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    El Pilón

    4.7 (239 reviews)
    Closed 10:45 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

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    EL PILÓN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - El Pilón

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    Soursop juice
    Iris H.

    Ordered a fresh soursop juice. It reminded me of the juice back in Central America. It was slightly sweet (I was able to ask for less sugar) with a tangy fruit flavor (kind of a mix of pineapple, coconut and banana). Would recommend trying if you haven't had it before! The kind server made my juice faster than expected since I only ordered the one item. It's located within the food cart pod with plenty of seating.

    Outside of the cart
    Maria A.

    Went on a Saturday around 2 PM and there was no line. I thought my food would have been done quickly, but I was disappointed. In total it took me 20 minutes to get two empanadas and a cheese arepa. The empanadas were good and crunchy. The ají was okay. The salsa rosada was good.

    Kenny C.

    Walking up to El Pilón Food Cart, I have to admit it looks really nice. All colorful, inviting, and giving off those "I'm about to eat something amazing" vibes. But then... the empanadas arrived. And honey, I shrunk them. At $3.50 a pop, you basically get what feels like a miniature potsticker. I only managed one bite, and honestly, it barely left a mark on my taste buds. I wanted to feel the hype, the Colombian street-food magic but it just wasn't there. I'm giving two stars mostly because the plate was adorable but absurdly small. Presentation points, sure but flavor and satisfaction? Not so much. Maybe I hit a bad batch, but these empanadas need to bulk up if they want to live up to the looks.

    Emily K.

    Love el Pilon! There are many gluten free options. They are happy to customize orders, which is great for dietary restrictions. The people who work there are friendly.

    Chicken Arepa
    Oralia D.

    I really wanted to like this because it is a small business and has great reviews. We ordered the Arepa and beef empanadas. The empanadas were good and crispy, however the arepa was toasted on the outside but the filling was ice cold. It tasted like chicken salad scooped inside an arepa. Since I'm not completely sure if that's just how they are supposed to taste or if it was poorly made, I'll chalk it up to me not liking it. The lady at the register was nice and the food truck is in a mini food plaza with many other trucks, however it is the only Colombian food option.

    Vegan Veggi(e) Empanada
    Jennifer S.

    All Gf and GOOD! Went here for lunch when my family came into town for an appt. So glad we have options like this! I needed more but thats because i was just being greedy.

    Beef Empanada
    Ellena K.

    Visited at the midtown beer garden food trucks. Need Empanadas were amazing, so tasty and crunchy. Also really loved the patacon, plantains are my favorite so it was perfect. Dipping sauce was yummy too! Would love to try the chicken next time. Chill atmosphere at the beer garden!

    Passionfruit Juice

    Delicious! I got one beef and one chicken with the garlic sauce. Not super salty, flavorful and a nice crunchy shell. I could have eaten four of those easily. I washed it down with a yummy passionfruit juice. 10/10 would return. Two empanadas for $7. Great service - super friendly Super cute location inside the beef garden. Great place to hangout after work or a family outing.

    Patacon el pilon chicken
    Danyon D.

    Amazing food truck! My girlfriend is half Colombian and once she found out about el pilon we had to go. That was 2 years ago now and we consistently find ourselves going back. My go to order is the patacon el pilon chicken, but I find everything on their menu to be great. The ladies in the food truck are always so sweet when ordering. Plus, the midtown beer garden provides a great spot to sit down and enjoy with friends and family.

    Cart
    Cynthia M.

    Cute little trailer food truck located in the midtown beer garden. Delicious food with friendly service.

    Classic Chicken Empanada and Classic Beef Empanada
    Alex M.

    I simply cannot turn down an empanada, so I was delighted to see the El Pilón truck at the Portland Beer Garden. I ordered two empanadas for a light lunch - the chicken and the beef. I waited about 20 minutes for my empanadas - this felt long compared to the waiting time for the other vendors in the beer garden, but the empanadas were extremely fresh when I received them. The empanadas came with a small container of dipping sauce, which added an extra zing to the already scrumptious empanadas. The exterior was perfectly crispy, and the meat fillings were juicy and flavorful. I'm glad I gave El Pilón a try and would certainly order their empanadas again!

    Passionfruit juice, Yuca Fries, Arepa (beef)
    Alyssa Mae L.

    Visited the pod at the Midtown Beer Garden and I'm so glad I did! The Midtown Beer Garden, as a whole, is a great spot - plenty of seats, constant security, and tons of options. Service was nice and gave us recommendations as to what was popular - a great help when everything sounded delicious! We ended up ordering an arepa with half beef and half chicken, yucca fries, and passionfruit juice with a water base. The wait was a bit long despite how empty the pod area was. The passionfruit juice hit the spot - refreshing and not too sweet. The arepa was delicious! I particularly enjoyed the arugula, which I've never seen in an arepa before. The star of our meal was definitely the yucca fries, crispy and crunchy on the outside, but soft and warm on the inside. They were perfect with the creamy garlic sauce. Such a solid choice for a mid-afternoon snack for two. I definitely recommend if you ever come across this place at any food pod area!

    Esther C.

    El Pilón offers a solid taste of Colombian street food. We tried the arepa, which was okay -- the flavor was decent, but it didn't stand out. It was a good, simple bite if you're craving arepas, but not necessarily something I'd go out of my way for.

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    1 month ago

    We got an empanada sampler. They were all quite good and the selection was nice. Good spot for a quick bite.

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    4 months ago

    La comida 10/10. Las arepitas colombianas súper ricas y lo mismo con los pandebonos.Un servicio al cliente excepcional :)

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    6 months ago

    Amazing empanadas and smoothie. These ladies were the nicest and the food was amazing! Great price as well!

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    Fernando M.

    Thank you a ton!! You don't realize how much this means to us

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    Page 1 of 6

    El Pilón Reviews in Other Languages

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    Qué Bacano!

    Qué Bacano!

    4.3(62 reviews)
    4.9 miMt. Scott - Arleta, Southeast Portland
    $

    I'm not a Colombian food connoisseur by any means so I chose this restaurant purely on reviews. I…read moreordered the Patacones with pork, Estofado de Carne, Arepa Rellena with veggies and cheese, Arroz con Pollo and Sanchocho de Gallina. The food was delivered and plated quickly upon arrival. I appreciated the cardboard containers vs plastic but it did soak through. The bags it was packed up in kept it from becoming a mess. The smells were amazing and I had to taste as I plated. Everything was amazing, very flavorful, tender overall and large portions. Sadly, the carne was a little tough and I would not order this again. The Estofado de Carne had a hot sauce I had on the side. It was a very hot and delicious habanero sauce that was amazing! Great food, we'll be back for sure!!

    Good GOD! I have never had Colombian food before, but I had heard good things about this spot…read more Came here on a date, and after having a couple of beers at the nearby Barrio, we both wanted something to eat... enter Que Bacano! I looked at the menu for a while, and EVERYTHING looked amazing. I couldn't decide! I eventually settled on the Arepas Relleno, which is a thick corn tortilla that is fried and split down the middle, then filled with absolute deliciousness! It's a bit of a fragile eat (mine was falling apart as soon as I picked it up), but dear lord is it tasty. My mouth is literally watering as I write this, remembering how good it was. That's saying something! The gentleman working there was very friendly, and kept speaking to me in what sounded like Spanish (I clearly don't speak Spanish). He soon realized I had little to no idea what he was saying, started laughing and apologized after switching to English. All the guys that had been in line before me were speaking Spanish with him, so I get it. Anyway, not much to say about the ambiance as it's a food cart, but overall a very positive experience and I will DEFINITELY be back. I gotta try everything else!

    Photos
    Qué Bacano! - Arroz con pollo

    Arroz con pollo

    Qué Bacano! - Picada

    Picada

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    En Vida PDX - Drinks Menu (Nov 22)

    En Vida PDX

    4.8(44 reviews)
    2.2 miSabin, Northeast Portland

    E A T. H E R E . if…read moreyou're like me and maybe live nearby and have driven by or scrolled passed thinking "looks cute but I'm in 'X' or 'Y' mood right now and I'm not all that familiar with South American or Cuban etc so you put it off another day... STOP. Come here IMMEDIATELY. I popped in for brunch on a Sunday, no wait, Sat right at the bar. Vibrant bright sun filling the place, upbeat tunes playing. Handful of tables occupied. The vibes were 10/10 I pulled up a barstool and the menu had a lot of solid, tempting options. I went with a pressed Cuban sandwich topped with fried egg, bacon strips, hollandaise and sliced avocado. Had a beer and a shit, tasty. It was PERFECT. I'm coming back again, frequently, before this place POPS OFF. Gotta be a regular for me going forward. It is just GREAT!!!

    Enticed by all the good reviews for this place and a hankering for Latin American food, I needed to…read morecheck them out. They're quiet on a Friday afternoon. Their space is very colorful and has a lot of fun energy. Their menu is pretty focused but the items all sound very tasty. We went with an Empanada of the day, The Cubano, and the Bandeja. Their focused menu certainly paid off when you see how fresh and well-executed their dishes were. The empanada of the day was a mushroom and cheese. It's made fresh so the cheese was nice and gooey. Their crust is different from what I'm used to. It seems to be a mix of maize and cornmeal rather than flour. I think it gave a nice crunchy crust and slightly chewy inside. A bit small for the price though. The Cubano was again made fresh. Bread was nice and crispy. Inside was filled with hearty meat and cheese. A solid sandwich, especially when paired with their pico de gallo. The start of the meal was easily the Bandeja. You can choose between chicken and flat iron steak for the Bandeja; we went with the steak and we weren't disappointed. It's cooked medium-rare, making the steak super tender. The outside crust was well-seasoned and flavorful. The Plato came with a lot of other tasty things like a perfect over-easy egg, rice and beans, avocado, and the best chicharron I've had. It's small but packed a punch. The outside was crispy all around while the fat layer was still melt-in-your-mouth soft. This dish had everything, perfect for sharing. The staff were attentive and friendly. Happy hour is from 3-5PM on weekdays. All in all, we had an amazing meal and will be spreading the word of their goodness for sure.

    Photos
    En Vida PDX - Menu (Nov 22)

    Menu (Nov 22)

    En Vida PDX - Medianoche & Bandeja Paisa

    Medianoche & Bandeja Paisa

    En Vida PDX - T is For Trustworthy

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    T is For Trustworthy

    Portland Mercado - Mercado food carts

    Portland Mercado

    4.4(187 reviews)
    4.9 miMt. Scott - Arleta, Southeast Portland
    $$

    Deciding where to eat in a foodie city is sometimes difficult, especially if there are multiple…read moremouths to feed, so the Mercado is a great choice with a number of food trucks and many different ethnic dishes. Today I chose an Al pastor burrito from Fernando's Alegria and my wife had chicken in mole from the Oaxaca truck. Everyone was happy! They have both outdoor and indoor seating available.

    A casual fun place for quick food grab or hangout with friends and don't have to clean up…read moreafterwards. There's 8 food carts outside, inside there are a cute little bar, a handcrafted churros, a Xocotl, mini market. On site parking for about 15 cars, then street parking at a very busy intersection so look at all directions before you walk or cross anywhere. I would definitely come back to check out the rest of the food carts when I get really hungry. For today's quick brunch while having out with a few friends, my orders were okay with the exception of fried sweet plantains. You just can't go wrong with fried sweet plantains, right? From the La Carreta Pura Vida, Costa Rican cart, I wanted the fish ceviche since I love and prefer the lime based for fish ceviche style. The cashier said they was out. She convinced me to get the Grilled Tilapia Fillet because it came with side salad, black bean, rice, and you guessed it, sweet fried plantains! I also got the watermelon with lemon. My total at this cart was $21.50. The tilapia was about 3-5 oz and salty with no flavor, salad and black been were typical, but the fried sweet plantains saved the day. The drink was okay, and not much taste of either watermelon or lemon. To got rid of the salty dish taste, I ordered plain churros mini for $5.00 from Don Bigote. They were supper busy! It took almost half an hour for my order. They do have a big menu. The churros were made fresh to order. Their sign shows handcrafted churros! I like the churros but didn't care for the artificial strawberries jelly sauce. Xocotl looked good with all the fresh fruits only so I ordered the Diablito for $7.99 since it supposed to have tamarind fruit which I love. I asked to make sure the fruit was actual tamarind and the staff said there's about 3 oz of tamarind. It was rather disappointed with slushy watery iced with some flavor tamarind.

    Photos
    Portland Mercado - Family friendly, clean and tons of delicious ethnic options.

    Family friendly, clean and tons of delicious ethnic options.

    Portland Mercado - Mole enchiladas with handmade blue corn tortillas

    Mole enchiladas with handmade blue corn tortillas

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    Grand opening madness!!

    El Pilón - foodtrucks - Updated May 2026

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