MidCity SmashBurger
An Oregon food-cart and restaurant chain known for smash burgers and other casual American fare.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
MidCity SmashedBurger, also known as MidCity SmashBurger, is a small Oregon restaurant chain built around the smash-burger format. The business was founded by chef Mike Aldridge in New Orleans in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he sold burgers from a pop-up operation at his home. Aldridge subsequently moved to Portland and relaunched MidCity as a food cart in January 2021, establishing the brand in the city's southeast Buckman neighborhood. The defining technique is the direct pressing of seasoned ground meat onto a hot flat-top grill. This produces thin patties with crisp, browned edges and a strongly seared surface. MidCity's menu extends beyond its core burgers to include vegan burgers, fish sandwiches, chicken nuggets, french fries, and milkshakes. Its burger sauce combines ingredients including mayonnaise and mustard. The overall proposition is casual, relatively affordable food-cart dining centered on a focused burger menu rather than a full-service restaurant experience. The Portland launch gained traction quickly. The business reportedly sold about 1,000 burgers during its first eight days and developed a substantial social-media following, with daily sales reaching as many as 300 burgers. By September 2021, it had sold tens of thousands of burgers. Its reception in local food media was unusually strong for a young food-cart business: reviewers and publications including The Oregonian, Eater Portland, Portland Monthly, and Thrillist highlighted MidCity among Portland's notable new or must-visit food carts and praised the quality or value of its burgers. MidCity's growth has primarily taken the form of relocations and additional food-cart placements rather than a conventional chain of permanent storefronts. A proposed St. Johns brick-and-mortar location was discussed in 2021, with restaurateur Eric Nelson involved in planning a broader menu that was expected to include burgers, hot dogs, and margaritas, but that location did not open. Instead, MidCity added a cart at a pod on North Williams Avenue near Portland's Moda Center. Its original Portland cart later moved to Level Brewing on Sandy Boulevard in the Kerns neighborhood after the business declined an offered space at a nearby food-cart pod. The brand expanded beyond Portland in 2022 with a cart beside Boneyard Beer in Bend. By 2023, the Bend operation had moved to Third Street outside the Waypoint Hotel's Hosmer bar, a venue operated by Aldridge and his brother. In 2024, MidCity announced another Portland-area move, opening at Ship Ahoy Tavern in the Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood on March 27, and also began operating at Binary Brewing in Beaverton. These locations illustrate the brand's reliance on partnerships with breweries, bars, hotels, and food-cart settings. MidCity's visual identity includes a cartoon cheeseburger pointing finger guns, created by Portland artist Mike Bennett. The character, known as Smashy, functions as the brand's mascot and reinforces the informal, locally oriented personality of the business. As reflected in regional food coverage through 2025, MidCity remains positioned as an independent Oregon burger operator with a strong Portland identity, a presence in Central Oregon, and a reputation for affordable smash burgers.
History
Mike Aldridge established MidCity as a burger pop-up in New Orleans in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial operation sold burgers from his porch, allowing the chef to test the concept while conventional restaurant operations were disrupted. After moving to Portland, Oregon, Aldridge relaunched the business in January 2021 as a food cart on Stark Street near Southeast 11th Avenue in the Buckman neighborhood. The Portland launch grew rapidly. MidCity sold approximately 1,000 burgers in its first eight days, developed a strong social-media following, and at its early peak sold as many as 300 burgers per day. By September 2021, the business had sold tens of thousands of burgers. Its core method was the smash-burger technique: ground meat was pressed directly onto a flat-top grill, creating a thin patty with a browned, crisp exterior. The menu also included vegan burgers, fish sandwiches, chicken nuggets, fries, milkshakes, and a sauce based partly on mayonnaise and mustard. In 2021, MidCity explored a permanent St. Johns location in a former bagel-shop space. Aldridge worked with Portland restaurateur Eric Nelson on a proposed menu that would have expanded beyond burgers to hot dogs and margaritas. The St. Johns plan was ultimately abandoned or otherwise did not come to fruition. MidCity instead opened another food cart at a North Williams Avenue pod near the Moda Center. The original Portland cart changed locations in 2022. Aldridge declined a nearby space offered by the food-cart pod Pan y Pueblo, then known as Lil' America, and moved the operation to Level Brewing on Sandy Boulevard in northeast Portland. The location strategy reflected MidCity's broader operating model: placing compact food operations within breweries, bars, hotels, and other established hospitality venues rather than relying exclusively on standalone restaurants. MidCity expanded to Bend in 2022 with a cart beside Boneyard Beer's taproom in the Old Bend neighborhood. By the middle of 2023, that cart had moved to Third Street outside the Waypoint Hotel's Hosmer bar. The bar was operated by Aldridge and his brother, giving the Bend operation a connection to the family's broader hospitality activities. In March 2024, MidCity announced another Portland-area move. A cart opened at Ship Ahoy Tavern in the Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood on March 27. During the same year, the business began operating at Binary Brewing in Beaverton, extending its reach across the Portland metropolitan area. The available sources describe the brand as operating in Portland and Bend, with Beaverton added to its footprint in 2024. Local identity has been reinforced through visual branding. Portland artist Mike Bennett created an illustration of a cheeseburger pointing finger guns for one of the Portland locations. The cartoon burger, named Smashy, became MidCity's mascot. Food critics and local publications repeatedly recognized the brand: The Oregonian described it as a leading Portland smash-burger destination, while Portland Monthly, Thrillist, Eater Portland, KOIN, and Bend Magazine included it in regional burger or restaurant recommendations. Coverage through 2025 emphasized its affordability, strong reception, and place among Portland's notable casual food operators.
- 2024
Portland and Beaverton expansion
[1]MidCity opened at Ship Ahoy Tavern in Portland and began operating at Binary Brewing in Beaverton.
- 2022
Expansion to Bend
[1]The brand opened a cart near Boneyard Beer in Bend, marking its first expansion outside Portland.
- 2021
Portland food-cart relaunch
[1]MidCity reopened in Portland in January as a food cart in Buckman and quickly built a substantial customer and social-media following.
- 2020
New Orleans pop-up founded
[1]Mike Aldridge founded MidCity as a porch-based burger pop-up during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Products and positioning
A locally rooted, casual and relatively affordable Oregon food-cart brand specializing in crisp-edged smash burgers, with supporting American comfort-food items and a playful visual identity.
Burgers · 2021
Smash burgers
MidCity's signature product is the smash burger: ground meat is pressed directly onto a hot flat-top grill, producing thin patties with crisp, browned edges and a pronounced seared flavor. The brand pairs its burgers with a sauce that includes mayonnaise and mustard. The format is designed for fast, casual service from food-cart locations.
Plant-based burgers
Vegan burgers
Vegan burgers extend the brand's core menu to plant-based diners while preserving MidCity's casual burger-cart format. The available reference material identifies vegan burgers as a regular part of the offering but does not specify the exact patty formulation or toppings.
Sandwiches
Fish sandwiches
Fish sandwiches provide a non-beef alternative within MidCity's broader American comfort-food menu. The sources identify the item as part of the brand's offerings but do not provide enough detail to describe a fixed recipe or specific fish variety.
Chicken
Chicken nuggets
Chicken nuggets complement the burger menu with a familiar shareable or quick-service option. They are presented as part of MidCity's wider casual menu, alongside fries and other sides.
Sides
French fries
French fries serve as a standard accompaniment to MidCity's burgers and other handheld items. The supplied sources confirm their availability but do not specify preparation details.
Beverages and desserts
Milkshakes
Milkshakes complete the brand's classic burger-joint menu and reinforce its positioning around accessible American comfort food. Specific flavors and formulations are not identified in the available material.
Brand decisions
2024
Further Portland-area footprint expansionStrategyBackground
MidCity continued to grow through venue-based food-cart placements rather than the previously considered standalone St. Johns restaurant.
Action taken
The brand opened at Ship Ahoy Tavern in Portland and began operating at Binary Brewing in Beaverton.
Aftermath
The expansion broadened MidCity's presence across Portland and its surrounding metropolitan area.
2022
Relocation to a brewery-based Portland siteStrategyBackground
MidCity's original Portland cart needed a new operating location after its initial period in Buckman.
Action taken
The business declined a nearby space offered by Pan y Pueblo and relocated to Level Brewing on Sandy Boulevard in Kerns.
Aftermath
The move reinforced MidCity's model of operating through brewery and hospitality partnerships.
2022
Expansion into BendStrategyBackground
After establishing a following in Portland, MidCity sought a presence in another Oregon food market.
Action taken
Mike Aldridge opened a food cart next to Boneyard Beer's taproom in Bend.
Aftermath
The Bend cart later moved to Third Street outside the Waypoint Hotel's Hosmer bar.
2021
Pursuit of a St. Johns brick-and-mortar locationStrategyBackground
After the Portland food-cart launch gained traction, Mike Aldridge considered converting a former bagel-shop site in St. Johns into a permanent restaurant.
Action taken
Aldridge worked with restaurateur Eric Nelson on a broader proposed menu including burgers, hot dogs, and margaritas.
Aftermath
The St. Johns location did not open; MidCity instead continued its food-cart expansion and added a cart near North Williams Avenue and the Moda Center.
Recent events
- 2024
MidCity opens at Ship Ahoy Tavern in Portland[1]
Other
The brand announced a Belmont-area relocation and opened at Ship Ahoy Tavern in the Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood on March 27.
- 2024
MidCity begins operating at Binary Brewing in Beaverton[1]
Other
The operator added a Beaverton presence through a food-service arrangement at Binary Brewing.
- 2023
MidCity's Bend operation moves to Third Street[1]
Other
The Bend cart relocated from the Boneyard Beer area to a site outside the Waypoint Hotel's Hosmer bar.
- 2022
MidCity opens a Bend food cart[1]
Other
The Portland-based burger operator expanded into Central Oregon with a cart near Boneyard Beer's taproom in Bend.
- 2022
MidCity relocates its original Portland cart to Level Brewing[1]
Other
The original Portland operation moved from its earlier location to Level Brewing on Sandy Boulevard in the Kerns neighborhood.
- 2021
MidCity SmashedBurger launches in Portland after New Orleans pop-up[1]
Other
Founder Mike Aldridge reopened the pandemic-era burger concept as a food cart on Stark Street in Portland's Buckman neighborhood.
- 2021
MidCity discusses a possible St. Johns brick-and-mortar restaurant[1]
Other
Aldridge and restaurateur Eric Nelson explored a larger St. Johns concept with burgers, hot dogs, and margaritas, but the proposed location did not materialize.
- 2021
MidCity expands to a North Williams food-cart pod[1]
Other
Instead of opening the planned St. Johns restaurant, the brand added a cart at a North Williams Avenue pod near the Moda Center.
Sources1 sources
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