Mobile munchies: The ultimate Vancouver food truck guide

by Megan Jones

Around the world, from Mexico City to Beijing, street food vendors provide quick and delicious meals for diners on the go, and have done for centuries. Thanks to a recent explosion of food trucks in Vancouver – a multicultural city with a relatively young and flourishing culinary scene – visitors and locals can now taste Korean, Japanese, Italian and even Australian street food most days of the week. So, the next time you forget your lunch, consider visiting one of these fine food trucks. [Photo credit: Tourism Vancouver/ Vancouver Foodie Tours Photographer: Nelson Mouellic]

Chickpea Truck: A downtown regular (catch them M-F at 884 W Cordova), this wholesome food truck’s Israeli-inspired vegetarian dishes are the perfect fuel for office workers and shoppers alike. Falafel and pita plates are great for solo meals, while platters of hummus, salad, pickles, and chickpea fries are lovely when shared.

Culver City Salads: This lime green food truck parks from Tuesday through Friday at the corner of Thurlow and West Hastings — but on weekends you may find Granny Smith (as she’s aptly named by owners) at Vancouver Farmers Markets around the city. The specialty is salad, of course, but of the creative sort. Colourful medleys feature healthful ingredients such as avocado, pickled carrot, lentils, quinoa and creamy pumpkin seed dressing. Salads are made fresh everyday, changing in shape, taste and form depending on what’s available locally and sustainably.

Miss Siam: Not for the faint of tongue, this spice-centric food truck provides rare street eats from Thailand’s southern regions. Often located downtown or in Kitsilano, authentic items include a super spicy pad Thai, warm green curry, penang curry, cold salad rolls and more. Hot tip: add a fried egg to any dish for just one buck!

The Aussie Pie Guy: There’s nothing quite like enjoying a warm meat pie on a beach towel or picnic blanket while hanging out with friends at Kits Beach, where this food truck often parks. The Aussie Pie Guy is the only local food truck offering traditional, savory Australian meat and vegetable pies (yum), as well as unusual salads and non-alcoholic drinks.

Fliptop Filipino Fusion: Known as the food truck with the funky designs, this graffiti-adorned street food vendor based in Port Moody offers spicy, meat-laden Filipino foods with an American/Canadian twist. Depending on the day, here you’ll enjoy lip-smacking beef sliders, Fili-Cheesesteaks, barbeque skewers and even homemade pulled pork – plus much, much more.

Holi Masala: Looking for a robust yet healthy lunch? Holi Masal, often found on the corner of Georgia and Seymour, offers Indian-style dishes that are “fused” with homemade masalas, translating to spice mixtures ground into a paste or powder that pack a punch. Flavourful options include butter chicken with chickpea salad, pakora with greens, tandoori wraps and more.

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Learn more about Vancouver’s food truck scene:

• À la carte: Food trucks for serious foodies
• Grilled cheese sandwiches just like Mom used to make
• Chef Meets Truck rolls into Yaletown
• 10 summer food and drink festivals you won’t want to miss
• Get your greens at Culver City Salads 

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C’est ci bon: This food truck’s motto is to “bring French comfort food to the streets of Vancouver,” and locals love it! The specialty here is beef bourguignon, but rotating menu items such as sliders a la Francaise and puff pastries filled with creamy beef gravy are just as good. C’est ci bon moves around often so check their website for updates on their whereabouts.

Mom’s Grilled Cheese Truck: One of Vancouver’s street food standbys for late-night snacking, Mom’s Grilled Cheese serves homemade grilled cheese sandwiches that may remind you of those your mom would make after school (as its name implies). Have yours simple (just cheese, please!) or filled with additional ingredients such as avocado, salmon or roast ham. Accompaniments include comforting soups and salads. You’ll find the beloved food truck at Howe and Robson Street most weekdays.

Community Pizza: Often parked outside 33 Acres Brewing, this decaled food truck is hopping most days of the week with Mount Pleasant tech workers eager for their afternoon ’za fix. Rare for most pizza vendors, Community boasts a real wood fire oven, which means pies here are crispy, juicy and mouth-wateringly good. Pizza types vary depending on the day.

Japadog: With almost as many articles written about it as customers served, JapaDog offers world-famous, Japanese-inspired – wait for it – hot dogs. Hard to picture? Imagine a grilled, meaty and high quality dog laden with ingredients from Japan such as terimayo, oroshi, misomayo and okonomi. It’s guaranteed to delight and surprise. Don’t believe us? See for yourself next time you’re on the corner of Burrard and Smithe.

Roaming Dragon: An easy-to-spot fire-engine-red food truck, Roaming Dragon provides Pan-Asian-fusion dishes such as spicy and sweet short ribs, duck confit quesadillas and Thai Dragon sliders in its Olympic Village location. More strange and wonderful dishes with a twist include cold scallop ceviche and rare beef salad. All bites are ethically and sustainably sourced.

Disco Cheetah Korean Grill: Have you ever had a fusion dish as unusual as a Korean taco? Fans of Disco Cheetah have – and much more, too. Here, fusion-fabulous snacks include a bulgogi beef meatball (also with a vegan option), meat-packed Korean burritos, sweet chili chicken quesadillas, and intriguing rice bowls with always-changing ingredients. East Vancouver locations vary.

YVR Food Fest: You cannot proclaim to be a street food fanatic without visiting Vancouver’s premier food truck festival. During YVR Food Fest, trucks and pop-up eateries mingle with live music, workshops, a cocktail and beer garden, and a friendly competition between vendors, The Street Food Showdown. This young, hip event takes over Olympic Village one weekend in August each year.

Street Food City Festival: Founded in 2017 as part of Dine Out Vancouver, this January food truck celebration allows guests to sample a variety of cuisines in one downtown location. In its inaugural year, this fest took up one entire city block, from Georgia to Smithe on Howe Street, and featured Aussie Pie Guy, Community Pizzeria, Roaming Dragon and Culver City Salads and 20+ more popular trucks.

Whether you’re looking for a quick lunch before heading back to the office, or a meal to share with your friends at the beach, Vancouver’s thriving food truck scene certainly has plenty to offer. And with this list in hand, you’ll find you’re never too far from quality street food.