Vancouver's Food Carts

Forget frills, we want fare that’s unadorned and fresh off Vancouver’s new food carts

Streetside fare.

It should be simple and satisfying—think naked, as in authentic and a bit austere. So where to get a naked lunch? Hush asked local foodie Sherman Chan for the goods on the city’s fast-food-on-wheels scene.

First, there was Japadog with its fusion hot dogs. Leave it up to a friendly Japanese immigrant to pioneer the street-food scene in Vancouver. Who would’ve thought seaweed and bonito flakes could replace relish and mustard as condiments? In Richmond, Tenku Bakudanyaki opened up shop with its takoyaki on steroids. Soon after was Fumisen’s hand-rolled sushi cones and Shoryumen’s ramen. It’s interesting to see how people enjoy eating a bowl of ramen standing up… the novelty effect is part of street food’s appeal. Then, last year, the new street eats hit the downtown core.

One of the more successful operations has been Re-up and its fabulous pulled-pork sandwiches. Melt-in-your-mouth meat and a zesty BBQ sauce have drawn a steady line-up at its location in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery. It did really well on 4-20, although I’m sure a “brownie” cart would’ve really rocked it! Fresh Local Wild started off strong with sustainable seafood downtown, but ultimately split into two operations with Kaboom Box taking over the spot on Granville at Robson. Their oyster po’ boy is not to be missed. PanDa Fresh Bakery had a hit with its croissants only to see them morph into Lully’s Sandwich Cart, which serves up monsterous Montreal-smoked-meat sandwiches. Then there’s Eli’s Serious Sausage, at the corner of Beatty and Dunsmuir, serving a must-try German currywurst.

But, due to the limited amount of permits handed out for specific spots, some of the more interesting food carts are actually trucks. The Roaming Dragon literally roams, offering Korean fusion with items like tacos and addictive pork-belly sliders. A spinoff of sorts is the Coma Food Truck, also nomadic with its own version of Korean fusion with burritos and a more traditional Bibimbap. One of the newest joints is actually a venture by La Brasserie, the popular French-fare restaurant on Davie Street. Located on the corner of Georgia and Granville, La Brasserie Street serves just one item: the Brass chicken sandwich. The brined roast-chicken sandwhich, smothered in a rich gravy and topped off with a pile of crispy fried onions, is both messy and tasty.

And there are many more food carts scattered around downtown; I’d go for Poke’m with their grilled “balls” drenched in ethnic sauces. Joining the fray in the coming months are 15 more, from Kiss Kiss Banh Banh to The Juice Truck. You’ll probably catch me first in line at Mom’s Grilled Cheese Truck; I can’t resist a good grilled cheese. Then again, I’ll try them all…


Words | Sherman Chan