Food trucks are no longer looked down upon as some sort of vehicular-moveable-dirty kitchen, serving dishes that wouldn’t even earn them a C grade from the Health Department - far from it. Folks are now lining up down the block, all queuing for a dish from one of the many Halal Guys food trucks spanning the city. Some food trucks have better word of mouth reviews than those of actual brick and mortar restaurants, while other trucks have gone off to find their own permanent location and street address, thanks to the huge success they’ve garnered from their days on wheels.
And with the advent of food truck appreciation, comes National Food Truck Day. Now in its third year, NFTD has gathered over 800 vendors to participate in a nationwide celebration of all things food truck-related, taking place on June 29th, 2018.
Here are some of the best New York-based food trucks taking part in the event.
Billing itself as New York’s first authentic Indian food truck, Desi Food Truck serves all manner of delicious, drool-worthy cuisine from the Indian subcontinent. Roll on up to Desi to get your hands on (and mouth around) Kati Rolls, Puri Bhaji (a puffed round flatbread served with vegetables or meat) and Chicken Tikka Masala.
Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream Truck
Van Leeuwen has several brick-and-mortar locations dotted around the city, but you can also now grab their incredible ice cream on the go, thanks to National Food Truck Day. Not only can those with iron stomachs able to handle lactose indulge in some amazing flavors like the classic Sicilian Pistachio, or the slightly more-off-the-beaten-taste-palette-track Black Sesame Ash, but vegans can get their cream on too with a wide selection of dairy-free flavors that include Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter Choc Chip.
Arepas may be the name emblazoned on the side of this food truck, but this Venezuelan vendor also serves Venezuelan hot dogs and rice bowls too. Carnivores and vegetarians alike can abound in what Metro Arepas has to offer. And this food truck is also offering patrons a free arepa for every three social media follows it gets.
Toum is the Lebanese word for the garlic dipping sauce/paste that’s a staple among this cuisine and is also the namesake for this food truck. Toum is a family run enterprise that serves up Lebanese staples such as falafel, hummus, spinach pies, shawarma and babaganouj, among other delicies.
Cheech A’ Cini’s Truckin Trattoria
This Staten Island staple is taking part in National Food Truck Day by serving its incredible Italian street cuisine to the masses. Here you’ll find amazing gourmet Italian treats such as arancini (fried risotto balls), potato croquettes, and their signature food item - pastacini (pasta mixed in an array of cheeses and fried into a ball) as well as a selection of sandwiches and pasta dishes.
Known as being the roaming home of the “Over the Top” Shake - a staggeringly huge milkshake topped with a donut, cream and all manner of confections - Carnivale Donut Bar is offering up its towering drinks, ice cream donut sandwiches and stuffed mini donuts as part of National Food Truck Day.
Try the Funfetti “Over the Top” Shake - a drink that bills itself as a “party in a cup” which is topped with a fruity pebble covered donut. Or maybe the S’Mores Shake is more your speed, which comes adorned with chocolate, graham crackers, marshmallows, and a fire-roasted marshmallow donut on top.
It wouldn’t be a National Food Truck Day without at least one lobster roll vendor taking part, would it? That’s where Angry Archie’s comes in. Angry Archie’s operates out of Jersey City and is taking part in the New York portion of NFTD, serving up its tantalizing menu of Angry Lobster Rolls, Angry Crab Rolls and Angry Chicken Sandwiches. Each dish is prefaced with the suffix “Angry”, apart from the fries; that’s just billed as a side of fries.
Jerkin Chicken has been operating in New York for the last 20 years, serving Jamaican cuisine to all and sundry. Here you’ll get authentic Jamaican cuisine like curry goat, oxtail, and of course the eponymous jerk chicken. And if you buy one meal, you’ll get 50% off the next, as a special National Food Truck Day deal.