The Yard at Montavilla

"The Yard food pod houses around a dozen food carts and a beer-and-wine bar just a few blocks north of Southeast Stark. The morning is Puddletown’s time to shine, with lines forming for classic sandwiches on bagels baked just blocks away. Taqueria El Torito and Gyro Kingdom are lunchtime stars, offering generously packed burritos and crisp falafels tinged with mint respectively. Those seeking late-night sustenance will find terrific deals at Bai Yok Thai, a cart that pre-dated the pod and expert Thai fried rice specialist." - Janey Wong, Nathan Williams

"Shawarma, Philly cheesesteaks, and Portland-brewed beer is coming to a new food cart pod on NE Davis. The Yard at Montavilla, set to open in mid-May, will house up to 17 carts with outdoor covered seating, with six carts already signed on. Brothers Jeffrey and Kevin Dennis, who have a background in real estate development, decided to transform a lot on NE 82nd and Davis once home to a Thai restaurant into a pod. “We’ve been doing real estate development for a while, and there’s a lot of housing development out there. We wanted to do something that would aid the community but provide ongoing income for us,” Jeffrey Dennis says. “I love the food cart pods, I love how they provide 17 businesses with opportunities to succeed. They’re great for the community and the neighborhood.” Currently, the brothers have signed up six carts: Oregon-based cart chainlet Shawarma Express, yet-to-open Philly cheesesteak cart Kings of Steak, current ghost kitchen American Eclectic Burger, to-be-named Mexican and crepe carts, and a beer cart from the co-founder of Scout Beer, Joe St. Martin. Scout, which operates its own pod on SE Division and is opening a new cart on NE Glisan this year, started as a beer cart, so Martin’s cart at the Yard at Montavilla would be a sort of return to its roots. It will operate 12 taps, with some Scout Beers as well as other Portland-area beers; the cart will also stock things like ciders, wine, and, in Martin’s words, “Maybe something fun, like White Claws.”" - Brooke Jackson-Glidden