Redmond has an abundance of food carts — and food cart pods — these days. Not long ago, Wild Ride was the epicenter of cart culture. But in the past several years, we’ve seen an explosion of places where people can grab a bite, have a seat and, in most places, also have a beer. On a recent weekend, I set out to explore some of those pods and eat my way through them. As I cruised the crunchy gravel of General Duffy’s, Redmond Food Park and the alleyway of Kobold Brewing, one thing was abundantly clear: Redmond, like many other locales, is all about the birria.
It’s been a popular menu item at Mexican restaurants and carts in recent years, but birria’s origins go back to colonial Mexico. When the Spanish brought goats to the Americas, Mexicans in the state of Jalisco began to eat the gamey meat stewed, with plenty of spices. That tradition spread around the country, where eventually, chefs in Tijuana began to use beef instead to make the soupy, rich thing we savor as modern-day birria.
If birria is on the menu, I have a hard time ordering anything else. I love its rich stewiness. And with so many carts offering up their versions, I set out to do a bit of compare and contrast — you know, for journalism.
El Poblanito
The first place on my tour was El Poblanito, a cart located at General Duffy’s. Being my first stop, I made the happy mistake of ordering not just a birria taco, but the blackened salmon one, too. You don’t find salmon tacos at a Mexican cart that often, so I had to try it. The birria taco here wasn’t bland; the first bite offered a “rich oiliness,” which is the best way to describe it. One taco isn’t necessarily enough to fill one up, but this version came with a solid chunk of satisfying beef that could certainly try. The blackened salmon, meanwhile, came with a hearty portion of salmon, perfectly cooked and flavored well with blackened spices and sweetened with a mango salsa.
La Birria Republic
With “birria” in the name, the challenge at La Birria Republic at the Redmond Food Park is deciding into which vessel you should pour the birria. I opted for a single Quesa Taco — a version of birria that melts a healthy dose of cheese with the stewy meat. This version, even with a single taco, came with a little cup of consommé, which is a definite plus. More traditional birria comes served up with some of the broth in which the meat was stewed, and it’s never unwelcome. La Birria Republic’s consommé had a slight taste of cinnamon mixed with a slight spiciness. The meat itself didn’t drip with flavor, but dipping the taco in the broth was a delight.
El Imperio
Two food carts take up the space outside Kobold Brewing, and with one of them being Richard’s Sliders and the other being El Imperio, it would have been tough to choose between them, had I not already eaten three tacos. Determined to stay focused, I ordered only the birria taco at El Imperio — though those sliders won’t long be ignored. The first bite of El Imperio’s version was cilantro-forward, with a slight hint of chile. I opted for the hand-made tortilla — a great choice, as its thicker, doughier countenance held up well to the heft of the birria inside. The red, hot salsa I chose for the taco was a welcome addition, adding a bit more smokiness to the birria.
If you’re in the mood for birria, you don’t have to go far in Redmond to get it. Each of the three I tried offered something delicious, though the addition of the consommé to the one at La Birria Republic made it my favorite on this tour. To be fair, consommé does come with the larger orders at El Poblanito, too. Anywhere you go, however, it’s birria, and that means it’s going to be some good eatin’.
This article appears in the Source October 30, 2025.
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What about the “1/8 Street Patio” at the High Desert Music Hall? Great food at all their carts. I loved the Shrimp quesadilla!!