Best San Francisco Food Trucks

Just a few years ago could you have imagined ordering Russian blinis out of a red truck? What about an Indian burrito? Or perhaps frozen custard? Up until relatively recently, you’d have to grab a table at a restaurant or place a call for pick up in order to indulge in such culinary curiosities, but thanks to the hugely-popular phenomena of the food truck San Francisco Bay Area diners can literally walk out the front door or down the street to find a meal on wheels. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite food trucks in SF, ranging in style and flavor, that bring a whole new meaning to grab-and-go.

Photo Courtesy of The Chairman

Best San Francisco Food Trucks #2

Curry Up Now

What: Indian

Order: Tikka masala burrito

We love Indian food. It’s so flavorful and has an awesome spiced-up kick to it. It’s just too bad that it’s not more portable. If only there was a way to eat those traditional flavors wrapped up in a convenient bite. Oh, wait … there already is (*cue dramatic music*). Curry Up Now’s creative take on traditional Indian street food morphs all the flavors you know and love—and maybe some new ones you’ve never tried before—with a slight Mexican-ish edge. The food truck wraps up their creations in familiar and accessible ways, such as in a burrito or taco, making a truly one-of-a-kind, Indian-food eating experience. With their mission statement advertised as “bringing happiness to the world through food,” this San Francisco food truck is spreading a whole lot of happy.

You can’t go wrong with any of their burritos, particularly the classic tikka masala, but if you’re feeling a little wild and frisky you may be in the mood for some Naughty Naan—Kulcha naan with cheese, caramelized onions, and shaved jalapeño with your choice of chicken or paneer. Or perhaps you’re lusting after some Sexy Fries—Indian-style “poutine” with sweet potato criss-cut fries, cheese, and a choice of chicken or paneer. Mmm, saucy. And best of all, Curry Up Now is super accommodating for all diets – including gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan. So curry up (hooray for puns) and check out all of this food truck’s San Francisco stops online. curryupnow.com.

Photo Courtesy of El Porteno

​Best San Francisco Food Trucks #4

FK Frozen Custard

What: Frozen custard

Order: Thai tea custard

Touted as the first frozen custard food truck in all of California, FK Frozen Custard began back in 2011 with founder Jason Angeles’ goal to reshape the frozen dessert landscape in the Bay Area, naming his new style of frosty treats West Coast-style frozen custard. While we are not entirely sure what that means, we do know that this SF food truck is frickin’ delicious. FK has practiced some kind of magic to create a rich, creamy, and 100-percent scoopable frozen treat in all kinds of intriguing flavors like matcha white chocolate, salted chocolate peanut butter, ube, black sesame, and (our personal favorite) thai tea.

One decadent bite of this custard and you know you’ve stumbled onto something special. So special in fact that based on their success as a food truck FK opened two brick-and-mortars, further expanding their flavor offerings, and started to make custard bars (think, ice cream bars with tasty stuff on it), which has even been featured on CNN and Travel Channel. Oh, and did we mention they have toppings like toasted marshmallow fluff, cookies, and cornflakes? (You might want to wipe that drool off your chin.) The SF food truck also partners with artisanal purveyors, using local and organic ingredients with loads of flavor, all of which you can check out online. frozenkhusterd.com.

Photo Courtesy of Senor Sisig

​Best San Francisco Food Trucks #6

Kolobok

What: Russian

Order: St. Petersburg blini

Perhaps one of the newer San Francisco food trucks to join this list’s fleet, Kolobok earned a spot in this round up because when, if ever, have you had really good Russian soul food served out of a truck? As the first Russian food truck to hit the scene in the Bay Area, co-founders and chefs Ellen Doren and Bulat Nasybulin felt it was their civic duty to introduce the people of San Francisco to the deliciously-diverse world of Russian soul food. (It’s more than just borscht and cabbage rolls people!).

Focusing first on the blini—a thicker, sturdier, Russian buttermilk crepe—the pair fill up the traditional after-school snack with modern ingredients that have some kind of commonality with old-world Russian flavors, like kale, peppers, and onions, while still adding that California flare with avocado and chipotle sour cream. For classic flavor combos get the St. Petersburg blini. Piled high with smoked Norwegian salmon, green onions, capers, and sour cream, it’s truly a timeless bite. (Psst, you can also order blinis gluten free.) Kolobok also serves more traditional Russian dishes like borscht, piroshkis, braised cabbage rolls, and pelmenis—ridiculously good meat dumplings—all with a modern twist. For example, the borscht is served with short rib for a punch of savory goodness, the cabbage rolls are stuffed with spiced-up turkey and rice, and the pelmenis are accompanied with a jalapeño slaw and adjika—a chili, garlic, coriander, tomato topping. So roll yourself on over to Kolobok and check out their SF stops online. kolobokfood.com.

Photo Courtesy of A16

​Best San Francisco Food Trucks #8

Izzy’s Cheesesteaks

What: American

Order: The Classic

We love a good sammie. Meat, cheese, veggies, and all the accompaniments together on a fluffy cloud of carbohydrates … honestly, what’s not to love? And when that hoagie is kicked up a notch to include seared ribeye and melted cheese toasted up on the flattop before sliding into traditional Amoroso rolls from Philadelphia, you’ve landed on something great. San Francisco food truck Izzy’s Cheesesteak is the Bay’s best bet for a luscious, flavor-packed cheesesteak— outside of Philly—rolling around on four wheels.

Born out of the simple idea of introducing the SF Bay Area to great Philly cheesesteaks, this food truck combines the delicious elements you know and love with a bit of a California twist. Using only the best ingredients (did we mention that Izzy’s uses 100-percent ribeye?) the cheesesteak truck offers the classic ingredients, including beef, provolone, and even Cheez Whiz, before going a little off the rails with their sandwich creations. As a good starting point definitely try The Classic (choice of protein and cheese with grilled onions and sweet and hot peppers) before moving on to something a little more zany like the Loco Moco (a twist on the Hawaiian dish complete with sauteed mushrooms, gravy, and a fried egg on top) or the Bourbon Crunch—drizzled in bourbon sauce and sprinkled with chili cheese-flavored Fritos. Check out where this SF food truck will be stopping next by going online. izzyscheesesteaks.com.

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If you’re digging what we’re dishing up, you might like any number of our culinary experiences. To see and eat at some of the best places in SF check out our San Francisco Food Tours. Happy eating! —Lauren Bonney

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