The 13 best Boston food trucks

The popular Chicken and Rice Guys cook more than just their namesake dish. The build your own plate style menu offers a base of either rice or salad, to which a choice of meats or tofu, toppings, and a sauce are added. These guys are busy with trucks that are literally all over the map and multiple store fronts, too. You’ll find them in the suburbs and in Cambridge and Boston during weekday lunch times. 

Bon Me is a food truck success story, but despite having multiple Boston area storefronts, these Vietnamese-inspired sandwiches are still trucked around the city. Besides the standard barbecue pork, there’s shiitake mushrooms and grilled chicken or tofu, each wrapped in a thick, crusty baguette and layered with pickled carrots, daikon radishes and spicy mayonnaise. There are also vegan brown rice bowls and sesame soba noodles, plus other eclectic treats.

Another local favorite, Roxy’s maintains its food truck presence around town, in addition to its two storefronts; one in Allston and the other in Harvard Square. You’ll also see it at events and festivals. For all its down home style, Roxy’s grilled cheese sandwiches are gourmet treats filled with the likes of Muenster or brie, not old-school American cheese. 

Dumplings are the dish to devour at this popular food truck. Catch Moyzilla all around the city, and join fans who follow them for Asian comfort food like hand-folded dumplings, Taiwanese beef noodle soup, Japanese fried chicken, japchae, and more. Look out for  mash-ups like jerk chicken dumplings or bacon cheeseburger fried rice balls.

Vegans can party too, and Taco Party has just what you need for a vegan taco fiesta. This colorful spot in Ball Square is popular with the meat-free, but the roaming Taco Party Truck brings the goods to the streets. Grab a quick taco with innovative options such as jackfruit (a pretty good pulled pork substitute), chimichurri tempeh, or cornmeal-crusted mushrooms.

Mei Mei's Double Awesome sandwich is the stuff of legend at its brick and mortar location. Fortunately you can grab one on the go from their truck. The sammy includes pesto, cheddar and two slow-poached-then-fried eggs bookended by two scallion pancakes. You'll also find creative Chinese-American cuisine made with super fresh ingredients.

Though is now maintains a permanent location in Washington Square, Stoked started out as a food truck. Somehow they got a real wood-fired oven onto a truck, and they still bring the goods out to the streets. Get your fix of chewy-crusted classics like pepperoni or sausage. There are even vegan options too.

This MIT alumni-founded Southeast Asian food truck has a fun, build-your-own-meal menu (packed with locally-sourced ingredients). Choose a base of rice, noodles, or salad and layer it with Thai curry, Korean barbecue, or various grilled meats or tofu. Finish with a side of gyoza dumplings or crispy fried rolls. There are lots of options, even a bahn mi-style sandwich. Vegans and vegetarians are well catered for. Watch out for daily specials, too. 

It’s all about the torta at Tenoch. The traditional Mexican pressed sandwich made with Telera (like a thick French roll) is stuffed with meat or veggies then generously topped with Oaxaca cheese, chipotle mayo, onions, avocado and tomatoes. Lines are long at the brick and mortar locations, so if you spot the truck, grab a torta pronto and enjoy.

Bacon lovers chase this bacon-focused truck all over town, and with good reason. A classic BLT gets a kick from roasted garlic bacon mayo, while more creative options include the Hangover (bacon, bacon-scallion hash, cheddar and havarti, and fried egg), and the Pork and Mindy (bacon, braised pork shoulder, avocado, cheddar and havarti, smoky chipotle aioli). Special events bring out eye-catching specials such as deep-fried bacon-wrapped hot dogs. For a sweet finish, try some chocolate bacon truffles, candied bacon, or Nutella-covered bacon. Perhaps most impressive, the truck uses thick-cut, applewood smoked bacon from the Blackstone St. Smokehouse in South Boston. 

Daddy’s Bonetown Burgers is proving a popular mainstay for brewery events and hootenannies. The menu is all about burgers, done up with added bacon and cheese, and served with fries—order truffle fries for a posh touch. The Lemmy Burger, named for the late Motorhead frontman, includes smoked onion crisps and a bourbon BBQ sauce, honoring the musician’s favorite tipple. If it’s all a bit macho-seeming, amongst all this there is the less calorific, black bean and quinoa Simmons Burger.

While it might seem novel to see a taco truck set up shop—or a dream come true, depending on how much you adore tacos—these handy go-to snacks are the definition of street food, so it’s a perfect venue. Plus, there are more than tacos served from Baja’s signature, jolly lime-green truck: popular items include cheesy tostados, generously stuffed burritos, and fresh guacamole and salsa. But, undoubtedly, the fish tacos are the truck’s biggest hit, and the friendly staff are OK if you order up a vegan guacamole taco or burrito, too.