Gonzo At Bar XV

Wow, what a disappointment. I used to love the food cart, now they’ve moved to inside a bar and their food has degraded to «pub grub».
I ordered my usual (shawarma bowl) and I knew it was going to be different when I first laid my eyes on it. None of the freshness feel they had before. The pieces of chicken are now breaded a lot and deep fried. The humus that was so great before is now just average. I should’ve taken a picture so you can see the stark difference side by side of my old picture.
RIP old Gonzo :(

I really enjoy getting delivery from Postmates. When I was looking for dinner options I saw Gonzo who I hadn’t tried before. I love Middle Eastern food, so it sounded perfect!
Perusing the menu a couple of things caught my eye. I decided on the mezza platter over the shawarma. The mezza consists of hummus, salad, and pickled things. When I read salad I was thinking of the traditional tomato & cucumber salad which is a favorite of mine. When it arrived it seemed to be more of an arugula salad with sunflower seeds and raisins. It wasn’t bad, but not what I was expecting. The pickled cauliflower was tangy and flavorful. It also had a big pile of pepperoncini, which I like, but would have preferred extra cauliflower. There are only so many peppers you’re going to eat (note the picture). The hummus wasn’t bad, but I like more garlic and lemon to give it zing. The store bought cold pita was a letdown since so many places offer fresh baked. That’s a huge selling point for me.
So while I ate a portion of my meal, I was expecting something different than what arrived. If the pitas were fresh I would definitely give them another try. In this case there are too many other carts and restaurants to get my Middle Eastern fix. Sorry.

If your looking for middle eastern with an urban twist downtown you have found it! Their food is so delicious and made from scratch! Gonzo is conveniently located inside Bar XV. My favs are the schwarma fries & the schwarma express. You will not be disappointed!

If you’re looking for Middle Eastern food, LOOK NO FURTHER!
I’ve been fortunate enough to try an array of items on the Gonzo menu and I must say they’re all DIVINE.
My favourite dish hands-​down has to be the Shawarma fries, especially post or pre drinking.
I always order a small and it’s more than enough for my girl and I to devour and get full.
If you’re in the area, stop in. You won’t be disappointed.

Since their old page hasn’t migrated to their new page I’ll leave a review to hopefully clarify.
This is the same Gonzo that sells their amazing hummus at farmers markets and used to be beside Base Camp Brewing.
They make amazing falafel wraps!
They are some pretty nice folks!

Wanted to update my previous review. Both of my reservations about this cart were resolved not long after I wrote my first review. That alone is worth an extra star.
I had previously complained about the pita being too weak. Not long after my review, Gonzo updated their pita and it is wonderful. It’s certainly sturdy and can hold a big bundle of food. I’m not sure if they toast it or not, but it is firm without being dry.
My second concern was the packaging. Previously I had received my food in a white paper bag. Maybe it’s because I ate at the picnic area this time, but they serves it in a basket with wax paper. Simple, minimally wasteful and super convenient.
The food altogether is wonderful. The falafel is green because it’s full of herbs. The sauces are just right and the vegetables are ample but not just there to be filler. The fries are very good, too.
Please support this cart. They are kind. They are quick. And they offer excellent food at excellent price.

I walked by this food cart and thought I’d give it a try — I love middle eastern and Mediterranean food that actually has the traditional fries with it. I ordered the falafel bowl with no tomatoes (allergies) to go.
I received a falafel wrap with tomatoes — not what I wanted! I tried to pick around the tomatoes and found the food too salty overall. Alright, but would have preferred my order and less salt.

Best falafel I’ve had in PDX to date. Also the Shawarma disco fries are well built to be a strong foundation for copious beer. Too bad they are not next to Base Camp anymore! Well too bad for me cause its a little farther away. Luckily there are plenty of drinking choices nearby on Hawthorne.

Wonderful catering!
We ordered lunch for work for 40 and everyone loved the falafel, hummus, salad, etc. and there was more than enough to go around. We can’t wait to have them again.
Do it, you won’t regret it.

Yay!
I work downtown, and I frequently find myself searching for «Israeli food» and drawing a blank. I recently moved to the industrial southeast and on my day off, FINALLY found Israeli food, three blocks from my apartment, and it is BOMB. Love it. Thank you so much, Gonzo. I plan on being back at least a few more times before your move, and then I’ll just have to trek down to Hawthorne :)

Cool spot to try when you are in town. right next to a brewery and could see this really hitting the spot after a few beverages. The chicken shawarma platter was tasty, especially the kale salad portion and love the pepper add on as well. The dipping sauces were also amazing and I could have used more. The only reason I didn’t give this place 5 stars was due to the mediocre hummus. I read all the reviews and I might hav w gotten caught up on the hype. Definitely try this place out!

If you want a falafel that melts in your mouth, combined with a Magical blend of spices and a side of creamy, Bitter sweet kale then you’ve come to the right spot.
This place is really amazing, even better I had no idea that they are part of the brewery right behind them. We ordered our food at the food truck, took a number, and sat at the bar in the brewery. The hard cider is always on rotation so check with the bartender to see what they have on hand — they have one gluten-​free beer on tap and it was an IPA that didn’t disappoint. We dined on a half order of the chicken Schwarma French fries and a falafel platter. That was enough for two very hungry people! Amazing side sauces and chili — would recommend this to anyone who loves Schwarma or Falafel.

tradition has it that Gonzo’s Shawarma platter is what keeps all of the pacific northwest adventure seekers fueled. To keep with tradition we have stopped at Gonzo’s cart after every long surf session and i’ll be saddened if a day comes by when we break this tradition.
set up:]
order at the cart or go inside to base camp brewery, get some brews and order your Gonzo’s food right there, get a number and grab a seat because that food will be delivered right to ya!
adventure fuel:]
Chicken Shawarma Platter: marinaetd juicy chicken served with fresh hummus, tahini, and few hot sauces and fresh pita bread! We try to share this platter but it’s best to just get your own
Shawarma Fries: order this and you will get lots of stares as this mountain of potatoes covered in hot peppers and what ever meat you choose plus a hidden heap of hummus on the bottom. so so good!
I love this cart, you can taste the freshness coming out of those potatoes, the hot sauces, the hummus and the warm pita bread!

The shawarma fries are SPECTACULAR! That is all you need to know.
ProTip: bring breath mints for after, some serious garlic in this dish.

Are you craving an absolutely massive pocket-​style sandwich that may or may not drip into your lap? Well you’re in juicy juicy luck.
Placed our order via Delivery Dudes. That order consisted of: (1) Shawarma $ 9 (custom — no tomato), (1) Shawarma $ 8(vegan style with tofu curd) + (1) Falafel ball $ 1, (1) Falafel sandwich with fries on top $ 8 (custom — no middle eastern pickles). This is absolutely reasonable (delivery added quite a bit on, but we were confined to the depths of the convention center and appreciated the room delivery).
These sandwiches are F-​U-​L-​L (I definitely dropped saucy cucumber bits into my lap, which is a bummer, but it was worth the saucy lap spot). Custom orders were satisfied (THANK YOU), vegan shawarma was IN-​credible (spicy cubed vegetables and expertly cooked tofu), thick steak fries are seasons to perfection. This isn’t a «I’m going to eat this politely in front of my boss» kind of sandwich…
My only complaint: poor shawarma spreading (all of the tofu bits were clumped together, once you made it past the tofu it was all cucumber/​tomato/​sauce for the rest of the sandwich).
In conclusion: Yum
Upon revision of conclusion: More, please.

Wow! I can see and taste the freshness out of the bowl. I ordered the Shawarma Express but in a bowl with the pita on the side. The bowl if full of fresh chopped cucumber and tomatoes + humus + two types of chilies (both are VERY good), topped with grilled chicken, still moist inside. Everything was very flavorful and even though I’m not hungry, I quickly went through it. Now a couple days later, I’m still dreaming about the shawarma bowl and can’t wait to get it again.
Conveniently located next to Base Camp Brewing, it’s the perfect thing to nosh on while drinking their beer.
Recommended!
PS: Just heard that they’re staying another 6 months at Base Camp Brewing

Hey vegans– the soy curl swarma is a nice substitute for falafel house in slabtown when you’re on this side of the river.

3 stars because I want to come back. It was interesting because there was a girl inside the cart going onnn and on about some drama, like really, really bitching. I decided to back up and stand on the other side of the sidewalk, but still I could hear «this shit and that shit, and that’s so fucked up, and can you believe that shit??» coming out of this little box. Woof. I realize there are different customer service etiquette standards for food carts then there are for say, fast food, but, my god.
Anyway the dude handed me my food and was really kind so I forgot all about the insane rant that lasted the duration of my wait, until I got back to work and sat down to eat. Everything was super tasty except for the falafel, which was kind of the whole point, all overcooked and almost black. It felt like her pain body had entered my food :(

I give two stars because we only tried one thing. We had the Shwarma fries, while having a beer at base camp.
The cool thing is you can order from the brewery and they bring it to your table.
The bad was, the fries weren’ t all that great. Lots of seasonless fries with not to much topping. The topping that was on there was okay. To much hummus (I believe that’s what the sauce stuff was), and not enough chicken.
Maybe we’ll try something else

Fries for daysssssssss! I love the Shawarma Fries here. I don’t really remember, nor could I really tell everything that the fries were bathed in, but what matters is that they were delicious.
The fries themselves (not the Shawarma Fries) are cooked perfectly to that texture of that crispy outer layer with the soft inside. I was pretty amazed.
As for their chicken sandwich, that is delicious too. Great blend of peppers and pickles and it is loaded with a generous amount of hummus.
Wasn’t a fan of their eggplant salad. The spices were a bit overwhelming and didn’t blend well for my taste buds.
Overall great cart, delicious food and I recommend it.

Yummy yummy screamed my tummy!
Got the hummus platter and the israeli sandwich between the two of us when we were at portland for the weekend. We had slept at odd hours and wokeup at 11.30ish feeling hungry, walked up here as we were staying close by at Jupiter and must say the lady who makes food here is just awesome.
She told us she would serve the food in brewery as we wanted to grab some beer as well and delivered some of the freshest food I have ever eaten in a matter of ten minutes. The taste, the flavors everything is perfect. The vibe of the brewery and the friendliness of people there is for another review.
Thank you Gonzo, it’s food trucks like yours that makes portland such as awesome spot to explore food. And yes, the prices are sexy!

The chicken shawarma fries are 6 stars!
But their website domain is iheartfalafel so I expected epic things from their falafel. It was different… but not in a good way.
That pile of shawarma fries, tho…