Chop Chop Food Pod Is Open in Portland

On Sunday, Chop Chop Food Pod, which we reported on earlier this spring, opened their doors (well, their gates) to the public in outer Southeast Portland. The space is open, clean, and a nice place to be. There are currently two food carts in operation there, with more to come.

I arrived a little after noon and searched for Tina Huynh, my contact there. She was over around the corner in the back of the site with her young son, and Chris, their contractor. I was happy to meet her, shake her hand, and sit down together at one of the many picnic tables there to learn more about the pod.

Some of the picnic table seating at Chop Chop Food Pod. — Seating and umbrellas at the pod.

Current Cart: Ah Huevo Que Si

First, though, I wanted to get some food, which I did at the new Mexican cart there called Ah Huevo Que Si. I ordered a quesabirria taco and a pollo taco, along with what was a pretty major amount of horchata (it reminded me of the epic amounts we’d get a Los Portales in my old neighborhood). I did not get a very good photo of the tacos, but here’s a pic of the quesabirria taco from the cart’s Instagram.

The horchata was very good—light yet creamy—and the tacos were incredibly tasty. The quesabirria taco was a little oily, but no bother—I could wipe my hand on a napkin. The taste was fabulous—deep rich beefy flavors with a bit of brightness to balance it out. The pollo taco was also excellent, with chopped chicken cooked so there was some caramelization a la the Maillard reaction, adding a nice savoriness to it.

The taco came with three salsas, including what I think was an avocado salsa that was fantastic—bright, a little spicy, and total yum.

This is one of two carts that are on the property. The other is King of Philly, offering halal cheesesteaks, hot dogs, fries, and more.

Our Conversation

Tina, Chris, and I talked about a variety of things—frustrating ones that I’ve heard from more than one business owner. Like the slow permitting process in the city (partially due to the layoffs this year at the Bureau of Development Services); overall cost issues; delays of various kinds; negotiating with the property management at the Meadowland Mall.

But also the good stuff—how important a place like this pod is for the neighborhood, including for all those living in the nearby apartments. It’s also located on a major street—Powell Blvd—and intersects at SE 174th, right on the Portland-Gresham border. Parking in the lot adjacent is plentiful. There are businesses nearby, including restaurants, the excellent Oriental Food Value supermarket, and the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, which Tina hopes to connect with.

Through the food cart pod she hopes to not only bring business to their carts, but to encourage activity for the other businesses nearby.

More Carts Are Coming to Chop Chop Food Pod

As I mentioned earlier regarding the carts, there are more coming. In the next couple of weeks,we can expect to see carts offering the following cuisines: Thai and Lao, Indian, Asian fusion, and shawarma & Middle Eastern food.

The Sou’s cart will also open there; it’s already on-site. They are best known for their salt and pepper squid, and were previously at The Fork in Fairview.

And Tina tells me that they are not adverse to having two carts offering food from the same country—but the offerings should be different enough. For example, northern vs southern Thai food, or Oaxacan vs Pueblan food from Mexico. This respects the fact that countries have regional specialties and cultures are not, as is often said, “a monolith.”

Chop Chop Food Pod Is Family-Friendly

Tina also emphasized that they want to encourage a family-friendly atmosphere at Chop Chop. This means that carts will not be selling alcohol. They also are looking at creating dedicated spaces for children. And there are two grassy areas that are great places for kids to play.

Also look for a more extensive covering in the seating area, along with heaters, soon.

Temporary coverings of the seating area at Chop Chop Food Pod. — A more stable form of covering is arriving soon.

One of those aforementioned grassy areas is right by a big wall and they hope to do movie nights on it when it’s warmer. There is also a large wall on the other side of the bathrooms that could accommodate a mural.

Possible mural location. — This wall may be home to a possible mural.

Tina’s Background and Vision for Chop Chop Food Pod

I asked Tina what her background is, and if it has anything to do with food, and she told me that it doesn’t. Her training is as a pharmacist, a job she continues to do while working on the food cart pod. But she is passionate about building community through food, and helping others provide food options that are affordable.

Future plans include painting this wall and showing movies on it. — This wall may become a place to show movies

She really has a vision to serve her local community, creating a kind of “third place” for the people who want and need it in the area. She and her business partners started this process back in 2019, but of course the COVID pandemic interfered. But they persevered, overcame obstacles, and have opened this nice, modern, open food cart pod.

Hours at the Pod

The plan is to have the pod open from 10am to 8pm, at least to start. The carts themselves may have slightly different hours, depending on prep needs. And I imagine it is possible that they will extend the hours during the warmer “food cart season.”

View from the back corner at Chop Chop Food Pod. — Looking at Chop Chop Food Pod from the back corner.

Bonus, at least for me: When I was in the bathroom, the sound system was playing Brian Eno’s “Music for Airports: 1/1,” which really blew me away. Turns out it was playing in the adjacent parking lot, too. Incredible! Simply fantastic.

Big congrats to Tina and her team for opening Chop Chop Food Pod. This is a wonderful amenity for this part of town. I look forward to seeing all the progress there to come.