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Top Five Urban Food Carts

Posted by Janelle Nanos on March 16, 2010
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Use Twitter to find out exactly where these roving restaurants are right now. What’s your favorite urban foot cart?

3565758282_6e6fe16cea.jpg1. Fusion Food

Los Angeles  (Kogi)
Korean-fusion barbecue has a cult following and a mini-fleet of four trucks to satiate demand for its signature short rib tacos with sesame-chili salsa roja and specials like
Korean chicken mole and kimchi. @kogibbq

2. Dessert a la Cart

San Francisco  (The Creme Brulee Man)
Typical of the city’s underground street food scene, this single-specialty pushcart is a small-scale affair. Flavors run from classic vanilla bean to lavender, dark chocolate Grand Marnier, and s’mores, caramelized before your eyes. @cremebruleecart

3. Comfort Food To Go

Seattle  (Skillet Street Food)
Chef-designed, modern American comfort food is locally sourced and made to order out of this converted Airstream. Seasonal menu items may include grass-fed beef burgers with bacon jam and arugula, mac and cheese with cauliflower and duck prosciutto, and golden beet risotto. @skilletstfood

4. Chinese Takeout

New York  (Rickshaw Dumpling Truck)
“Who’s your dumpling?” riddles the slogan emblazoned across the menu, which offers a half dozen dumpling selections like savory Peking duck, wild American shrimp, and chicken and Thai basil. Each flavor is matched with a dipping sauce. The roving extension of the Flatiron restaurant also dishes up hot and cold sides like miso soup or chilled edamame, depending on weather. @rickshawtruck

5. Currying Flavors

Washington, D.C.  (Fojol Bros., pictured, above)
A fake-mustachioed, beturbaned band of Indian food sellers proffers vegetarian and meat entrées over rice, such as cauliflower and potatoes, pumpkin, and chicken curry, plus sweet mango lassipops, served up from a decorated purple truck. @fojolbros

–Linda Burbank, from the April 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler

Photo: brmurray via Flickr. Want more street food photos? Visit our Street Food gallery at NationalGeographic.com

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Comments

  1. Troy Conway
    March 17, 2010, 3:14 am

    These are all awesome vendors. I especially like how the Fojol Bros of Merlindia serve their food— experience is everything!
    I use http://www.roaminghunger.com to find vendors but I think this sums up the top 5 pretty well! (although I might add a few categories…)

  2. Ben Keene
    March 17, 2010, 6:07 pm

    My vote for Dessert a la Cart is the Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream truck in New York. Besides standard flavors like strawberry and vanilla, they’ve got ginger, red currant, and giandujia, a blend of dark chocolate and hazelnut. @VLAIC

  3. Jessie Rushton
    May 12, 2010, 8:53 am

    The desert cart sounds amazing , i wish we had carts like this around Nova Scotia, some of the different foods sound odd but i think it would be cool to try them :)

  4. ToweR
    May 14, 2010, 9:52 am

    I like all the American food! As I found it is so traditional and tasty! So, we can be proud of our cookers. Towe Ryan

  5. free coloring pages
    June 9, 2010, 10:06 pm

    I have tried some of the dishes from the fojo brothers and they are spectacular!

  6. Mike
    July 9, 2010, 7:56 am

    The desert cart sounds amazing , i wish we had carts like this around Nova Scotia, some of the different foods sound government jobs odd but i think it would be cool to try them :)

  7. online writer
    August 7, 2010, 8:54 am

    All the dishes are very tasty.

  8. carol
    August 7, 2010, 8:57 am

    All the dishes are very tasty.
    online writer

  9. Amanda
    September 17, 2010, 4:02 am

    That dessert cart sounds incredible! I gotta check it out the next time I am in SF.

  10. Jogos de Motas
    October 1, 2010, 12:51 pm

    It was another crazy day, so I didn’t have time to go anywhere but right near my office for lunch. Being by 57th & Broadway, there aren’t a lot of good food trucks or carts around here, but the Rickshaw Dumpling Truck parks on 57th St & 8th Ave every Wed (this lunch was yesterday).

  11. jameson
    October 1, 2010, 1:04 pm

    so I didn’t have time to go anywhere but right near my office for lunch. Being by 57th & Broadway, there aren’t a lot of good food trucks or carts around here, but the Rickshaw Dumpling Truck parks on 57th.
    Infosys placement papers

  12. Inchirieri de Masini Aeroport
    October 30, 2010, 2:21 pm

    Thanks for the useful post! I wouldn’t have gotten this by myself!

  13. Inchirieri de Masini Baneasa
    October 30, 2010, 8:35 pm

    It helped me with ocean of knowledge so I really believe you will do much better in the future I appreciate everything you have added to my knowledge base.Admiring the time and effort you put into your blog and detailed information you offer!

  14. Amber Green
    November 22, 2010, 8:03 am

    As a veggie, and having been there myself, I can attest for number 5! Simple amazing food, and the Fojol Bros lassipops are quite something!
    I’d love to see more veggie options in this top 5 list :)
    Amber
    at Vegan Diets

  15. xenki
    January 7, 2011, 10:46 pm

    this is so cool at least just the design is worth a lot

  16. dissertations
    January 17, 2011, 4:49 am

    Chinese takeout food is famous for it’s great taste and spicyness!I am loving it, in New york you can fin it everywhere, almost on each corner))