Matt's BBQ

The Verdict: Portland's Most Consistently Recognized Cheap-Eats BBQ

This is not a backup plan. It's a deliberate choice.

Portrait

Matt's BBQ has been operating out of a food cart on North Mississippi Ave long enough to build a track record that most brick-and-mortar restaurants would envy. Ranked #263 in 2025, #279 in 2024, #122 in 2023 on OAD's Cheap Eats list, the trajectory tells a clear story about a place that has earned repeat recognition from one of the more rigorous cheap-eats trackers in North America. OAD's methodology leans heavily on sourced diner reports rather than press junkets, which gives those rankings real weight.

Matt Vicedomini and Dustin Reum run the operation, the format here is a Texas-influenced barbecue cart rather than a full-service restaurant. That distinction matters for how you plan your visit. You're coming for smoked meat sold by weight or in combinations, not a seated tasting experience. The queue is part of the format. Go early, or go prepared to wait; this is the kind of spot where the leading cuts sell out before the afternoon is over.

On sourcing: barbecue at this level of regional recognition is almost always defined by the quality of the raw material before the smoke touches it. Texas-style pitmasters, which is the tradition Matt's draws from, treat sourcing as foundational; the brisket grade, the fat distribution, the resting time all matter as much as the wood and the temperature. You can taste the difference between a program that sources carefully and one that doesn't. At a price point this low relative to the quality documented by OAD, the sourcing-to-output ratio here is doing serious work.

The North Mississippi Ave location puts it within the broader Mississippi Avenue corridor, a stretch of Portland that draws a mix of locals and out-of-towners. If you're staying in the Pearl District or close to downtown, factor in the travel, it's not a quick stroll, but it's a short ride. For visitors building a day around Portland's food scene, pairing Matt's with a walk through the neighbourhood is a practical itinerary. See our full Portland restaurants guide for context on how it fits into a wider visit.

For a special occasion framed around food, Matt's is the right answer when the occasion is about eating well without performance. It's a poor choice if your guest expects white tablecloths or a wine list. It's an excellent choice if your idea of a celebration is serious smoked meat with no pretense, the kind of meal you remember for the food rather than the room. Compare this to what you'd spend at Kann or Coquine for a special-occasion dinner, Matt's offers a completely different register: informal, high-value, the sort of meal that earns its own kind of loyalty.

Booking is easy, this is a walk-up cart, not a reservation-required restaurant. The practical constraints are timing (arrive early before popular cuts sell out) and weather (outdoor cart format means the experience is affected by Portland's rain). Check their current hours directly before visiting, as cart operations can adjust seasonally. For other Portland experiences worth planning around, see our full Portland experiences guide, our full Portland bars guide, and our full Portland hotels guide.

If barbecue is your focus and you want to benchmark Matt's against other recognized programs in North America, CorkScrew BBQ in Spring, Texas represents the Texas standard at the top of the segment. For international context, Oretachi No Nikuya in Taichung shows how far the format travels. Matt's sits comfortably in serious company for a cart operation in the Pacific Northwest.

Portland's broader dining scene runs from Langbaan (Thai tasting menu, harder to book) to Berlu (Vietnamese, different price tier) to Nostrana (Italian, wood-fired). Matt's occupies a distinct slot: the highest-recognition cheap-eats barbecue in the city, walk-up accessible, worth prioritising on any Portland itinerary where smoked meat is on the agenda.

Quick reference: Walk-up cart on N Mississippi Ave, no reservation required, arrive early for leading cuts, outdoor format.

Ratings & Recognition

• Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats in North America: #263 (2025), #279 (2024), #122 (2023)

How to Book

No reservation needed. Matt's BBQ operates as a walk-up food cart. Booking difficulty is low, the barrier is timing, not availability. Arrive early in the day to secure your preferred cuts before they sell out. Check current hours directly with the venue before visiting, as cart hours can shift seasonally.