Before pop-up shops, there were food trucks.
From hot dog carts outside Comerica Park to moving grocery stores to Dan Gilbert's downtown development plan, metro Detroit's mobile cuisine scene offers all the spontaneous fun of your childhood ice cream truck without the annoying song.
Deadline Detroit serves up our five favorite foodie spots to find stellar cuisine at a restaurant that will drive away when lunch is over.
To find them, your best bet is social media, where most truck operators post their daily whereabouts. It's not an exact science, but it beats slamming on the breaks when you see a taco.
The Mac Shack is worth throwing out a homemade sack lunch to eat. Plain or dolled up, The Mac Shack's mac is decadently creamy and fairly addictive. Try the Koh San Road (mac and cheese with peanuts, bean sprouts, green onions, lime, cilantro, and sriracha) or the Papa Smurf (mac with mushrooms, grated parmesan, and grilled onions). Although this truck is obviously known for its pasta, its secret weapon is the garlic parmesan fries.
Follow the truck here or here.
With options like strawberry goat cheese salad and mushroom soup with thyme and brie, Green Zebra is a great option for those looking for lighter fare. The neon truck also serves delicious grilled cheeses, like their Bacon Tomato Jam Grilled Cheese, with cheddar, provolone, mozzarella, bacon, and Slow Jam's tomato jam.
Left: Green Zebra. Right: Tomato Bacon Grilled Cheese
Although most of Southwest Detroit's taco trucks are tasty, Tacos El Toro makes the list because of its wide variety of options and multiple locations. Load up on traditional tacos that are deliciously simple and only $1.50 -- just your choice of meat on a corn tortilla, with onions, cilantro, and lime. Meat options range from chicken to beef tongue and fixings can be added by request. Tacos El Toro also serves burritos, tortas, and quesadillas,
This truck won't come to you -- it doesn't move. Find it at Michigan and Martin or on Springwells just south of Vernor.
Left: Tacos El Toro on Springwells. Right: Spicy pork tacos.
Served just fried, beignets are a bit like airy donut holes covered in powdered sugar. (Pro-tip: don't eat them in the wind.) Beignet also serves their treats with rasperry sauce or the magic food word -- bacon.
Follow the truck here or here, or visit their soon to open location on Joseph Campau in Hamtramck.
Left: Beignets, the truck. Right: Beignets, the food
Concrete Cuisine is the rebel of the food truck posse. This truck changes its menu often and serves dishes ranging from creative (sweet potato fries with a maple cream dipping sauce) to just plain strange (a croissant fill with brisket, sour cream, scrambled eggs, onion chips, and A-1 mayo).
Follow the truck here or here.
Left: Concrete Cuisine. Right: Above mentioned croissant with "Frickles" (fried pickles).
Runners-Up
Detroit is certainly not short on hot dogs, but there's something really enticing about hot dogs served from a turquoise 1965 VW bus.
Follow the truck here or visit them at Home Depot in either Pontiac or Troy.
Treat Dreams looks like Scooby Doo's Mystery Machine reincarnated as an ice cream truck. This truck serves awesome homemade flavors like salted caramel and rosemary cherry, as well as vegan ice cream and sorbet.
Follow the truck here or visit their brick and mortar location on Woodward near 9 Mile in Ferndale.
This truck is for the Mexican food lovers who want salsa and cheese on their tacos. Jacques gets bonus points for also serving tamales and catfish tacos.
Follow the truck here.
