Tomato orange soup and hummus boxes at PDX’s T concourse
Flying Elephants sits post-security in Terminal T at Portland International Airport and runs as the grab-and-go branch of Portland’s Elephants Delicatessen. It’s a solid $$ stop with deli-style soups, sandwiches, pastries, and snack boxes built for taking straight to gate C or D. A recent Google review literally calls it their “default before every Alaska flight,” which tracks given Alaska’s traffic out of PDX.
You’ll see both hot and cold cases here, with ready-to-eat items you can grab in under 2–3 minutes if boarding is already on Group C. Yelp reviews flag the tomato orange soup, breakfast sandwiches, and pastries as the closest in flavor to the in-town Elephants locations. The cold case usually carries hummus and veggie boxes, salads, and small deli portions that land around typical airport pricing for a $$ spot.
Hot soup is the move on a rainy Portland morning, and regulars say they ask which soups are currently hot before deciding. Expect simple, deli-style options rather than a full cooked-to-order menu: soup-and-bread, premade sandwiches, and pastry plus Stumptown-level coffee quality per a few Google comments. One Yelp reviewer even says Flying Elephants is the only airport place where they willingly buy hummus and veggie boxes.
Watch out for sell-outs by mid-afternoon; multiple Yelp reviews mention favorites disappearing by 3–4 p.m., which stings if you had your heart set on tomato orange. A few people also call out high prices for the portion size, so think more “quality deli snack” than full sit-down meal. Regulars describe beelining here right after security to stock up before even checking their gate on the PDX monitors.
Quick tip: if you’re flying later in the day, hit Flying Elephants before 1 p.m. for the best shot at soup, breakfast sandwiches, and the better-looking pastries still in the case.