Food Trucks: The Fast Food Revolution

Fast food has been the epitome of casual, quick dining for decades in American culture. But in the past 10 years, a new phenomenon has entered the rapid meal landscape: food trucks. Food trucks offer restaurant quality and even gourmet meals, snacks, and drinks at a quick pace to hungry customers. Most trucks are locally owned and operated, and the food trucks found in Lafayette-West Lafayette offer a plethora of cuisine types. The next time you’re thinking about a fast food joint for a meal, check out a few of these local food trucks instead: (please note we are home to 16 local food trucks and this showcases a small portion of what is offered in our area. Visit HomeOfPurdue.com for a full listing!)

Boiler Garden

What they serve: Popular Mediterranean cuisine How to find them: On their website via the BG Truck Locator I discovered this gem at the West Lafayette Farmer’s Market, but this truck can be found all over town. Boiler Garden serves up a few different Mediterranean plates at their food truck, including chicken shawarma and falafel. The chicken shawarma I tried reminded me of a grilled chicken panini, complemented by crunchy, mild peppers and a tangy sauce. You can fill up at this truck for less than $10. Boiler Garden uses their food truck to promote their main operation, a food delivery and catering service. Order online by 2 p.m. and food will be delivered as soon as 5:30 p.m. There are even more great meals to choose from in their delivery service, including chicken tikka masala and homemade hummus.

L Kora

What they serve: Tacos, burritos, tortas, and quesadillas are their specialty How to find them: Find their daily location on Facebook L Kora serves up authentic Mexican cuisine and street food, like the tacos featured above. Traditional street tacos include ingredients like cilantro, onions, and lime wedges, all of which are essential ingredients in L Kora’s tacos. My favorites were the steak and al pastor tacos that came with a side of salsa verde. All meals at L Kora are about $8. This truck was a popular stop at the West Lafayette Farmer’s Market, and it is easy to see why.

Roasted, Toasted & Baked

What they serve: Mac ‘n cheese bowls, sandwiches, wraps and veggie salads How to find them: View their schedule or follow them on Twitter or Instagram Roasted, Toasted, & Baked puts a BBQ spin on almost all of its dishes. A customer favorite is the signature Mac Bowl, a creamy boat of melted cheese over penne noodles. You can order a classic Mac Bowl or one of the custom variations with pulled pork or bacon and ranch dressing. The Mac Bowls run from $3.50-6.50 and the wraps, salads and sandwiches are $5.50-9.50. I fell in love with the Bacon & Ranch Mac Bowl and will be coming back for more. You can find RTB’s menu here.

The Guac Box

What they serve: An American flavor twist on Mexican classics How to find them: Visit their Facebook page for daily updates The Guac Box is offering a fun twist on classic Mexican recipes. Tacos ($3) and street corn ($6) are some of the most popular menu items, which pair nicely with a fruity Jarritos soda. Other dishes run from $4-8. The tacos here include popular American ingredients like queso and marinated chicken, as well as more unique items like pickled red onions and fried shoestring potatoes. I tried the Guac Box Street Corn, a dish inspired by the Mexican street food snack known as elote (corn on the cob with mayo spread, cheese and spices). The Guac Box Street Corn resembles a nacho bowl with homemade tortilla chips, sweet corn, queso fresco, cilantro, home spices and guac sauce. The home fried chips were perfectly salted and crunchy. This is by far my new favorite food truck dish! No matter what kind of quick cuisine you’re craving, you can find it at a food truck near you. Check out all of the Lafayette-West Lafayette mobile specialties at the Home of Purdue website. Myra Rademacher, Purdue University Student, shares this blog.