When the Source Weekly’s Best of Central Oregon ballot rolls out in the July 4 issue, take note of a change: Westside Taco Co., the repeat winner of Best Food Cart in Redmond many years running, has moved its operations to Bend — er, Tumalo, that is.
Chef/Owner Amber Amos moved her giant black food cart with the signature skeleton logos to The Bite in Tumalo as of early June. Right now, the menu offers the same complement of elevated tacos and unique ingredients as Westside offered in the Hub City, though Amos says she’s rolling out a new summer menu soon. The summer menu will include shrimp and mango ceviche, watermelon salad, street corn and other seasonal treats.
For now, go for the inventive (and delicious) offerings. On our recent visit for this story, we sampled the Blueberry Brisket featuring house-made blueberry chipotle BBQ sauce and shredded beef, as well as the Austin BBQ Chicken featuring the blueberry BBQ sauce, cheddar jack and southern slaw. Oh, and Amos threw in a pork belly taco just for fun.
Most recently, Westside Taco had a stint at General Duffy’s before an abrupt, albeit temporary, move to the American Legion post in Redmond. Now, Amos hopes the move to The Bite food cart lot in Tumalo will be the cart’s “forever home.” All that said, Amos stated on social media that she still hopes to open a brick-and-mortar in Redmond.
Westside Taco Co. is open seven days a week from 11am to 9pm. Other carts currently open at The Bite: Haole, NorthFresh Sushi, Pine Marten Pizza, The Rogue Chef and a shave ice cart.
This article appears in Source Weekly June 13, 2024.
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