Grace Tang ‘21
Foreign Correspondent
Charlottesville has always been known for its great food scene. From Bodo’s Bagels to upscale French dining at Fleurie, the restaurants in town offer great options for all occasions. Since moving to Charlottesville I have scouted websites like the Charlottesville 29 and asked locals for restaurant recommendations. However, I recently discovered a big portion of the local food scene that was previously unknown to me. The food trucks of Charlottesville offer delicious and unique options, and they are a game changer. Many of the food trucks offer cuisines that are unique in the city, and they are well worth chasing down.
Thrill of the hunt: The tricky thing about food trucks is that they don’t operate on regular hours like brick-and-mortar restaurants do. The easiest way to find them is by following a specific restaurant’s social media, as they will post their weekly schedules online. Another good way to find a food truck is through the IX Park Thursday or Saturday markets. Since a good number of food trucks rotate through those events, they are a great opportunity to try food from multiple vendors. Below is a short list of my favorite food trucks and market food vendors.
Little Manila – Filipino Food Truck
Little Manila cooks up delicious Filipino barbeque and comfort food. I am obsessed with their lumpia (Filipino spring roll), which comes as a side to almost all of their dishes. Popular menu items include their pork belly or chicken BBQ, chicken adobo, and pancit (stir-fried rice noodles). They also offer their BBQ items as tacos.
Little Manila posts their weekly schedule on their Facebook and Instagram pages, and they often attend the IX Park Market events. If you’ve been craving a satisfying Filipino meal, this is the spot. It is also a delicious way to experience Filipino food if you have never had it before!
Bansan – Ramen Food Truck
Bansan is new to the Charlottesville food truck scene, but they have been incredibly popular. Bansan also sells some yummy side dishes along with their classic ramen bowls. Fans swear by their chicken kaarage (fried chicken bites), which comes in a few different flavors. Their kaarage reminds me of Korean fried chicken because of the many sauce options available. Bansan also offers dessert in the form of taiyaki (little fish-shaped pastries), which comes in red bean and specialty flavors of the week such as cookie butter or nutter-butter.
I ended up trying Bansan for the first time at Potter’s Cider because I won some free ramen as part of a social media giveaway contest. The ramen was good. Bansan uses chicken-based broth instead of the traditional pork. If you want a more traditional ramen in a brick-and-mortar restaurant, I also recommend Mashumen, which opened recently and was reviewed by my fellow editor Michael Berdan ’22.
Pictured: Bansan makes some bomb ramen. Photo Courtesy of Grace Tang '21.
Mexican Taco – Taco Food Truck
Who doesn’t like handmade tacos? Mexican Taco shapes and presses their corn tortillas by hand, and the result is delicious. Apart from steak, chicken, pork, and chorizo tacos, the food truck also sells empanadas, nachos, and tamales. I am a huge fan of their spicy salsa, with which they top their tacos alongside cilantro and cheese. After shopping at the Saturday market I was fed well with two tacos for just over $3 each.
Mexican Taco can often be spotted at the IX Park markets, and you can follow them online through their social media accounts.
Angelic’s Kitchen – Comfort Food/Fried Fish Food Truck
I haven’t tried Angelic’s yet, but it is at the top of my list. The food truck offers soul food, including wings, mac’n’cheese, street corn, and fried fish (their specialty). If you’re looking for some delicious Southern flavor and want to support a local Black business, definitely check them out at 1348 Long Street, Pantops in Charlottesville.
Angelic’s Kitchen also caters, and in more exciting news, the food truck will soon be opening a restaurant at the Dairy Market in Charlottesville.
Sweet Jane’s Kitchen – Crab Cake Food Stand
After visiting Ocean City and stuffing myself with crab earlier this year, I was so excited to visit Sweet Jane’s Kitchen at the IX Market. The food stand offers Maryland-style jumbo crab cakes. I split a crab cake sandwich and Arnold Palmer combo as an appetizer, and it was the bomb. Definitely get your sandwich with their sauce sauce and Old Bay for an authentic and delicious experience!
Khadija’s Kitchen – Authentic Middle Eastern Food Stand
Khadija’s Kitchen offers fresh, authentic, and extremely yummy Middle Eastern food. The flaming lamb kabobs drew me to the food stand while I was wandering around IX Park. Khadija is so sweet and friendly, and she explained all of the items on the expansive menu. I tried the lamb kabob pita, which was delicious. Khadija’s has a large menu, and it changes week-to-week. I saw exotic items like tongue sandwich, ash-e doogh (yogurt soup), dolma, barbari bread, etc. Apparently, her spicy potato samosas are a bestseller, along with the cheesy spinach pastries. There are many vegetarian and vegan options available too! Khadija also makes desserts like baklava, which I will definitely try next time.
If you’re interested in Khadija’s food, you can order it for delivery or pick up in Charlottesville on weekdays. Her menu and offerings from week-to-week are available on her social media platforms, and you can order ahead for an authentic and delicious dining experience!
It’s Popping Time – Kettle Corn Food Truck
The kettle corn at It’s Popping Time is simply magical. I have never been a big popcorn person; usually, I can take it or leave it. However, after my first few snack packs I was HOOKED. Now I am officially an addict. The food truck always offers an array of sweet and savory flavors. My personal favorites are sweet cherry pie, caramel cinnamon, s’mores, jalapeno, cilantro chive, and cheddar. The owners are wonderful people and offer samples of all their flavors. Check them out: the $3 snack tubs are definitely worth it. Or, if you are addicted like me, the $8 large bag is the best bang for your buck.
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Gt5ay@virginia.edu