By: Michael Engle

In previous installments of the Five Dollar Food Challenge, I visited El Aguila and La Isla, two Spanish Harlem outlets that serve authentic Latin comida.  This time, I opted for a completely different experience.  Having recently given Tweat It a whirl, I learned that Desi Food Truck, featuring authentic halal Indian cuisine, was relatively close by in Harlem.  With a “paper Abe” in hand, I made the westward trek to Broadway and 113th in order to meet up with Desi Food Truck.

All of Desi’s offerings are reasonably priced.  While there are several $5 possibilities from this truck, the most expensive menu item–the non-vegetarian combo meal–will only set you back $9, including a soft drink!  Read More

Photo: Carl MiKoy

It is certainly true that technology (not just the iPhone) has changed how we find restaurants, order delivery, and even shop for groceries. But what about street food? Have you ever wondered whether it’s possible to keep tabs on your favorite mobile food vendors?

The answer, especially in New York City, is a resounding “YES!” Because mobile eating and mobile phones go perfectly hand-in-hand, it is quite easy to locate your favorite food trucks. After all, wouldn’t the food truck want to Tweet its temporary location in case of construction? Whether you are a NYC resident, a commuter from Connecticut, Long Island, or New Jersey, or simply a tourist who wants the best meal and New York experience $5 can buy, here are our recommendations to keep NYC’s food trucks under your thumb! Read More

Photo: peter burnham

By: Michael Engle

A prospective state law was recently proposed in the California legislature, where food trucks would be forced to stay at least 1,500 feet from all schools–public and private; elementary, middle, and high–on all school days, from 6a to 6p.  (The San Francisco Financial District was specifically exempted from this law.)  However, instead of approval, this initiative was met with criticism.  San Francisco Chronicle correspondent Rachel Gordon covered this up-and-coming food fight (within the legislature, not the cafeteria) between Assemblyman William Monning (D-Santa Cruz), who wrote the original bill, and San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener.  Wiener worried that Monning’s restrictions would yield unintended consequences, while suggesting that jurisdictions should be able to opt out of this law.

Naturally, a wide geographic restriction would force a constant number of food trucks to compete within decreased space.  San Francisco’s Financial District would likely become more saturated with food trucks, as certain owners would hope to reestablish their businesses without having to be “too close” to a school.  While some food trucks may adapt to this new measure, it is hard to imagine that these businesses would thrive, compared to the current regulations.  Realistically, it is likely that many trucks would withdraw from the “street food” business, given less opportunity to make a profit with constant operating costs. Read More

Photo: Lauren Mitchell

By: Michael Engle

It is often stated that the three most important factors of real estate are as follows: location, location, and location.  In the case of three competing Brooklyn food carts, their recent forced relocations have not only impacted their bottom lines, but their customers’ daily routines as well. Longtime vendors Ikram Hussan and Matthew Ninos blame a third cart owner for recent struggles, which have been largely attributed to the geographic reshuffling.  Simone Weichselbaum recently covered this saga for the New York Daily News.  While Hussan and Ninos would claim that their mandated moves were heavy-handed, they highlight continued prejudices against food trucks.

Food trucks are a staple of New York City culture, and while most debates regarding food carts have been between them and brick-and-mortar restaurants, it’s curious to see food carts fighting among themselves.  Problems arose for Hussan and Ninos when the arrival of a third competitor, Al Madina Falafel Truck,  caused the expulsion of all three carts from their location. Read More

By: Cyndi Amaya

While New York City is known as the capital of fine dining in the United States, it’s equally known for its impressive street food culture. With more Halal food trucks per square mile than any other single city, New York street food does in fact go beyond chicken over rice and “dirty water” hot dogs. On any given day, you can walk around Midtown and find everything from cupcakes to tacos, and dumplings to slushies.

But with so many street food vendors and different kinds of cuisines to try, how do you possibly do them all? And which ones are even worth the walk? Undoubtedly, the capital of sight-seeing tours must also have some solution to this problem. If you can cover most NYC sights from uptown to downtown in one day, why not have a tour based on just food, and not just any food- street food at that. Enter: Urban Oyster, NYC Walking Tours. The company dedicated to unique NY walking tours featuring the Navy Yard, the Craft Beer Crawl, and Immigrant Foodways tours, also has one of the hottest street food tours to date: their Street Food Cart Tour. Read More

Yesterday I went on a city crawl like no other- a Street Food Truck Crawl! I joined MasterCard on their Priceless New York campaign as they begin to offer free lunch every Thursday for the next month in New York City. I got to join them a day before their complimentary food truck lunch kick-off for a food truck crawl of our own. I visited five great food trucks in Midtown along with a couple other food bloggers, Brian Hoffman from Midtown Lunch and Jamilah Lemieux from Frugivore Magazine. Some of my favorite food memories are from trying street food and food trucks around the world, and this food truck crawl was a great way for me to experience different types of food right in my own city. Read More

Want to know how you can score a free lunch every Thursday for the next month? As part of their Priceless New York series, MasterCard is hosting Food Truck Feast in New York City where guests can get a complimentary lunch from a participating food truck by simply tweeting #PricelessNY or liking MasterCard on Facebook. Sound too good to be true? Well it’s true, MasterCard is giving you the chance to try out some of the best food trucks in NYC every Thursday, starting today, until November 17th from 11:00am- 3pm.  Read More

Photo: somethingstartedcrazy

By: Dylan Rodgers

If you’ve been keeping up with your food news, restaurants and food trucks are tangled in a subtly desperate battle for rights and ‘proper’ regulation.  I use the ‘scare quotes’ because at this point in the argument, ‘proper’ seems somewhat relative.  Just to catch you up, here’s the low down: Read More

Photo: Mat McDermott

Get ready to see the coolest (and hottest) ice cream truck you have ever laid eyes on! Solar energy company, Sungevity, just launched the Sungevity Ice Pop Truck to carry across the country free popsicles and news about their Rooftop Revolution. The truck not only passes out free organic ice pops, created by GoodPop, but also information for customers on how easy and affordable it is to bring solar energy into their homes. Read More

Photo: Business Wire

Are you in Boston? Do you want free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream all month long? Now’s your chance.

For the entire month of August, Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Truck will be touring Boston and handing out free ice cream at community events and non-profits centers. The truck will be making a lot of stops on the way, but if you want, you can suggest where it should go next. Read More