These Are The 12 Best Food Trucks In Florida
Like it or not, food trucks are the wave of the culinary future. Sure, you might think that a rolling kitchen with a flip-out window can't possibly serve food worth traveling for, but you'd be dead wrong. Years ago, you may have been right to assume a team of workers slinging burgers and dogs out of a four-wheeled eatery couldn't possibly live up to the expectations of a restaurant, but nowadays, the quality of food truck fare rivals what's being served at some of the top brick and mortar establishments.
The great state of Florida has a plethora of these on-the-go eateries serving the public in the most delicious way possible with a wide variety options that serve up familiar favorites as well as some more adventurous bites. To help you narrow down your decision, we've highlighted some of our top picks. If you're ever travelling through the Sunshine State, make a stop at one of these popular food trucks offering amazing food at an affordable price. You and your wallet won't regret it.
Worldwide Bistro
No one shows up in Miami without wearing their strongest pair of party pants. People arrive ready to hit the bar and club scene so hard their parents will feel the hangovers days after they're finished. But, after the booze has flowed too hard and your legs are weary of performing epic stanky legs all night, you need some food to soak up that blood alcohol content that's coursing through your veins. That's why you need to stop at the Worldwide Bistro before you stumble back home or to your hotel room.
Are you seeking a burger so rich in flavor that you wake up in the morning feeling like the ultimate carnivore? Yes you are, and this mobile delight offers so many options it'll make your head spin. Order up the six-ounce Italian Burger with arugula, mozzarella cheese, caramelized onions, burrata cheese, and pesto mayo for a hearty kick in the mouth. Or, try the Spain Burger with Spanish sausage, roasted peppers, Manchego cheese, and garlic aioli if you want something unique but awesome. They offer a heap of other globe-spanning options as well, including a Venezuela Burger with pork and eggs, and a Greek Burger with feta cheese.
Peru Power Food Truck
When you're hungry and don't know what to eat, the thought of Peruvian food might not enter your mind, but it absolutely should. That's especially true with the Peru Power Food Truck which sets up shop in Orlando.
All the names of dishes are in Spanish, but the descriptions are in English, so you won't have to worry about winging an order and hoping for the best. If you're staring at the Chicharron Sandwich with puzzlement, know it comes with lightly fried marinated pork tenderloin served on a French roll with tartar sauce, creole sauce, and a touch of mint. But what if you're in the mood for something familiar with a twist? Well, the burger here has fried plantains, a fried egg, and thinly fried potato sticks. It doesn't matter what level of Spanish class you reached in high school; these dishes are ready to impress.
Heavy's Food Truck
A heavy meal is usually a night ender. It creeps in like a stomach burglar and puts you to sleep within minutes of the last decadent forkful you stuff into your face. But, when you and your crew are deciding what to eat as a late-night meal in the Tampa Bay area, it'd be a huge mistake to take a glance at Heavy's Food Truck and walk on by without giving it a glance. These wheels are worth your time.
Are you looking for some fried grouper, beef burgundy, or shepherd's pie? What about curried chicken, Swedish meatballs, or crab salad? Surely you'd feel the need to wander around to several places until you gathered all of those culinary wants. But what if there was one single place with such a variety of goodies that you could scoop all of them up in one basket and bring them home with a smile on your face? That's exactly what this food truck is. It's a one-stop shop for so many amazing foods it makes you wonder how they don't put every local supermarket out of business. Ditch the grocery store and head to Heavy's.
Treehouse Truck
As kids, the thought of an awesome man-made multi-roomed treehouse nestled into our dreams. The Treehouse Truck is a foodie homage to the sky high dwellings our young minds thought up, which also happens to serve up yummy delights that we adults love. Burgers, cheesesteaks, and sides, oh my! And this place doesn't just sling regular burgers. They specialize in unique combinations of flavors that are worth writing about. Just take Rachel's Goat Cheese Burger, for example. Start with a beef burger (basic), and then top it with organic greens and tomato (also basic), and then blow everyone's mind with whipped goat cheese drizzled with a thick balsamic glaze (not basic at all!).
Okay, we get it. You don't want meat. Then order the Nada Steak. Grilled mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, whipped goat cheese, and balsamic glaze all come together for a symphony of meatless notes that all work so well together.
The Bearded Chef
If you're seeking amazing food that'll send your taste buds on a wild ride into oblivion, head to the The Bearded Chef in Melbourne, Florida. This food truck rivals the thrills of the Tower of Terror at Disney World only without the terror — and you don't have to stand in an annoyingly long line to experience it.
The truck offers a whole bunch of great stuff like burgers, fried chicken, tacos, and burritos. Snag the Oh, Gouda burger if you're craving a beef and pork-blended patty topped with arbol chili mayo, red cabbage, smoked gouda, pickles, onions, and mushrooms. Or, if you're leaning towards the fried chicken, snag yourself the C.B.R. It's a crispy piece of chicken tossed in a dry ranch seasoning and topped with pickles, crispy onions, and bacon jam barbecue sauce. Plus, they have a kids menu so if you have little ones with you, they too can feel like they played a vital role in the Bearded Chef experience.
Melted Madness
A lot of the best tasting foods in the world are synonymous with the idea of melting — nacho cheese, butter, and chocolate to name a few. But, one food that definitely comes to mind when you hear the "m" word is grilled cheese. Yep, it's hard not to think of that amazingly simple concoction of toasty bread with gooey cheese in the middle that stretches when you pull it apart. This is where the South Florida food truck called Melted Madness comes into play. The Delray Beach destination specializes in grilled cheese sandwiches, and they have enough versions of the comfort food classic to make your head and appetite spin at the same time.
Obviously, when you visit a spot that serves up a slew of grilled cheese options, you're gonna go for a unique combination you've never heard of before (or, at least that's what you should be looking to do). So, how about delving into the Sweet 'N' Spicy Chicken grilled cheese? This thing's got mango-habanero gruyere cheese (yeah, insane) and a sweet-and-spicy sauce that glazes the chicken. Another smart order is Einstein's Breakfast, which comes with a fried egg, cheddar cheese, crisp bacon, and a side of maple syrup so you can get some serious dip action on. The truck also serve plenty of items other than grilled cheese just in case you're not feeling melty that day.
Nutri Truck
When you think of food trucks, the word "healthy" may not come to mind. It makes sense, seeing as many food trucks serve up tacos and burgers, and those are certainly two foods your doctor wouldn't advise you to indulge in often. However, just because most food trucks aren't known for being health conscious doesn't mean they have to be. This is where the Tampa-based Nutri Truck swoops in like a vitamin-filled superhero to save ourselves from the cholesterol and saturated fat villains. If you're in the business of staying healthy but also want a quick bite from an establishment on wheels, this is the spot to hit.
Nutri Truck bills itself as "Tampa's first food truck for healthy, natural, and organic food." Those are three words you would never put in the same sentence as "food truck." However, they do the health kick proud with wraps, detox juices, salads, fresh smoothies, and more. And they don't just serve food from their truck. The employees — many of whom are nutritional experts — will actually sit down with willing customers and help them create diet plans for a well-balanced life routine. Whether you're following a keto, paleo, or vegan diet, this truck has the answers to your questions.
SMAC Food Truck
You can't even begin to think about comfort food without envisioning a hot heaping plate of macaroni and cheese. The queso-laden noodles stares you in the face with that gooey cheesiness that coats your mouth, warms your gut, and puts you in a celestial daze after each bite. What would the world be without mac and cheese? Luckily, we don't have to ponder that question too hard because there's so much of it available to us. Supermarkets have plenty of options to choose from, but they don't compare to the stuff that's being served out of an Orlando food truck called SMAC (the "S" stands for South Carolina where "mac" is a popular side). The people who run this mobile location know exactly how to keep us comfortable with their noodle-and-cheese concoctions.
According to the SMAC website, they're "Florida's first and only gourmet mac & cheese food truck." They were smart enough to monopolize the mac and cheese food truck market because they knew the food would be an instant hit. Forget the Kraft stuff you buy at the store. Here, you can get the Lobster Smac, which is cavatappi pasta topped with chunks of fresh lobster, a sherry drizzle, lemon scented bread crumbs, and, of course, plenty of cheese. Or, kick it with the Jack Smac if you're craving whiskey-infused macaroni and cheese mixed with bacon jam and cornbread bread crumbs. Yeah, these people don't mess around with their mac and cheese, and there are a whole lot more options that prove it.
Taco Bus
Whether you're in Sarasota, Clearwater, Polk City, Tampa, Treasure Island, Lutz, or Plant City, you can snag some scrumptious tacos from your friends at the best named bus in the world. The best part about the Taco Bus is that they don't only serve tacos like their name implies. They offer a slew of Mexican specialties to tickle your appetite's fancy, like tostadas, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, and chimichangas.
Once you settle on the item you want, you also get to pick your protein, and they have a bunch of options to choose from. You can get a torta with chipotle chicken, a burrito stuffed with shrimp if you're feeling like surf over turf, a quesadilla chock-full of marinated pork, a chimichanga teeming with beer-battered grouper, or, if you're trying to go the vegetarian route, a tostada with butternut squash. There is a reason why Taco Bus is a constant fixture on local "best of" lists.
Jimmy's Slider Truck
It's normal to crave a burger. But sometimes you just need a few bites and don't actually want to throw back a massive 12-ounce patty and fill your stomach to its breaking point. That's why it's imperative you visit Jimmy's Slider Truck if you ever find yourself wandering around the St. Petersburg area. If you want a bite-sized patty to quell your hunger, Jimmy has you covered in several different ways.
Now, the menu isn't enormous, but the options they do have are sure to please. If you want something simple, stick with the Plain Jane slider. It's just a beef patty with American cheese. But, if you're the adventurous type, you're in luck. Order up the Bourbon Breath with sweet bourbon bacon, a jalapeno popper, and house-made ketchup. Or, get even wilder with the Korean Castro and enjoy a mini beef patty topped with Cuban citrus slaw and Korean barbecue sauce. They also have a Slider Du Jour (slider of the day) that changes constantly, so make sure to explore that option if everything else doesn't pique your interest. But chances are you won't run into that problem.
Cuban Guys
Cuba is just a stone's throw away from Florida (well, a very strong stone's throw away), so it makes sense that the Sunshine State excels at Cuban cuisine. But, in case you don't have the time to sit and dine at a restaurant, you can simply visit the Cuban Guys food truck and order the same delicious food in a fraction of the time. If you're in Miami, Miramar, Palmetto Bay, or Hialeah, you can harness your inner Cubano and dine like a pro.
For a food truck, Cuban Guys has a very large menu, which means it's nearly impossible to not find something that will satisfy your appetite. If a sandwich is on your mind, they have pulled pork, ham croquette, shredded steak, and of course, the almighty Cuban with roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard. But, if you're thinking outside the bread, you can't go wrong with one of their Cuban bowls. Your choice of protein (pork, chicken, beef, or steak) gets piled on top of a bed of white rice, black beans, sweet plantains, and onions. They also have a breakfast menu to start your day right. Kick your morning off with an omelet sandwich, or go hard with their breakfast platter that contains two eggs, steak, french fries, Cuban toast, and coffee.
JAK's Ohana
Just because Hawaii is a long way from Florida doesn't mean you can't get some authentic Hawaiian cuisine in our country's southernmost state. For those who live in the Tampa Bay area, the stars aligned and the constellations united to bring residents and visitors authentic food from the Aloha State in the form of JAK's Ohana. This popular eatery has all the great eating of the island life in one compact truck, and the owners clearly have a particular goal in mind: feed you great food so you leave a happy customer.
The menu isn't too big, which is nice because all too often you get so overwhelmed with options you have no idea what to order. JAK's Ohana keeps it short but delicious. They offer a pork platter and chicken platter, and each protein is served over jasmine rice with a side of macaroni salad and sweet plantains. But, since you're eating food from an island, you should definitely jump head-first into their poke bowl with sashimi-grade ahi tuna, sesame oil, and scallions. Or try the Spicy Ahi Poke Bombs which are clumps of ahi tuna wrapped in a tofu casing and topped with masago (fish roe). If dumplings are more your thing, they also have both pork and lobster potstickers. Visit JAK's Ohana and have your appetite scream, "Aloha!" to everyone that works there.