Given social distance protocols and restaurants only operating at 50 per cent capacity right now, 2020 might become an even more important summer for the city’s fleet of 50+ food trucks.
All the trucks below now have social distancing protocols in place, including lineup markers and namely touchless payment systems, so there’s no reason to get anxious when it comes to street eats.
As well, Downtown Winnipeg BIZ’s ManyFest, the home of the uber popular Food Truck Wars (which you’ll find mentioned throughout the article), is, in the words of the BIZ, "cautiously optimistic that our event this September will be able to proceed safely so we are starting the planning process. There are, however, no guarantees so we will continue to monitor the situation and keep folks posted as more details become available.”
All that said, here’s our latest guide (which we will be updating regularly when prompted).
A Little Pizza Heaven
This red truck offers up the same tasty, beer friendly 'za that is served to the young, hip set at their storefront locations in Osborne Village, St James, St. Vital and Transcona. As my awesome co-worker Gillian says, "their garlic butter crust is so good that you should flip the pizza around to eat the crust first... and you can't say that about a lot of pizzas."
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Baekho - Taste of Korea
Winnipeg finally has a food truck dedicated to Korean barbecue, and we're here for it. Baekho's white tiger logo would make for a badass tattoo (my buddy Jun informs me that Baekho indeed translates to white tiger, based originally on a Chinese character), while the truck slings bowls featuring bulgogi, je-yuk (spicy pork), or sam-gyeop-sal (pork belly) that come with rice and all those fabulous fermented, crunchy Korean condiments and a choice of sauces, including spicy ssamjang sauce (a mix of gochujang, doenjang, green onion, and other goodies). The meats are cooked to order while the pickled radish and Korean sweet chili sauce my wife describes as, "insanely delicious" and "bananas." My wife also says the glass noodles with shiitakes and crunchy radish are amazing. No social media as of yet, but they were regulars on Broadway right in front of the Manitoba Legislative Building in 2019 and "the couple who run the truck are the cutest" (also from my wife, who is "seriously in love with this truck").
Baohouse
Their first season on the streets (summer 2018) was so successful that it led to the opening of a Baohouse restaurant right on Corydon Avenue, the former location of Bisita (637 Corydon) -- which interestingly enough was also a spin-off of the food truck Pimp My Rice. The restaurant has been serving steamed buns, Japadog-inspired hot dogs, sliders, and sushi towers since March 2019, while come summer, from May through October, the bun mobile is in action, slinging baos done in the style that David Chang made famous in North America, in that the buns themselves are used more like a taco shell, as opposed to wrapped around the filling and pinched at the top to form a ball before being steamed.
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204.504.8383
BBK’s
These folks utilize apple wood to smoke brisket and pork shoulder which they then slather on buns with homemade apple butter barbecue sauce. They also do neat little stacked containers with layers of potato salad, corn, and other barbecue-esque items.
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Best Meal
This truck first appeared in 2017 on Broadway during lunches, and it specializes in Middle Eastern dishes like kibbe, lamb and beef kabobs, shawarma and falafel (they also have western food like fries and burgers; it's a pretty huge menu for a food truck).
Blue Haze BBQ
Established in 2019, Blue Haze BBQ’s food trailer is a catering extension of their barbecue shop in Beausejour, MB which is constantly garnering rave reviews (particularly for those ribs). Their award-winning meats (including a slew of first, second, and third-place finishes for their chicken, ribs and brisket respectively at the now defunct Winnipeg BBQ & Blues Festival) are smoked for up to 16 hours over hardwoods, while they make their own signature BBQ sauces. The best bet is to follow them on Insta to see when and where the truck will be making appearances this summer. They were also the 2019 ManyFest Food Truck Wars winner for Judge’s Choice.
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Twitter
Instagram
204.996.0679
Bridge Drive-In
In August 2016 the legendary BDI -- "home of the creamiest shakes in town" -- launched their very own food truck. Winnipeggers, and visitors alike, then proceeded to Freak. Right. Out. You can now get their famous soft serve, along with all that Goog goodness (and with their other crazy concoctions) in various spots throughout the city.
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204.475.6850
Chaeban Ice Cream
Winnipeg's highly rated ice cream shop added a mobile operation in summer 2018. Owners/husband-wife duo Joseph Chaeban and Zainab Ali - who were 2018 Western Living Foodies of the Year winners -- have created a smash hit with their shop in South Osborne (390 Osborne Street), where they specialize in Arabic-style ice cream that has an outrageously smooth texture due to the fact that they use ricotta in a lot of their recipes (Joesph is a Lebanese dairy scientist/cheese maker, while Zainab, from Syria, is the flavour expert). Utilizing a little cart, you can find them serving up to eight flavours of their soon to be famous creations like the Abir Al Sham, which features pistachios, cashews, rose water, orange blossom water, a vanilla base and the aforementioned ricotta. All their ice cream contains no artificial flavours or colours, while they also incorporate numerous local products, like Dogwood Coffee, along with more exotic ingredients like orchid root powder. Their Salty Carl is easily one of the best ice creams I've ever had; I get emotional just thinking about it.
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Champs
This sleek new Filipino food truck (we love the black matte design with the yellow logo) served their first customers on May 18, 2019. Champs is by the same owners as Charlee's Restaurant and Lounge, and their street eats include kare kare poutine, sisig poutine (sunny side up egg and all!), rice bowls, pork lumpia, and sandwiches, along with cool drinks like calamansi slushies. During its first ManyFest Food Truck Wars, Champs took the “Most Original” title.
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The Churro Stop
These handmade, hand-cut Argentinian churros are so good that they have taken the Judge's Gold Award in both 2015 and 2017 for "best bang for your buck" at ManyFest Food Truck Wars. The dulce de leche and Bavaria cream stuffed versions are insane (I wish I was eating like six of them while writing this), while the owners, Jacko and Tara Garcia, are total gems. In 2018 they also started making four flavours of empanadas, in case you need something savoury before you hit the sweetness.
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Desi Pizza & Curries
This mobile truck serves as an extension of their takeout location (849 Henderson Highway) and can often be found at St. Norbert Farmers’ Market. Specialties include butter chicken pizza and poutine, chili paneer, and garlic naan, along with numerous gluten free and vegan selections.
204.275.6600 & 204.504.7100
Dorado Street Tortilla & Curbside Catering
Now entering its third year on the streets, this huge metallic trailer rocks out burritos, quesadillas and other Tex-Mex numbers, all done on handmade tortillas brimming with house made meats and sauces. Killer fries too.
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204.990.5706
Euro Donair
A regular participant at the last ManyFest Food Truck Wars, you can normally find this food truck parked at the Home Depot by CF Polo Park. They don’t have any social media accounts, but if we were to guess, we'd say go with the meat wrapped in pita served with a yogurt-based sauce.
Falafel Queen
Get your gyros, falafel, shawarma, kifta and other pita wrapped items at this Middle Eastern food truck that is regularly located at Broadway and Hargrave Street.
204.996.5963
Feastro Global Bistro
Perhaps Winnipeg’s newest food truck (their first service was on June 11, 2019), Feastro’s jam is cuisine representing the eastern and southern Mediterranean. They make falafel, chicken shawarma, and beef kabab, which you can get in wrap form, or as a plate with salad, rice, hummus and pita.
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Fired Up
We are big fans of the crust and simple ingredients from this food truck that utilizes a wood-burning oven right on the truck (you'll often see one of the chefs come outside to grab more wood from the little cubby hole located near the window where you order). If you see their pear, cambozola and balsamic crema pizza on the menu that day you must order it! It's stunning. They also sometimes do a beet and kubasa pizza with a white garlic sauce that is pretty out of control too.
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204.791.2689
G. G. Gelati
Trailer/stand by the Italian gelato specialists that have been serving dozens of flavours out of their iconic shop at 705 Corydon since 1995. The mobile cart generally can be found at all the big summer festivals and -- on top of multiple flavours of gelato and sorbetto -- also serves milkshakes, various drinks, and popping bobas.
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Habanero Sombrero
Authentic tacos made by husband-wife duo Mark Langtry and Shannon Bacon Langtry like you'd get down south, featuring slow braised meats on six-inch corn tortillas topped with queso fresco and pico de gallo. We're big fans of their carnitas tacos, while their homemade salsas are also good times. They also get bonus points for having the sauciest Twitter account for a local food truck. You can find them regularly at 325 Broadway, while you can also now buy their hot sauces at Black Market Provisions.
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Island Fusion
Authentic Trini food and other Caribbean numbers like Jamaican patties that will take your taste buds to the tropics. In 2015, their jerk sliders -- which featured jerk pork and slaw in between fried plantains -- had a great showing during Food Truck Wars taking Gold for "most original," while last year (2018) they won the Judges' Choice trophy. This April, Island Fusion also won Food Truck of the Year at the Winnipeg Nightlife Awards. They tend to rock out fun dancehall jams when their truck rolls up which adds extensively to the island atmosphere this fun food truck creates.
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India Palace Express
This mobile extension of India Palace Restaurant (770 Ellice Avenue) started rolling in 2018. The menu, like the restaurant, specializes in East Indian cuisine and serves up numerous curries, butter chicken, samosas, and more.
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204.774.6061
Jonnies Sticky Buns' Bun Wagon
Bun Wagon is really fun to say, while Jonnies' owner/baker Jon McPhail has also written a children's book called Where Do Sticky Buns Come From?, making his dedication to the craft second to bun. On top of that, this mobile cart is now the only way to get a hold of these buns (along with online orders), now that they have shut the bakery (formerly located at 941 Portage Avenue). Did we mention they also do fun bun names – like Straight-up Sticky – while utilizing great local products such as Nature's Farm eggs, Bee Project honey, Black Pearl Coffee, and Prairie Flour Mills flour when making its cinnamon buns. They also make gluten free and vegan buns too. You can find the Bun Wagon at St. Norbert's Farmers' Market, along with other stops this summer which they will be sharing on Insta.
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Just a Little Squeeze
This lovely (and quite large) lemonade truck will be your main squeeze this summer when you are looking for a refreshing beverage. They only use real fruit with no syrups, while you can normally find them every Saturday at the St. Norbert Farmers' Market.
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KYU Grill
The perennial People's Choice ManyFest Food Truck Wars champions (2015 to 2019; a five-peat!!) are back for another season with their robatayaki-inspired skewered Heroshima sandwiches. It's a bit like Vancouver's legendary Japadog, but with way more toppings – like nori, fried panko, scallions, mango sauce, kewpie mayo and other salty/sweet things. They regularly tweet out their location, so be sure to follow for that five-time award-winning flava!
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Little Bones Wingery
These bold folks are certainly not chicken when it comes to making big flavours fly. Now entering their eighth food truck season, they are doing more things to wings than you can imagine, from Alfredo sauce, to "poutinerized," to pineapple curry. Look for their 40-plus flavours of wings on the streets this summer, or head to their restaurant at 123 Regent Avenue West.
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Lord of the Pies
Aside from having a name that is pure butter — much like the base of their crusts (baazing!) — Lord of the Pies bakes a most excellent selection of savoury, mainly meat pies (and sausage rolls), which you’d be more likely to find in other parts of the Commonwealth. In fact, chef/baker/owner Dustin Watson first got into pies while living in Australia (as all of us pie and sausage roll aficionados do), while he ate many meat pies in his youth courtesy of his Scottish grandpa. Watson first started making a name for his pies in 2017, selling at local farmers’ markets and doing pop-up events at local breweries. As of June 2, 2019 (making it one of the city’s newest trucks) the Lord of the Pies food truck has been hitting the streets of Winnipeg, mainly doing stints at breweries and hospitals, serving up flavours like butter chicken, Scottish meat, and sweet potato vegetable. As a bonus, Watson uses the hashtag #GetBaked, which we are officially now allowed to laugh at due to changes in Canada’s cannabis laws.
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The Little Eggplant
The Little Eggplant specializes in Italian street food and was new to the food truck scene in 2018. They make their own dough for their panini, which are then pressed on the truck before being loaded with housemate pesto, cheeses and cured meats. They also serve Italian desserts like gelato tarts and cannoli. You can also find their paninis at Modern Coffee.
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Maxim BBQ World
Nobody is grilling and bringing the heat as impressively as Maxim's owner/operator Alex Levyy is. After rolling up in his white food truck, he sets up an L-shaped charcoal grill where the embers are fed from a continuous fire stack in the middle. Levyy does Georgian-style Shashlik (which is popular throughout Russia and Eastern Europe; he himself is originally from Kazakstan). These are skewered marinated meats like pork, beef, chicken and shrimp, along with side salads and other miscellaneous items. You can hopefully find Maxim BBQ World at events later in the summer, as it doesn’t make regular appearances on the streets.
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Mikky’s
This old-school truck has stood the test of time as one of the city's original food trucks dishing out burgers (with fried onions), fries and various other comfort food bites. Look for the white truck with red trim and fun food pics at 333 Broadway.
204.668.1665
Mini-O's Mini Donuts (four trucks)
Owner/operator Marcel Petit pretty much has his own full fleet of food trucks, with four truck/trailers to his name, along with 18 years of food truck experience running his family company. The roster consists of three mini-donut trailers, along with a new stand trailer called The Meltdown: Deep Fried Cheese (because, as we always say, "fried cheese? Baby, please!") On top of that, Petit has also bought the franchise rights to Manitoba for Beavertails.
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Miss Tiny’s Jamaican Food Truck
There’s nothing tiny about the flavours coming out of this large, colourful truck, which started in 2018. Along with plenty of jerk chicken, which you can get served traditionally with rice and peas, or on top of poutine, they also make a mean beef patty.
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info@misstinys.com
204.5832403
My Heart Melts
Melted cheese and cheesy puns are the true dynamic duo, and this truck does it all in spades. Case in point: the truck itself states, "Not your momma's grilled cheese," and "Sweet dreams are made of cheese, who am I to diss a brie?" The menu features items like a five-cheese grilled cheese, a pulled-pork grilled cheese and turkey apple brie, with not a slice of American cheese in sight. Last year, you could find this cheesy number regularly at 333 Broadway.
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Nawabi Grill Kabab
A new truck from 2019, Nawabi specializes in South Asian cuisine. It has a very extensive menu that includes biryani, dosas, pakoras, chicken tandoori, puri bhaji and butter chicken.
Pacific Spring Roll Catering
We once bought what seemed like 27 spring rolls from these folks at the St. Norbert Farmers’ Market for, like, $4, which was terribly exciting (this might not be an accurate number, but the spring rolls were good, super affordable, and they came with sweet chili sauce for dip). They also do poutine, burgers, dogs and more.
204.229.2218
Pop Cart
Angela Farkas and Alana Fiks just keep doing awesome things. Farkas is the former pastry chef at ERA Bistro in the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, during which time (back in 2015) she teamed up with Fiks and started making gourmet handmade ice pops that became all the rage at pop-up events across the city. That venture, Pop Cart, became a mobile cart phenom of sorts, taking over Winnipeg Instagram during the summer months because everything they made was just so damn tasty and colourful. Their pops include super fruity, hand-squeezed flavours, like Arnold Palmer and pineapple ginger, along with more decadent numbers like salted caramel and Vietnamese Coffee. In 2018, they opened Black Market Provisions, where you can get these pops, along with plenty of other amazing things. This includes their own brand of small-batch ice cream featuring flavours like Thai Phoon (made with coconut milk, lemongrass and candied ginger, which is out-of-control delicious). On top of what they make soups, salads (both leafy and the bound variety), compound butters, and spreads, while also serving up products from some of the city's best. As
they’ve stated on Insta, the jazzy little black Pop Cart won’t make too many appearances on the streets this summer, but at least there’s always the option to get them while they’re cold at Black Market and other local retailers.
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info@popcartwpg.com
The Poutine King
Entrepreneur Derek Collins has built up a bit of a culinary empire here in Winnipeg. His original Poutine King, which serves up to 15 kinds of poutine, is currently open seven days a week (10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.) at 2567 Pembina Highway, but his other trucks Wiggle Chips (the 2017 Food Truck Wars Most Original winner) and Phat Dawgs (which slings five or six styles of hot dogs, including Japanese, Korean, Mexican and Prairie Dog) won’t be on the streets this summer due to all the festival cancellations. You can also head to his brick and mortar restaurant, The Osborne Socialhouse and Pub, in the village at 121 Osborne Street.
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PVG's Street Eats
Back with a new name, PVG's Street Eats hit the streets in 2016 as PVG's Breakfast Club and has since made a serious bid for coolest-looking truck in Winnipeg with a facade featuring the whole Brat Pack from the John Hughes classic (new name, but same cool design). Chef/owner Paul VanGinkel's menu is all about fancy grilled cheeses and breakfast sandwiches, along with a few new twists this year -- so far in 2020 they have been set up at Assiniboine Golf Club.
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204.997.8914
The Red Ember
A perennial favourite during ManyFest Food Truck Wars, chef/owner Steffen Zinn's massive red truck has become a thing of legend in Winnipeg (at last count, this converted shipping container that he built with his own hands was the second-largest food truck in North America). On any given day, you'll find people queuing to get some of Canada's best pizza (we're serious) along Broadway across the street from the Manitoba Legislative Building, while they also frequent the St. Norbert Farmers' Market. Their ever-rotating roster of wood-fired pizzas are incredible, while that crust -- made from organic wheat milled in Elie, MB -- is simply spectacular. They also use only locally preserved heirloom tomatoes, ethically raised heritage meats, and herbs and vegetables that they grow on the Zinn family farm. If you can't find the truck, don't fret. Zinn and his chef/business partner Quin Ferguson also have a location in The Forks Market called Red Ember Common, along with a New York-style pizzeria at 753 Wall Street called Wall Street Slice, which serves big pies (also available by the slice, and they deliver) using a different, but just as chewy, dough recipe.
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R U Caribbean Me?!
We don't know what is better: the name of this truck, its stylish green and yellow facade (replete with the flags of the Caribbean and some palm tree silhouettes to boot), or its doubles, Jamaican patties and jerk chicken. Customer service bonus points must also be given to owner Dane Hope, as this guy always brings an extensive menu with tons of flavour to the streets. The spring rolls with mango sauce are the bomb -- but don't take our word for it,
just check out their reviews -- these island flavours are legit.
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204.800.5391
Simba Safari Grill
Representing foods from all over Africa (particularly the Serengeti), Simba specializes in grilled meats and ugali. They are the 2016 ManyFest Food Truck Wars winner for "best bang for your buck." Find them starting soon at 479 St. Mary’s Road, Friday through Sunday.
Facebook
simbasafarigrill@mymts.net
204.299.4189
Sis & Me
The original food truck on the streets of Winnipeg, Sis & Me has been in the biz for 23 years now! They can regularly be found operating on the corner of Broadway and Edmonton Street doing all manner of meals, from dogs, to burgers, fries, pulled pork, veggie burgers, Reubens, taco fries, bison smokies and chicken fingers.
Website
204.791.8572
Stevee's Dogs
Regularly located in the the parking lot of Country Roots Market and Garden at Henderson Highway and Chief Peguis Trail, Stevee's serves all-beef hotdogs and smokies from Winnipeg Old Country Sausage, along with hamburgers and vegan black bean burgers -- all of which they cook over an open-flame grill. They are open seven days a week, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., while they also sling ice cream treats.
Tamale Time
Now in its fourth year on the streets, Tamale Time (which we also like to call "Pupusas, Please!"™) is rolling out a new menu of Salvadorian and Central American delights. On top of the tamales and pupusas, you can also now find tostadas and tacos made with slow-braised beef or chicken served on corn tortillas. Their red truck -- with its sombrero-ed senõr inside a clock face -- is easy to spot, while they regularly post their location using the social media platforms below.
Instagram
tamaletimewinnipeg@gmail.com
204.881.0249
Tia Maria's Taqueria
Authentic Mexican tacos (including everyone's favourite, al pastor), taquitos and ceviche are the staples on this Manitoba-based truck that will periodically be making appearances at Winnipeg festivals.
Twitter
tiamariastacos@gmail.com
Tiki Dogs
This former hot dog cart has upped its game in 2019 by purchasing a pretty sweet little food truck trailer. They take Winnipeg Old Country Sausage dogs and making them even more delicious with fun, namely tropical toppings, like mango salsa and sweet pineapple dijon mustard. New for 2020 are flavours like Thai One On and The Jerk; we are really hope they bring back their #WienerWednesday hashtag because it makes us laugh every time we think about it.
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Tokyo Rabbit
Tokyo Rabbit’s owners Kerri and Hiro have been at it since 2012, serving super delicious crepes, like you’d get in Hiro’s home city of Tokyo. The creamy fruity crepes are the most popular, while they will often do katsu sando too (fried pork sandwiches with shredded lettuce and a sinus-clearing sauce), along with mini Japanese cheesecakes, tarts and teas. Their red truck is equally as kawaii as their edible creations and last summer they were a regular fixture in Assiniboine Park. New for 2020 is their lineup of ice cream cakes, which are available to purchase at a couple local grocery stores.
Instagram
Website
204.712.6576
Trendy Treats
Ice cream, you scream, we all scream for boozy ice cream! Trendy Treats specializes in hard ice cream and Swiss Ice (somewhere between a sorbet and a slushy). Adult (aka booze-infused) ice cream flavours include Bailey’s, Amaretto, port, Fireball whisky, and sweet bourbon, while for Swiss Ices you’ll find sangria, peach Bellini, Pina Coloda, and lemon gin and tonic. All of this sounds terribly exciting, while you can also purchase numerous kid-friendly flavours from the truck in both ice cream and Swiss Ice form.
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Tot Wheels
A perennial favourite on Broadway and at ManyFest Food Truck Wars, Tot Wheels is one of Winnipeg’s OG nouveau trucks, having started back in 2013. Their crispy hand-rolled tots put anything that Napoleon Dynamite kept in his pocket to shame, and they’ve been topped off with everything from frog legs, to sweet breads, and bulgogi over the years, with daily vegetarian tot toppings too (all using local ingredients too). Along with tots, they are now doing burgers, with 1/3 lbs. beef patties, spicy fried chicken and chorizo/beef, all featuring an assortment of toppings and plenty of aioli. Their honours include “best presentation” at 2015's Food Truck Wars (I also had it at number one for taste), while in 2018 they took the “most original” trophy. Along with posting their location on Insta, you can now also order directly from the truck to your house via DoorDash.
Instagram
Twitter
204.770.1887
Tulum Treats
For the past three years, Tulum Treats has been hitting the festival circuit, along with the occasional appearance on Broadway. This green truck, replete with a mustachioed sombrero-sporting man as a logo, specializes in tacos on flour tortillas, plenty of cool treats and some deep-fried fare too, including jalapeno poppers and hand-cut fries topped with Latin-inspired fixins’.
Instagram
204.510.5466
The Walleye Wagon
This truck, which first started rolling back in 2014, is owned and operated by David Jonasson. He’s a commercial fisherman in Riverton, MB on Lake Winnipeg, so you better believe he knows his product. The walleye fillets are beer battered and available individually or inside a taco, while the truck also serves fries using Manitoban potatoes.
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204.378.0220
The Wiener Wagon
Winnipeg's newest offering is from the fine folks behind the Red Ember, Wall Street Slice, and Wienerpeg in The Forks Market - that being namely Steffen Zinn and Quin Ferguson. This new hot dog cart is so much hotter than your regular street meat, in that they are serving the same farm-to-table, artisanal dogs you find at Wienerpeg, made with Zinn Farms pork and Lintott Farms beef. You can find them at the St. Norbert Farmers' Market this summer, where it served its first franks on May 30, 2020.
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Know of anyone we are missing? Please email mike@tourismwinnipeg.com