Kofuku brings the concept of a traditional Japanese izakaya to the streets, as the truck is decked out in Japanese paper lanterns and serves up Japanese sandwiches and curry rice all based around tonkatsu pork cutlets, which are breaded on the outside and soft and tangy inside. They also do gyoza, miso soup, shrimp rice bowls and curry, and have set up tables with lanterns next to a beer garden to handle the overflow crowd at the main Scene Mall location. The lantern and bamboo decor truck has actually been around for several years (that's even longer than Daniel Thaiger), but has stayed under the foreign radar as it is in a Thai part of town. The owners also run several other trucks in non central locations.
Recommended for Food Trucks because: For Japanese food trucks, Kofuku is your only option
Dave's expert tip: Getting here is an adventure without transport. Best to take the MRT to Lad Phrao or the Airport Link rail to Ramkamhaeng and grab a taxi from there. For diehards, taking the Saen Sab canal boat up to Wat Thep Lila and then a motorbike taxi down Ramkamhaeng Soi 43/1 is also fast and cheap.
It's easy to see why the lads who made this truck called it Answer Cheeze. From grilled cheese sandwiches to melted cheeseburgers to spaghetti with spicy sausage and cheese to mashed potatoes and cheese, the answer really is in the cheese here! The bright yellow food truck started out as a simple grilled cheese sandwich joint, offering cheese melts on white bread with the options of barbecued pork, mixed cheeses, and Hawaiian on tap, but they've since expanded into more of a full dinner stop, with steaks, drinks, and plenty more. Answer Cheeze bases itself off of eastern Sukhumvit up on On Nut 44, a bit far out for the average tourist, but they do a lot of events and stops at more central locations like CentralWorld or Asok Terrace, so check their Facebook Page for updates.
Recommended for Food Trucks because: For grilled cheese out of a food truck, Answer Cheese is the answer!
Dave's expert tip: Make sure to check the food truck's Facebook Page for locations and events.
Joining the different food truck cuisine ranks, Rolling Stone brings quality wood fire oven pizza on wheels to the masses. After vacating a space left by the closing of the former On Nut Night Market, Rolling Stone has found a home at the new Beacon Place mini community mall just around the corner from the On Nut skytrain station on Sukhumvit Soi 50, although as of late they have eschewed cooking right from the truck and now have a small space in the back of the mini-mall with tables you can sit at. Easily the best pizza on this side of town, the small operation uses quality ingredients, like meats from Sloane's artisanal meat deli, and you can either dine in or take out (the truck has become a huge hit for the large condo crowd next door). There are a range of options, from salami to salmon to multiple cheese toppings, and the pizzas real do come out piping hot from the truck installed wood fire oven straight to the table. The truck does food events, but is fixed at the Beacon Place address.
Recommended for Food Trucks because: For mouthwatering wood fire oven pizza on wheels, Rolling Stone gathers plenty of moss!
Dave's expert tip: Do note that they don't really get going here until about 5pm. Also, make sure to check their Facebook page to see if they will be out on an event somewhere else.
After dinner from a food truck one does need dessert, and Annette I Tim Tuk Tuk not only fulfils that need, it is certainly one of the more novel food truck players on the Bangkok scene. Actually, I Tim Tuk Tuk is not a food truck but a classic Thai tuk tuk, stylishly designed, and set up to hawk fine homemade gelato, made with only 7-9% fats. Owner Anne spent a year learning how to make gelato and then outfitted a fleet of tuk tuks, which have done so well that there are now nine of them roaming the Thai streets. There are even tuk tuks selling in Chiang Mai and Pattaya these days, but the most central location to be found is indoors at the Food Park on the 4th floor of the Siam Center. The best selling flavour is mango and passionfruit, but there are also other great concoctions like tiramisu to choose from.
Recommended for Food Trucks because: For gelato sold out of a tuk tuk, there is only one Annette I Tim Tuk Tuk
Dave's expert tip: Easiest way to get here is to take the BTS Skytrain to the Siam station and walk into the Siam Center Mall from there.
While most food trucks have been aiming at the hamburger market, the guys behind Summer Street are doing things a bit differently, opening Bangkok's first seafood truck. Summer Street dishes out grill it yourself barbecued seafood baskets right out of a vintage Citroen truck that used to be in hipster Ari, but has now relocated to The Camp Vintage Flea Market up near Chatuchak. The three young Thai friends behind this operation all have design backgrounds and were inspired by a trip to Japan to open an izakaya style eatery in a classic mobile. You can even get craft beer to go with your freshwater prawns here, and the setting is a perfect spot to check out the modern Thai love of retro.
Recommended for Food Trucks because: For seafood and craft beer from a food truck, Summer Street is the one and only
Dave's expert tip: Best way to get here is to take the skytrain to the Ari station and then walk down Phahayothin Soi 7 two blocks, where you will find Ari 2 on your left, and Summer Street just a few hundred feet down the soi.
These heavyweights have also muscled in on the mobile burger trade and serve up Bangkok's most whopping hamburgers, 150 gram beef and pork patties. Young students love this truck and they certainly deliver on giving customers a mouthful for their money. One won't be going home hungry after a visit to the Mother Truckers! This is one of the most mobile burger units on the street, and they rarely stay in one place, but if you check their Facebook page for the current schedule you should be able to track them down. Recently, they have been working around BITEC and Bang Na in eastern Bangkok quite a bit.
Recommended for Food Trucks because: For Bangkok's biggest mobile burger, don't mess with Mother Trucker!
Dave's expert tip: You must check their Facebook page for updates, as they move around a lot.
La Monita is already a well known Bangkok name, famed for their Mexican taqueria that has gotten accolades for being the real deal, at least as far as Bangkok goes. They have now added to their repertoire by opening up a traditional San Francisco style taco truck which one doesn't need to look around for, as it is permanently parked down in the food area of the Siam Paragon Mall, right near the Gourmet Market. You can find burritos, quesadillas, carne asada, and all the essentials of a good Mexican food truck meal, without the inconvenience of having to line up or sit out in the humidity. The truck has stool seating right at the truck counter, or else more relaxing tables that have been set up around it. Street signs let you know that you are about as close to San Fran as you are going to get in this part of the world.
Recommended for Food Trucks because: For Bangkok's one and only taco truck, La Monita is it!
Dave's expert tip: The easiest way to get here is to take the BTS Skytrain to Siam station, and go right in to Siam Paragon Mall. The truck is on the ground floor, right out in front of the Gourmet Market on its lefthand side (facing the market).
With a truck named after their son, Daniel Thai, Mark and Honey Falcioni, a Thai/Western couple, put food trucks on the map in Bangkok. While street food had been around forever, the Falcionis were the first to put pedal to the mettle by acting on their friends' complaints over the lack of good burgers to be found in town. The pair started a food truck serving gourmet hamburgers using top patties with signature sauces and achieved critical fame at the former Sukhumvit Soi 38 street food court scene. Since then, they've opened up a proper gourmet restaurant and gone on to bigger things, but the food truck still exists, parked out on Sukhumvit Soi 30, and still serves its top famed burgers, with locals lining up for take out.
Recommended for Food Trucks because: For a gourmet burger truck that has taken Bangkok by storm, look no further than Daniel Thaiger
Dave's expert tip: Get here early, the burgers almost always sell out and the line has to be seen to be believed
A leader in the gourmet burger scene, Orn's bright orange burger truck charcoal grills their patties, and tops them with signature sauces like blue cheese or Cajun spices. This foreign/Thai duo had 28 years in Bangkok running a grill, so they know their burgers well, and the name of the truck comes from her nickname (Orn) and plenty of inspiration from Jack Kerouac. The truck is a bit more outfitted and professional than some of the others you'll find, and the black charcoal buns from an artisan bakery are a big hit amongst the discerning burger crowd. As of late they are serving up some mean tacos and burritos as well, and have set up shop in Chinatown's Soi Nana, Bangkok's trendiest new hangout spot.
Recommended for Food Trucks because: For great juicy charbroiled burgers served with excellent sauces, Orn the Road delivers
Dave's expert tip: Make sure to check their Facebook page, as they move around a lot. Orn the Road is based in Chinatown at the happening food and drink scene on Soi Nana, but they cater plenty of events and are constantly in motion, so do check up before heading out.