El Pilon Colombian Food Reviews

We tried chicken & Vegetable Arepa and Beef Arepa. Both were very good and filling. Red truck offers all gluten free and Colombian food. For desert we had an Oblea.

It was a suggestion from my walking tour to try the El Pilon food truck and I was not disappointed. I had a chicken arepa and a salpicon (all for $10). The arepa was so good and the sauce that came with it was to die for, just enough spicy. I may have to attempt to recreate it at home, it was so good. Salpion was very refreshing for a hot Portland day.

This is a good little stop for a quick bite. Very Nice People. Enjoy a couple chicken and/or beef Empanadas, an ice cold Coke and watch people pass by from their little seating area. While you are at it, go back for seconds! It’s worth it! Safe Travels My Friends!

I came here after reading the Tripadvisor reviews and the review off of Portland Food Carts. The owner, Fernando Montagut, had worked in Architectural Design in Colombia, but he had to switch to Architectural Culinary Design arriving in Portland. Many who have eaten at this cart can consider themselves lucky and blessed. The food is amazing! I ordered a chicken Arepa (A-Ray-Pa) and the two Patacones (Pat-A-Cons), one chicken and one beef, and a Colombian Soda. The Patacones are thin cups of Tostones which support the shredded chicken and beef that is placed in the center. The taste is amazing and savory. The chicken Arepa looks like a "flying saucer sandwich" which is two small round tortillas stuffed with chicken etc. Very good. Fernando deserves a brick and mortar restaurant because his cuisine makes a visit worthwhile in comparison to the pretenders out there who have a nice building but serve garbage, and like I said it is the best Colombian Food in Portland.

This food was delicious. I was lucky to go with a Colombian who ordered for me. The Fried Yuca, Hawaiian Empanada, and Salpicon were amazing. I look forward to visiting again.

Wow - where to start!? This food truck is amazing! Everything was incredible - perfectly made buñuelo, arepa de huevo, arepa de carne and patacons! Highly recommend a stop when in PDX, this food truck easily ranks among my all time favorites. The owners are incredibly friendly as well!

We have a Columbian gal staying with us and took her to Portland. She called and spoke with the owners and ordered food for 12. They cooked everything to her specifications and even threw in free dessert. Everything was really tasty and authentic and hot. We will definitely be returning here again and again!

Customer service made me feel at home. Relaxed environment with a taste of home. Food is made with care, great intention to make customer connect with cultural traditions and memories.

I am Colombian so I was very excited to visit El Pilon. My family was very interested in the patacon mix, which are fried plantains with shredded chicken, beef and cheese with sauce. The dish presentation was very creative because the plantains have the form of a bowl, which I had never seen before. The food took me straight back to my Colombian roots! It was great to taste the flavors of my country here in the U.S. The juices were also very good, especially the Guanabana one (get it with milk). If you're looking for great food, reasonable prices, and great service, I would recommend visiting this cart. Keep in mind: Colombian food is filling, so you may have to take a nap after finishing your meal!

First time I tried Colombian food and I loved it. I tried a dish with pork that was delicious and was a great portion for the price. They also sell Colombian soda, I recomend the soda la Colombiana, great flavor.

I am a huge fan of Salvadorian food and lover of Pupusas. So when I noticed this little Columbian food cart I wanted to see how elements of that food carried to this region of the world if at all. Looking on the menu I noticed they had Arepas and, from the picture and description I could tell they had some of the elements. I ordered a chicken Arepa and some Mango Passionfruit juice. The Arepa was served between two thick corn tortilla like patties and the meat was abundant and well seasoned. The sauce provided was salsa like but no real heat just full of flavor with an underpining tartness. I was impressed enough that I returned and order a half dozen in cheese, beef and some more chicken. Told some people at work and one said the Emanadas were the best he had in the Portland area. He, like me, sounded impressed and eager to go back. The juice tasted like real fruit juice if a little tart for my taste. I will definitely be back.

One of my coworkers bought this for me and it is so awesome! Light and fluffy. Empanadas are off the hook. The crust is just the right density, packed full of flavor! The meat is tender! Definitely a hidden gem!

Came by on the recommendation of a tour guide and was not disappointed! The empanadas were out of this world!!

I have a family member that has to eat Gluten Free so we hit this lovely food cart up whenever she is in town. I work near the cart and will eat there a couple of times a month just because it is delicious. The shredded beef and shredded chicken is so tender and moist. Fresh food with great taste

We stopped and got a sample of the El Pilon arepa during our Portland Walking Tours food cart tour, and I was lucky enough to get a full chicken arepa (they were giving each of us a half, but we were an odd number, so lucky me!). I've never had one of these before, and it was amazing! Nice crisply fried dough, flavorful fillings, and killer salsa to dip it in. Our guide explained that the truck was family-run, and you can taste the passion and love they put into their food. It's not in one of the larger pods, but El Pilon is worth the extra couple of blocks to walk to get to their cart!

The food is really great and reminds me of the food back in Colombia. The buñuelos are delicious. Very friendly staff. Can recommend it!

After going to the Rose Garden just searched for something that sounded interesting and different. Found this gem. Paid for parking in public parking lot. Seemed sort of ridiculous for a food truck in the parking lot but it was worth the price of admission and since only a small table with 2 chairs in front of the truck it gave us a place to eat relatively comfortably. Nothing disappointing about this place. Great flavors, not greasy, fresh ingredients. Will definitely visit again.