The best food trucks in Miami to eat like a local for less

Chef Hector Lopez worked at one of Fort Lauderdale's finest restaurants before heading out with industry veteran Adam Irvin into the world of food trucks. After popping up randomly around South Florida, Sidecar Kitchen is now catering only, handling events and weddings with set menus that have a Latin (and delicious) bent.

Order this: Argentinian empanadas, a burger on tostadas and the pretty amazing Cuban sandwich.

After beginning way back in 2010 as a single, roaming food truck, Ms. Cheezious has won boatloads of competitions and spun itself off into a restaurant in Mimo. Two Ms. Cheezious trucks exist now to work festivals and catering gigs, so book some cheesy goodness for your next party.

Order this: Goat cheese and prosciutto with tomato and arugula on marble rye bread

The piadina is a flatbread sandwich that hails from the Adriatic Sea, where their rolled-up nature makes them an ideal beach food. This means they translate well to Miami: Piadina 305 offers them up along with charcuterie boards, antipasti and bruschetta. In addition to the truck used mostly for catering now, Piadina also has 305 Salumeria inside the Doral Yard.

Order this: The Bologna, made with mortadella, stracchino cheese, olive, walnut and arugula

Not that the concept of food trucks at a brewery is anything new, but having one permanently parked in Veza Sur Brewing’s courtyard has allowed the folks at SuViche, the team behind this truck, to do some pretty cool stuff. Case in point: The Alitas, chicken wings covered in a beer eel sauce reduction. The Peruvian-Chinese fusion menu has non-beer creations too, like an entire section of anticuchos and a build-your-own udon bar.

It’s our humble opinion that Puerto Rican food is sadly underrepresented in Miami. But luckily we have El Bori, with a semi-permanent spot in Midtown (261 NW 36th St.). The food truck hits all the Puerto Rican highlights, like mofongo and carne frita, and also heads solidly into fusion territory with a pastrami sandwich with cilantro mayo and a lasagna empanada.

The Venezuelan- and Colombian-influenced menu at Mr. Pepito covers a lot of very tasty ground: dogs, burgers, overstuffed sandwiches and plates of grilled meats with flatbread. Its Edgewater location (2731 NE 2nd Ave) means east-siders don’t have to travel far, and its folding tables out front often fill up with a late-night crowd.

One of the cutest trucks around, Naughty Coffee’s souped-up Volkswagen buses are hard to miss. It’s also the perfect snack break: Refuel with a specialty coffee, fresh-brewed tea or a variety of tasty pastries. After beginning life as a roaming food truck found mostly behind a Brickell church, the VWs now have permanent locations inside air-conditioned malls in Doral and Aventura.

Order this: Iced matcha latte

What began back in 2011 as a humble food truck mostly found in Hollywood now has a strong following for its Colombian-inspired burgers and dogs, which come topped with crushed potato sticks and a monsoon of sauces. Keep track of them on a calendar posted to the Monster Burgers website, but you can find them regularly at Haulover Park and Pelican Harbor Marina.

This dessert truck concept is genius: Take a flavor of hand-made gelato (like Oreo, Belgian chocolate or salted caramel brûlée), dip it in one of three chocolates and then cover it with toppings such as pretzels, sprinkles or caramelized pecans. HipPOPs have proven so popular they now have a second truck in Denver, and you can follow the truck’s South Florida whereabouts on its handy calendar on its website.

Order this: Hand-dipped frozen banana

The Bodega food truck became so popular it spun off not one but, as of this writing, a half dozen locations, including one as far away as Chicago. But the button-cute Airstream full of tacos is still available for catering, starting at $25 a head.

Order this: Barbacoa (short rib) tacos

Setting itself apart from the seemingly endless parade of taco joints in Miami, Twice Butter is a Mexican-fusion truck that bolsters its menu with stuff like its namesake burger—with bacon, butter, chipotle and provolone—and tuna tartare tacos, which arrive served in delicate wonton shells rather than plain tortillas. Its regular spot at 714 NW 22nd Sreet has all the Wynwood vibes at night, with a disco ball and colored lights. 

Stuffing tacos and bao buns with everything under the sun has been a food truck staple for years, so it was only a matter of time before someone started doing it with egg rolls. This truck has, as it says, “flavors from all over the world” rolled into deep-fried wonton wrappers. There's the Philly cheesesteak, sausage alfredo and roasted pork and plantains. Wash it down with homemade strawberry lemonade and you’ll never look at egg rolls the same again. Spun off now into four permanent locations across South Florida, the original truck can still be tracked on Instagram.

Burgers, dogs and tacos get loaded with all manner of ingredients at Mi Pana Burger, a food truck that hits Venezuelan and Cuban flavors hard. Prices are cheap ($10 for two overloaded hotdogs) and the hours are perfect for end-of-the-night splurging, typically not closing until 5am. Find them tucked behind a gas station at the intersection of SW 57th Avenue and Coral Way.