Ice cream trucks aren’t the only things kids are chasing down the street. With mobile takes on fried chicken, french fries and even doughnut ice cream sandwiches (yes, it’s a thing), food trucks are your next breakfast, lunch and dinner go-to. Hit the streets for these six stalk-able trucks the whole family will love.
photo: Bruges Brothers
Bruges Brothers
If there’s one thing kids fantasize about, it’s french fries as a meal. Operating since 2014, Bruges Brothers fulfills those fry dreams. This Belgian-inspired starch mobile peddles crispy french fries every which way, hand-cut and paired with assorted dipping sauces like English curry, smoked ketchup, chimichurri and horseradish-laced tiger sauce. They’ve also got entree cones like braised oxtail poutine, fish ‘n’ chips, and cheesy, eggy croque madames.
Online: brugesbrothers.com
Twitter: @BrugesBrothers
photo: The Roost
The Roost Carolina Kitchen
The only thing better than chicken tenders are chicken tender tacos. And really, the only thing better than that are chicken tender tacos on wheels. The Roost delivers crispy goodness to hungry Chicagoans clucking for chicken on the go. While the brick-and-mortar iteration of Roost is notoriously jam-packed in Lakeview, the food truck is a good option for a quick fix. Generally roving around the Loop on weekdays, it dishes up herb-seasoned fried chicken, fried chicken sandwiches, biscuits, peach cobbler and — let’s not forget — those chicken tender tacos.
Online: theroostcarolinakitchen.com
Twitter: @TheRoostKitchen
photo: Firecakes
Firecakes Donuts
If your breakfast cravings skew sweet, than follow the scent of fried dough to the Firecakes truck. This mobile outfit of the River North doughnut shop serves the masses via a vintage 1968 Citroen. Expect all the Firecakes favorites on board, such as honey glazed, coconut cream, old-fashioned buttermilk and peanut butter cup, plus seasonal specials like raspberry-blood orange jelly. And just in time for summer, Firecakes has brought back its crowd-pleasing ice cream sandwich doughnuts, wherein homemade vanilla ice cream is stuffed inside glazed doughnuts.
Online: firecakesdonuts.com
Twitter: @FirecakesDonuts
photo: The Eastman Egg Company
The Eastman Egg Company
Egg McWhat? If it’s a killer egg sandwich your kin craves, head to Eastman Egg Company and do not pass “Go.” Or better yet, let Eastman come to you. Featuring locally sourced, sustainable eggs, meats and produce, not to mention locally baked bread from Chicago’s La Farine Bakery, these folks make a mean breakfast sandwich. Try the Doc with a farm egg, thick-cut bacon and white cheddar; or the namesake Eastman heaped with egg, country ham, Egmont cheese, cucumber and house sweet chili sauce.
Online: eastmanegg.com
Twitter: @EastmanEgg
photo: Chicago Pizza Boss
Chicago Pizza Boss
Pizza and Chicago go together like beaches and summer vacay. Which is what makes the Chicago Pizza Boss such an ideal food truck for summertime stalking. A mainstay in the ‘burbs since 2013, the food truck launched in Chicago three years ago to tons of fanfare. Pizza bakes in a wood-fired, mobile brick oven, featuring popular pies like margherita, sausage, pesto, five-cheese and a fiery option called Hellfire’s Kiss. There’s also arancini rice balls and fried pizza puffs called panzerotti.
Online: chicagopizzaboss.com
Twitter: @ChiPizzaBoss
photo: The Nomad Food Company
The Nomad Food Company
Okay, this isn’t truly a food truck, in that it doesn’t rove around the streets tweeting out its locale. But it is mobile. And there is food. In fact, it’s some of the best food you’ll taste this summer. The pizza-focused operation sets up shop at Green City Market every Wednesday and Saturday during the outdoor season (i.e.: now through October), in the heart of Lincoln Park proper. Seeing as this is a farmers’ market spot, you can expect fresh fixins throughout the season, like pizzas topped with morel mushrooms in the spring, or summer squash in the summer. They’re all cooked on thin crust in a mobile wood-fired brick oven, providing a bit of a show as you wait for your meal. The Nomad also makes special appearances throughout Chicago, so be sure and follow them on Twitter to keep up to speed.
Online: facebook.com/thenomadfoodcompany
Twitter: @TheNomadFoodCo
What is your family’s favorite food truck? Shout about it in the Comments!
— Wendy Altschuler & Matt Kirouac
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