Hey Stella’s Cocina

If I could give this cart 4.5 stars I would have but I didn’t want to downgrade so I still gave the 5. First the hours are tricky at this cart, they are only open a few days a week so that’s part of the half star down and Stella got bit distracted answering another customers questions and my order took longer then what was said by about 5 minutes. But, the gentleman that was helping gave me some soup while I waited for my order so that was nice! So on to the food… It was great! I got an arepa pollo and one fish taco. The arepa was giant and full of flavor. The fish taco had a big piece of well seasoned fish (I do wish it had more cabbage though). The soup he gave me was hot, fresh and spicy. So overall very happy! It’s great to have this yummy cart in the village even if it’s only open such a limited amount. The service was friendly even though I had to wait a while. Fresh and good food is worth a little patience but I’ll call ahead next time!

Hooked! First time ever, and we got food to-​go, and it was AMAZING!!! We shared Papas Chorreadas, they were super tasty. He got the Pebellon Criollo, amazing flavor (we think the best dish!), and I got the Arroz Con Pollo (enough for 2+ ppl), really enjoyed the amount of veggies in the rice too! All the plantains were perfect as well. Everything was very flavorful and seasoned perfectly! Very friendly couple as well! We WILL be regulars!

One of the things that is wrong with the world is that Stella’s is not open every day of the week.

This is the best food to put in your mouth. Do it. Your tummy will thank you. STELLA!

My favorite place to eat in SW Portland. The food is great, especially the pizole soup and the Jamaican jerk chicken. The couple that runs it are really nice as well. The price is reasonable and you can’t find good Caribbean influenced food like this anywhere else in Portland.

Pozole on a cold Monday night just warms up the soul, first time trying the stuffed crepas which is so big i had to eat it with the fork, great food wonderful staff and even has a small indoor area to sit and eat out of the rain. Highly recomend it

It’s is the owners passion to you bring you a delightful culinary experience at food cart prices. Friendly and warm, she makes the complex and flavorful dishes even better. Highly recommend !

We went there on our last day in Portland with a friend’s recommendation. I have been wanting to try a Cubano since the movie Chef. We were a bit tired from the shopping at the Nike Company Store, so we really needed some good food.
Once we got there, Mark was extremely warm and introduced us to his dishes.
1. I got the Cuban Sandwich, and somehow it felt oddly familiar seeing Mark looks like Jon Favreau in Chef.
2. I also got Iron Soda (Cuban) to go with my food.
3. It was an amazing food experience. Every bite was full of flavor.
It is definitely a place we will revisit every time we are in Portland.

First off, the owners absolutely ooze warmth, charm, and sincere hospitality. They made me feel like I was invited into their home, chatting with me as they were preparing my food and sharing samples along the way (the meatball soup Stella gave me while I was waiting was extremely flavorful and tasted like pure, home-​cooked love!)
My favorite were the tostones though. They were AMAZING with their savory, tomato-​based sauce and cotija cheese. Even the simple black beans and rice were not your typical bland restaurant rice and beans. Both were well-​seasoned with texture.
Stella and Mark have something special here, not only with their unique and delicious food, but most of all, with their graciousness and charisma that leave you feeling like an old friend. Thank you for your hospitality and generosity! I’ll be back!

Tried this place out and it was great. Stella and her co-​worker were excellent. They were both very helpful and nice. I had the pork taco and the Cuban sandwich. Both were amazing. Can’t wait to go back and try some other stuff there.

Shame on me for not stopping by sooner! I live so close but had neglected this food cart in MV until now.
Wow! They make the best tostones I’ve ever had and I love tostones! The plantains were light and almost chip like with a tomato-​y sauce and cotija (?) on top. Amazing!
I also tried some other items: patacon pisado, the cuban sandwich, papas chorreadas, all super delicious and the owners were friendly and even delivered our orders out to the table where we were sitting.
It’s a wonderful indulgence. I can’t eat like this every day, but worth the trip!

I grew up in Miami (as did one of the cart’s owners) and I’ve traveled a lot in central and South America. Hey Stella’s has legit, delicious and flavorful dishes, even better than what I’ve had in Colombia itself. The arepa is made with hand ground corn and melted mozzarella; it’s pretty much my favorite version of grilled cheese. Great fish tacos too!

There is a lot to love about this place.
The food is really delicious. We had papas chorreadas (yummy!), sancocho (huge and delicious), pabellon criollo (huge, excellent, and reheated really well), and a few other things. The arepa that came with the sancocho was superb. It was perfectly crunchy in the outside and soft in the middle, the flavor was perfect, and it was not fried. Finally, the food was not overly salty nor was it greasy like the food that so many restaurants serve.
The menu is full of interesting options and the owners are kind and very pleasant.
We are already planning our next visit so we can try more of the delicious menu.

Sadness is an empty plate at Stella’s. Great food… super nice owners… treat you like family!

Wow. the area around the French Quarter in Hillsdale churns out some top notch food trucks. Hey Stella’s is a latin american food truck which dishes out some excellent and authentic colombian, venezuelan, costa rican. puerto rican and cuban fare. Stella is a trained chef and very friendly to talk to. I got the Venezuelan beef dish (supposedly the national dish of Venezuela)., which consisted of very flavorful shredded beef, beans, rice and excellent fried plantains. She also has a plethora of sauces and pickles to choose from to accompany your dish. I’m definitely going back to try some of her other specialities! This one’s going to have a long line outside its door soon enough! Go before the crowds get to it!

Really bummed out about this food truck. I really want to like it, reading all the good reviews. I got a chicken and rice dish and was thoroughly let down… the rice was mushy, veggies overcooked, and there were numerous pieces of crusty chicken. The flavors were very bland and I needed to use a lot of salsa to improve the dish. In addition, the fried plantains were extremely subpar… drenched in oil and lacking any pizazz whatsoever. Given it was $ 9 for this plate, I was pretty disappointed.
The only plus was that the couple serving were a joy to talk to and I enjoyed conversing with both of them. Because it’s very close to my house and I love Mexican food, I may give this place another try in the future… however I will most definitely be getting a different dish.

Here’s why they’re great: love.
They love what they do, they love their customers, and they love food.
Super delicious cubano sandwich. A wide array of delicious latin dishes (Cuban, Puerto African, Venezuelan, Colombian, etc), and lots of little extras. Amazing salsas and sauces — the BEST pickled veg anywhere. So spicy… mmm.,
I love this little cart and I love that it’s in my new ‘hood. Hit them up and hunger down.
Pro tip: while you’re waiting, play with Macho, their super awesome, tiny dog who wisely hangs in the shade under the cart.

My mother used to say the most important ingredient of making a great meal is to make it with love, and in Stella’s cucina it most certainly is.
At this five-​week old foodcart you’ll find a wide array of different types of Caribbean and South American delicacies. A friend and I tried three of the items on the menu and without exception all three were well-​crafted and delicious meals. Great place.

What a find! We’re always looking for new and delicious food in SW and were stoked to find this food truck open on Sunday.
Stella and her husband are very warm and friendly people. Stella definitely had a passion here, which I always think is awesome to support. While I was waiting for our cubano and arepa sandwiches, these guys filled me up with all kinds of samples — a passionfruit shake, sweet fried plantains, and a generous helping of homemade soup.
When I got home with the arepas and the cubano, they were a hit. A welcomed addition to SW, we will definitely be enjoying a meal from here again soon.

Oh my goodness, some of the tastiest food i’ve ever had in my life!
The husband and I shared the Arepa Sandwich with beef, the Patacon Pisao (Plantain Sandwich) with pulled pork, and the Papas Chorreadas (Colombian Cheese Potatoes).
The Arepa is grilled Maize cakes, with meat, avocado, tomato and a white cheese, likely Cojita. To die for good.
The Patacon Pisao (not sure how to say it) is fried plantains in place of bread, and the same innards as the Arepa. Also to die for good.
I’m not quite sure what a «cheese sofito sauce» is, but the cheesy potatoes tasted a bit like the best scalloped potatoes you’ve ever had times 10.
The owners run the cart, and obviously take a lot of pride in their food. They are extremely personable as well.
Also awesome, the prices. Only $ 15.00 for everything.
I cannot wait to go back and try more!