exist for more than three decades, predating the city's idea of 'pods' and serving as a downtown lunchtime tradition and tourist draw despite having none of the shared seating, fire pits, string lights, or catchy name typical of newer pods. I note that with investment from Expensify and involvement from Chefstable the pod will be redeveloped and rebranded as the Midtown Beer Garden, with room for 30 carts, seating for more than 300 people, a bar cart with beer on tap, and a stage for concerts and events; the updated pod will be completely fenced with onsite security at all times (including a guard while closed and evening patrols), offer daily cleaning service and heated tents for seating, and is offering the first month of rent free to carts that open when the pod launches, theoretically in July 2023. I also recall the pod's recent struggles—loss of customers during the pandemic, ongoing vandalism, and a food cart explosion in summer 2022 that damaged nearby carts—which the new design and security measures aim to address." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden
