6 best food trucks in Tokyo

If you’ve had your fill of cheap bento options, upgrade your rice bowl with a visit to Street Farm Kitchen. This food truck offers Thai-style chicken and pork, grilled right in front of you. The meat is marinated in a special, original sauce made from a mixture of Asian spices to give it a flavourful punch. 

You can choose from three options – grilled chicken, grilled pork or roast pork – or order the BBQ Special Set (¥1,000) and get all three.  The meals here come with a bed of jasmine rice, coriander, fish sauce and your choice of chili sauce to drizzle on top.

Where: Varies depending on the day. Check Street Farm Kitchen's Instagram for the latest monthly schedule.

Bonnie and Fried is known for its pitch-black bamboo charcoal burger buns that the shop says have a higher concentration of vitamins compared to your average bun. They’re paired with 100-percent beef patties and an original sauce, made by the owner-chef, who spent more than a decade cooking in Italy.

Get the standard cheeseburger (¥950), which is filled with greens and a slice of American cheese, or if you’re feeling adventurous, go for the Hamburger DC (¥1,100), which is the food truck’s take on a sloppy joe. It has a dollop of housemade dry curry and a fried egg in the burger. All burgers come with a side of fries to complete the meal.

Where: Varies depending on the day. Check the website for the monthly schedule.

Standing right in front of craft beer shop Øl in Shibuya is La Cabina Tokyo with a selection of Mexican street food. Owner Haim serves up some of the city’s best tacos, made with blue corn tortillas, with half a dozen different fillings. First-timers should try the classic carnitas (traditional Mexican shredded pork), deep fried fish with craft beer batter, or the al pastor (grilled pork) topped with pineapple for a tropical kick. You can get two tacos for ¥850, three for ¥1,100 or four for ¥1,300.

The quesadilla (from ¥750) is also a satisfying option, with generous amounts of cheese and your choice of filling, topped with freshly made salsa. Haim says that the ‘soul of the taco is in the sauce’, so naturally, all three types of hot sauce on offer are handmade by the owner himself. The ingredients that aren’t grown locally are sourced from Mexico, so you know the meals here are the real deal.

Where: In front of Øl by Oslo Brewing (37-10 Udagawa, Shibuya)

Mr Chicken serves a range of Asian chicken dishes at its Gotanda and Kita-Shinagawa stores, but offers its most popular item, Singaporean chicken rice, in food trucks around Tokyo. Choose between the classic steamed chicken (¥650) or the roast chicken (¥700), or go for the mixed bento (¥750) if you want to try both. For a larger portion, just ask for more rice (¥50) or get double the amount of chicken (¥150) – the latter is an especially good deal. You can even change up the flavours and customise your meal with extra sauce (chilli or dark soy; ¥50 each) or a soft boiled egg (¥50). 

Where: Varies depending on the day. Check the official website for the weekly schedule.

Balinese food is generally hard to come by around Tokyo, but Manis Pedas offers a range of traditional dishes from its food truck. Fans queue up for the nasi campur (¥700 for small, ¥800 for regular), a plate of white rice with small portions of side dishes including meat skewers, braised pork, pan fried veggies and more. 

One bite of this dish will transport you to the Indonesian island, especially if it’s topped with sambal chili sauce (¥50 each). Add a piece of crispy chicken or an Indonesian corn fritter on the side for ¥50 if you want a little more. The dish sells out fairly quickly, so we recommend visiting earlier during the lunch hours.

Where: Varies depending on the day. Check Manis Pedas's Twitter for the weekly schedule.

For an easy grab-and-go lunch, visit Mika Bánh Mì and pick up a delicious Vietnamese sandwich. Most of the bánh mì here are made with pork, but there is a vegetarian option filled with egg and veggies (¥550). You can’t go wrong with the classic grilled pork bánh mì (¥650), which has pickled greens and coriander, or the special bánh mì (¥800) which also includes ham. 

You can always ask for extra meat (¥150) or top your sandwich with a fried egg. Not a fan of coriander? Don’t worry, you can swap it out with sliced cabbage at no extra cost.

Where: Varies depending on the day. Check the website for the weekly schedule.