Hidden a bit down a little alley between businesses on a block on SE Division, you may discover a little refuge of a food cart or two with an alfresco dining patio. The one anchored by duo family owned Moore Coffee and Moore Food & Company in Moore Alley, is a semi-hidden gem that feels like a living room while still being an outdoor space. There are the hanging lights. The rugs. The cushioned chair. The barber chair. The chessboard. The fire pit. The map of Middle Earth. The TMNT Raphael hanging out where the trays of food come from Moore Food & Co. The display of Crustables and mini-cereal boxes by the coffee van. the lure of Andy Capp’s hot fries. It feels like hanging out at your friend’s house with the interesting roommates when you are just out of college, laid back and comfortable and cool that everyone thinks of as your friend group’s base.
You are welcome to hang out or grab and go as early as 7am on Thursdays-Mondays when Moore Coffee (closed Tu/Wed but check their Instagram for their hours) helps you get your day going with espresso, americanos, cappuccino, latte, regular or iced coffee, or tea or chai, or Liquid Death water. Nothing fancy here, simple and to the point to get you fueled and going.
You can get pastries from Crema Bakery in the little case and the coffee is from Terrain Coffee Project. Oh all your beverages are coming from a 1978 VW Bus, pretty dope. Check their instagram or Sunday Bread Project because you may be lucky and on a first come first serve basis be able to enjoy this bagel and bread pop-up on select days.
For lunch and beyond, the main food cart Moore & Food Company begins from 12-9 or 10 (8pm Sun, closed Mon/Tu) with what they dub on their menu “The Sh!t” or “Other Sh!t” or “Kid Stuff” along with a bar offering 8 taps of beer or cider, a couple cans and wine and a michelada. The main section of the menu seems to be highlighting the cheesesteaks, which you can order with the regular steak meat or with chicken (or buffalo chicken style) on the gold standard of Cheesesteak, an Amoroso roll. You can get your cheesesteak with American, Provolone, Swiss, or Kraft Cheese Whiz.
Judge it just as a cheesesteak, and not a Philly cheesesteak, as despite the proud proclamations of “Philadelphia Born and Raised in in Portland for the Rest of Our Days” of the cart catchphrase, I think the Philly native knowledge means the owner knows he can’t compete with everyone’s nostalgic previous experience, and he isn’t promising he will. The version here seems more restrained on mess then other cheesey dripping versions you may find in town, and you have to ask to add on options like fried onions, sautéed mushrooms, or hot peppers. It’s decent but IMHO not the best in the city, I may be biased because I’m a Geno’s Steaks fan (and that is definitely cheese loaded) and in PDX I’m a long-time Grant’s customer – she has Tastykakes, though she doesn’t have the outdoor atmosphere Moore’s Alley offers. 
The best may actually be the Other Sh!t! items on the menu here. I loved my buffalo chicken egg rolls with cheddar jack, house hot sauce, and bleu cheese dressing. Crispy but not too hard on the outside, packed with meat and juicy flavor inside without being greasy. There are other varitions on the egg roll here too, reminiscent like an upgrade on pizza rolls snacks of school days now elevated to the generously chubby sized egg rolls here with versions of buffalo chicken, cheesesteak, or monte cristo egg rolls here.
Two regulars we chatted with swore by the Pork Roll or the MoFo smashed burger. The Pork Roll is a menu item you don’t often see in Portland – I can only think of 1 other place that offer it, and only on weekends as a breakfast sandwich with add-in of egg to the Taylor Pork Roll. The Pork Roll here at Moore’s Food & Company is a regular item. It is created with Taylor’s Pork Roll (a processed meat well known in New Jersey) and American Cheese on a poppy seed kaiser roll. Kara, who also tried the Pork Roll shown here, noted she preferred it to the cheesesteak. 
I’ll have to try the MoFo Burger – a 6 oz smashed burger with buttered-grilled sesame seed roll, shredded iceberg, American cheese, house sauce containing pickles and onions, and that comes with fries, on my next visit. There’s also a pesto Caeser salad that sounded good if you insist you need some vegetables, and chicken fingers, corn dog nuggets, or cheese quesadilla for the kids. The steak cut fries are an option add on for everyone not just for kids.
They plan to offer live music, and seem they are still getting into their groove of the community with local bands and also supporting local causes (this past Sunday they helped fundraise for Bagby Conservation). The vibes here feels well loved already even though they opened only recently in April of 2021. The space works on multiple levels, as a place to work tapping on a laptop a la coffeeshop, a cute date, dog-friendly escape from home hangout, local grab a beer with your squad to chat and to chill friendly vibes spot. The slight gruffness of the owner working the grill at Moore Food & Co was delightfully East Coast, while the insight of barista on me seeming like I would Oat Milk even before I thought to ask is so very Portland.
Is it me, or in general does it seem like cheesesteak and East Coast food is having a moment in Portland, though I’m not sure why and I’m not complaining either. Where are you getting your cheesesteak, or any East Coast attitude and food, cravings from in PDX?
Follow Kara out on her instagram @perfectfooddays for her take on our visit together coming soon.
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