The new Franklin building may not have the plaza of food options that Marshall had, but new locations to eat are emerging all over the place. One in particular is Smaaken “Dutch for tasty!” Waffles, a food cart serving Dutch style waffle sandwiches made with locally sourced ingredients. It is sure to attract anyone, especially with its sweet, savory, vegan and gluten free options available. Located a few blocks down Division from Franklin High School, Smaaken Waffles (5029 SE Division St) is a convenient spot for students eating an off-campus lunch, the walk taking just enough time to get to it and back in time for class. Their signature waffle, the “Smaaken,” made with organic heirloom wheat grown in the Willamette Valley, is layered with thick cut, local cascade farms bacon, thinly sliced spiced apples, and topped with warm, melted brie cheese. Savory delights include the “Brightwood” made with two eggs and Maple Butter, or the “Sausage Maple.” Sweeter choices on their menu include waffle sandwiches topped with raspberry or strawberry jam, chocolate or caramel sauce, bananas, whipped cream, Nutella, and whipped coconut cream.
“As one who needs a gluten free diet, it’s not often that I come across gluten free waffles, and maybe it’s just that I have nothing else to base them on but their waffles are stellar, especially with eggs and sausage,” Jesse Fuller (11) says. He is but one satisfied customer showing that Smaaken is catering to all crowds, allowing people like him to try things he can’t find available too often.
Among hundreds of other food carts in Portland, Smaaken has been featured on Portland Monthly’s “Eat Beat” for “Six Great Summer Food Cart Sandwiches.” They have been serving their unique creations since 2012 and plan to continue as they expand their business further, opening another cart in January 2018 at the food carts on 6035 NE Halsey St. Supporting locally sourced businesses like this are great ways to keep Portland flourishing with new tastes around each corner.