Food Trucks in the City- What are the Hits and Misses

[sherry f]

I would love to hear the "Chow takes" on the Hits and Misses in the Food Truck scene in the City.

[RawTunaFan]

My all time favorite is the KORILLA Korean BBQ/Taco truck!

[sugartoof]

souvlaki truck is really worth tracking down, and they'll have a real store soon.

[Pan]

Where does it usually hang out?

[kathryn]

Currently on hiatus:
http://www.souvlakigr.com/

[sugartoof]

Used to be easy to find outside the Chelsea Trader Joe's.

I'm pretty sure I read the brick and mortar locale will be in LES. The souvlaki stix are hard to juggle on the street so this is good news.

[squid kun]

Not sure when it's happening, but here's where ...

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Souvlaki GR
116 Stanton St, New York, NY 10002

[saria]

I have to rep a taco cart. This cart is on 6th Avenue between 28th & 29th. I had a carne enchilada torta which was good, though I missed the beans on it. His carnitas are super-crispy and flavorful (borderline salty). But what really makes me recommend him is all the extras. This guy has special offerings every day. The other day he had pansita and patitas de puerco en salsa verde. It pained me to not get the pig's feet, but as I had already settled on the pansita and a torta, I had to. The pansita was great with a good squeeze of lime. He told me sometimes he'll have mole de pollo, or carne guisada. I look forward to trying his other specials. His stuff is really well-seasoned! Oh, he has no menu, so you have to ask him what he has.
As for El Idolo, it's inconsistent. I've had fantastic carnitas from them, and I've had underseasoned ones as well that were mediocre. Their oreja tacos are usually great, though again, sometimes lacking.

And yeah, in general Queens is better for tacos. The cart I like at Roosevelt and 74th even makes fresh tortillas for their tacos.

[guide boy]

Saria - 6th and 28th truck sounds worth a visit. is it a daytime operation or a nighttime thing?

[saria]

He's there only during the day, don't know how late since I get out of work pretty late at night. I've also never seen him on Sundays. I got some red pozole from him that was meaty and very flavorful the last time I stopped by his cart.

[starvomarvo]

I still love Schnitzel & Things! Misses=La Cense (most tasteless burger of all time), and Picknick (sp?) Smoked, where last summer I was served way undercooked chicken with feathers on it. To their credit they at least refunded my money! Anyone tried Mexicue yet? Looks very interesting...

[sugartoof]

Schnitzel and Things would have been my pick a year ago, but their service is clumsy to the point where it's not worth the bother.

The food is lukewarm after traveling a half a block, they've inched up the prices, they forget the condiment order, they run out of bread for the sandwiches, they erratically substitute their standard menu, and while they're really personable, there's a strange aggression thing they give off that turns me off.

I do appreciate the cupcakes from the Cupcake Stop truck, and Intelligentsia coffee from the Van Leeuwen trucks, all of which seem to be everywhere. Probably just because they get around, and they're always park right where I want them to be.

Oh wait.... the new dollar pizza truck...it's probably my current favorite.

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CupcakeStop
47 W 20th St, New York, NY 10011

[ChiefHDB]

Love the intelligensia coffee from Van Leeuwen. Best iced coffee ever.

[LaLindsayMarie]

I ate at the Bistro Truck yesterday on 5th ave at 16th st. and it was awesome. REALLY inexpensive and the quality of the food was very fresh and well cooked. Highly recommended.

[sugartoof]

It really is a perfectly priced bargain. I wish my lamb there wasn't tough.
Good bread, and good flavors though.

[ChiefHDB]

It's good, but needs hot sauce and they can be stingy with the white sauce.

[Noodle fanatic]

Great post!

Here's the list from the latest Top 25 "Trucks on a Roll" article from NY Magazine. Which ones have you been blown away by and are worth going out of your way for? Which ones are crap?

Link to article here: http://nymag.com/restaurants/cheapeat...

PIZZA/DOGS/BURGERS/SANDWICHES
Go Burger
Frites 'n' Meats
Jiannetto's Pizza
La Cense Beef Burger Truck
Schnitzel & Things
World's Best Sandwich

LATIN
The Brothers L&C Latin Fast Food
Red Hook Trucks (Red Hook

)

TACOS
Super Tacos
El Rey Del Taco (Astoria)
Mini Picanteria El Guayaquileno (Jackson Heights)

ASIAN
NYC Cravings Truck
Rickshaw Dumpling Truck

OTHER SAVORY
Moshe's Falafel
Bistro Truck
Patacon Pisao
Steak Truck
Yvonne Yvonne

SWEETS
Berry Fro Yo
Big Gay Ice Cream Truck
Endless Summer (Williamsburg)
Street Sweets
The Treat Truck
Van Leeuwen
Wafels & Dinges

(List pasted from NY Mag)

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Moshe's Falafel
442 W 45th St, New York, NY 10036

Yvonne Yvonne
301 W 135th St, New York, NY 10030

Rickshaw Dumpling Bar
61 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10010

Jiannetto's
Vanderbilt Ave and E 47th St, New York, NY 10017

Super Tacos
W 14th St and 7th Ave, New York, NY 10011

[LRS]

el rey del taco is good

[iFat]

Hits:
NYC Cravings Truck - twitter.com/nyccravings
Calexico - twitter.com/CalexicoCart

Miss:
Frites 'N Meats

www.immaculateinfatuation.com

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Calexico
125 Prince St, New York, NY 10012

[thew]

good taco trucks:

paty's - 86th and lex
el idolo - 14th and 8th
el rey del sabor - 60th and 3rd (my fave of the 3 i think)
others:
yvonne's jamaican truck 71st (or is it 70th?) and york

dosa truck

many halal carts, not just the 6th ace famous ones

[bookhound]

What is the best thing to order at El Rey Del Sabor?

[thew]

i think the carnitas( or was it the el pastor?) the lingua and the chorizo were all tasty

[princeofpork]

Is the Jamaican truck there on weekend. I am going to be in that hood on Sat and I would love to try it

[thew]

i don't think so. i think only weekdays.

[MVNYC]

Weekdays only unfortunately. It is really good though if you happen to be by there when it is open

[Leah0917]

Love Waffles & Dingas!! Parked on my block every Sunday. Also the Taco truck on 86th & Lex - right outside the dnwtn subway entrace is awesome :)

[steakrules85]

Where is it on Sundays?

[monamiestephanie]

I also love the Waffles and Dinges truck as well as the Dessert Truck!

[daffyduck]

dessert truck is now a store called dt works. it's two doors down from clinton st baking co.

[monamiestephanie]

I've heard, and I definitely will have to pay a visit soon! As of this month, they are also back on the street again as well: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/feast/The-D....

[kathryn]

The truck is back, too, in addition to the brick and mortar storefront.

[Bko]

I thought that the Kwik Meal cart on 45th and 6th was one of the better carts I have been to. I would also want to recommend the halal guys cart on 53rd and 6th if you're looking for something to take home, just watch out for other carts there, since they try to copy them (yellow shirts, etc). Their bags and shirts should have this logo.

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Kwik Meal
45th St and 6th Ave, New York, NY 10036

[LNG212]

I like the doubles from the Trini Paki Boys cart (43rd & 6th). And I like the Wafels & Dinges truck (check their website for location http://www.wafelsanddinges.com/ ). DH likes the tacos and the tostadas (I think) from the taco truck on 96th & Bway (but I've not eaten them).

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Trini Paki Boys
43rd St and 6th Ave, New York, NY 10036

[Pan]

I've passed by the Wafels & Dinges truck a bunch of times on St Marks but have never ordered anything. What have you liked?

[LNG212]

I like the one they make fresh not the one reheated. I think the regular brussels is the fresh one and the reheated one is the liege. To me the brussels is just so light with a bit of crispness on the outside. I've enjoyed it plain with just a dusting of powdered sugar. I've also had the strawberries which were good with it but I think the amount of strawberry they give you would be enough for two waffels! (It was like a compote type thing.)

[MVNYC]

I am not really a dessert person but I have really liked the waffles and dinges truck the couple of times I have been there. I liked both the Brussels and the Leige. I liked that the Brussels is made fresh but I prefer the chewy texture of the Leige but that is purely personal preference. The topping I like is the speculoos (sp?) spread which is a sort of thick sort of caramel spread with spices.

They sell mini Leige waffels if you just want a small sample without getting the whole thing.

[monamiestephanie]

I love the liege, but why not try both? =)

[FattyDumplin]

i just tried the cravings truck this week. decent rendition of pork chop and chicken rice with meat sauce. the dumplings looked blech.

street sweets is decent. nothing "blow me away" good, but a decent stop for a mid-day snack.

frites and meats has AWESOME fries. super crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside and so fragrant.

i'm also a huge fan of hte van leeuwen ice cream truck.

thumbs down to rickshaw

[ExFlexitarian]

Rickshaw Dumpling Truck is awful and overpriced.

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Rickshaw Dumpling Bar
61 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10010

[daffyduck]

ive had pretty good experience with most food trucks. one miss i remember was the toasted curry coconut ice cream? from the big gay ice cream truck. He might call it something else. It tasted like curry potato chips with vanilla ice cream. I've also had bland tacos at the taco truck on 14th street and 8th avenue.
I think my favorite truck is the treats truck, but i have a sweet tooth. the lady is really nice, so if you're ever craving anything just let her know and she'll probably be able to bake it for you.

[foodismylife]

DAFFY
i have to respectfully diasagree re the taco truck.
like the carnitas very much.

[kelea]

I had some on Saturday. Not the best but the hot sauces do help a LOT. i enjoyed my beef and the tongue tacos

[daffyduck]

i've only tried them once and i may have just caught them on a bad day. but i remember thinking that this taco truck was way worse than the trucks in jackson heights. and like kelea i remember i had to drown it in sauce. im sorry i dont remember which taco i tried, but i remember it wasnt exotic like lengua, goat, or an organ meat.

[Miss Needle]

I also have to agree with you about that taco truck. Not that great IMO. Not very flavorful.

I also love Treats Truck. Nothing gourmet or refined, but everything is delicious. My faves are the espresso brownie, butterscotch squares and the caramel sandwich cookies. And the woman (Kim Ima) who owns the truck is such a delight!

[daffyduck]

do you remember which tacos you had that werent good? it's possible maybe the truck excels in just carnitas? i dont remember what i had but i remember the guy took forever with my taco, it's also possible he overcooked the meat? i remember i went there at night not sure if maybe that cook is worse?

[Miss Needle]

I generally tend to order an al pastor and tongue at taco places (b/c they are my favorites). I do remember that they didn't have the tongue so I ordered an al pastor and something else -- could have been carnitas, could have been something else.

On that block on 14th between 8th and 9th, there's a tamale vendor that's there on Sunday around lunchtime that makes some tasty tamales. Masa is moist, and there's a spicy chicken that's different from the other spicy chickens I've had around town. Most chicken tamales I see are in tomatillo sauce, but this one is red chili pepper sauce based. Portions are pretty generous. Compared to other vendors that carry "spicy chicken" tamale, these are spicier. As I'm a bit of a chile pepper fiend, I like it. People who prefer things on the milder side may not.

[JungMann]

I've tried most of El Idolo's menu over the past several years and I have to agree they are not as good as they used to be. Around 4th Street, I skip El Idolo in favor of El Angelo which is only a few blocks away and has far better chorizo and bolillos.

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El Idolo
W 14th St and 8th Ave, New York, NY 10011

[thew]

where is el angelo?

[JungMann]

I ususally find them Thursday - Sunday night on Christopher and 7th Ave S, outside the Uptown 1 station. Very nice Pueblan people with good food.

[Pan]

Where does the Treats Truck hang out?

[kathryn]

Their schedule is here:

http://www.treatstruck.com/

[E Eto]

If you've tried the taco carts/trucks in Jackson Heights, all the ones parked in the popular locations in Manhattan will pretty much suck in comparison (like the Super Taco or El Idolo). That's been my experience. I try a taco from the Manhattan vendors once in a while to check up on them, but they have all been mediocre. I'd like to try any that might be parked in Spanish Harlem, but I don't get to that area often.

The better taco trucks/carts in Queens might include:
Tacos y Quesadiilas Mexico (Roosevelt/61st)
El Picosito (Broadway/55th Ave)
Sabroso Quesadillas y Tacos (fka El Pasito) (Roosevelt/75th)
El Gallo Giro (Roosevelt/74th, whenever they're around)
Los Cuatro Vientos (Roosevelt/66th after 9pm)
Tacos Guichos (Roosevelt/83rd)
Tia Julia (Roosevelt/91st)

There are about a dozen more I need to check out, besides all the brick and mortar places I haven't checked up on for a while.

For Manhattan halal carts, my view hasn't changed much since I posted this:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/3296...
My favorite halal chicken/lamb/rice in NYC is the shawarma/falafel king cart in Astoria (Broadway/30th).

[daffyduck]

thanks for the tips. ive been hanging out in astoria a lot these days so ill definitely hit up the falafel king. have you tried sammy's on 74th st and 37th avenue? he's my favorite, but i havent had chicken and rice for awhilee. from my memory he uses big pieces of dark chicken meat unlike the chopped up chicken used by other carts.

[E Eto]

I don't really care for Sammy's. It's too much of an overload of spices for me that you can't taste anything else. Not piquant spicy, but just a confused mess of spices to me. I really liked the cart that was next to Sammy's (called Khan's), and these days, I've been liking the one on the adjacent corner from Sammy's, though it depends on who's making the food to having a good version to a pretty bad version.