Trucks making and selling tacos on the street are not new to Los Angeles. Everyone knows that this is the best place to go for a late night snack so cheap, you can have stomach indigestion for less than what it costs for a package of tums. For unknown reasons they are lovingly referred to as "roach coaches".
The latest fad to hit Southern California has taken "taco trucks" to a new level. People realize that it's a lot cheaper to rent a truck, get a permit, and travel all over the city selling food, than to start a restaurant. Since Los Angeles is known for its many neighborhoods, most trucks are on Twitter, telling their loyal fans where they will be located that day and night. This whole thing started with the Kogi BBQ truck, a combination of Korean and Mexican tacos. This truck is the Grand daddy of them all and the wait is usually two hours to be able to purchase a genuine Korean taco. It is actually more of a scene than the others, but you do have to wait at most. Here are a few of the many trucks that are frequenting the streets:
1. Kogi BBQ - the one with the most buzz, serving Korean tacos and burritos to start. They have three trucks and are usually found where the biggest happening is at any time in LA.
2. Fressers - serving hot pastrami and deli favorites. This one even sells fudge.
3. Nomnom - my personal favorite, selling "Banh Mi" or Vietnamese sandwiches for really cheap. Usually you have to go to Westminster for the real thing, but this truck can fulfill the craving.
4. Green Truck - this truck is bio-diesel-fueled and solar-powered serving prepared organic fare.
5. Sprinkles Cupcake Truck - same as the famous Sprinkle cupcakes from Beverly Hills. At four dollars a cupcake, it's not as much a bargain as the other trucks.
6. Barbie's Q - serving pulled pork sandwiches, mac and cheese, grits and baked beans. I had the chicken sandwich and was not impressed. The mac and cheese looked fabulous though.
7. Border Grill - from the owners of Border Grill, the "Hot Tamales” Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger serving mostly tacos which are great, but overpriced compared to the other trucks.
8. Coolhaus - handmade ice cream sandwiches with the best flavors of ice cream ever.
9. Marked5 - Japanese burgers including tofu, deep fried chicken with curry sauce and beef burgers with a fabulous Torakku sauce.
10. Let's Be Frank - not your usual Costco hot dog. These are grass fed dogs with organic condiments, veggie dogs and free-range turkey dogs. Not for everyone.
11. Fish Lips Sushi Truck - who would think you could buy sushi from a truck? Actually they do a good job and the sushi is fresh and cheap. Not as good as my favorite Sushi Bar happy hour menu though.
12. Buttermilk Truck - I kid you not, an actual truck serving French toast, pancakes and waffles. They have biscuit breakfast sandwiches that would put McDonald's to shame. I hear their chicken and waffles are fabulous.
13. South Philly Experience - Never had them so I can't compare to the the real deal in Philly, but I would love to make the comparison. They do have cheese wiz, Amoroso rolls and of course they sell those chemical laden Tastykakes.
14. Grilled Cheese Truck - I saved my favorite for last. If you don't mind standing in line for an hour, this will be the best grilled cheese you ever ate in your life. They have every combination of cheese you could ever imagine, and to top it off, they have a grilled banana, Nutella and marshmallow sandwich.
These trucks are all over Los Angeles, but they seem to be well represented in Santa Monica and Venice. This week, as a new experiment, a vacant car dealership lot was turned into a food truck spot, only to be shut down by the city of Santa Monica. People are really upset because it's an ideal location and as many as seven or eight trucks could be there at once. Once again, the people vs. the City of Santa Monica.
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