The Food Truck is officially a national culinary revolution. But, these kitchens-on-wheels have actually been around for generations! Starting with modest push carts in New England, to chuck wagons in Texas, to “roach coaches” on construction sites across the the US. But, it wasn’t until 2007 when Roy Choi of Los Angeles opened the first modern food truck that meals on wheels really took off, providing restaurant quality food on the city streets across America.
Now, Washington, DC is at the forefront of the Food Truck Revolution with nearly 200 licensed food trucks providing every kind of cuisine from Chinese, to Indian, to BBQ, to Mac & Cheese, to ice cream to pizza and literally everything in between. The colorful trucks you’ll find across the city house some truly talented chefs dishing out some truly inspired dishes. Their so good that Business Insider and Huffington Post rate DC as one of the best Food Truck Cities in the country. And now, we even have our own Food “Truck” Boat, parked in the Potomac River!
We get asked all the time, “are those food trucks any good? are they safe to eat out of?” For visitors from out of town, “street food” can seem like a daring culinary expedition. But, our answer is always a resounding “YES!!!!” And we encourage everyone to have lunch at a different food truck everyday. We love them so much, we even created our very own Official Food Truck Bike Tour with the help of the DMV Food Truck Association. The great thing about the DC Food Trucks is that every day they are in a different spot, which means every one of our Food Truck Bike Tours are different. We visit four different food trucks every tour, and dine in the shadows of the White House, Union Station, and the Capitol Building. What could be better?
Enough about us… back to the food! The Food Trucks in DC all offer something different. And its that creative competition that keeps them reinventing their menus and offering more unique dishes. So, we’ve picked out a few of our favorite trucks for you to check out. These are just a few of our favorites (we couldn’t possibly list them all). Give them a try today and let us know which ones you love!
Lemongrass
Lemongrass offer creative Vietnamese dishes with some of the freshest ingredients around. Grab yourself a bubble tea along with a pork or chicken taco and enjoy. The sauce they put on the tacos is unreal!
Dangerously Delicious Pies
A Rock and Roll Pie Shop. Thats the concept behind Rodney Henry’s pie shop that opened in Baltimore and later in Washington, DC just a few years ago. A rock and rollers by night and serious pie slingers by day, the chefs at Dangerously Delicious serve up both savory and sweet pies around the streets of DC as well as in their brick and mortar stores on H Street NE and in Chinatown. Don’t miss their Baltimore Bomb pie featuring a Berger cookie melted into vanilla cheese filling.
Red Hook Lobster Pound
Get a taste of Maine on the streets of DC at Red Hook Lobster Pound! Serving up fresh lobster rolls and delicious Maine Root soda to go, you’ll think you’ve stepped onto the rocky coast of Portland. Lines can be long, but it is definitely worth the wait as Red Hook was ranked as one of the top food trucks in the country by the Daily Meal.
Pepe
What would a DC Food List be without something from Jose Andres? The celebrity chef known for his incredible restaurants like Oyamel, Jaleo, Minibar, and Zaytinya offers a Spanish twist on sandwiches to go with his truck, Pepe. This simple silver truck parks around the city and slings Flautas to the lunch crowd. These Spanish sandwiches feature the freshest ingredients like pork, chicken, and roasted vegetables on his signature bread flutes. Don’t miss the Pepito de Ibérico featuring seared Ibérico pork and Serrano ham with roasted green peppers, caramelized onions and alioli.
Tasty Kabob
Their small army of green trucks swarm the city every day passing out simple, but delicious Halal food. Grab a Gyro or really anything with lamb on it. Throw it over some rice with a little tzatziki on the side and we’re happy. Tasty Kabob is our pick for tasty Middle-Eastern inspired dishes served quickly and cheaply
Hungry for more?
Track where these food trucks and all the others are with the Food Truck Fiesta Tracker or over at theStreats. Looking for the latest news on DC Food Trucks? Check out DC Eater for more. And don’t forget to check out our Food Truck Bike Tour!
