The Block

Ranked #1 Philly cheesesteak by VanPort Insider. The Block is a food truck in Pioneer Square that has only two things to eat on their menu and they're both sandwiches: A Reuben and Philly Cheesesteak. The topping options are onions, peppers, mushrooms and cheese. With a menu like that you'd better be great or you won't last long. This truck has been around since 1997 so they've got it right. INSIDER TIP: While you're there, experience the Echo Chamber. It’s a specific point in the square on the Northwest corner that looks like a small amphitheater where the architecture creates a natural reverb or echo effect, making sounds like voices or claps resonate in an interesting way. It never fails to blow people's minds. Check out my profile for more great eateries and craft cocktail bars. -VanPort Insider

Had The Block at Pioneer Square. Large Portion. Size M was sooo filling and the L was enormous. The Chicken Philly was not bad too for non beef eaters.

One of the best Philly cheesesteaks I’ve had locally, but it was a bit salty. I wouldn’t mind giving it another try because we all make mistakes. Other than the intensity of the salt the more I ate it, I would have given 5 stars. Customer service was awesome and fast! Truck is located in a nice area to sit and relax if you wish to eat upon receiving.

Pretty darn good, but a little soggy. I like my cheesesteaks to have a little crunch to the bread and this had none. Flavor was really good and it was a cool location.

It's one of my favorite spots to get a cheesesteak sandwich in town. They have been around ever since I been working in the downtown area. They are located in the Pioneer Square plaza. I liked how the meat, veggies, and cheese are all mixed together, allowing every bite to be delightful. They have 3 sizes to choose from, and if you get a large, it's good enough to split between two people.

We discovered this place a few months ago and have gone back at least once a week since our first taste. We've tried the Reuben and the Black Garlic Burger each once, and while they were both AMAZING, we can't seem to stop ordering the PHENOMENAL Cheesesteak! It's huge, wet, hot, and OH SO delicious! Seasoning is always on point and ingredients fresh. The guys running the cart are super friendly and any special requests are kindly honoured- I've heard people ask for no bun and also customizing what you want on your sandwich.

Today, July 4th they were offering The All American Burger. 1/3 lb grass fed beef with lettuce, pickles and 1000 island dressing ok n a brioche bun. Best burger I've had since I've been in Portland, 13 years, and I am serious about good burgers. I will be back for a Philly since they don't normally do burgers. The people were so nice and the burger HUGE! YOU HAVE GOT TO GO HERE!!!!

I had the small size cheesesteak . Even with the small sized , I couldn’t finish and had to ask my friend to finish it up for me. The flavor was good, the cheesesteak contains a lot of vegetables 🥗 and less of the meat 🥩. It was served really hot and the cook was really nice. Recommend everyone to grab it if you are around and ready for a quick bite.

As a very proud East Coaster, these guys know what they're doing. The cheesesteak was amazing. The steak was coned perfectly. The onions and peppers ratio was on point. Real provolone cheese was the top of the pyramid of an amazing sandwich. Get your sandwich and sit in one of the Adirondack chairs and enjoy it. You won't be disappointed. Go here. Stop looking for other places and go here. I'll be there guy with the Boston accent ordering more.

Ordered the large Philly no mushrooms and it was big, messy, and good. Bread is a bit soggy even seconds after getting the sandwich but if you're more of a size queen this one will leave you feeling full

Ooh, that goes cheesy cheesesteak sandwich is so good here. Especially on those cold nights at Pioneer Square. I ordered the medium size, and it was jam-packed with meat and packed full of flavor.

Ok I just had the breakfast Hash. This the most delicious best deal in Portland. Perfect soul comfort food for breakfast with max protein. Ben the Maestro had struck again. Simply amazing!!!

If you're in the mood for a sandwich, this is your destination! Meat melts in ur mouth with cheesiness and the owner here is super sweet! It does get a bit of a rush during lunch time but it's a great pick me up

First time order. Tried the Reuben. Wow! The meat is beyond delicious. Bread, sauerkraut and dressing are top notch. DEFINITELY worth checking out. Looking forward to trying the Philly cheese steaks next time.

It's one of my favorite spots to get a cheesesteak sandwich in town. They have been around ever since I been working in the downtown area. They are located in the Pioneer Square plaza. I liked how the meat, veggies, and cheese are all mixed together, allowing every bite to be delightful. They have 3 sizes to choose from, and if you get a large, it's good enough to split between two people.

It's open on Sundays...at least the last several weekends I've been downtown ... and always a regular stopoff for awesome Cheesesteaks.

I love this food cart in Pioneer Square. The guys that run it are super cool & they make the most delicious cheeseteak. I love how they perfectly melt the cheese with the meat, plus the sandwiches are good-sized for the price. I can handle a small for lunch, the large is big enough for two meals! If you happen to be downtown, definitely make a stop here.

4 years after trying my first Rueben sandwich from here and I'm thrilled to report that my 2nd sandwich was just as delicious as my memory served it up!! Stacked with succulent meat and fresh sauerkraut & their special sauce, my goodness it's amazing! It's such a hearty serving that I saved half for dinner and it wasn't soggy, still yummy!! The fellas inside the truck taking orders n grillin' were as happy as can be, we is an added bonus!

Small menu, big impression! Their Turkey & Brie is a perfect sandwich, with thick slices of roasted breast topped with slabs of gooey brie. The Philly Cheesesteak is better than anything I ever ate in Philly, stuffed full of chopped steak and sautéed mushrooms, onions, and peppers. Don't be put off by the short menu. They know what they're doing and how to do it flawlessly.

Oh yes! Finally! Best Philly ever! Traveling home to Eugene and we stopped for Phillies! Undeniably the best in Oregon!

Disclaimer: I ate my sandwiches about 10-25 min later so that could be why they weren't as great. The Philly cheesesteak had lots of meat and peppers which I loved. My bread also got soggy because I waited to long. The reuben was not my favorite so if you're a big Reuben fan like me, this might not be the best spot to grab one. Their pastrami was really tough and I ended up taking out more of it because it was hard to chew. If you go be sure to get a cheesesteak!

A really good Philly foodcart. Huge sandwiches. Guys love to talk sports which I very much enjoy

Really good cheesesteak. Meat is sliced thin and it's flavorful. Right amount of cheese. They put peppers, onion AND mushrooms in the sandwich. The medium is a perfect size cause the sandwich will come packed with meat. Get there before noon if you can or you'll be waiting a bit for your order. Worth it if you're in Pioneer area.

When you only serve 2 items on your menu in an area with food trucks that have a much wider variety of options, that means you've perfected your craft and you're beyond confident that your food stands out against the competitors that you don't need the extra stuff to compete. And when it comes to The Block, this rings true! The service was amazing, very accommodating and quick. And the prices were nice! The ambiance was very pleasant! Only serving Philly cheesesteaks and Rubens (at the time of me ordering), The Block exceeds with both that you don't even ask about adding other items to their menu, you're too busy planning on the next time to get another one. The food was hot, it was fresh and most importantly, it was amazing. Flavors on flavors on flavors, it did not disappoint at all! Everything was cooked to perfection! $12 for a sandwich/chips/drink, can't beat that at all. All in all, 5 stars across the board! I will be coming back!

Hands-down the best Philly cheesesteak in Portland, without question. The owner used to run a place called steaks fifth Ave., Located in the same spot. I used to commute out to hillsboro every day and at least twice a week when I got off the max train I would enjoy one of these amazing sandwiches. I think I've tried every Philly cheesesteak cart or restaurant in Portland and keep coming back to this place as the gold standard for the last 15 yrs. if you like a good philly, this is THE spot.

One of the best cheesesteaks in Portland. The guys who run this card are super rad too. However, do not come here if you only have a 30 minute lunch. You will spend almost the entire time waiting and once you get your food you can't eat it for 20 minutes because it is pure lava wrapped up in aluminum foil.

It's hard to find a good cheesesteak in Portland but these guys are the real deal! Always super friendly.

One of the best cheesesteaks I've had in awhile. This was my first time there and I would definitely go back. The cook was really nice, the only thing I would do differently is add extra cheese. The service was great and it didn't take long to receive. The food truck is located next to a few others but I would highly recommend this one.

My fav Cheesesteaks in Portland! The price for what you get is awesome. I got a small Cheesesteak with all the toppings, and it was only $11, and it was huge. I can only imagine what the Lg must be like. The steak and bread ratio is also fantastic! I spoke to the person working there, and I believe the hours haven't been updated yet. I think he said on M-F they're actually open from 10-4:30 pm until March, but I could be wrong. I couldn't hear that well with all the crazy downtown ppl yelling at each other.

Best cheesesteaks around Great service Good quality service Love it Best quality taste

Tried a cheesesteak today which comes with onions and peppers. The large sandwich was big enough to feed two people and was $12 which is a good deal. But I must say, the meat was pretty bland, nothing special.

Great service. Very friendly. I had the reuben. Exceptional sandwich. Will be visiting again.

Where do I start? The two dudes working were full of GREAT VIBES! Very personable individuals, the guy on the grill was rocking Blazers gear and beyond friendly ! We chopped it up about music and shoes as well super organically! Places like this is what makes Portland, Portland! 10 stars!

The sandwiches from this Food truck are huge, good enough to make a second meal of, and most importantly super tasty. I had lunch here last Thursday and ate 1/2 of it while sitting right behind the food truck at Pioneer Courthouse Square with a direct view of Starbucks' hanging flower baskets which make for a gorgeous view indeed. I ordered the Cubano sandwich (turkey, ham, white Italian cheese, pickles, and mustard On a very fresh French roll). It has a very zesty flavor and the French roll was wonderfully crunchy. The servers were very friendly and funny as I waited for my sandwich to be grilled and they keep everything spotlessly clean. Restrooms are located at the Trimet office and in Starbucks. The sandwich was $9, which I thought very fair considering I got two meals and a lemonade for a grand total of $11. If you happen to be in the neighborhood, do come by bus or train as frankly parking is awful, but the food is superb.

I haven't eaten here yet, but I walked up the counter to buy a bag of chips. The man at the register just gave it to me for free!! I already had eaten lunch, but next time I'm back at Pioneer Square I'll stop by for lunch!

So I had the Blocks cheesesteak this afternoon. First, I do like the guys that work here. They seem cool and chill and attentive which I like. My view on food trucks has always been they are have great cool factor to them, but the prices are too high given that there's no sit down area, no table service and really no atmosphere. The block has decent prices, but maybe is a bit too high considering Portland. The prices here are slightly lower than Los Angeles which has a higher cost of living. Now to the food, just judging the cheesesteak. Overall it was a bit disappointing for the following reasons. Firstly, the meat quality was decent but not stellar. There was a bone ship in my meat and several areas of the sandwich had a big clumps of solid meat that was not chopped up. Also, the bread was okay but a bit blah and should have probably been toasted. Next the overall sandwich was a too dry, I like a little bit of grease with my sandwiches and this was to dry for my liking. I do like their selection of sauces for them though. Finally for cheese options, they really should use Velveeta or cheese whiz to differentiate themselves from other shops and to make the sandwich more moist. I had the Swiss cheese and cheese representation and taste was just average. If you go here, try the Reuben not the cheesesteak. Oh, and if they really want to amp up this place, they should try making curly fries. In Los Angeles, places have spiced curly fries that really add a nice crunch element to the experience.

Great cheesesteak sandwich and awesome customer service. Thanks for working in the heat to make awesome food (:

Love the turkey and brie, with arugula! That's my fave. I started going back when I was a student at Portland State, became friends with Ben, then Eli joined the picture, and now I still go down all these years later. Partly just to see the coolest cats in town, but also for some great food. The best.

might be one of the best carts in Portland for what they do & probably one of the best philly cheese steaks in Portland(Monk's might be my favorite though). The phillycheese steak is huge so I like to go with a friend and split the large, as even the small is quite big.. Today I was craving a sandwich so I got the Cuban for the first time and it was really good. I come from Tampa, home of the Cuban sandwich, so I know a good one when I taste one. Portland lacks a good Cuban sandwich in general(pambiche and cubo de cuba are the only other places that come to mind) and this one might be hard to beat. the menu is small, they only have three items & I haven't tried is their Rueben which I hear great things about, so they probably do everything they make right. this place gets busy for lunch but well worth stopping by for lunch if you're craving a good philly, cuban or rueben sandwich.

The block is by far the best tasting sandwiches I have ever tried. The Philly cheesesteak is the definition of delicious cheese that melts down to the meat, bell peppers, mushrooms, and bread. It's a sweet gooey sandwich. The Reuben is an excellent sandwich with marble rye bread, corn beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing. The Cubano is a great sandwich, also with chicken, pork, mustard, and pickles. I have tried them all, and they are great sandwiches

Great sandwiches. Few offerings done really well. The Reuben is a hot piled high stack of corned beef, good sauerkraut, gooey cheese, and thousand island dressing on a toasted marble rye. Lots of napkins a must. Two guys running it were very helpful on choices and extra condiments. Can't miss here.

Stopped here and tried it and it was soooo good but I'm so mad that I dropped it only got to take a few bites so I'm sad

Wow! Visiting and walked past the truck and initially thought how good could a cheesesteak be in Portland? After all, I went to high school in the Philadelphia area and know my cheesesteaks. Boy was I wrong! It was absolutely amazing. I loved all of the flavors and the hero was dense and chewy and able to stand up to all of the juices. I got a large and was a little intimidated at first, but then one bite after another and it was soon gone. So glad i tried it! One of the best I have ever had and would give any place in Philly real competition. I got mine with cheese, onions and peppers- no mushrooms.

I had the Reuben with dressing on the side. It was probably one of the best Reuben's I've ever had. The rye bread was good it got a little soggy but not sure how to fix that. But the pastrami was tender, tasty and plentiful not stringy at all like I've had elsewhere. Oh and the guys working in the truck were super nice the only thing I'd say that was a little weird was the white guy kept yelling at someone else working in the truck who I couldn't see.

Wow. Great Philly cheesesteak! Not the best I've had in my life, but still, really impressed. Very tasty. Gooey meaty cheese with all the trimmings. Got the large, and the portions were huge. Really good value too at $11. Finally decided to try this place since the main downtown food pod will eventually close, and decided to get used to these pioneer square ones. Glad I tried this!

Holy smokes this may be my new favorite lunch spot! Located in the Pioneer Square just outside my office building.. I am STUFFED. The price for the amount of food you get is just unbeatable. I got the large Philly Cheese Steak loaded with steak, mushrooms, onions, peppers and cheese - laid beautifully on the softest bread I've ever eaten. I didn't anticipate the sandwich being as big as it was but was pleasantly surprised (the picture really truly doesn't do it justice). And for $1 I got a bag of chips with it. They do have coke products and teas for purchase as well. The meat was tender, veggies were sautéed deliciously.. I will say I think I would have preferred my bread toasted just as a personal texture preference, because the meat and veggies were so tender it threw me off how soft the bread was.. still REALLY GOOD. Doesn't hinder any flavors at all of course. They have a bunch of sauces right underneath the pick up window for you to season to your lik I will be back. ....Maybe later today, maybe tmr.. because I'm actually in a foodcoma. I recommend if youre in the downtown area and want something affordable, filling and deliciously made.

So great. Attaching a photo. I apologize that it probably doesn't do it justice, but for a no/low carb/keto diet, just terrific, delicious. Good meat, melty cheese, fresh veggies, hot, flavorful. I'll definitely be going back.

The owner is hilarious and the Cubano was on point!! Support local whenever you can Portland!

This place has a perfectly simple menu. Their food is always great. No bull****. Not to mention listening to the dudes working is absolutely hilarious. They are always cracking jokes and having a great time. Always worth a stop if you're looking to fill up for cheap.

- Well, I can't report on their food b/c I've never had it, but I CAN attest to they're a pretty great crew of people working here today! We are playing an real-time scavenger hunt app w/our goddaughter (called "Goose Chase" ) and stopped to sit in shade at their tables to do some game challenges. Not only did they NOT shoo us away for not buying stuff (we're veggies), but also THEY called to US to ask if they could offer her dog (Lily, a Tibetan Terrier) a dish of water! All 3 employees were just super thoughtful and kind...wish I'd taken their names for this good report! So if their food is as good as their kindness then it's a must try! Thanks again, crew! -Joe, Dana & Gracie

Amazing cubano and wonderfully nice owner! If I'm back in Portland, will definitely try the cheesesteak and Reuben!

The sandwiches did not seem worth their exaggerated prices. I got a Reuben and was not impressed. The meat was mediocre at best, but mostly chewy and tough And the man working was extremely rude to the people in front of us. Thank goodness someone else took my order. Avery disappointing bump in an otherwise wonderful trip to Portland.

A good Philip cheese steak keep this place alive cause it's a way better sandwich then you can get at subway best Phily cheese steak in town

Best cheese steak sandwich EVER! Have dreams about. Ruben and Cubano are amazing as well! Excellent customer service. I will blame them for my new weight gain.:)

OMFG!!!!!!!! Went here for the first time ever!!! Let me tell you this place is so F*%?ing amazing this will for sure be one of my new fav places to eat...mmmm so good

This place gave me food poisoning. The meat tasted old and gross, I only ate about half of it before I found a dark curly hair melted in the cheese and couldn't stomach the rest. Overpriced and a long wait (15+ min). Terrible experience.

17 years in Pioneer Courthouse Square, and Ben still makes the best Deluxe Philly Cheesesteaks in town!

The Block in Pioneer Square is one of my favorite food carts in Portland. The cart is clean, the food is amazing and the staff is kind, expedient, and funny. I couldn't ask for a better crew for my nearby hangover lunches.