Even though an upscale meal is nearly impossible to resist while living in New Orleans, we don’t need to go to a fancy restaurant to enjoy top-notch cuisine. Food trucks have recently become a popular phenomenon in New Orleans, which makes this dining option ideal for foodies on-the-go.
With a recent push to rewrite New Orleans’ food truck regulation laws, there’s an ever-increasing amount of mobile kitchens around the city. Innovative chefs are creating a wide variety of meals on wheels for every palate. Here’s a list of the very best that you can catch around town.
1. Food Drunk
As indicated by the truck’s name, Food Drunk is best accompanied by the alcoholic beverage of your choice. Since its debut of the locally-famous King Cake Burger during Mardi Gras 2014, Food Drunk’s notoriety has skyrocketed.
Chef PJ Haines varies the menu’s selection on a daily basis, however you’ll always be able to find “chef-inspired, alcohol-influenced cuisine,” as the words painted on the vehicle state. Most options include Louisiana-based grub and enough grease to satisfy all of your inebriated cravings.
Cuisine: Drunk food
Glimpse of the Menu: The King Cake Burger. It’s an unlikely but perfect combination of salty, sweet, and savory: a brioche bun topped with king cake frosting and sprinkles encase a juicy brisket cheeseburger.
Location: Local festivals, catered events, Tipitina’s, and Tulane Medical Center
Price Range: $5 – $14
2. Frencheeze
Frencheeze’s name combines the two most important facets of what makes this food truck so special: the signature French bulldog logo and the incorporation of cheese into every sandwich.
If you’re a cheese lover, look no further—each of Frencheeze’s sandwiches is crafted with ingredients that exquisitely compliment its specific cheese. You can snag these gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches for less than ten bucks.
Cuisine: Cheesy sandwiches
Glimpse of the Menu: The Gary: goat cheese, grape jelly, and applewood bacon on a brioche bun.
Location: Local festivals, Tulane Medical Center, and the Rusty Nail
Price Range: $6 – $8
3. Dirty Dishes
Dirty Dishes is an up-and-coming food truck in New Orleans that hasn’t had any trouble attracting lines of hungry and eager patrons. Funky takes on Southern soul food are Dirty Dishes’ speciality. BBQ staples, like pulled pork, are often placed on waffles to appropriately satisfy both your savory and sweet tooth.
Cuisine: Creative soul food
Glimpse of the Menu: The Fleurty Dirty: a fleur-de-lis shaped garlic buttered waffle topped in brisket and smothered in crawfish cream sauce.
Location: St. Roch Market, festivals, and Tulane Medical Center
Price Range: $4 – $15
4. Foodie Call
Eric and Paul Theard, the brothers who operate Foodie Call, boast a couple of the most reputable resumes in the chef world. The duo have over two decades of restaurant experience with prominent names such as John Besh, and use this experience to guarantee a fine-dining quality meal with the street food experience.
Cuisine: Worldly dishes with a New Orleans kick
Glimpse of the Menu: A Cajun Quesadilla is served with stewed chicken, sausage, cheddar cheese, green onions, and lime sour cream.
Location: Catered events, The Oschner Clinic, Pearl Wine Co., and The Rusty Nail
Price Range: $3 – $10
5. Taceaux Loceaux
If you’re hanging around Uptown, Taceaux Loceaux is the ultimate go-to spot for gourmet, artisanal tacos at fast-food prices. Next time you have that life-or-death craving for Taco Bell, consider opting for Taceaux Loceaux instead.
Stuffed to the max with funky mixes of ingredients (meat-, veggie-, or tofu-based), these tacos are available to satiate mid-day hunger or late-night drunchies. Additionally, they offer a vegan menu for the herbivores of New Orleans.
Cuisine: Fancy tacos
Glimpse of the Menu: The Jane Deaux is a warm corn tortilla taco filled with seasoned braised greens, potatoes, cotija cheese, cream, spicy salsa, cilantro, and toasted pepitas.
Location: Carondelet Street, Children’s Hospital, 45 Tchoup, Dos Jefes, and Hansen’s Sno-Bliz
Price Range: $5 – $8
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