At the beginning of September, a new pair of food carts arrived on 52nd and Woodward, located near Franklin High School in the South Tabor neighborhood. In this mini pod is a bubble tea cart, called Bobaholic, and a Mexican cart, named Taqueria Los Jefes.
Bobaholic is a food cart that sells Asian fusion street food, specializing in Taiwanese-style bubble tea drinks and various Asian-style snacks, including popular foods like Korean coin cheese bread and Vietnamese-style crispy rolls. The second cart, Taqueria Los Jefes, is a Mexican food cart with a vast menu of items ranging from fried jalapeños, to empanadas, to quesabirria tacos.
Bobaholic is owned and operated by Van Vu and her family, who also own a Vietnamese pho restaurant on 37th and Hawthorne, No Name Pho. Vu and her family are originally from Beaverton, OR, but have resided in Portland for roughly a year. Vu recalled driving around the South Tabor area and coming across an empty lot for lease next to Modern Provisions, a gift shop near Franklin.
The concept for Bobaholic was drawn up by Vu after seeing the excellent sales of bubble tea at No Name Pho. A customer in the neighborhood suggested the addition of drinks to the menu and after their addition, they became a great success. Sometimes, Vu said, people come just to order bubble tea. So the idea for Bobaholic is to primarily sell drinks, Vu explained. On the menu at Bobaholic are dozens of bubble tea options in a variety of flavors and forms, with many toppings to spice the drinks up, including coconut jellies and popping bubbles.
One of Vu’s recommendations is the Mangonada, a specialty Mexican drink made with mango sorbet and fresh mango slices, topped with chamoy; a sour, sweet, and spicy sauce. Other notable menu items include the sugar cane juice, a sweet drink enjoyed in many cuisines; as well as the taro milk tea, made with real taro root; and the avocado smoothie, another popular Vietnamese delicacy.
While drinks make up the majority of the menu, food options are also available. Vu recommended the crispy chicken, an item she explained was suggested by her son. Moving forward, Vu and the rest of the Bobaholic team have plans to add more items to the menu, drinks and snacks alike, once they gauge what their customers are most interested in.
Sharing the pod with Bobaholic is Mexican food cart, Taqueria Los Jefes, which is owned by Francisco Garcia and run by Abel Garcia. Francisco Garcia also owns a second Taqueria Los Jefes in the Cartlandia food cart pod on 82nd and Harney.
Taqueria Los Jefes has something for everyone. The menu has over 30 items, with tacos, Abel Garcia noted, being the most popular. There are street tacos, fish tacos, taco combination plates, and quesabirria tacos. Additionally, they serve esquites, a Mexican street food that has corn, cheese, lime juice, and chili powder; it’s very similar to elote, however, esquites are enjoyed in a cup, rather than on the cob.
For students at Franklin, this new spot could be an exciting addition to the food options near campus. Other businesses around the school, like The Lot food cart pod on 50th and Division, attract many high school students both during and after school hours. Taqueria Los Jefes and Bobaholic are already well utilized by students, seeing as they are just feet away from the school. As soon as lunchtime at Franklin begins, lines are formed at these new carts.
Both Van and the Garcia brothers said that lunchtime during the week has been their busiest time, but they plan to stay open on weekends, to establish themselves in their new community.
