With nearly 50 trucks servicing the city and surrounding area, Winnipeg's street eats scene is looking almost as deep as the Jets' forward line, which is a bold compliment indeed.
While a few of our trucks have gone on to retire, there are some new ones replacing them slinging out items like Indonesian cuisine, fancy chips, fancy dogs, and some of the best ice cream ever -- which surely will be fancy too.
So without further ado, check out the alphabetical list below then go truckspotting on Broadway and at festivals throughout the summer.
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 location in Osborne Village. As my awesome co-worker Gillian says (who often edits these articles, but is currently on mat leave with her handsome new son #blessherheart), "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." This red fella moves around, so check their Twitter or Instagram account for locations.
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The Bannock Factory/Faraci's Pretzel Factory
With its log cabin facade, this food truck is certainly one of the most aesthetically pleasing trucks on the street.
It used to just be the Bannock Factory, where they turn bannock into everything -- including tortilla chips -- while also using it as a base for pulled pork and dogs (they also do a frozen banana that the Bluth family would be proud of). But, new for 2017, they are primarily (with the change of a sign) turning the truck into Faraci's Pretzel Factory, where they will serve gourmet pretzels, pretzel dogs, garlic sausage on a stick, poutine and fries.
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204-960-EATS (3287)
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).
*Sorry, but no contact yet nor social media info, but we've seen it regularly on the 200 block of Broadway.
Better than Baba's
Ukrainian is the name of the game at Baba's with several kinds of perogies (with multiple toppings), cabbage rolls and borscht, all served out of a handsome purple truck. Chef/owner Andrew Malitsky is from Ukraine (he moved here when he was 14) and he uses only organic, locally milled flour to make the excellent dough, which has a toothy texture like al dente pasta. They also make outrageously good dessert perogies using sour cherries and blueberries. Regular location for 2018 will be Kennedy at Broadway.
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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. And what's even sweeter -- aside from beating the lines at their home base at 766 Jubilee Avenue -- is that the truck tends to stay open until 4 p.m (unlike most food trucks which wrap up at 2 p.m.), so it makes it easy to turn that downtown afternoon coffee break into an ice cream break (which is way better than a caffeine boost).
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204-475-6850
Burgers R US
A big shiny red and black truck emblazoned with flame-kissed, hand-formed burgers -- which are its specialty. It's owned by Blair McKibbon, the same fella behind Heathy Eats, and this year they can be found regularly at 201 Portage Avenue.
Twitter
204-890-5676
Chaeban Ice Cream
Winnipeg's highly rated new ice cream shop is adding a mobile operation for summer 2018. Owners/husband-wife duo Joseph Chaeban and Zainab Ali 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 six 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.
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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 owner is one affable fellow.
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Denise's Blue Moon Food Truck
Denise's Blue Moon specializes in well-crafted comfort food. Their signature is "smoked burgers," of which the Black and Blue -- featuring blue cheese, grape bacon jam (dear lord, yes!) and a blackened spiced bun -- sounds almost too good to be true. They also do Country Fries, which are topped with pulled pork, cheese sauce, homemade BBQ sauce and crispy onions, and Blue Moon Fries, which are covered in a bacon cheese sauce. Denise, who runs the truck with her bestie Laurie and her brother Ed, also tells me that her fried apple rings ($5), which are finished with a dusting of cinnamon and sugar, are soon going to be legendary.
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Note: cash only.
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
Estellia's Ukrainian Comfort Food
This feel good food truck is based out of a retail store in Dugald, MB, where hand pinched perogies, holubtsi (cabbage rolls), borscht, sauerkraut and buns are made fresh everyday. They sell all these items on their food truck, along with malenkys (which I just learned, from owner/partner Cynthia Belbas, are a bite-sized deep fried perogies #imsold). You'll be able to find them this summer on the festival circuit, while they are also available for catering.
Website
204-853-7409 & 204-228-4059
Extreme Fries
With its pink, graffiti-ed look, this truck is certainly a standout on the streets. On top of a menu that includes fries, poutine, burgers with homemade chili, smokies, and other street meat essentials, owner Bobbie Mack also jars and sells her own relish right off the truck. You can normally find them at 405 Broadway.
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extremefries@hotmail.com
204-997-6919
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 at Hargrave.
204-996-5963
Faraci Foods
As the Italian flags on this large black food trailer would indicate, Faraci Foods serves up items like Italian meatballs, Italian sausages and Italian sandwiches, along with fries and poutine (which, okay, aren't as Italian). Faraci Foods Inc. is run by Anthony Faraci, and also includes The Pretzel Factory and The Bannock Factory (he is of Italian-Métis heritage). New for 2018 is the return of the original Pizza Pop, which Anthony's great-uncle, Paul Faraci invented in 1964 here in Winnipeg. Unlike the Pillsbury/General Mills ones that you may have grown up eating (Paul sold the recipe and rights back in the 1980s), these Pizza Pops follow the original family recipe. You can read more about this fascinating family story here.
Website
204-960-EATS (3287)
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! That pie is so brilliant it should accompanied with Ryan Adams' "Give Me Something Good." They also sometimes do a beet and kubasa pizza with a white garlic sauce that is pretty out of control too. You can find them regularly for summer 2018 at 325 Broadway.
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204-791-2689
Goldie’s
An old school food truck that seemed to be around before food trucks were a thing. They don't do much tweeting as to their location, but they are usually found parked beside the Cube Stage in Old Market Square blaring 80s-90s rock and serving up fries, burgers and such.
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Gourmet Concessions (Three Food Trucks)
Entrepreneur Derek Collins is building up a mini food truck empire here in Winnipeg. His original,
Poutine King has up to 15 kinds of gourmet poutine all served on fries that are right on the money.
Last year, he rolled out with Wiggle Chips and immediately won the "Most Original" category at ManyFest Food Truck Wars. Considering we are currently living in the golden age of chips, this should be a pretty good indication of how tasty these spiralizied-then-fried spuds are. They also do inventive corn dogs, like a Ruben, because life can only get better when you deep fry corned beef and sauerkraut.
New to 2018 is Phat Dawgs, which will sling five or six styles of hot dogs, including Japanese (nori for the win!), Korean, Mexican, a Prairie Dog (which will feature bacon), and a Maritime dog utilizing east coast lobster. These will be available as dogs or burgers. Look for these trucks at festivals throughout summer.
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Habanero Sombrero
Authentic tacos 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 food truck. Check them out at 386 Broadway.
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Half Moon
This mobile extension of the Lockport drive inn (which was established in 1938) specializes in a diggity dog and other diner fare and can be found at festivals and events around Winnipeg.
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halfmoon@mts.net
Healthy Eats
With arguably the lengthiest food truck menu in the city, Healthy Eats specializes in everything from salads, to wraps, to fruit and yogurt parfaits, to the Bifana (a spicy Portuguese pork chop sandwich). You can currently find it under Winnipeg's tallest building at 201 Portage Avenue.
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204-890-5676
Hot Rod's Grill (Cart)
Rodolfo "Hot Rod" Cantiveros and his son Ron have some serious street cred when it comes to Filipino barbecue, having appeared on Vice's
Munchies and National Geographic. On their cart they serve handmade, authentic longanisa (sweet Filipino sausage) that you can
watch them make right here with celebrity chef Matty Matheson (and yes, Ron is such a gent he may even give you the shirt off his back too). They also serve barbecued pork skewers and other authentic Manila street food specialties. Look for them during festivals throughout the summer
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catering@hotrodsgrill.ca
Iggy’s Family Doener (Steinbach and Winnipeg)
Since 2014 Iggy (Igor Georgijevic, who easily is one of the most interesting men in Manitoba) and his wife Candice have been serving up German-style döner like you’d get after the bar in Berlin, with slow roast chicken cut from a spit and a tangy cabbage salad served on homemade thin bread pockets. While they now have their own storefront in Steinbach, they will still be periodically bringing the food truck to the streets of Winnipeg this summer.
We love these peeps.
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Website
India Palace Express
This mobile extension of India Palace Restaurant (770 Ellice Avenue) just served its first customers on June 14, making it Winnipeg's newest food truck. 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 & 204-999-7870
Island Fusion
Authentic Trini food and other Caribbean numbers like Jamaican patties that will take your tastebuds 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." They also 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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204-291-4263
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 outlet of the popular bakery (941 Portage Avenue) has 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, Folk Fest, the Rainbow Trout Music Festival, and other special events/markets that could always use more sweet buns.
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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 find them every Saturday at the St. Norbert Farmers' Market, along with at festivals throughout the summer.
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Kool Skool Bus
Owner Patty Toufanidis took an old mini school bus and turned it into a fully functioning ice cream shop. They do numerous soft serve ice cream cones, sundaes and "kool cones." The speciality is the salted caramel krunch sundae, while you can also get all manner of big ticket items like banana splits. They also do hard ice cream, milkshakes and slushies.
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KYU Grill
For three consecutive years now (2015, 2016, 2017), these dudes have taken the People's Choice title at ManyFest Food Truck Wars 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. Often found at 333 Broadway, while they also have a great food kiosk at The Forks Market.
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Twitter
Lemon Train
A dual purpose truck that specializes in lemonade and mini doughnuts.
*Sorry, they do not have social media that we can find
Little Bones Wingery
These bold folks are certainly not chicken when it comes to making big flavours fly. Now entering their seventh 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 at festivals this summer, or head to their restaurant at 123 Regent Avenue West.
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204-777-2663
The Little Eggplant
New for 2018, The Little Eggplant specializes in Italian street food. They make their own dough for their panini, which are then pressed on the truck before being loaded with housemate pestos, cheeses and cured meats. They also serve Italian desserts like gelato tarts and cannoli.
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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) - which is skewered marinated meats like pork, beef, chicken and shrimp, along with side salads and other miscellaneous items. Find Maxim BBQ World at festivals in and around Winnipeg this summer, including at ManyFest Food Truck Wars.
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Mikky’s
This old school truck has stood the test of time, having been one of the city's original food trucks dishing out burgers (with fried onions), fries and various other comfort food items. Look for the white truck with red trim and fun food food pics at 333 Broadway.
204-668-1665
Pacific Spring Roll Catering
We once bought what seemed like a 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 & Black Market
Ever since summer 2015, Angela Farkas and Alana Fiks have continued to hit home runs with their gourmet popsicles, which are now available at stores across the city. These innovative frozen pops come in a huge variety of flavours, utilizing fresh herbs and hand squeezed juices. On top of this, for 2018, they have also now started Black Market Small Batch Ice Cream, with far out flavours like Thai-Phoon (vegan, with a coconut base, candied ginger, lemongrass and dried mango), Butterbeer (you scared Potter?), and Sweetcorn (of which they only say, "trust us," which we will). Look for the jazzy little black cart at festivals throughout the year, and be sure to follow them on Instagram for daily locations.
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info@popcartwpg.com
204-792-1271
PVG's Breakfast Club
Another entry from 2016, PVG's Breakfast Club is making a serious bid for coolest looking truck in Winnipeg with it's facade featuring the whole Brat Pack from the John Hughes classic. Owner/chef Paul VanGinkel's menu is all about fancy grilled cheeses and breakfast (as the name would indicate).
Facebook
pvg31@mymts.net
204-997-8914
Rasa Indo
This brand new truck is an extension of a pop-up tent service that is located just north of Morden, MB. Indonesian cuisine is the specialty, with menu items that include satays, beef rendang (a coconut curry that is reduced nearly to a paste), fritters and pearl pudding. Look for the vibrant green truck at festivals in and around the city this summer.
Website
rasaindo2017@gmail.com
204-362-8353 & 204-362-1984
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 lunch break you'll find people queuing to get some of Canada's best pizza (that's right, we said it!) 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 business partner Quin Ferguson also now have a location in The Forks Market. Did we mention how much we love this pizza?
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Red Dot Japanese Cuisine
Now in its second year, this food truck is the work of a father and daughter duo who make sushi, bento boxes, and udon soups. This summer they are even doing a sushi doughnut.
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204-951-2165
R U Caribbean Me?!
I 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 and island music 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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Simba Safari Grill
Representing foods from all over Africa (particularly the Serengeti), Simba specializes in grilled meats and
ugali. They are the 2016 Food Truck Wars winner for "best bang for your buck." Find them at festivals throughout summer, while you also order pre-made dishes from them via email.
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Facebook
simbasafarigrill@gmail.com
204-299-4189
Sis and Me
The original food truck on the streets of Winnipeg, Sis and Me has officially been in business for 22 years now(!), operating on the corner of Broadway and Edmonton Street. They do all the standards from dogs, to burgers, to fries.
Website
204-488-7101 & 204-941-9599
Smokin' Haut
This food truck from Altona's
Pioneer Meat ("The Original Farmers Sausage") specializes in elevated Mennonite comfort food (for instance, at the 2015 Food Truck Wars they took second in originality with their over the top Mennonite poutine, which was as rich as it gets with farmers' sausage and white gravy). The extensive menu features fancy grilled cheeses, burgers, perogies (with the added bonus of making their own meats at the shop in Altona) along with lighter fare like a watermelon salad.
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204-324-5454
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 entering its sophomore 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. Their red truck -- with its sombrero-ed senõr inside a clock face -- is easy to spot, while they are usually by the Manitoba Legislative Building on Broadway.
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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
431-777-TACO (8226)
Tiki Dogs
While technically just a hot dog cart (which we normally don't list as the city has so many) these two fellas get an honourable mention for taking Winnipeg Old Country Sausage dogs and making them even more delicious with fun tropical toppings like mango salsa and sweet pineapple dijon mustard. Plus, their vibrant yellow cart is really quite glorious and they do specials for #WienerWednesday, which makes me laugh every time I think about it.
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Tokyo Rabbit
"Sweets from the streets of Japan" is how Tokyo Rabbit rolls (co-owner Hiro is from Japan), with creamy fruity crepes, katsu sando (fried pork sandwiches with shredded lettuce and a sinus clearing sauce), and mini Japanese cheesecakes, tarts and teas.
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Twitter
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204-712-6576 or 204-712-6587
Tot Wheels
I can't lie, I'm not a big car buff, but I am a huge fan of homemade car-themed tater tots. There is no way Napoleon Dynamite could have hoarded these tots in his pockets; they are so delicious that you have to eat them right away, while they are sauced and heavily topped with delicious ingredients like kalbi and kimchi, or local vegetables and slow braised meats. Their Outback, featuring barbecued shrimp, took top honours at 2015's Food Truck Wars for "best presentation" (I also had it at number one for taste). You can find them daily at 275 Broadway.
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204-770-1887
Trendy Treats
Ice cream, you scream, we all scream for boozy ice cream! New for 2018, Trendy Treats, specializes in craft hard ice cream and Swiss Ice (somewhere between a sorbet and a slushy). Adult (aka booze-infused) ice cream flavours include Bailey’s, Ameretto, port wine, 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. The truck is regularly on Broadway at Edmonton, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. while you will also find them at festivals throughout the summer.
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Up South Barbeque
This truck is huge and slick looking, with a faux wood panel exterior along with two separate window sections for ordering and pickup. They smoke their meat (brisket, ribs, chicken, sausage and pulled pork) using apple wood and hickory and sell it by the pound. They also do classic southern sides like gumbo, mac n' cheese, and slaw. Look for them mainly at festivals and industrial parks, while you can also have them cater events.
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Twitter
Facebook
204-612-9358
The Walleye Wagon
This truck immediately gets bonus points for referring to the correct name of the fish species it serves (pickerel is a form of pike, and not what you are eating on restaurant menus --
here's a nice chart for your reference) while the panko breaded and fried walleye is itself pretty good. It sells them in one and two piece options along with home cut fries and tartar sauce, and it normally can be found on the summer festival circuit.
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ManyFest Food Truck Wars takes place this year from September 7 to 9. You can find more info here.
Know of a truck we haven't included? Email mike@tourismwinnipeg.com
