New York City's Best Food Trucks

Many of the city's best bets for a quick lunch or dinner have taken to the streets, building up huge fanbases that seem inevitably to turn into brick-and-mortar locations that trade on the popularity of the original street cart. No matter where they're parked, this new generation of food trucks puts the old guard on notice.

Calexico Cuisine: Mexican, Southwestern Twitter: @calexiconyc Details: The Vendy Award-winners of the Calexico cart have a menu of California-influenced Mexican fare that has become something of a phenomenon in the world of New York street meat. The soft tacos are a revelation, and things like their chipotle pulled pork and "gringo" burritos will likely have customers chasing the cart down for years; although with two Brooklyn brick-and-mortar locations up and running, a leisurely stroll is more advisable unless you're looking to sharpen your appetite.

Comme Ci, Comme Ça Cuisine: Mediterranean, Moroccan Twitter: @chefsamirtruck Details: Casablanca native Samir brings the food of his childhood to the streets of New York, offering a French-inflected, North African-based menu of Mediterranean cuisine with a selection of brochette sandwiches, a Mogador burger, and the truck's specialty, cous cous, steamed over vegetable bouillon and served with a medley of veggies.

GO Burger Cuisine: American (Traditional) Twitter: @goburgerny Details: BLT's corporate chef puts some meals on wheels by serving up tantalizing burger options like the Maytag Blue (blue cheese, balsamic caramelized onions, and mushrooms) and the BLT (double-smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, and BLT burger sauce), but the menu doesn't stop there. There's veggie falafel on offer as well, turkey and chicken sandwiches, fish tacos, and even salmon with pickled red onions and arugula!

Kimchi Taco Truck Cuisine: Korean Twitter: @kimchitruck Details: Phillip and Chef Youngsun Lee's Korean barbecue experience on wheels, the Kimchi Taco Truck can boast of homemade, fresh or sauteed kimchi and meats specially marinated with the secret family recipes of the chef, bringing a game-changing flavor to Korean street food. Try the falafel kimchi taco with melted cheese or the sensational kim-cheesesteak sandwich, or one of the healthy and delicious fresh kimchi bowls.

Korilla BBQ Cuisine: Korean, Barbecue, Tacos Twitter: @korillabbq Details: Fusing Korean cuisine with barbecue concepts and a hint of Mexican know-how, the Korilla truck makes lunch a customizable affair, where you can start with black Angus ribeye steak and parlay it into a burrito or a taco set with kimchi fried rice, Korilla sauce, shredded Monterey jack cheese, tomato salsa and red leaf lettuce, or you can pick your protein and mix and match anything on the menu to create an $8 Superbowl.

Luke's Lobster Nauti Mobile Cuisine: Seafood, American (Regional) Twitter: @lukeslobsterny Details: Luke's has gone from a single-store operation to a full-fledged chain in seemingly the blink of an eye, including the mobile Nauti truck, which serves the restaurant's Maine-style lobster rolls featuring meat from the former fisherman's father's own Maine-based sustainable seafood company, making them perhaps the most well-sourced—and certainly one of the most sought-after—lobster rolls in the entire city.

Rickshaw Dumpling Truck Cuisine: Chinese Twitter: @rickshawtruck Details: Taking the dumpling to heretofore unthought-off heights, Rickshaw offers varieties like chicken & Thai basil, vegetarian edamame, Szechuan chicken, and even warm chocolate Shanghai soup dumplings. The menu changes, of course, but you're always sure to find a little bit of everything on board, including sides like the Asian green salad with ginger soy dressing, chilled edamame, and chili sesame noodle salad.

Schnitzel & Things Cuisine: Austrian Twitter: @schnitzeltruck Details: The popular schnitzel purveyors offer several varieties, available as platters or sandwiches (the platters come with two sides for just a little more than the single sandwich costs), as well as the "schnitz burger" and bratwurst. Add-ons like Austrian potato salad, roasted beets & feta salad, and Yukon gold French fries.

Souvlaki GR Cuisine: Greek Twitter: @souvlakitruck Details: Winner of the 2010 Vendy Award for Rookie Food Truck Of The Year, Souvlaki GR touts itself as the only authentic Greek food being slung on the streets of New York. It might seem obvious to suggest getting the souvlaki, but it's truly worth mentioning, along with their bifteki sandwich of charcoal-grilled ground beef, seasoned perfectly and served in a pita with feta cheese, tomato, red onion, and the truck's own tzatziki sauce. Their Greek fries—hand-cut affairs with a sprinkling of feta, oregano, and salt and petter—are also a sure bet.

Sweetery Cuisine: Desserts Twitter: @sweeterynyc Details: The former Street Sweets truck continues to serve a panoply of treats like croissants and brioche with any variety of fillings (marshmallow cream, praline, nutella, and more), cookies, cakes, cupcakes, muffins, and even a smattering of quiches.

Taim Mobile Cuisine: Middle Eastern Twitter: @taimmobile Details: Gluten-free falafel fried in 0% trans-fat vegetable oil makes Taim a rather health-conscious contender in the street vendor pantheon, and one of the best all-vegetarian bets in the city. Prepared daily with fresh ingredients, the menu at Taim is wholly Middle Eastern with a slight twist for the gourmands. Expect falafel available in sandwich, platter, or pita form, hummus of several stripes, and a selection of salads that range from Israeli to Greek.

The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck Cuisine: Ice Cream, Desserts Twitter: @biggayicecream Details: The big softies at the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck serve up soft serve with a diabolical range of eyebrow-raising toppings like wasabi pea dust and olive oil & sea salt, as well as more staid choices like dulcet de leche and caramel.

Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream Cuisine: Ice Cream, Dessert Twitter: @vlaic Details: The massively successful ice cream truck (two, actually) that has spawned two brick-and-mortar shops, Van Leeuwen serves handmade artisanal ice cream that changes daily and incorporates hormone-free milk, organic cones, and biodegradable containers and utensils, which makes the guilt of eating a variety of ice cream that may, indeed, be made out of 18% butterfat, depending on the flavor you select.

Wafels & Dinges Cuisine: Belgian Twitter: @waffletruck Details: Championing the gluten-y fare of Belgium, Wafels & Dinges offers, well, a lot of waffles and dinges from their popular food truck, like "de throwdown wafel" and the "WMD dinges," all available with a variety of toppings that range from the seductively sweet (try the dulcet de leech) to the savory (a waffle with barbecue pulled pork!) to the in-between (bacon, syrup, waffle; what more does one need?).