Chicago's 10 Best Food Trucks: The Ultimate 2026 Guide

Cuisine: Gourmet Sandwiches

Sam Barron and Sarah Weitz are a husband-and-wife duo with serious culinary credentials. Sam trained at the four-star Everest Restaurant in Chicago, then at a three-star Michelin restaurant in Spain. After traveling through Europe and Asia, they brought The Fat Shallot to Chicago's streets in Spring 2013—one of the very first cook-on-board food trucks in the city. Named Chicago Reader's Best Food Truck in 2017.

Locations:

• Food Truck — roving locations throughout Chicago
• 2468 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614 (Lincoln Park restaurant)
• 125 S Clark St (Sterling Food Hall, The Loop)
• Revival Food Hall (brick-and-mortar)

Menu Highlights:

• Truffle BLT – $11-12 | Massive pile of crispy bacon, arugula, tomatoes, truffle aioli on Texas toast
• The Mac – $12-14 | Grilled cheese with house-made mac and cheese inside
• Grilled Cheese with Sautéed Spinach & Caramelized Onions – $10-12
• Polish Sausage – $10-12 | All-beef Polish with caramelized onions, giardiniera, mustard on pretzel bun
• Truffle Fries – $5-6 | Absolutely addictive

Reviews: "Best food for any type of party. Loved the food truck experience!" | "The truffle fries are amazing!"

Notable: George Lucas has eaten one of their famous grilled cheese sandwiches. The name comes from Chicago's old nickname "The Stinky Onion"—they upgraded to "shallot" for their classically trained French chef.

Contact: thefatshallot.com

Cuisine: New England Seafood

In 2014, three friends—Alex Robinson, Tyler Cullitan, and Neil Bassett—left their desk jobs to pursue a dream: bringing authentic Maine lobster rolls to Chicago via food truck. Their lobster is flown in fresh from Maine and was "probably in the ocean 2 days ago." Featured on Food Network's 'Best Thing I Ever Ate,' The Happy Lobster has become a Chicago institution.

Locations:

• 15 W Washington St (Washington Hall — brick & mortar)
• Blue and orange food truck roaming Chicago and suburbs
• Check happylobsterseafood.com for schedule

Menu Highlights:

• Happy Lobster Roll – $17-19 | Butter, mayo, and special seasonings on a toasted bun
• Angry Lobster Roll – $17-19 | With hot giardiniera and spicy mayo (Chicago-style!)
• Lobster Grilled Cheese – $14-16 | Havarti cheese and lobster on challah bread
• Lobster Mac & Cheese Bites – $8-10
• Maine Whoopie Pie – $4-5 | Authentic dessert from Maine

Reviews: "One of the best sandwiches I've ever had. If there's a line, there's a reason. Wait in the line." | "The giardiniera peppers gave the roll a very good taste with the spicy mayo."

Pro Tip: The truck is bookable for private events. Food truck season ends in late November—winter pop-ups available.

Contact: happylobsterseafood.com

Cuisine: Venezuelan Street Food

Venezuelan-born Benoit Angulo met his wife Rachel while working at a New Orleans restaurant. Benoit, who has been making arepas since age 8, attended culinary school and eventually launched La Cocinita food trucks in both New Orleans and Chicago. He competed on Season 11 of Bravo's Top Chef, served as personal chef for Sylvester Stallone, and has been featured on Food Network's Eat Street and the Cooking Channel.

Location: Merchandise Mart (regular lunch spot) & roving locations

Menu Highlights:

• Arepas – $8-10 | Venezuelan cornmeal patties stuffed with meat, cheese, cilantro slaw
• Patacones – Crispy smashed green plantains topped with meat and lime-chile crema
• Caribbean Bowl – $10-12 | Rice, beans, meat, and cheese
• Tacos – $8-10 for 2 | White corn tortillas with meat, cabbage slaw, salsa
• Churros – $5 | Dusted with cinnamon sugar, served with warm chocolate sauce

Signature Sauces: Guasacaca (Venezuelan guacamole), Cilantro-Green Onion Sauce, Chipotle Crema, and the legendary "Stupid Hot" Sauce.

Contact: lacocinita.com

Cuisine: Dumplings, Bao Buns & Asian Fusion

Chef/Owner Jeff Wang grew up in a restaurant family but worked in finance after college. After a trip to a Taiwanese night market, inspiration struck. In July 2014, Jeff launched Chicago's first dumpling and bao truck, serving handmade recipes from his mother's kitchen. The Kimcheesy Rice Balls were voted #1 new item at the 2015 Taste of Chicago by TimeOut Chicago.

Locations:

• Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club (1750 N Milwaukee Ave) — regular spot
• Behind Prudential Building on E Randolph
• Various festivals including Taste of Chicago

Menu Highlights:

• Kimcheesy Rice Balls – $6-8 | THE signature item: cheddar jack cheese, kimchi puree, jalapeños, panko-breaded and fried
• Pork Belly Bao – $4-5 | Slow braised in Taiwanese spices with pickled mustard greens and crushed peanuts
• Korean Fried Chicken Bao – $4-5 | Perfect crunch with slaw and sauce
• Pork & Cabbage Dumplings – $8-10 for 6 | Handmade with Mama Wang's recipe
• Sriracha Brownie – $4 | House-made fudge brownie infused with sriracha

Reviews: "Absolutely killer! Their baos are top notch—the Korean Fried Chicken bao in particular... I could eat 20 of them." | "Easily one of the best food trucks in Chicago!"

Contact: yumdumtruck.com

Cuisine: Gourmet Mexican Tamales

In 2010, former Frontera Grill employees Manny Hernandez and Pepe Balanzar watched the food truck revolution happening in LA and NYC and decided Chicago needed to catch up. They spent three months navigating unclear city regulations to become one of Chicago's first licensed food trucks. The spaceship-themed truck features airplane wings on top and staff wearing Lucha Libre wrestling masks. Named Chicago Reader's Best Food Truck in 2011, 2013, and 2015.

Locations:

• 2296 S Blue Island Ave, Chicago, IL 60608 (Pilsen HQ)
• Food truck schedule varies — check thetamalespaceship.com

Menu Highlights:

• Picturesque Tamal – $5-6 | Yucatan-style roasted pork in tomato habanero sauce with purple pickled onions
• Al Pastor Tamal – $5-6 | Adobo marinated pork with spicy tomatillo arbol sauce and grilled pineapple
• Roasted Chicken with Michoacán Green Peanut Mole – $5-6
• Duck Confit with Plum Mole & Cranberries – $6-7 (seasonal)
• Flourless Mexican Chocolate Tamale – $4-5 | Topped with caramel sauce

Reviews: "Our guests said this was the best wedding food they've ever had!" | "A top tier catering experience!"

Contact: thetamalespaceship.com

Cuisine: Argentinian Empanadas

Named after the international dialing code for Buenos Aires (+54 11), this food truck was founded in 2009 by three friends who wanted to bring a taste of their homeland to Chicago. What started as a delivery service grew into a fleet of brick-and-mortar locations and one of the most successful food trucks in the country. Each empanada is handmade and hand-stuffed, baked in a 465-degree conveyor oven for exactly 10 minutes.

Locations:

• Food truck roving Chicago
• 2045 W North Ave (Wicker Park)
• Multiple brick-and-mortar locations

Menu Highlights:

• Malbec Beef Empanada – $4-5 | Shredded Angus beef slow roasted in red wine reduction
• Bacon, Date & Goat Cheese – $4-5 | Applewood smoked bacon with thinly sliced dates
• BBQ Chicken – $4-5 | Shredded chicken with red onions, cilantro in sweet BBQ sauce
• Spinach & Cheese – $4-5 | With house-made béchamel and mozzarella
• Banana Nutella – $4 | Dessert empanada
• Alfajores – Traditional Argentine cookies

Signature Sauces: Chimichurri (herb-garlic sauce) and house Red Hot Sauce.

Contact: 5411empanadas.com

Cuisine: German-Turkish Fusion

Think of Tex-Mex, but German-Turkish ("Ger-Turk"). Founded in 2013, DönerMen brings authentic Berlin Imbiss (street food) to Chicago, celebrating the delicious marriage of flavors brought to Germany by Turkish immigrants in the 1970s. Their hand-painted truck serves döner kebabs alongside currywurst—a post-war Berlin invention.

Locations:

• DMen Tap — 2849 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60618 (Avondale — brick & mortar)
• Food truck at various locations and Christkindlmarket
• Hours: Mon-Thu 4PM-2AM, Fri 12PM-2AM, Sat 12PM-3AM, Sun 12PM-2AM

Menu Highlights:

• Chicken Döner Kebab – $10-12 | Shaved vertical spit-roasted chicken in yufka wrap with tzatziki, harissa, greens
• Dönerbox – $10-12 | Spit-roasted chicken on a bed of fries with toppings
• Currywurst – $9-11 | Grilled sausage with house-made curry sauce and fries
• Curry Fries – $6-8 | House fries with sweet and tangy curry sauce
• Giant Pretzels – $6-8
• Malört Ice Cream (at DMen Tap) — A beloved Chicago tradition

Pro Tip: Visit DMen Tap for annual events like Malört Days (February), Pickle Fest, and Krampus Parade.

Contact: dmenchi.com

Cuisine: Vietnamese-Korean-Thai-Filipino Fusion

Established in 2013 by Tanya and John Nguyen, Chicago Lunchbox was the first cook-on-board food truck to offer Asian cuisine in Chicago. Coming from a Vietnamese-American background, "sandwich slanger" John has added a twist to tradition, creating bánh mì sandwiches that pay tribute to multiple Asian cuisines.

Locations:

• 57th and Ellis (University of Chicago area)
• 1535 W Devon Ave
• Various festivals and events

Menu Highlights:

• Beefy Korean Bánh Mì – $10-12 | Korean BBQ beef on French baguette with pickled daikon, carrots, cucumber
• The Viet – $10-12 | Vietnamese grilled pork with fiery garlic mayo and sweet house sauce
• Sloppy Thai – $10-12 | Ground chicken stir-fried with basil and peppers
• Bánh Mì Long Time – $10-12 | Sweet and juicy Filipino longanisa sausage
• Fire Rangoon – $5-6 | Crispy wontons stuffed with jalapeño cream cheese
• Lumpia – $5-6 | Fried spring rolls filled with chicken

All entrees served with house pickled daikon & carrots, cucumber, red onions, cilantro.

Contact: chicagolunchbox.com

Cuisine: Gourmet Grilled Cheese

In 2011, Chris Johnston got a hankering for grilled cheese and wondered why there wasn't anywhere in Chicago that sold just grilled cheese. After all, pizza joints—basically melted cheese on bread—are everywhere. Today, Cheesie's remains family-owned and operated, with brick-and-mortar locations in Wrigleyville and University of Chicago.

Locations:

• Food truck — roving locations and events
• 958 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60657 (Lakeview/Wrigleyville)
• University of Chicago — Hutchinson Commons and I-House

Menu Highlights:

• The OG – $9-10 | American cheese and Merkt's cheddar on Texas toast with tomato soup dip
• The Mac – $11-12 | American, cheddar, and house-made mac & cheese on Texas toast
• The Tenderizer – $12-14 | Cheddar, mozzarella, bacon, fried chicken tenders with "Tendy sauce"
• The Popper – $11-12 | Cheddar, cream cheese, fresh jalapeños, bacon on sourdough
• Fried Cheese Curds – $7-8
• Loaded Tater Tots – $7-8

Reviews: "The food is fresh, hot and yummy! I would give them 10 stars if I could!" | "The Cheesies truck was the highlight!"

Contact: cheesies.com

Cuisine: Gourmet Pancakes & Breakfast

Leah Wilcox, owner and executive chef of Babycakes, graduated from Kendall College and has been featured on Food Network's Chopped and Cutthroat Kitchen. Her mission: elevate the humble pancake and prove these sweet and savory creations can be served for any meal. With over 250 unique pancake flavors, Babycakes is the only gourmet pancake food truck in the world. Their motto: Breakfast 24/7!

Locations:

• 3031 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
• Food truck at various events

Menu Highlights:

• Blueberry Dream – $8-10 | Pancakes with berries and cream cheese filling
• Unicorn Magic – $8-10 | Strawberry cakes with white chocolate and colorful unicorn bark
• The Elvis – $8-10 | Bananas and Reese's peanut butter with whipped cream
• Churro-mazing – $8-10 | Cinnamon sugar, caramel, chocolate chips
• Red Velvet – $8-10 | Red velvet pancakes
• S'mores – $8-10 | Graham, chocolate, marshmallow

Also on the Menu: Deep-fried waffles, frittatas, breakfast burritos, chicken and waffles, and French toast.

Awards: Named one of Chicago's best food trucks by Chicago Magazine, Thrillist, and TimeOut Chicago.

Contact: babycakespancakes.com

Chicago food trucks are constantly on the move. Here's how to track them down:

Social Media: Most trucks post daily locations on Instagram and Twitter. Follow your favorites for real-time updates.

Food Truck Apps: StreetFoodFinder, Best Food Trucks, and Roaming Hunger track Chicago trucks in real-time with maps and menus.

Food Truck Festivals: The Chicago Food Truck Festival (June) is one of America's largest gatherings of gourmet food trucks.

Lunch Spots: Daley Plaza, Merchandise Mart, and University of Chicago are regular food truck hotspots.

CHIFTA: The Chicago Food Truck Association (chifta.org) connects you with local trucks for events and catering.

Pro Tips:

• Lunch rush is 11:30AM-1:30PM — arrive early or late to avoid lines
• Many trucks accept credit cards, but bring cash just in case
• Food truck season runs roughly April through November (weather dependent)
• Most trucks offer catering — great for office lunches and private events
• If the line is long, it's usually worth the wait!