Photo via Facebook/Cafe Rouge Express
The food truck craze isn't what typically drives people to Central Florida, but that might change sooner rather than later.
Food trucks are thriving in the Orlando area because they appeal to the younger business crowd in a bustling economy and they are also a perfect fit for families who want high-quality cuisine but might not feel comfortable taking their kids into a brick-and-mortar establishment.
Perhaps most importantly, food trucks present a perfect avenue into the hearts (and stomachs) of the diverse population around Florida's I-4 corridor - an area that is increasingly being defined by its utter inability to be defined.
The Daily City Food Truck Bazaar
If you're looking to dive in headfirst instead of dipping in a toe, this is a fantastic place to start. The Daily City hosts a 15-stop-per-month rotating food truck festival with locations around Orlando and the surrounding suburbs - including a few around the resort area in Kissimmee. You'll be able to hit upwards of 20 trucks in a single trip, and if someone can't find something to enjoy here, they might need an emergency taste bud transplant.
READ MORE: Travel Blog of the Day: Behind the Food Carts
Cafe Rouge Express
The flag on the truck may scream British, but the fare is an eclectic mix that includes American fusion, French, Irish, Creole and plenty of anything else they want to cook up including pizza and Peanut Butter Creme Brulee. While it's all good and worth multiple trips, your first stop needs to be centered around the Fish and Chips which are not only authentic, but perhaps the best iteration of the classic dish you'll find on this side of the pond.
French Fry Junction
The best reason to go to a food truck is novelty. It's something many don't experience very often, and the types of foods found in the trucks are usually not found elsewhere in the neighborhoods they roam. French Fry Junction is a perfect example of that novelty as well as the food truck mantra of picking one theme, doing it very well and offering multiple variations on said theme. You like French fries? Great! Now try some of the best French fries around and get them topped with bacon, pulled pork, Japanese steak or simply seasoned. Sure, they have burgers too, but who has room?
900 Degreez Pizza
Their normal place of operations is in Sanford, but they're a regular at food truck events around the area. The truck itself is unlike anything else in the business, as it's a massive 33,000-pound converted container truck with all-glass frontage for a "chef's table" feel. The wood-fired pizza oven cooks an order in 90 seconds, and customers can choose from normal options like the Bianca or Margherita or get crazy with combos like rendered pork, caramelized onions and blue cheese ("Farm to Table") or fingerling potatoes and walnut pesto ("The Hercules Court").
SMAC Food Truck
"SMAC" is both short for South Carolina Mac and Cheese and the onomatopoetic description of what one's lips will do once within smelling distance of this truck. You didn't know you wanted whiskey-infused Mac and Cheese topped with bacon jam and cornbread breadcrumbs but then you read that sentence and suddenly are on your way to Florida. It happens. Embrace it.
Treehouse Truck
Vinnie and Sarah Oliveri are a husband-and-wife team who are not only ridiculously good at what they do, but also surprisingly slender for the amazing and decadent food they create like the "GC Luther" which is a bacon cheeseburger served in between two Krispy Kreme grilled cheese sandwiches. Vinnie, a Philly native, also takes his cheesesteaks very seriously. The bread for those and their roast pork sandwich comes straight from Philly landmark Amoroso Bakery.
READ MORE: 6 Top Chefs Changing the Orlando Food Scene
OverRice FoodTruck
It's Hawaiian/Filipino food meets the southern BBQ meat-and-three concept, and that marriage was made in pork heaven. The Kalua Pig is slow roasted in banana leaves for 10 hours and it's easily one of the top dinners in my extensive pork-a-holic history. I'm also a "sides guy," though, and the fact you get rice, pancit and lumpia (think one of the best egg rolls ever) with every meal makes this truck a must-find.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
