Salt & pepper Peruvian food cart 82 Ave — Restaurant in Portland

12/16/2023-NEW LOCATION UPDATES: I drove by the old location on Belmont last week and did not see the cart. Then, today, when I headed to the airport on 82nd Ave, I spotted it. I was surprised, so I turned around to confirm if it was the same one. I snapped a photo with the food pod location and contact info. The new location is on the corner of 82nd Ave NE and Beech Street NE. It's a super small food pod; they are the only cart here. It was 8:45 am, so it was closed, and I don't know if it's currently in business. I may drive by later today to check it out because I'm curious now. I hope it's in business and the quality has improved. I do miss the Peruvian seaweed on my sea bass ceviche.

JUNE 2023 - SECOND VISIT: I returned to the old location for the second time with my son and daughter (their first) since I loved it so much my first time. We were all disappointed since most of what we wanted listed on the menu wasn't available (we were told no ingredients) or he no longer makes them. I suggested he needs to cross them off on his menu.

I ordered the sea bass ceviche again, and the portion was much smaller and salty with no flavor, which made me brag about it in my first review. I gave it 4/5 stars.

My daughter got the chicken with rice dish, which was dried and again salty with no flavor.

My son got the seafood fried rice. It was all mushy and salty and barely had any seafood.

I was totally disappointed with this visit. We wondered if the owner was a bit off today since he was not as friendly to us as he was to me during my first visit. I told my adult children I might return a third time only if I'd be in the area to give it one last chance, but I won't drive to this side of town just because I'm a seafood ceviche fanatic.

MAY 19, 2023 - FIRST VISIT: This is my wildly find of sea bass ceviche! I am a fan of the fact that this food truck has fish ceviche every day! I randomly found it on Yelp by searching for "fish ceviche" while driving nearby. I love the fish ceviche that soaks in lime/citrus and spice based!

I stopped by around 2:30 PM. I was their only customer. Two other food trucks were in the lot, but only one opened beside Salt & Pepper Peruvian Food Cart. Make sure you call to confirm hours because what listed on Yelp is incorrect. I would plan accordingly if you come during late night hours.

They have an extensive menu and options for food truck. This was my first time, so I could not see how readily available all menu items were. I ordered to go.

Ceviche de Pescado ($18): the gentlemen told me he used bass. It was pleasantly flavorful and a good portion. I enjoyed the yellow potatoes, the boiled hominy, and the boiled yuca were surprising ingredients for me. There was some string green seaweed-like texture that tasted deliciously zesty; I need to come back to ask the name of it. I always got served some chips with ceviche, so I was confused about how to eat this because it did not come with chips.

Anticucho de Pollo ($12): they were a bit dry, tasted mostly hot with pepper heat, and came with a few yellow potato slices.

Yuca con Crema de Rocoto ($8): good portion. I did not care much for the fruity and spicy rocoto pepper sauce that came with it. I like fried yuca crunchy instead of soggy. I prefer the sauce on a side to dip instead.

Platano Frito ($7): you can never go wrong with this choice anytime, anywhere!

I would go back with friends to order various dishes from...

DIOS!!! Just finished eating here with a couple of friends, on our way to the airport while being on tour in the Pacific Northwest . As a NewYoDomiRican who’s travelled for years to Peru for work and consider Peruvian cuisine to be my TOP foods to eat, THIS PLACE IS AWESOME!!!

This unassuming food truck needs to be PACKED all day every day! The gentleman taking care of us seemed to be by himself taking orders and cooking, so be patient with your wait time, he’s making EVERYTHING fresh!

I had the vegetarian chaufa and a ceviche mixta, a gringo friend having Peruvian food for the first time ordered the lomo saltado, and our other friend who is Peruvian had the tajarines verde topped with fried steak…. DIOS!!!!

Lil ol’ me ate a third of my two plates and saved the rest for my flight. The other two friends devoured their dishes. Absolutely blown away!...

10/10 recommend!!! My boyfriend is Peruvian I'm American, we BOTH lived in Peru recently, for 6 months and moved back to the states not long ago so we know what good authentic Peruvian food should look and taste like. THIS FOOD IS AUTHENTIC, FULL OF FLAVOR, ARRIVED STEAMING HOT AND HAS THE FRESHEST INGREDIENTS....the meats are cooked to perfection, and the spices are the perfect balance....they have EVERYTHING you could want! they offer almost every single every famous Peruvian dish and they are all INCREDIBLE. There's not one dish they can't make perfect. The onion and cilantro mix that comes with most dishes is the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. WE WILL BE BACK. Oh also the owner was so kind he turned on the heaters for us and was very welcoming and accommodating and helpful with the menu. Very good owner...