PORTLAND, Ore. — Midtown Beer Garden announced Tuesday that two iconic food carts will make their return to the downtown Portland pod this spring: Tokyo Sando and Bing Mi.
Originally parked at the 2nd Avenue food cart pod, Tokyo Sando closed and sold its food truck in December, eliciting many cries from the heart and hundreds lining the block to get their final farewells (and sandwiches). The menu ranged from the traditional Japanese egg salad to savory standouts, such as the Miso Pork Katsu Sando: panko-crusted Nagoya-style pork, coupled with miso sauce, black garlic, cabbage and mayo.
Owner Taiki Nakajima was set to take over his father's izakaya restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, but once he told his dad how much the Portlanders demanded his return, his dad acquiesced — resulting in Tokyo Sando's "Season Five" return.
Tokyo Sando will reopen in February, confirmed Faye Crosswhite, Midtown Beer Garden's community manager.
“I love Portland,” Nakajima said in a statement Tuesday. “Downtown is alive, and I want to help people see that. We as businesses need to invest in revitalizing the city center in the same way that our customers invest in us. It’s up to all of us to restore downtown, and every bit makes a difference.”
Then, next month, Bing Mi will also make the move from the Nob Hill food cart pod. Originally parked at the 9th Avenue food cart pod, Bing Mi opened Bing Mi Dumpling & Noodle Bar in Northwest Portland in 2022, serving up dishes from his hometown, Shandong in Northern China.
The new food cart will feature one more staple from his brick-and-mortar location: dumplings. They will complement the famed "loaded" jianbings — a popular Chinese "street breakfast" food similar to crepes — stuffed with scrambled eggs, wontons, chili-crisp sauce and proteins from spam and Chinese sausage to roasted duck and bacon.
"I’m ready to move back downtown,” Ren said. “I want to be a part of making downtown better. We have lots of regulars who work and live down here, and I’m excited to be back.”
Bing Mi will reopen in the latter half of March, Crosswhite confirmed.
Midtown Beer Garden said it is also adding Global Pizza, The Codfather Fish & Chips, and Midtown Grill, which will be specializing in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern grilled meats and vegetables. The food cart pod is now at full capacity.
