As Jacksonville expands we are seeing an increase in amazing local eats. Talented chefs and business owners are taking their creativity to the streets with food trucks. The food truck fad is ever growing and now more than ever we are seeing mobile restaurants with quality food that exceed many brick and mortar institutions. Long gone are the days of hot dogs and pretzels from a street vendor... now we have gourmet options on the go!
With the food truck scene growing across the First Coast I want to share with you my top 5 food trucks. There are so many amazing ones around town, many of which I have not gotten a chance to try yet, but here are my favorites that I have been able to track down time and time again.
1) Pie95 Pizza And Catering
2) Jammas Jax
3) The Blazin' Buffalo
4) Carolina Jax (formerly Cacky Lackys)
5) Vucca Street Food
Now- are you drooling yet? Let me tell you a little more about each of these amazing trucks, why you should track them down, and what to get!
- Pie95 Pizza And Catering
This food truck is fire... literally. Pick from a variety of pizzas and wings all cooked to perfection in a wood burning oven. The pizza is tender, crisp, and full of flavor. My personal favorite pizza is the Bianca. Fresh Mozzarell, Oregano, Roasted Garlic, Evoo, Parmesan and a Lemon Wedge all creating an explosion of flavor. If he happens to have bacon that day I definitely suggest adding that to your pie. Any pizza on special is also worth a taste! His culinary background allows him to create unique pizza flavors like nothing else. Now the absolute must is if he has wings. You have to make sure to grab some... I get the lemon pepper and WOW they are so good! It is hands down some of my favorite pizza in Jax. Once you try you will see why people follow him all over town!
- Jammas Jax
An Asian Fusion food truck that specializes in Asian Street Food. I am hooked on this local gem. I have visited Jammas Jax many times (even had them cater my 30th birthday) and I have never been disappointed. Start your meal off with any of his appetizers. The Chicken Gyoza is a personal favorite of mine. Then I suggest ordering the House Lo Mein. A traditional dish done right! Fluffy noodles with shrimp, chicken, and pork... such an amazing trio of meats. Now if he has the Shrimp Pineapple Bowl on special get it! It comes packed with flavor and served in a half pineapple. It's gorgeous and delicious. I love this family owned and operated truck... I hope you give them a try! He is all around town and posts his schedule daily to his Instagram account.
- The Blazin' Buffalo
This food truck is constantly expanding. Offering their delicious chicken creations throughout the 904. They have a mobile food truck that you can find in various locations across Jax, but they also have a more permanent setup in Green Cove Springs. The Ultimate Crispy Chicken Sandwich is my personal favorite... tossed in Honey Cholula and drizzled with Ranch. But a not so secret tip is to ask for that as a Mac Attack and they will smash their fried Mac n Cheese balls on top! Don't forget the pickles either... I am telling you this salty, crunchy, spicy, sweet, zesty, luscious creation is worth any drive ahead of you! And if you go to their website you can pre-order online. How easy is that??
- Carolina Jax (formerly Cacky Lackys)
Award winning Angus-Burgers in the 904! I mean how lucky are we. Carolina Jax (formerly Cacky Lackys) offers next level smash burgers with outrageous flavor combinations. This food truck turned brick and mortar is truly the best burger I have ever had. With the new addition of the restaurant their food truck is temporary closed, but check their website for updates and hours of operation. OK enough with the formalities... let's talk burgers! My absolute favorite hands down burger is the OBX. Applewood smoked bacon, roasted poblano mayo, Cajun ranch, key-lime guac, lettuce and tomato (hold the tomato for me). However their menu is filled with incredible flavor combinations so it really is hard to pick... a few of my other favorites are the Minshew Black and Blue, the Charleston, and the Riverside. Get a side of Mountain Fries and you will need a wheelbarrow to get you out of there! Visit their website to see all the amazing combinations... I can't even do it justice. You have to go experience it to believe it!
- Vucca Street Food
A newer truck to the 904 lineup is Vucca offering Regional Italian & Italian-American Street Food. I have only had the pleasure of eating with them once but it about knocked me off my feet. People rave about their creations and I totally get it! I tried the “MAIALINO” – rosemary roasted pork shoulder, Sharp provolone, lemon caper aioli, garlic rabe. Served on a toasted sesame long roll, with marinated long hots. YUM! Then you absolutely have to order the "CAVOLETTI FRITTI"- crispy fried brussel sprouts tossed in pomegranate balsamic agrodolce, fresh mint and hot honey. I can not stress enough how amazing these were. The whole menu looks incredible. I can't wait to track them down again to try more and more and more of their delicious creations. The one I will probably try next is the “PARMA” – fried chicken cutlet, sweet capicola, smoked mozzarella, black pepper ricotta, pomodoro, garlic butter/ Add an egg (Sunny Side) $1 and served on grilled ciabatta. The Rosemary Garlic Fries topped with Pecorino Romano also look too good to pass up!
We are so incredibly blessed to have such a variety of amazing and unique food trucks in the 904! The food and culture behind this ever growing mobile restaurant scene is one I personally enjoy and love to watch. I believe these chefs are doing amazing things for our city of Jacksonville and our food culture... Now go track some of these amazing eats down and tell me what you think!