Food truck lovers, rest assured that Vancouver’s scene is alive and well. Last weekend saw the kick off of our city’s annual Food Cart Fest, currently taking place in South False Creek near the Cambie Street Bridge.
Bothe local media and Yelp Elitists mingled at the large, sunny industrial site where last year’s Cavalia Odysseo was performed.
A couple of dozen food carts are parked in a long semicircle; there’s ample shaded seating, a DJ spinning tunes, table tennis, and a repurposed Astroturf lawn brought up from a football field in Portland, Oregon.
[Feastro’s Dirty Fries]
The lineup at the West 1st entrance started long before the noon opening, the hungry crowd anticipating eats from Aussie Pie Guy, Feastro, The Juice Truck, Kaboom Box, Mogu Japanese Street Eats, Vij’s Railway Express and others.
[Ze Bite’s Ze Moroccan Crepe with chicken and hummus]
[These guys serve up the tastiest burgers and cold-pressed juices around!]
[Kaboom Box poutine]
We sampled from about a half dozen trucks, discovering new favourites Aussie Pie Guy, Johnny’s handmade popsicles, and Jamaica Blue Cold Brew coffee.
Between the smiles, conversations, and bites, we found the event an entertaining way to enjoy a break from a bike along the seawall, with the Dragon Boat Festival races further along the waterfront.
Bike valet makes it easy to bring your bikes over to the Food Cart Fest. As well, the Olympic Canada Line station is a few blocks away, and local busses 50 and 84 stop along West 2nd, so parking hassles can be eliminated.
[Vij’s Railway Express puffed rice and chickpea salad; treats from The Pie Hole]
The area is high-density and bustling with Olympic Village residents, so we’d advise either getting there early enough to park on the south side of West 2nd near Manitoba Street, hop on your bike or take public transit.
The Vancouver Food Cart Fest runs all summer (though August 31), offering eats for all tastebuds on Sundays from noon to 5 pm. Admission is $2 (free for Vancity and Car2Go members, children 13 and under, and by bringing a non-perishable donation to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society). Visit the website for updates.
