Although Missoula, Montana may not be Portland or Austin, they do have a food cart pod that is providing a great space with a festive atmosphere for their community. 

MISSOULA, MT – The atmosphere at the corner of Toole and Scott streets on a recent Tuesday evening is festive, as neighborhood residents catch up while sitting at patio tables and snacking on pizza, tamales and sandwiches. The gathering marks a weekly (sometimes more frequent) event in which families and foodies descend onto the Westside to savor the eclectic offerings of Missoula’s first food “pod.”

Clusters of food carts, otherwise known as pods, have become commonplace in bigger cities like Portland and Austin, but Missoula has only recently caught on to the trend. During the past few years, food carts have increasingly popped up on the Westside. It started when Masala Indian Food and Burns Street Bistro’s mobile Beastro food truck parked outside Draught Works, mostly on weekends. Last year, Clove Cart Pizza Peddlers, Tia’s Tamales and the Family Meal Truck started to set up less than a block away at the corner of Scott and Toole on Tuesdays and other nights.

The result of this pod is a culinary diversity and community gathering spot that speaks to everything we hold dear in Missoula—good food, good beer, good people and a certain amount of good fortune that allowed it all to come together so naturally.

Find the original article at bigskypress.com <here>