4 cities with amazing food truck scenes

Check out the rows of amazing food trucks and carts the next time you’re hungry in Portland. Photo: Flickr

By now, food trucks are a mainstream phenomenon, one igniting cravings countrywide. Offering a tasty reason for a themed vacation, some cities takeportable vittles to new heights.

In Los Angeles, culturally diverse meals on wheels are at every turn. Start with piping hot fried chicken, vinegar slaw and lavender biscuits from LudoTruck. Or, kick things off with a wet burrito and Korean short rib tacos from Kogi BBQ, a taste of New Orleans from Ragin Cajun On Wheels or Los Saigon’s venerable banh mi.

When you find yourself in San Francisco, bao (steamed buns) from The Chairman Truck are a must. Then again, you don’t want to miss the miso-coconut-braised pork belly koJa from KoJa Kitchen, either—it’s slathered with garlic aioli and tucked into a toasted garlic rice bun. Craving tacos? Get your fix with the carne asada and al pastor from El Tonayense Taco Truck.

Not surprisingly, New York boasts an impressive array of roving edibles, too. If you’re vegan, make your first stop The Cinnamon Snail, a go-to for beer-simmered ancho seitan burgers and crème brûlée doughnuts. But if falafel is your thing, hightail it to the Taim Mobile Falafel & Smoothie Truck, an ultra-fresh option for Middle Eastern sammies and lemon-mint dressed Israeli salad.

Not to be overlooked is Portland’s rich food truck and food cart culture. Among the endless options is chicken rice from Nong’s Khao Man Gai, Viking Soul Food’s savory, griddle-baked lefse and Whiffies’ incomparable apple pie.

Tagged: Los Angeles, New York, Portland, San Francisco