It's no secret that some of the best food comes from food trucks. There's a variety of delicious spots to choose from in Tampa Bay, but here are seven must-try trucks to get you started!
It's difficult to find better tater tots than at this "Ameri-Mex" style food truck. Enjoy tacos, quesadillas, nachos and more—the Gulf-Coast Shrimp Tacos are a fan favorite, made with locally-sourced seafood and topped with house-made sour cream and coleslaw. St. Pete Taco Lady is run by mother-daughter duo, Colleen and Taylor Travers. It was started 12 years ago at Saturday Morning Market in St. Pete, and converted to a food truck—which was painted by local artist Derek Donnelly—5 years ago.
St. Pete Taco Lady is often stationed outside of their catering kitchen at 5507 38th Ave N in St. Pete, but they travel throughout Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties. To find out where St. Pete Taco Lady is going to be next, follow them on Facebook.
You can't go wrong with BBQ from Ibbi's Q! The meat is smoked every morning and kept fresh throughout the day. The truck is owned by Tampa Bay native Roger Ibbitson who offers all of your barbecue favorites—ribs, pulled pork, mac and cheese, coleslaw—with a nontraditional twist. The ribs and sauces represent a variety of big BBQ regions, from Tennessee to Kansas City to Texas. I highly recommend trying The Cure—a pulled pork, bacon and rib meat sandwich drizzled with a house-made cheese sauce.
To find out where Ibbi's Q is going to be next, follow them on Facebook.
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If it's even possible, pizza is even tastier in cone-form. Pamz Pizza Conez, owned by Pam Kelley, specializes in house-made pizza dough cones with your favorite toppings. Keep it simple with cheese or pepperoni cones, or try new flavors like Shrimp Scampi or Chicken Alfred, which will be rolling out soon. In addition to pizza cones, you can try their boneless wings, Caprese salad, and nachos. It's a great food truck for kids and adults alike!
To find out where Pamz Pizza Conez is going to be next, follow them on Facebook.
Maggie on the Move has more than 20 Mediterranean fusion items on its rotating menu! Truck owner and chef Maggie Loflin has been running her truck for 10 years and often changes up the dishes she offers. Enjoy everything from pita sandwiches to Falafel to a Mediterranean Cuban sandwich. The crab cakes on loaded fries or in a pita sandwich are definitely a popular item.
Maggie on the Move will be at All Children's Hospital every Thursday during lunch (and a portion of the proceeds will go to the hospital). To find out where else the truck will pop up, follow them on Facebook.
These are some of the best donuts you will try in the area! Craving Donuts is run by Deborah Hodge-Nibbs, who serves up fresh, made-to-order donuts throughout the day. Find the truck around Tampa Bay or stop by their kiosk at the Medical Center of Trinity. Choose from flavors like Fruity Pebbles, Maple Bacon and Apple Pie—plus a dozen other options. There's always a Craving of the Week, which is the food truck's latest featured flavor. Try it with a coffee to go!
To find out where Craving Donuts is going to be next, check out their website.
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If you enjoy all things shredded meat, this is the truck for you. The Shred 813 is family run and operated by Kelly and Justin Trapeo. They just opened two days before everything shut down in Florida due to COVID-19, but they were able to give food to first responders as well as set up contactless pickups and delivery. They're well known for their Shredder Burger, made with fresh never frozen beef, cheddar cheese that's crisped up on the grill, house-made coleslaw and hand cut duck fat fries, all on fresh Cuban bread.
The Shred 813 will be at 81Bay Brewing Company in Tampa every Wednesday night playing their feel-good playlist and serving up dinner. To find out where else the truck will pop up, follow them on Facebook.
This Japanese food truck takes it to a whole new level. Shiso Crispy serves up bao buns, hand-made gyoza and they try to keep everything as local as possible. They are popular for their Dirty Rice, made with sticky rice, signature gyoza sauce, gochujang aioli, fried onion and green onions, topped with your choice of Ahi tuna, jackfruit or Bang Bang shrimp, chicken or tofu. Food truck owner Ronicca Whaley got her start working for the Prime Minister of Malaysia, where she started a 250-food truck franchise in Kuala Lumpur before she came back to Florida to kick off Shiso Crispy last November.
To find out where Shiso Crispy is going to be next, follow them on Facebook.
Ready to go on a food truck adventure? Check out where trucks are in your area on any given day with this tool.
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