Meals on wheels: Los Angeles food trucks

The great food truck swell of Los Angeles began in 2008 (so they say) when a truck called Kogi rolled out their Korean short rib tacos. Their hit was instant and success long reaching, as others quickly bought trucks to peddle their own creations. Now, on any given day of the week you’ll find 6,000 roving eateries taking to the sunny streets – some fusion, some standard, some flash in the pans (we suspect) with their own take on quick cuisine. In short, it’s not hard to find a meal on wheels in Los Angeles. But for the best roaming dishes around, just follow our guide to LA’s top tried-and-tested food trucks.

Coolhaus

What happens when two self-confessed architecture-nerds meet food? Farchitecture. That is the inspiration for everything that goes into this wildly successful ice cream sandwich company, named for architect Rem Koolhaas and the Bauhaus school. Though Coolhaus now offers everything from ice cream to artisanal marshmallows in five cities, Los Angeles is home to their original sammies: ice cream flavours like Spicy Pineapple & Cilantro or Strawberry Cobbler nestled between every kind of cookie your sweet tooth could desire.

Heirloom Truck

Heirloom LA is one part catering duo, (of classically-trained chefs), and one part roaming food company. But despite their plentiful offerings of delicious seasonal food, one dish stands out: their trademarked (no, really) Lasagna Cupcake. Lasagna for one, if you will, this is a savoury pocket of goodness composed of fresh cheeses and meats like Colorado Lamb, depending on the season.

Kogi

Like Gray’s Papaya to New York, or Pat’s and Geno’s to Philadelphia (we can’t choose), Kogi is to Los Angeles. Who knew that taking a short rib, placing it between homemade corn tortillas and topping it with salsa roja, cilantro-lime-onion relish, chili-soy slaw and a kick of caramelized Korean barbecue sauce could make it such an it-dish? But it is, and if you’re a true foodie then end your visit here for a taste of LA food truck history.

Ricky's Fish Taco's

Serving cooked-to-perfection fish tacos from his colourful food truck, Ricky Piña has become one of LA’s favourite roving chefs. Specialities are the shrimp, lobster, and Baja-style fish tacos, served in soft tortillas and piled high with chopped cabbage and pico de gallo. Check his Twitter page to find out where he’ll be parking up next…

eggslut

What’s in a name? An ode to their signature dish, of course. Cooked and served in a glass jar, the eggslut is a coddled egg on pureed potato topped with chives and grey salt. Similarly delicious are the Fairfax; scrambled eggs, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese and sriracha mayo, or the Gaucho; wagyu tri-tip steak with chimichurri sauce, red onions, rocket and a medium egg, both on fresh brioche buns. Although they’re not technically a food truck nowadays (they’ve moved into a permanent location inside Grand Central Market), these guys are one of the original LA food truck success stories.

Written by Eva Goicochea