Fremont Garage: Bar and Food Carts Coming To NE Fremont in Portland

After first spying the plans for this food cart pod almost two and a half years ago, Fremont Garage will open Memorial Day weekend. It was great to receive this news earlier this month, and I think this pod will be a really nice addition to the Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood. I has the chance to chat with Daniel Silvey and Tyler Caffall last week to get updated on the project, and here is what I learned.

Daniel is the partner leading this project and he represents DBS Group, the real estate development company behind Fremont Garage. Tyler is Fremont Garage’s general manager. The pod is located on the corner property on the north side of NE Fremont Street and the east side of NE 44th Avenue.

Fremont Garage: What’s in a Name?

In June 2025, Daniel told that they were considering a handful of names for the pod.  “We are looking at ‘Fremont Garage’ but that could change,” he said. Well, that ended up being the winning name. I asked Daniel how he was feeling about this name after all these months had passed. 

“Fremont Garage? Yeah, we’re feeling good about it,” he said. “I like the fact that since it was auto shop before, it just seemed like a natural fit. We worked with the branding group and they made some pretty cool stuff. Our main logo has a tire in it—so yeah, we like it.”

The Fremont Garage Building and the Carts on Site

They’ll have as many as eight carts there outside by a main building that is set back from NE Fremont and NE 44th Ave—kind of in the back corner. That building was the main auto body shop portion that they retained and remodeled. They did, however, tear down a couple of small house-like structures that were near the front of the property, which did not serve the design vision.

About the remaining building, “We basically had to go down to the studs to seismically upgrade it and do a whole bunch of other necessary things,” said Daniel. “But we retained that building and its footprint.” The remodel was pretty intense but it has yielded a nice new, revitalized space.

Inside the building there will be a bar and a kid’s play area, as well as four restrooms. As for seating, there will be some indoors; outdoor seating will be by the building, covered by an awning; and there will be some seating out along the sidewalk. Look also for a gas fire pit, too.

Coffee?

I asked about the coffee area they were contemplating early on, and learned that it is no longer going to be a thing—what was going to be the coffee spot is now the aforementioned kid’s play area. That said, they might have coffee, but it would be a much simplified setup and paired down compared to their original concept.

“We might have a small coffee program in the morning—like literally black coffee,” said Daniel. On the other hand, for your espresso needs, Grand Central is just a block away on the south side of NE Fremont, and Prince Coffee is a couple of blocks away on the north side of Fremont, so there are options nearby when it comes to caffeinating.

Homage to the Predecessor 

‘We really wanted to retain the image and the history of what was there. So, for instance, when you go in there, you’ll see some signs that say ‘Barrett Automotive,'” said Daniel.

They both said the remodeled building is a good mix of modern and clean, while paying homage to its history with auto use. “There are very tall ceilings, it’s very light and bright— it’s turning out great so far,” said Daniel.

“When it was just the garage and I was using the garage as kind of my home base, I’d have so many old timers who would come through and wander around like they knew the place,” explained Tyler. “I’d be like, ‘Hi, can I help you?’ And they’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, you know, I used to come by to get my car fixed here!’ And I’d sit and chat with them for a bit. 

He continued, “There’s one wall that we left up that we haven’t painted. It’s just a concrete wall, but it’s the only visible part left from before. We had to cover up the other walls with sheet rock. I’m excited for the people who know that or see that and can touch it, and have a moment with it.”

He added, “We thought we were going to tear it down for so long, but we ended up having to leave it there because it had the electrical box that we were working our temp power from. And then when it came time, we asked ourselves if we should we tear this down. I think all of us decided, ‘Nah, we’re we’re going to leave this up.'”

Neighborhood Feedback on Fremont Garage

Fremont Garage is a big project and brings noticeable changes to the neighborhood. So how has the neighborhood responded—what kind of feedback has the project gotten?

“It’s incredible!” exclaimed Daniel. “I mean, people reached out with ideas about what carts they want. A local neighborhood paper did a poll on what folks would like to see for food and food carts—and there were over 500 respondents.”

Some neighbors would call them and offer help. “We brought in one of the neighbors who had some experience in the audio space,” said Daniel. “He helped out with the layout of where the speakers are going to go.”

Other neighbors would walk by and tell them how excited they were about the new pod—some had been watching the space for years, anticipating something great moving in. “The excitement of the neighborhoods has been the biggest win, I think, in general,” said Daniel. 

He added, “The biggest negative feedback has been ‘Why aren’t you open yet?!?’ It’s been just incredible. “We are really wanting to be a part of the community,” said Tyler.

Building a Pod This Time

When I talked to Daniel last time, he expressed how excited he was to build the pod, and how it was a different experience compared to the housing he’s worked on over the years. I wanted to get his take on this sentiment, now that Fremont Garage is almost ready to open.

“I mean, it’s just so different,” he explained. “We build all types of housing products—from apartments, to houses, to cottages, to townhouses. And we’ve been doing that for a long time—collectively, between our construction team and as developers. We do have some experience on the retail real estate side, but as far as being a retailer, it’s totally new for us.”

He continued, “It’s cool to build something that breathes and lives in a way that, operationally, is a lot different than what we usually do with houses. I mean, we build them and sell them, and hope that those people enjoy them—but that’s the last part of it for us.”

“I find it interesting, just in the sense that you’re building a house and you’re thinking about how people will live there and how they will be in that space,” explained Tyler. “And you do your best, and hope that they enjoy it. But at some point, you give it to them and they get to make their own choices. And there’s a certain joy in that, and there’s a certain fulfillment in that. 

“But I think there’s another kind of excitement. It’s, in a way, similar to building your own house—except it’s a house that you’re going to invite people over to every day. So you’re kind of trying to think of how you want people to be and feel in this place that you’re building. 

“And so that’s the thing that really excites me. I come from a theater background. It’s kind of like building a show—thinking about how the audience is going to respond, what parts are going to mean something to them. I think that’s the excitement I’ve been getting out of building the restaurant and the space that you know people are going to exist in and hope that they have a good time in.”

As they said, being on the operational side is a much different kind of thing—new, fun, and exciting. That includes certain decisions they have to make, like which audio systems to use, where the TVs are going to be placed, how big is the fridge at the bar.

The Public Plaza Next to Fremont Garage

One of the things I had heard about in this project was the inclusion of a public plaza. And to be honest, what I imagined in my mind’s eye is not what is being suggested and planned for in the real world—it’s much bigger. This is a public plaza that takes up part of NE 44th Avenue itself, about 70 or 80 feet deep, north from Fremont.

It’s more like, say, Concordia Commons than simply a chunk of space on the corner of the Fremont Garage property. It’s a placemaking event.

Stakeholders

As you can imagine, there are multiple stakeholders for a project like this. They did update me that recently the Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Association (BWNA) approved the plaza, and that the Beaumont Business Association was getting ready to vote on it next.

So, although it’s not technically a done deal, they think the chance is pretty good that the public plaza will be approved. In fact, it was the business association that reached out to them originally and said, “Hey, would you be supportive of this?” That concept of “support” would include their assistance in helping to oversee the space, making sure it’s clean and if there are any safety concerns in it. “We were very supportive of it,” said Daniel.

“I think that was part of why the Neighborhood Association and Business Association thought we would be a good natural partner for that space. So, yeah, we’re really excited about that, as well,” remarked Daniel.

After the Approvals

There’s still another part of the process that is somewhat lengthy. When Fremont Garage opens, the plaza will not be in place—the street will be a through-street, as it has been. This summer the road will be blocked off for a few months—likely July, August, and September—for a trial run.

Then it will be removed; the neighborhood specifically wanted to have a trial period for the plaza. Then there will be some discussion about it, and if enough people like the plaza it will return on a permanent basis, likely the following year (so, 2027).

They did mention that drivers tend to use NE 44th Avenue as a kind of cut through and that there has been some speeding down the street, so naturally the plaza would eliminate that, and theoretically make it safer. There are some parking spots that would be eliminated, too—angled parking on the Nectar froyo side, and parallel parking on the Fremont Garage side. This is a topic that is usually fairly fraught, but hopefully not in the most intense way for this project.

Carts and the Goal of No Overlap at Fremont Garage

As I mentioned earlier, they have room for eight carts. At the writing of this article, they have secured some of those carts; some are still in process and not yet under contract, so we will not mention those right now. One thing Daniel and Tyler kept in mind was to not duplicate food offered at restaurants nearby. So, for example, there will be no sushi truck (competes with Momiji next door) and no Thai cart (competes with Sabiang Thai up the street, which—fun fact—Daniel has been going to since high school).

With that in mind, their decision to not have an espresso bar makes sense (competes with Prince Coffee and Grand Central).

“We didn’t want to overlap—we wanted to be a part of Fremont and not push anybody out,” said Tyler. “High tide raises all ships. We set a goal for ourselves to not bring in food that competed with the other businesses.”

He continued, “It was kind of a scary goal to start out with. But so far, we’ve gotten everything that we’ve wanted from that. And, you know, I think the eight new small businesses that are going to be a part of it are going to really complement the neighborhood. I think it’s going to bring a lot of people here.”

Some of the carts you can expect: Wolf’s Head (burgers), Poblano Pepper (Mexican), Best Shawarma (Middle Eastern/SWANA), Namo Buddha Himalayan Cuisine (South Asian).

The Idea of Favorites

More than highlighting specific favorites as far as cuisine, they have a broader POV on that: loving the flexibility and complementary aspects in Fremont Garage—and how pods help give everyone something they like.

“So I’m in my middle-30s and I want to go over there with my kids, who were like five and six, and my parents who are like in their 70s,” explained Daniel. “And everybody gets something they want. I think that, more than just one particular type of food, we want the selection—anybody can go there and get something they want and be happy. Nobody has to feel like they’re missing out.”

Opening Weekend

Friday, May 22 is their grand opening day. As far as specials and such, they are working on that, as there are still things to get done before opening (like finishing up the bathrooms). But expect good food from the carts. They’re also excited about their audio system.

And when they are open, it will be seven days a week from about 11am to 10pm or 11pm, depending on the day and the season. The neighborhood itself is pretty quiet and super late nights are not in the plans. They want to be sensitive to the needs of their immediate neighbors, which is an apartment building.

But there will be a little bit of flexibility, depending on the circumstances. “Obviously, if there’s a good game on, I’m not going to turn the game off and make people go home,” explained Daniel. “Our liquor license lets us stay open late, but it’s not going to be a rager spot.”

Also, the way the OLCC permits work, is that the bar can only be open when the carts are open. So if all of the carts shut down, so does the bar.

Final Thoughts

They are hoping for Fremont Garage to become the heart of this community. “Our whole goal with this is to add something that maybe was missing in this neighborhood,” said Daniel. “And between this and the plaza, we hope that this becomes sort of a town center of the neighborhood.”

Best of luck to Daniel, Tyler, and the rest of the Fremont Garage team as they get ready to open. I, for one, am certainly excited to check it out.

Fremont Garage [opening May 22, 2026]
4403 NE Fremont Street, Portland
Fremont Garage website | Instagram