Kargi Gogo

Sigh. I really used to love Kargi Gogo – emphasis on past tense. It was my favorite food truck downtown.
Kargi Gogo used to have all kinds of wonderful dishes, and with the Supra plate you could have them all for about $ 10. The plate include 2 mushroom dumplings (khinkali), a slice cheese bread (khachapuri), a slice of bean bread, a cucumber and tomato salad in a walnut dressing and eggplant rolls. Together all of these dishes had a wonderful balance of flavors and textures. The slice of cheese bread is delicious (khachapuri), but it’s quite rich, which is why the supra plate was such a good idea – there would never be a situation where I want the whole thing.
Now, Kargi Gogo has completely changed their menu. They only have four dishes and I don’t want any of them! They’re all variations of cheese and bread and look obscenely heavy. The beauty of their old menu was the balance, which is now completely missing. The lightest and most inexpensive dish is the khachapuri, which boasts ¹⁄₃ pound of cheese! I don’t think there’s ever a situation where I would eat that much cheese
Please, please bring back your old menu!

On two seperate occassions I’ve circled this food cart pod, looking for something just right for my slightly drunken adventuring. And twice now, I’ve ended up at this cart, salivating over a freshly cooked ball of dough and cheese and meat.
It’s not exactly a complicated food but it satisfies in ways that remind of home-​cooked dinners with the grandparents. These are savory and delicious, gooey cheese and just enoug grease to soak up your micro brews. It’s not for nothing that I stopped at this cart twice based soley off the visual menu and smell, despite so many other great options here. Worth a try.

Absolutely the best cheesy bread I’ve ever had. Crispy, a little greasy, and phenomenal. The rest of their food is very good too but I always come back to the cheese bread. If you like meat, the smoked ham one is awesome as well.

Mmm! This truck was one of the food highlights of my recent trip to Portland. I’ve never had food from Georgia before and I’m so sad that I have to go all the way to Portland if I want to have it again. It was seriously amazing.
My friend and I shared the vegetarian supra plate. The highlights were definitely the mushroom khinkali (steamed mushrooms) and the khachapuri (their famous cheese bread). Everything was deliciously savory. I’ve never had cheese bread like that before. I’m still thinking about it weeks later.
Apparently the day we went was the last day Kargi Gogo will be serving their old menu and were going to switch to one that focuses on the khachapuri. It’s too bad that they won’t have any vegan options anymore (aside from side salads) but it’s understandable for a food truck to want to condense their menu. I don’t know when I’ll get the opportunity to visit Portland again but I do know that whenever I do, I will make a point to check out the new menu!

Had the bread with cheese ($ 7) today. The cheese inside is a plain mozzarella like cheese. It tasted exactly as I imagined and expected… nothinh amazing, but I guess how amazing could bread and cheese be?

An amazing food truck serving traditional street food from Georgia (the country, not the state!) Their khinkali (delicious steamed dumplings with meat or wild mushrooms) and khachapuri (a cheese pastry) are as good as anything you can get in an authentic Georgian restaraunt in Moscow or elsewhere — and what more can you say, really?
Definitely one of the jewels in the Portland food truck scene!

I was very impressed with the gorgeous meat dumplings I got here along with their soft cheesy bread. The dumplings, called khinkali, come with a small knob on top so you can flip the little guys over and slowly suck the juices out before the thing blows up into a wet mess on your shirt. The dough is amazing and I even ate the little knob piece that held it all together, because honestly why not. I have definitely eaten my fair share of dumplings cross culturally — the khinkali are vaguely reminiscent of a pierogi/​pieroshki from Ukranian/​Russian cuisine. This is a very hearty meal and something you definitely might love on a rainy afternoon or to keep you warm throughout the drizzly fall and winter. I’m almost sad they didn’t have a little bit of flavored vodka to let me chase them down with. Will be back repeatedly and probably spend entirely way too much money here!

The Kargi Gogo (Good Girl) serving up some exotic Georgian food. Georgia the country not the state. It’s where Asia meets Russia for people who love maps and travel. I tried a little bit of everything so I ordered the Supra Plate. It had two of the biggest beef dumplings I ever saw. There’s a certain way to devour these huge dumplings. The wonton wrapper was thick, packed with ground meat and spices and you pick it up by the stem and turn it upside down. Then bite into it so you can enjoy the savory juices. The Khachapuri is their speciality Georgian Cheese Bread and that is like a nice welcoming handshake. It’s just warm hello to your taste buds. It also comes with a vegan Village salad which has tomato, cucumber, onion, parsley salad with walnut garlic dressing. It was a bright and sunny salad contrast to the warm and fuzzy huge dumplings and comforting cheese bread. Never had Georgian food before and I’d say yes! Lunch was half Asian and half European :)

First of all, this place closes on Tuesday, in case you’re eager to check it out after hearing it from the locals (just FYI).
As for the food and experience, Kargi Gogo was definitely quite unique, as I’ve never had Russian and Middle Eastern food. The key feature is definitely the Russian style dumplings (mushroom or beef). Think of it as the burlier version of the Chinese steamed soup dumplings, often found in local dim sums. These Russian dumplings have a very savory mushroom filing with a thicker broth, that allows for a less than careful initial bite into the delicate dumpling skin while sucking out the broth. Each dumpling is prepared fresh on every order, which is awesome, except you realize that it’d take about 7 – 9 minutes, which becomes more problematic if your car is on the timer. While unique, my one beef (lol) with the dumplings is that the top portion is very tough and not savory at all.
My GF and I got the supra plate, which contained a wedge of the cheese bread, a wedge of the onion and red bean bread, 3 stuffed eggplant rolls and a salad. I really liked the stuffed eggplant, which was a thin layer of eggplant surrounding some gray… delicious mousse thing. The bread, however, were tough and din’t have much flavor. The salad was less than memorable.
Overall, I was glad to return to this joint after missing it on Tuesday. However, I don”t know if I’ll come back.
Food: 3.5 stars
Price: 3 stars
Uniqueness: 4 stars

This small food cart in the heart of Portland Food Truckland will make you «do a little dance, make a little love, and get down tonight» like a Unilocal foodie turned Go-​Go dancer that just discovered authentic Georgian food. Kargi Gogo serves real food from the country Georgia … in the Caucasus region where Asia meets Europe … and flavor meets history. This is not cuisine from the land of Walking Deadnecks and the Jawja Peach, y’all.
Kargi Gogo serves not just great food, but great and authentic Georgian food items … plus they’re real and they’re spectacular. I’ve now had the chance to sit for an 8-​course «Supra» dinner bonanza hosted by Kargi Gogo (at Holdfast Dining) and visit the food truck at Washington & 9^th Ave. Both meals left me with Georgia on My Mind .,. and my mind on Georgia.
When this little Devil Went Down to Georgia (lookin’ for a soul to steal and whole meal), here’s what I ate.
* Khinkali — Stuffed Georgian Dumplings ($ 7.50)
Triple-​size dumplings (let’s call them plumplings) with a thick ‘n doughy wrapper cradle a juicy blend of Ground Beef & Pork (or go vegetarian with Mushrooms) are the specialty of Kargi Gogo. Grab each one by the little knob, nibble a whole in the base, suck the juices out, and then prepare for a flavor explosion of Black Pepper and Spices. These plumplings are like the hulk version of Xiao Long Bao. … Khinkali smash diet …
* Khachapuri — Georgian Cheese Bread ($ 7)
Creamy and more American-​familiar flavors can be found in this Vegetarian blend of Cheeses inside a think crust … like a Georgian Quesadilla with an exotic twist.
* Lobiani — Bean & Onion Bread ($ 7)
The unique texture and seasoning may not be for everyone, but everyone should try these thin bread pockets with a mix of Red Beans, Caramelized Onions & Georgian Spices.
* Badrijani — Eggplant, Walnut & Garlic Rolls ($ 7)
This Vegan and Gluten Free discovery is like a sushi roll made with Eggplant wrapped around a purée of Walnuts, Garlic, and, yep, more Georgian Spices. You’ve had a lot of food in your life. You’ve never had this. Give it a chance already.
* Village Salad ($ 7)
If you’re totally looking for a little greens then this Vegan and GF bowl of Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Onions, and Parsley drizzled with a Georgian Walnut & Garlic Dressing is the choice to try.
For drinks, I definitely recommend the Georgian Borjomi Mineral Water or the sweet tarragon-​flavored Tarkhuna (Tarhun) Soda. Either is a positive step up from your normal lunch soda.
You can’t really take the Midnight Train to Georgia because Kargi Gogo is only open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., so, take a mid-​day go-​go break and Kargi Gogo … Get in your car, head downtown, and go go go go to Kargi Gogo.

Ordered the Supra Plate, a little bit of everything off their menu. It was delicious. I chose the mushroom dumplings. It fed two of us and we loved everything on our plate. I would order it again the next time.
Maybe try a different dumpling. They are so cool to eat. She explains how to hold them, and take a bite, without spilling out the tasty broth inside. The cheese bread is amazing.
Glad it was open on a Sunday morning at 11 am. We were hungry after touring gods and monsters at the Portland art museum

I got the cheese bread, the dumplings, and the bean bread (lobiani, khinkali, khachapuri).
The dumplings were interesting. Reminded me of bigger/​thicker versions of Chinese Xiao long bao. I didn’t really like the bean bread cuz it was kinda dry but the cheese bread was pretty good.
I have a feeling the owners chose dishes that had some similarity to Western food. Nothing wrong with that, but I would rather have tried something less mainstream.
I don’t regret checking this place out but I’ll probably try other trucks in the future. If you do decide to get something, definitely give their dumplings a try!

I’m always open to trying new things so I decided to try Georgian cuisine from this food truck. Because I wanted to try a little bit of everything, I ordered what they called the Supra Plate which had the following:
1. Khinkali
2. Khachapuri
3. Lobiani
4. Badrijani
5. Village Salad
Of the 5 things, the Khachapuri (the Georgian cheese bread) was my favorite. The other 4 were ok. Nothing really wowed me so I probably wont be going back.

Totally unique and delicious!
I really liked this place because I had no idea what to expect! Their name and their items are all things I haven’t heard of which made it even more intriguing. This happened to be one of the food trucks that I stopped at on my mini food truck tour in Portland, OR and they gave us 2 Khinkalis. They remind me of Asian dumplings super sized. However the filling is unique and would not be found in an Asian dumpling. It was a delicious bite and fills you up because they are so big in portions. The inside had really good flavor in the meat and juices that came out.
But you need to know how to eat this! Like other dumplings it has a tip that is very distinctive and with this dumpling you are actually suppose to hold that tip with your fingers. Almost like holding a popsicle by the stick, you hold the top so the dumpling is upside down as you bite into it. Make sure not to eat the tip first because you will get a mouthful of chewy dough and no meat. This dish is also steaming hot so the tip saves you from burning your fingers. I was with some family members who didn’t hear that part so they ate the tip first and were struggling to eat the dumpling from there. I ate it the correct way so I enjoyed it a lot!
I’ll be back to try more from this truck!

The description (
) says it all, this is street food from the country of Georgia. An amazing review would also be able to comment on how true the food is to it’s Georgian origins. But, this is not going to be that review. This would rather be an account of how a foodie went to Portland to try cart food, and liked this one Georgian food place.
We tried the supra plate as it contained an assortment of everything on offer. There was the Khinkali (dumplings) with meat, which was quite tasty. Khachapuri was a kind of cheese bread, nice and filling but nothing out of the ordinary. Lobiani was another kind of bread, but with a filling of beans and caramelized onions. If I had to choose between Khachapuri and Lobiani, I think I would go for Lobiani. Badrijani is walnut and garlic purée rolled in grilled eggplants. This looks like an innocent sushi, but, is something really novel and unique. The salad is plain cucumbers and tomatoes, but garnished with the same walnut and garlic purée, which adds another dimension to it. Summing it all up, it was a very positive experience, and I found out that walnut-​garlic purée can be mind blowing. Definitely worth revisiting.
One of the problems we had while trying out these food carts was there were no seats around. Sometimes travellers are tired, and want to have a seat while trying out some tasty food. :)

Kargi Gogo means good girl in Georgian. The owners of the food truck lived in Georgia for a few years as U.S. Peace Corps volunteers, and they now share their love for Georgian food with the Portland community. Neat! Like a lot of other Unilocalers, this was my first taste of Georgian food. It was one of the only food trucks open on the very chilly visit to Portland that day, but I’m glad Kargi Gogo was there for me.
After surveying the menu I couldn’t decide so I settled on the Supra plate, which gives you a good taste of everything:
— Khachapuri: cheese bread. oh so cheesy and good
— Lobiani: bean and onion bread. I liked this even more than the cheese bread. simply seasoned but delicious
— Khinkali: meat dumplings. Tasted kind of like a pierogi with a lovely hint of fennel seed
— Badrijani: eggplant, walnut, and garlic rolls. These were DELICIOUS. My plate only came with two but I could’ve eaten a dozen of these easily
— Salad: just your average cucumber and tomato salad, nothing too special
I shared my plate with my boyfriend who tried out another food truck, and both of us were nicely full.
Don’t miss the eggplant rolls or the bean and onion bread!

I’ve never tried the food from country Georgian before. So when I saw the Kargi Gogo, a Georgian food cart in Portland, I was eager to give it a try.
And it was pretty good. In fact, it’s great for $ 7 meal.
I’ve ordered steamed dumpling, both beef and mushroom, and cheese bread. The dumplings were made fresh. I love the juice in the dumplings, hot and delicious. The flavor is kind of spicy because they put lots of black pepper in it, but it’s good for a hot winter day. The cheese bread was pretty good too with melted cheese inside. My son loves it.
The service was very nice. The staff served my food with big smile, and answers all my questions warmly.
I took some pictures and uploaded them to Unilocal

Georgian food — from the country, not the state. Unexpectedly different and delicious.
Their dumplings are great. I particularly love the mushroom ones. Cheese bread is good too, but rich. Normally I’ll get the smaller combo plate with dumplings and cheese bread and I’m a happy gal.
In comparison with the aforementioned items, the rest of their food is a little on the bland side for me, just needing a bit more spice and salt to come close to the savoriness of the dumplings and cheese bread.
Service here is friendly, prices are just fine.

This is a very unique cart, in that it is not the same Indian, Mexican, or Thai place that usually dominates food cart pods. This is street food from the country of Georgia. i wanted to try I cart I hadn’t been to before and this fit the bill. And oh was I happy with my choice.
I got the Supra Plate which samples the entire menu (5 items). Everything was delicious! I highly recommend this cart. Oh and everything is MADE TO ORDER! So you know it’s fresh.

Every time I am in Portland, I try to visit at least one new food cart that I have never tried before. On my recent visit, I decided to try Kargi Gogo which serves Georgian food. No, not the state. The country in Eurasia.
Being a food cart, don’t visit this food cart expecting a wide variety of Georgian cuisine, just a short and sweet selection of the most popular offerings from this country. Four main items and a salad.
You can order items singularly, but to get a taste of everything I would recommend ordering a combo instead. I chose the three item sampler with a side of yogurt garlic sauce ($ 7.50). My choices were the badrijani, khinkali and khachapuri.
Badrijani is a walnut and garlic mixture wrapped in eggplant which I enjoyed. It seemed more like an appetizer item rather than an entrée if you do decide to order it separately.
Then there is the khinkali which are Georgian dumplings with your choice of a beef/​pork or mushroom filling. I chose the meat one. Khinkali is like a cross between a Nepalese momo and a giant size Chinese xiaolongbao. As for how you eat it, it is like the latter in which you are supposed to suck out the juices first from the dumpling. It has got an interesting texture to them that is worth trying. Though I have to say that I prefer eating a xiaolongbao over a khinkali due to the taste.
My favorite of three was the khachapuri which is a Georgian cheese bread. It is shaped a little like a pizza and reminiscent of a cheese quesadilla. This is my favorite because it makes for great on the go food. If I could order only one item, this would be my choice.
If you are looking for a food cart in downtown Portland with some unique eats, Kargi Gogo is a place to check out. Finding Georgian food in the PNW is difficult, so don’t miss out if you have the opportunity.