It’s always a good time for comfort food, but as the temperatures cool, you may wonder where to find a hearty meal to warm the bones on a nippy fall day in the ’Burgh. While the seasons and their parking spots may change, the awesome quality you’ll find from these mobile food vendors remains consistent. Check out this list of some of Pittsburgh’s best food trucks, then make your way to their stops to grab a perfect comfort meal!
Cilantro & Ajo
instagram.com/cilantro.ajoOne of the only spots — if not the only spot — in Pittsburgh specializing in Venezuelan street food, Cilantro & Ajo has a food truck in addition to their brick-and-mortar restaurant in the South Side. Their staff is extremely friendly, and their menu is quite extensive. This is a great spot for Latines and Spanish learners to practicar su español.
Must Try: Arepa Pabellón. It’s an arepa stuffed with shredded beef, plantains, black beans, and queso fresco. It’s filling and delicious to the last bite — perfect to line the stomach before or after a night out on the ’tahn. Make sure to get a side of their famous cilantro and ajo (garlic) sauce on the side to drizzle over every bite. It’s tangy and creamy and goes with everything, seriously.
Tango Food Truck
tangofoodtruck.comTango has delicious, authentic Argentinian fare: empanadas, choripan, and other sandwiches, plus a special house-made chimichurri that will warm your bones without overheating the palate. Chimichurri is a classic Argentinian sauce that is not spicy, but has a great bite to it due to its vinegary base.
Must Try: Four cheese empanada with chimichurri. What’s more welcome on a crisp autumn day than a mouthful of melted cheese surrounded by crispy, flaky dough? While all of Tango’s offerings are delicious, this cheese-oozing empanada offers a perfect, simple flavor platform for the chimichurri to really shine. Make sure you dip or dollop liberally!
Stuntpig
stuntpigpgh.comNothing says “hearty fall meal” like smoked and cured meat on a well-crafted sandwich. This food truck is a can’t-miss with its bold flavors and striking hot pink-and-teal logo, featuring a pig in a vintage-style helmet and goggles, framed by a keystone. Stunt Pig puts a lot of thought and care into not just their branding, but the preparation of their food as well. Their meat is locally sourced, their ingredients are fresh, and they also do a great job of listing common allergens in their food.
Must Try: Mr. Orange, a chicken sandwich that is absolutely loaded up with flavor. As described on their website, the sandwich features “smoked and pulled chicken, spicy piri piri sauce, briny cucumbers, chimichurri aioli on a toasted Big Marty's roll.” Yum!
Revival Chili
revivalchili.com/visitThe sibling to the iconic Wilkinsburg diner Nancy’s Revival, Revival’s chili is like a hug from a magically aromatic friend. Bonus? According to Revival’s website, their good food helps “hire men and women in need of a fair chance at work but currently face barriers to employment, such as homelessness, previous incarceration, lack of experience, etc.”
Must Try: A “Classic” bowl of beef chili served over a cornbread base provides extra cozy food vibes. You’ll love how the cornbread plays with the chili, soaking it up and providing a complementary texture to the ground beef and tomatoes.
La Palapa
instagram.com/lapalapapghAnother South Side bastion for Latin food, La Palapa is a popular restaurant with a food truck worth tracking down this fall.
Must Try: It’s really difficult to give just one recommendation, as the food is authentic AF and simply delicious. But, if you’re determined to try just one thing, go for the chipotle pork taco, paired with a Jarritos.
Caribbean Vybz
instagram.com/caribbeanvybzllcSpecializing in Jamaican food and proudly sporting its national flag and flames on the sides of its truck, Caribbean Vybz can usually be found at Wilkinsburg Beverage Truck Stop on Fridays and Saturdays. If you’re wondering what the vybz are, think extreme comfort food, featuring curries with intense depth of flavor.
Must Try: Oxtail and fried plantains, two Caribbean staples that are otherwise quite hard to come by in the Steel City. The oxtail is a stewy delicacy served over rice that melts off the bone and goes down smoothly.
