For a city that pulsates with as much on-the-go energy as New York, it only makes sense that food trucks have started to rival Gotham’s best brick-and-mortar restaurants.
Once limited to slinging simple fare like burgers and hot dogs, the mobile food renaissance of the past few years has yielded a population of trucks and carts serving up pristine seafood, fresh-fried falafel, and a plethora of other mouthwatering bites (many of their moderately priced plates are also our favorite cheap eats). Whether they still roam the streets or have found the perfect home to park for good, these are the best food trucks in NYC.
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While NYC is undoubtedly a pantheon of global foods and flavors, there are a few dishes that are definitively New York City in their origin. The chopped cheese, which comes from The Bronx but is now ubiquitous in all five boroughs (and beyond), is perhaps the most beloved modern staple of many average New Yorkers’ diets, and the Bodega Truck is here to ensure no one goes without their fill of the rich, meaty and cheesy sandwich.
For years, Kandaswamy Thirukumar was known simply as “the guy who runs the dosa cart at Washington Square Park,” but after more than two decades of serving up the savory South Asian crepes to Village locals and tourists, he’s become cemented in the canon of the city’s mobile food legacy. A longstanding advocate of veganism, every item on Thirukumar’s menu is plant-based and almost unbelievably affordable (and thus accessible to many), with no dish costing more than $9.
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If you’ve never had Tibetan or Nepali food, Mom’s Momos is here to change that. Similar in style to a soup dumpling, momos have a flavor profile that is unique in its blend of spices that pull from the various Asian influences that surround the mountainous region, including achar, sesame, chiles, ginger, cilantro and cumin. While momos are typically known for their hearty meat fillings, Mom’s also offers a vegetarian-friendly option (and everything is Halal, too).
One of the absolute best-kept secrets (though judging by the long lines, the word got out a long time ago) in NYC is Birrialandia in Jackson Heights, where an entire household will eat heartily and happily for less than $50. The tidy menu includes just four items, all of which are a variation of the same things: tortillas and birria, a chili-based beef stew that originated in Mexico, sometimes topped with cheese and/or garnished with onions and cilantro, depending on the dish.
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In a city renown for its delis, Disos manages to not only compete but to do so from the confines of a food truck that’s constantly on the move. The hearty sandwiches are offered in full and half size portions, on your choice of bread, and categorized by bases: prosciutto, salami, Italian meats or veggies. Meat lovers, try the Don Vitone (prosciutto, soppressata, fresh mozzarella, sweet roasted peppers, olive tapenade); vegetarians, go for the Nicky Guns (broccoli rabe, sautéed eggplant, fresh mozzarella, glazed balsamic).
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Boasting “only the finest and most authentic Greek street food, outside of Greece,” King Souvlaki trucks have been bringing fire-roasted Mediterranean flavors to NYC boroughs for over 40 years. If you’re lucky enough to live or work close by, grab one of the fork-dependent fully loaded platters, but if you’re on the move (with no time or place to sit), go for the souvlaki on a stick (pork or chicken).
While Chilo’s isn’t exactly mobile, it stays put in the space behind a bar that sits on the corner of Clifton and Franklin in Bed Stuy, it is literally a food truck, so it definitely qualifies for this list. Grab a frozen margarita on your way out to the truck, then sit back, relax and sip as you wait for your choice of generously laden tacos, tortas and tostadas to be made to order. Real ones know to load up on the avocado crema for dressing and dipping.
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Fares “Freddy” Zeideia is a sort of local celebrity in Astoria, Queens, where he’s been doling out Vendy Award–winning falafel, shawarma and kebabs from his roving truck since the early aughts. While the Manhattan cart and Queens truck continue to operate seprately, his brick-and-mortar restaurant turns out crowd favorites like thinly sliced beef-and-lamb shawarma, as well as an expanded menu of newfangled creations such as daily baked pita bread and a falafel burger with zaatar and tomato.
Often imitated but never replicated, Halal Guys have become a critical component of midtown, often causing a line to form down the block. Order the chicken platter over rice, with plenty of white and hot sauces, or grab a lamb gyro. The food really is that good, so you won't be sorry you waited.
This uber-popular Belgian waffle truck slings warm and toasty square stacked with a slew of sweet toppings like speculoos cookie spread, fresh strawberries, Belgian-style chocolate sauce, and classic maple syrup. Wash them down with a cup of decadent Belgian hot chocolate or custom bold Brooklyn Roasting Company coffee.
Late-night tummy fillers (Philly cheese steak, gyros) and Mexican staples (burritos, quesadillas) are given an artisanal touch at this taco truck—which started as a street cart selling tamales—where handmade corn tortillas are piled with your choice of chorizo, salted beef or chicken, along with cilantro, onions and tomato.
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