Portland’s Food Cart Nation Starts at the India Chaat House
posted on April 30th, 2008 in Portland
the lowdown: India Chaat House | 804 SW 12th Ave., Portland, OR 97205 | 503.241.7944 | Lunch, Food Cart | $5 - $7 & 5 course Lunch Special $5.50 | ****
Indian to go!
When it comes to grabbing lunch downtown, it turns out you’ll find the majority of the vegan/vegetarian options are at food carts. Knowing which food cart to go to can be problematic as there are a large number of them and they all look the same! If your lucky enough to know someone privy to the food cart scene then you end up finding the hidden gems!
The Indian Chaat House is a bit off the beaten path standing solitary on the corner of 12th & Yamhill. If you are like me and tend to judge eating establishments by the outward appearance, you may have never noticed this place. Luckily I have an incredible lunch partner who knows her way around town and for $5.50 we each enjoyed the 5 course lunch special! The menu clearly states that dishes are vegan upon request, the portions are enormous, and your food will be ready is less than 5 minutes. With only two picnic tables you will need to find an alternative place to dine or prepare to squat in the Starbucks outdoor seating at Pioneer Square.
I LOVE the India Chaat House. They seem to be getting good exposure lately (featured place of the month at http://www.vegportland.com, best cart winner from Willamette Week, etc.). I’ve been going there for over 4 years (I remember because it was before I was vegan) and they are such a sweet family with the such good food! When I went vegan I told them about it, and soon after they started offering soymilk to replace cream in any dish! May have been coincidence, but I really appreciated it. The lunch special is always a solid bet, but there are lots of other must-trys: channa bhature (spicy/sweet channa masala with special fried bread), navraten korma (creamy curry sauce with veggies), and the pakoras and chutneys are delish. I truly think the food here is better than most of the Indian restaurants in town; it’s just cooked with love. What can I say? Daljit and Avtao treat Portland good!
P.S. Ungar Furs is right across the street, and India Chaat House is a natural hang out after the Saturday morning demos.
Hey Chelsea - Wow! Thank you for all the good info on the Chaat house. Plus I had NO idea they were the Best Cart Winner! The picture I posted doesn’t do the food justice. It was so good, as was the bread, I just couldn’t stop eating!!!
Megan, the owner of India Chaat House was on the cover of the recent Willamette Week Food Carts flier - I almost took down a flier for myself from somewhere to keep! I’m such a fan…
I forget, but I have heard folks swap out all veggie masala or all channa masala instead of dal or whatnot before. Just a tip that they’re flexible, which is nice to see.
Chelsea - The Navratom Korma is somewhat frequently in the lunch special, and when it has been and I request “all vegan” they leave it out - are you referring to them preparing that as an individual meal to be made vegan?
You totally make me want to visit Portland! I’ll take you on a lunch date, okay?
P.S. Pretty much every time I comment here, the anti-spam word is “trout.” It changes every now & then, so I know that’s not the only option… But it always makes me giggle because it’s a vegan food blog, and the “secret random word” is… Trout?
Hey Jess! I had no idea the owner was such a celebrity! I am going back just for his autograph
Jess - The Domestic Vegan !!! If you visit I would love to show you around and have lunch! Sounds fantastic! Trout??? WTF? Apparently my blog has no concept of being random nor a perspective that it is vegan
LOL, I got “pick” this time, but it usually is “trout” for me, too!
Jess - I like to order the navraten korma on it’s own (it has cream, so they use soymilk instead) and it is especially awesome with the garlic naan. My favorite pre-vegan item was shahi paneer, basically the same korma sauce but with cheese instead of veggies, and I’ve tried to order it vegan a couple times but they never have tofu. Now that I think about it, though, I haven’t tried in probably 2 years or more… so does anybody know if they regularly have tofu nowadays? I should ask next time I go, but I’m such a creature of habit that I always forget!
Hey, just discovered this blog - it’s GREAT! If I ever get to Portland (which I should since I live so close) I will definitely have a wonderful list of places to try! Seriously… GREAT BLOG! I’ll be back!
(I have lots of friends who grew up around Battle Ground, we’ll have to exchange notes some day)
Chelsea - Thanks for the tip! I’ve only had tofu once there myself. However, hell yes to the garlic naan! I splurge now and then on it,and it’s totally worth it.
Hey Everyone! I am sorry my blog’s CAPTCHA functionality sucks but seriously I have to keep those spammers away!!!
Fairly Odd Tofu Mom - Oh definitely! Send me an email and we will exchange notes! Thank so much for visiting and I am so glad you like my blog!
Dear Food Cart Vendor,
Are you interested in opening up a new location? Are you interested in relocating? I own property in the busy neighborhood on Martin Luther King Blvd near Alberta Street. I am interested in leasing out space to food carts in the Portland Area. I will guarantee sole access to your specialized food in order to limit duplication of cuisines and competition. The lot is located at 4709 Martin Luther King Blvd. Nike Outlet store, Cross Fit Gym, Portland Observer, Lloyd Center and other retail stores are near by. Safe and secure gated lot for nighttime security. The lot has well-lit parking for the winter months. Foot traffic currently averages around 150-200 people per day due to the commercial business next door. Utilities, Port-a-Potty, cleaning services are all available and based on vendors needs. Month to month and 6 month leases available. The property is located on the Bus line with a stop out in front. Included in this email are pictures of the property and location. For more information please contact me. I hope to hear from you. Please pass along my information if you know of someone looking for a location.
Best,
Marc Tobin