Monk’s Deli

Been once, and had the Philly Cheesesteak. It was the best I’ve had west of the Mississippi. I’ll be back, and my only dilemma is that the cheesesteak was so good, I’ll be afraid to try anything else!
A more-​than-​worthy successor to the old cart, The Italian Market.

Wizwit all day, err day. Nice dudes, great sandwiches. A bit on the high end for a cheesesteak, but that hasn’t stopped me from housing ‘em every so often.

Would highly recommend to those seeking a real great sandwich at a very reasonable price. Best Cubano I’ve ever had, in town or elsewhere and there’s something to be said about their Philly which is damn fine and authentic as well as delicious. Also, it helps when the man making t all happen is from that area of the country just in case anyone wants to stupidly complain or have a gripe about the authenticity or say «well this is great but in Philly they really know how to make em.» Try this place out and come back cause you won’t be disappointed.

My favorite Philly in PDX. I’ve done the research and Monk’s really is just the best. Best prices, best sandwiches.

I wanted to like this cart, but it was very unimpressive. The owner was friendly enough, but the food was so lack luster. I tried the BBQ pork sandwich. It was overly spicy, enough so that there should have been some kind of warning about this. The pork was in large dry rubbery chunks. I couldn’t even finish the first half. The meal combo came with Doritos and was a total of $ 8. I feel like the quality of food here is not very good and it felt overpriced.

This place is LEGIT! True Philly cheesesteak! Haven’t had one so good since I moved from Philly 3yrs ago. Delicious and super cool chef! This is sure to be the next go to cart in Portland.

I’ve had both the Cubano and the Cheesesteak and they’ve both been excellent! Mr. Monk himself is a cool guy and I always enjoy eating free peperoncinos and talking to him while waiting for my delicious food to be cooked.

the deli is basically subs.
i tried the cheesesteak hoagie and it did not disappoint.
frankly, a lot of the sandwiches offered sounded delicious.
the cheesesteak hoagie was well proportioned and came with a bag of Tim’s chips.
the prices range is $ 7 – 10.

I went to college just outside of Philadelphia so I have pretty high standards for cheesesteaks. I ate at Monk’s today for the first time and I would have to say the steak I had (Whiz, with) was the best I’ve ever had outside of Philly and would hold its own against just about any in the greater Delaware Valley region.
The taste brought back so many memories… for Proust it was madeleines, for me, it’s cheesesteaks.
If you’ve had good cheesesteaks and didn’t think you’d ever find one here, go to Monk’s — you won’t be disappointed. If you’ve never had a cheesesteak, go and try one. You won’t be sorry!

Where has this gem been all my life?! I thought great-​tasting cheesesteaks didn’t exist outside of Philadelphia.. . until now. Monk’s has mastered the craft of the Philly Cheesesteak, and he’s added his own twist to the other sandwiches on the menu. Everything here is good, and I really wish I could take this truck home with me.. .

All the sandwiches so far, have been to die for. The Cuban and the Rachel are my favorites. The folks that work there have a real good attitude, which always helps. Don’t miss this deli, they know how to make a quality product!

Cubano was stellar. Guys in the truck were friendly! Made for a great lunch experience– Go, Now!

Heck of a place to get your sandwich fix.
CUBANO ($ 9): Grilled pressed sandwich containing pork, ham, salami, Swiss, pickles, and mustard. Perfect balance overall; you can taste everything. Grilled to perfection, amazing crunch.
RACHAEL ($ 10): Pastrami, Swiss, cole slaw, spicy 1000 Island on a hoagie roll. The dressing has a mild kick here. Pastrami and cole slaw co-​starred on this one. Nice chewy roll. Would pick Cubano over this, but this is still solid.
Great food, friendly owner, happy panda. (This should be a T-​shirt…)

FOR NON-​MEAT EATERS: DON’T PASS THIS CART BY.
I asked if I could order a sandwich without meat and received a gracious reply of yes. The made-​to-​order sandwich was delicious and generously filled with spinach, grilled onions and mushrooms, melted cheese, tomato and lettuce. Can I say it had good mouth-​feel? A satisfying lunch. Thank you, Monk’s.

Wowza! I LOVE the sandwiches here. My boyfriend had the Racheal, and I got the Steak and they were both delicious. I actually preferred the Racheal more. Pastrami, and cold slaw — perfect blend. Savory seasoned meat, and crunchy fresh veggies. The bread is very fresh and perfect density. It’s tough enough to hold the huge amount of filling, and soft enough to chew. Perfect combination of texture and taste. I’ll be back for sure.
If you’re a sandwich lover, you gotta try this!

There’s a lot to be said for a good cheesesteak. I’ve had one or two in my time, from Jersey, from Philly, from Texas and now from here. It helps when the owner or creator of the cheesesteak has origins in Philadelphia or close by as the guy from Monk’s does. Newark, Delaware. That’s pretty darn close.
Monk’s has been open since September, so it’s relatively new and there are actually several new carts over at Good Food Here. The plan was that the area was going to be turned into apartments so many of the carts up and moved on. It’s not being changed over for at least another year. So a new crop of carts showed up like Indian food, Cajun, Dogs and burgers and Monk’s Cheesesteaks.
There are also a roast pork with broccoli rabe and a Cubano sandwich available. I was gonna have the roast pork but he had too little left today and steered me away from it. No matter, a wiz wit’ grilled onions and tomatoes hit the spot.
DAMN, it was really good. The bread did give a bit but the meat, the wiz, the onions and tomatoes were all great. I even got chips as well, might have been made in house, not sure but they were great as well. Nice crunch and good seasonings.
Great experience, good conversation with Monk and I will make my way back really soon. Go have a steak.
Enjoy.

Speaking of Sandwiches!
I stumbled upon this humble little cart one night whilst wandering Belmont thinking about what would constitute a well balanced meal. I wandered in to one of the sweeter little cart pods in the city, Good Food Here. I love that pod, it’s so quaint!
A SANDWICH?
That’s a no brainer.
I ordered the Portland Steak, which is a Philly with Kale –Duh!
A solid frickin’ sando, man.
They also have all of these exotic San Pelligrino sodas, dude! Like Clementine! And others!
Oh Oh Oh!!! I ordered the tater tots and the guy asked if I wanted them «Loaded»?
He rattled off all the things that are piled up on the loaded tots and it was another no brainer, like a duh moment. They were just the right amount of tots and loadies to compliment the sando, and not over fill my belly.
Go to here, you want to. You know you do. Get the Kale Philly, aka Portland Steak.
Enjoy your Sandwich.
Cheers!

Best Cuban I’ve had in Portland. SO GOOD!
The owner, (nicknamed Monk), is super friendly and the food quality is consistently awesome. I have yet to order a Cheesesteak, but he’s from the Philly area, so I have no doubt it will be amazing.
Monk’s is yet *another* reason this food cart pod is my favorite in town. My mouth is watering now, at 9 AM, thinking about getting a Cubano this weekend.

It was cold, I was hungry, I found myself roaming around the Belmont Food cart pod pondering about the next form of food I was going to devour. Then, I catch out of the corner of my eye one of my favorite words in the Food World… CHEESESTEAK.
I’m glad I stopped here. It totally hit the Spot, it was, in fact, the culinary warm blanket that was essential in my time of need. (I’d Still destroy one of these guys in a Heatwave too.)
Great CheeseSteak: Quality Bread, Excellent Portion of meat, nice balance of cheese.
He’s spooning the Whiz if thats your thing. Im a White American Cheese Guy myself.
The Guy was friendly, prompt, and the price was right!
A Solid Cheese Steak Place in a area of town that is lacking this «Sandwich of the Gods»!
Looking forward to my next visit (Lookout Cubano!!! You’re next on my list!!!)
Highly recommended! Get the word Out!
Here is the kicker! Open Mondays for you people looking for Open Food Carts on the day when most are closed.

This is the second time that I have been to Monk’s. After my first excursion I came back and asked Monk why they weren’t on Unilocal,and he told me he was working on it. Now here we are, face to face!
Round One:
Cubano
I couldn’t even wait to sit down to try this bad boy. Standing at the kitchen counter, the first bite of this sandwich had me humping the air. The second bite nearly left a mess in my pants. Ever since my first Cubano (and a shitty Hooters one at that) it has been in my top 3 sandwiches of all time (along with the Monte Cristo and the Reuben). Monk’s Cubano is IMHO a prime example of this king of sandwiches.
Round Two:
Whiz Wit’
After my experience with the Cubano I again couldn’t make it to the table. The first bite was heaven and it held strong through to the finish. I wish I had as much to say about this sandwich as I did about the Cubano, but when a sandwich is as «no-​frills» as this, it really speaks for itself. Bread, steak, grilled onions, cheez whiz; what else do you need? Do yourself a favor and put this one on your list. I am by no means a connoisseur of cheesesteaks… But this Whiz Wit’ is the s***.
Monk’s is two for two on mouthgasms. Don’t drag your feet.