Wolf and Bears

Wolf & Bear's offers wonderful Middle Eastern cuisine at the corner of 20th and Morrison. On the edge of the Buckman neighborhood, this restaurant shows off Portland's innovative cuisine culture from a food cart perspective.

Portland is a town of cheap eats. Numerous food carts dot every nook and cranny of most neighborhoods. Unlike many in Portland, Wolf and Bear's has a wide-open feel. Located in a large lot, there is ample parking, making it more accessible than many of the other city’s more well-known food carts.

Wolf & Bear's cooks up falafel and other “kebab cuisine” without the kebab meat. While it might not be the typical definition of health food, the food cart definitely does not leave you feeling like you have made a greasy choice.

The most intriguing aspect of this restaurant is that it allows you to sample Middle Eastern food that still has a definite Portland aesthetic to it. The staff is very nice and if you have question, they are more than happy to answer it and tell you more.

Their menu is short and succinct, offering up variously named dishes such as the Roadside Snack, which features a pita, hummus, zatar and various spices. A good choice is their falafel sandwich, a tasty treat that will fill you up. Unlike many traditional kebab stands, their falafel sandwich comes without raw onions, a nice touch especially if you are on a first date.

While Wolf and Bear's does not open until midday, if you are in the mood for a late breakfast, they have a traditional Sabich breakfast platter featuring “Hummus, grilled eggplant, hard boiled egg, onions, cucumber, pickles, parsley and salad greens topped with house tahini sauce and amba (mango pickle) wrapped in pita.”

Located a block north of Colonel Summers Park, you can take your food and have nice picnic under one of the park’s many shady trees. Whether you are dining in or out, you will enjoy Wolf and Bear's which exudes the laidback feel and down home tastes of Portland’s best food carts.

HelloPortland Tip: Try their homemade lemonade or iced tea. These drinks perfectly complement your sandwich and are quite refreshing on a hot day.

- by William Crane, Portland Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

William Crane

William Crane is an accomplished print and online journalist (http://www.william-crane.com) His work covers a variety of topics including features, local community news, sports, music, and political/social issues. Graduating from Seattle University with a B.A. in Journalism, William's writing has appeared in a variety of different publications including the Stranger, Capitol Hill Times, the Skanner, Backfire Magazine, and the Internationalist.