Welcome to the 127 new Bend Banner members this week. There are now 982 members in this wonderful town!
We’re Paige and Mason. The Bend Banner is our way of keeping tabs on this wild, beautiful place we call home. To the mornings that start with coffee and mountain air, the trails that somehow always lead to a brewery, and the kind of small-town stories that remind you why you chose to live here in the first place.
Bend has breweries, mountains, rivers, and all the standard brochure stuff, but the real heartbeat of this place?
Food Cart Lots.
Whole villages of tacos and Thai food and Detroit-style pizza, wrapped around fire pits with someone’s dog asleep under the picnic table.
If restaurants are where Bend dines, these lots are where Bend hangs out. They’re where post-ride crews unclip their helmets, where toddlers attempt parkour off Adirondack chairs, where someone always knows someone, and where dinner takes five conversations longer than you planned.
So here it is. Your no-nonsense field guide to Bend’s food cart lots, accurate as of right now.
Where: 1424 NE Cushing Dr (east side hill, big lawn, great sunsets).
Usual truck lineup (6 carts):
Āina’s Kauai Style Hawaiian Grill – plate lunches, poke, mac salad.
Bleu Rooster – sandwiches, burgers, comfort food.
Rush’s Squares – Detroit-style pizza.
Himalayan Bites – momos, curries, Nepali/Tibetan hits.
CurBBQ - BBQ, burgers, cornbread
El Taquero - Birria, burritos, tacos
Where: Outside the Veterinary Referral Center, 62889 NE Oxford Ct. Dog-heaven: turf, taproom, food while your pup gets x-rays.
Current lineup:
NorthFresh Sushi – sushi, poke, rolls (recently moved here from The Bite).
Bend Breakfast Burritos – exactly what it sounds like.
The Tin Pig – Southern-leaning fried chicken sandwiches / comfort.
Los Brothers – Mexican.
Dump City Dumplings – dumplings, baos, etc.
Where: 745 NW Columbia St (west side, near 10 Barrel). One of Bend’s OG pods: covered, heated benches, 16 taps, apres-float central.
Current trucks (4 carts):
Fricken Faco – fried chicken and fish tacos.
Á La Carte – fries, bowls, salads, loaded everything.
Bend Burgz N Dogz – burgers & hot dogs.
Maki Maki – Sushi
Where: 911 SE Armour Rd, wrapped around Bevel Craft Brewing. Makerspace + disc golf basket + food carts = very Bend.
Core food carts:
Industrial Joe’s – coffee cart on the corner (Sisters Coffee, pastries).
Nosh Street Food – eclectic sandwiches, ferments, snacky stuff.
Taqueria El Nava – tacos, burritos, solid Taco Tuesday play
Little Red Kitchen - southern comfort, great fried chicken
I Heart Ceviche - Name tells you everything you need to know
Where: Between downtown and the Old Mill (536 NW Arizona). Cozy bar in the middle, carts in a horseshoe around it.
Current trucks:
Juno Japanese Sushi Garden – Sushi, rolls, & Japanese.
Big Ski’s Pierogis – Polish dumplings, cult following.
Little Slice of Hell Cheesecakes – killer cheesecake.
Thailandia – big-portion Thai, Bend legend.
The Americana Truck – Life-changing smash burgers, fries, “Goldie” truck.
Toasty – 100% plant-based crunchwraps, burgers, etc.
Mother Shuckers – oysters, fish sandwiches, seafood.
Birdsong Ice Cream – NZ-style real-fruit ice cream (summer).
Taco’s Dogs – NYC-style hot dogs boiled in Rainier.
Cotto – modern Italian street food (arancini, chicken parm, etc.).
Where: 787 NE Purcell Blvd. East side pod with indoor “tap house” and a more chill neighborhood vibe.
Current trucks (5 carts):
Nik’s Snacks – comforty sandwiches/snacks.
SOPA – Latin/Dominican-inspired bowls & plates.
Bai Tong on Wheels – Thai from the Noi Thai folks.
The Zone – bar-food-meets-sports vibe.
Fresco & Fryed – crispy, fried, and indulgent.
Where: NE Greenwood & 9th-ish. Indoor bar, big tented area, and the most irony per square foot (no actual yachts).
Food carts:
Barrio (Midtown location) – tacos, bowls, Latin-inspired.
Alley Dogz – creative hot dogs with all the toppings.
TOTS! – second location of the tot empire.
Lively Up Yourself – Jamaican / Caribbean-leaning menu.
Bread and Bunny - Sandwiches and Salads
Pizza! - Yes, pizza
Where: 20869 Redside Ct (NE Bend). New pod + taphouse + two covered pickleball courts. Basically ‘sports bar meets pod.’
Food truck lineup (6 carts):
5th Street Bagels – bagel sandwiches.
Bread and Bunny – sandwiches & salads.
Chonie’s Pizza – Detroit-style pies.
Indodaddy – Indo/Asian-inspired bowls and plates.
Manzanita Barbecue – meats and sandwiches.
The Mighty Greek / Great Greek – Greek food (gyro, souvlaki)
Where: 821 NE 2nd street
New pod + taphouse
Food truck lineup (7 carts):
Zorba the Greek – Greek.
‘Wich Doctor Sandwich Co – sandwiches & smoked meats.
Stone Pine Pizza – Pies and slices.
Sopa – Mexican food and Birria.
On a Wing & a Crepe – wings and crepes.
The Dominican – Dominican food, La Bandera
Dinky Dau - Vietnamese Rice Bowls + Banh Mi
Where: 24 NW Greenwood Ave
Food truck lineup (4 carts):
Tablas – Mexican.
Southern Accent - Po-boys
Bowens Pizza – Pies
Mundrellis Italian Kitchen - Italian sandwiches
Bend Banner Crewnecks Sizing List
🐾Bend’s Best Good Boys & Good Girls 🐾
🐶 Shylo - Border Collie/Pyreneese - 2 months
Shylo is friendly, gentle, and ready for a loving family to take her in.
🐱 Sailor – Terrier/Pit Mix - 2 years
Sailor is friendly, social, and loves to play with the other dogs.
Want more event tips every week? Follow The Bend Banner on Instagram
December 9th - Tuesday
🎿 Back Country Nordic 101 @ Pine Mountain Sports | 7 PM
🖥️ Deschutes Tech Guild Meetup: Board Game Night @ Embark | 6 PM
🎄 Christmas Networking Night @ Bridge 99 Brewery | 5:30 PM
❄️ Ornament Making Day @ 10 Barrel West | All Day
📚 SCORE Small Business Counseling @ Downtown Bend Library | 5:30 PM
🚂 Polar Express Movie Night @ Epic Energy Centers | 6 PM
🔔 Badass Sound Bath @ Continuum | 6:30 PM
🎅 Die Hard @ Tin Pan Theater | 8 PM
🦉 Wildlife Trivia w/ Think Wild @ The Lot | 6 PM
🎨 Tuesday Night Life Drawing @ Bend Art Center | 6 PM
🎵 Adam Carlson (Live Music) @ The Commonwealth | 7 PM
December 10th - Wednesday
Family Story Time @ Downtown Library | 9:30 am
Baby Story Time @ Downtown Library | 10:30 am
Fluffalove @ The Commonwealth | 6:30 PM
Art with a Splash of Science @ Tower Theatre (Encore Room) | 1:00 pm
2025 Rock the Holidays with Aaron Meyer @ Tower Theatre | 7:30 pm
December 11th - Thursday
Winter Wood Cookie Painting @ Bevel Craft Brewing | 5 PM
Family Mystic and Object Heavy @ The Commonwealth | 7 PM
ELF - The Movie! @ Tower Theatre | 7:00 pm
December 12th - Friday
Family Story Time @ Downtown Library | 9:30 am
Toddler Story Time @ Downtown Library | 10:30 am
Major Dudes @ The Commonwealth | 8 PM
Family Cutting Board Workshop @DIY Cave | 6 pm
Broadway In Bend @ Tower Theatre | 7:00 pm
Christmas Bazaar Powell Butte @ Powell Butte Community Center | 2-7pm
Holiday Lights Paddle Parade @ Tumalo Creek Kayak | 4 pm
December 13th - Saturday
Worthy Brewing Holiday Dinner @ Worthy | 6 pm | 🎟️ $60
StatusFear @ The Commonwealth | 7 PM
Craft-O! Holiday Bazaar @ The Workhouse | 10 AM
Christmas Bazaar Powell Butte @ Powell Butte Community Center | 9-4 pm
Locavore Holiday Faire @ Unitarian Universalist Fellowship | 10-3 pm
Cheers to the Chill @ 10 Barrel East | 5 PM
December 14th - Sunday
What Sweeter Music! @ Tower Theatre | 2:00 pm
Craft-O! Holiday Bazaar @ The Workhouse | 10 AM
Kids’ Entrepreneur Market @ Elks Lodge | 1 PM
Menorah Lighting @ Old Mill | 4 pm
How'd you like this weeks newsletter?
Until Next Week,
Paige & Mason