Bing Mi (sometimes stylized as Bing Mi!) is a Chinese restaurant in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. The original

food cart A food cart is a mobile kitchen set up on the street to prepare and sell street food to passers-by. Food carts are often found in cities worldwide selling food of every kind. Food carts come in two basic styles. One allows the vendor to sit o ...

specialized in the Chinese street food

jianbing ''Jianbing'' () is a traditional Chinese street food similar to crêpes. It is a type of ''bing'' generally eaten for breakfast and hailed as "one of China's most popular street breakfasts". The main ingredients of ''jianbing'' are a batter o ...

. The brick and mortar Bing Mi Dumpling and Noodle Bar opened in 2022 and focuses on Northern Chinese noodles and

dumpling Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, fi ...

s. The food cart closed in December 2023.

Description and history

Owners Tim Harris and Alisa and Neal Grandy began operating Bing Mi at the

Alder Street food cart pod The Alder Street food cart pod was a pod of food carts at the intersection of Southwest 10th Avenue and Alder Street in Portland, Oregon. Description and history Established during the 1990s, the popular pod hosted approximately 60 carts at its ...

in 2014. Jacky (or Jackie) Ren has also been credited as a co-owner. The

serves many variations of

, and was Portland's only restaurant offering the Chinese street food at the time. Optional ingredients include bacon, roast duck, and

spam Spam may refer to: * Spam (food), a canned pork meat product * Spamming, unsolicited or undesired electronic messages ** Email spam, unsolicited, undesired, or illegal email messages ** Messaging spam, spam targeting users of instant messaging ( ...

. In 2017, owners confirmed plans to open a second food cart in

southeast Portland Southeast Portland is one of the sextants of Portland, Oregon. Boundaries and features Southeast Portland stretches from the warehouses along the Willamette River through historic Ladd's Addition to the Hawthorne and Belmont districts out to Gr ...

. Andrew Zimmern visited Bing Mi for an episode of the Food Network's '' The Zimmern List''. In 2020, the business donated proceeds to people affected by local wildfires and partnered with Adopt a Restaurant to help feed people in need during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Ren bought out the other owners in 2020 and re-opened the food cart at the

Nob Hill Food Carts Nob Hill Food Carts is a food cart pod in Portland, Oregon. The pod opened in the Northwest District in 2019. Description and history In August 2019, Gregg Opsahl confirmed plans to open a 14-cart pod in November. Businesses have included: * ...

in northwest Portland's Northwest District, following the closure of the Alder Street pod. In 2021, Ren confirmed plans to open Bing Mi Dumpling and Noodle Bar in the Northwest District in 2022. The brick and mortar restaurant opened in January, focusing on Northern Chinese noodles and

s. Food cart staff have work at the noodle restaurant during heat waves. The food cart closed on December 30, 2023. Bing Mi has collaborated with Bark City BBQ.

Reception

Danielle Centoni of ''

Condé Nast Traveler ''Condé Nast Traveler'' is a luxury and lifestyle travel magazine published by Condé Nast. The magazine has won 25 National Magazine Awards. The Condé Nast unit of Advance Publications purchased ''Signature'', a magazine for Diners Club memb ...

'' said Bing Mi "has spawned its own cult following". Matthew Korfhage of ''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Willame ...

'' said, "The jian bing is flat-out fantastic, whether with or without the sweet Chinese sausage you can tack on for a buck. Indeed, the meat texture is a bit of a fifth wheel amid the already bustling party of flavors."

Thrillist Thrillist is an online media website covering food, drink, travel and entertainment. The company was founded in 2004 and is based in New York City, United States. In October 2016, Thrillist merged with internet brands '' The Dodo'', NowThis News ...

's Drew Tyson ranked Bing Mi at the top of his list of Portland's best new food carts. He recommend the optional sausage and wrote, "The experience is funky and flavorful and unlike anything else you'll find on the streets of Portland." In 2018, the website's Pete Cottell included Bing Mi in his list of "Portland's Most Delicious Food Carts and Where to Find Them". In 2017, Samantha Bakall included Bing Mi in ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'''s lists of downtown Portland's 13 best "cheap eats" and 10 best food carts. The '' Portland Mercury'' included the business in a 2019 list of Portland's 50 best multicultural restaurants and food carts. Matthew Trueherz included the classic jianbing in Portland Monthly's 2022 list of "12 Favorite Budget-Friendly Dishes Under $12". In 2018, ''Eater Portland'''s Brooke Jackson-Glidden said Bing Mi "accrued rave reviews and serious lines for its pretty traditional version with egg and chili paste". She and Nick Woo included the business in the website's 2021 "Guide to Portland's Most Outstanding Food Carts", and she and Seiji Nanbu included Bing Mi in a list of "Where to Find Outstanding Chinese Food in Portland and Beyond". Alex Frane and Maya MacEvoy included Bing Mi in ''Eater Portland'''s 2021 list of 16 "quintessential" restaurants and bars in Portland's Slabtown district. Katrina Yentch included the restaurant in the website's 2022 list of "18 Knockout Spots for Affordable Dining in Portland".

References

External links

*
Bing Mi!
at Zomato {{Restaurants in Portland, Oregon 2014 establishments in Oregon Chinese restaurants in Portland, Oregon Food carts in Portland, Oregon Northwest District, Portland, Oregon Restaurants established in 2014

Description and history

Reception

See also

References

External links