Mobile meals: 5 of Boulder’s finest food trucks

Boulder, like many cities that consider themselves “hip” and “with it,” is all about that food truck life. And as someone who frequently gets booted out of fancy restaurants for the whole “no shirt, no shoes” rule, I find them a nice change of pace in the dining scene.

Last year, we covered how you can find food trucks, whether it be at local breweries or the Rayback Collective food truck park or the various tech-bro-heavy office parks around Boulder.

But which food trucks should you go to? Well, I have undertaken the painstaking task of eating lots of food to give you this advice. Because the internet lives for listicles, I have listed five options below.

Now, before you all yell at me, I’m not saying these are the only five worth frequenting, but I am a journalism major, so my ability to count stops at five. If you don’t see your favorite here, send me a note and maybe they will make the cut in 2020. Unlike John Hickenlooper.

Anyway, prepare your sloppy phone finger signatures: Let’s eat.

Big Dawg Barbecue

There are a lot of barbecue food trucks out there, but too many of them give you the bare minimum — just a piece of meat on a plate. Where are my sides? Well, Big Dawg sells barbecue bowls that feature your choice of meat along with corn, bacon, and mac and cheese all shoved into the same bowl, with your choice of sauces to slather all over it. Short of just putting it in a feed bag, I’m not sure what else you could want. Oh, and they also sell these salted caramel shortbread goodies that are addictive. Like, really addictive. Pretty sure they put crack in them.

Scrooge Maki

Speaking of bowls, Scrooge Maki’s food truck (a mobile alternative to their University Hill location) makes some of the better poke bowls you can get around here. If you are not a big fish person (and if so, why not, you landlocked heathen?), they also make the bowls with various other proteins, like spicy chicken. Scrooge Maki also makes giant kimchi dumplings that can be a meal or can make an awesome side to go with your bowl if you’re really hungry.

What the Fork

In addition to having a punny name, I like this truck because it offers interesting twists on comfort classics. Along with the hot dogs and cheese steaks, they offer up a chicken-and-waffles dish that replaces the usual fried chicken with Korean chicken. Oh, and they offer loaded fries smothered in chorizo gravy, salsa and sour cream.

Arepa Joint

If you have not experienced the magic of arepas, you are missing out on a South American treat. It’s a ground maize dough stuffed with some variation on the theme of meat, cheese, beans and plantains. Oh, sweet plantains. I would eat dog food if you put plantains on it. Of all the Arepa Joint’s offerings, my personal favorite is the chicken salad version. With, of course, plantains. Did I mention I like plantains?

Better Off Fed

The food truck formerly known as Eggcellent used to specialize in breakfast sandwiches, but it has now expanded to add a bunch of other items to their menu. They still have the breakfast stuff, but don’t miss the pork belly tacos. They make a pork belly that is basically bacon on steroids. They will put it on anything, including a PB&J sandwich for that salty, sweet treat you didn’t even know you wanted.