Mestizo
Mestizo is a Mexican food truck specializing in the cuisine of the Yucatán peninsula. They limit their fillings to four options — pollo asado, cochinita pibil, carne asada, and coliflor-maiz — to focus on each one and make it as great as possible. They even make their tortillas by hand which make their tacos even better. They use those same handmade tortillas in their salbutes (fried tortillas with melted cheese) and panuchos (fried tortillas with puréed black beans). Mestizo’s cochinita pibil, a Yucatán-style pork, is marinated in citrus juice and slow cooked until tender. Don’t skip out on their sides. Their fried sweet plantains served with sour cream and churros are a great post-meal treat.
Cousins Maine Lobster
Cousins Maine Lobster is famous for serving high-quality lobster caught in Maine. The delicate, sweet flavor of lobster is best enjoyed with little to no interference from other ingredients. For its simplest form, order the Connecticut roll served with nothing more than butter and lemon. For a creamier texture, order the Maine roll mixed with a touch of mayo. If you want to try something more unique, go for the grilled cheese made with pepper jack and cheddar on Texas-style toast. They also offer a bowl of thick and creamy lobster bisque brightened by a touch of sherry. Their New England clam chowder features rendered salt pork, sauteed onions, and potatoes. You can even find lobster tacos or quesadillas — both are served on a flour tortilla with pico de gallo and cilantro lime sauce. Don’t miss out on their tater tots loaded with lobster. For dessert, pick up a classic Maine whoopie pie.
El Fuego
El Fuego is a taco truck that serves tacos, mulitas, tortas, burritos, and vampiros. Their meat options include birria, al pastor, and carne asada. If you’re feeling seafood, opt for the grilled salmon taco topped with pickled cabbage.Try their taco “El Fuego” that comes loaded with guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, onion, and salsa. If you’re unfamiliar with a mulita, it’s a quesadilla made by sandwiching the cheese and filling between two tortillas. If you have trouble choosing, go for their combo deluxe that includes a quesabirria, a taco, and a mulita. A neat option you won’t find at any other taco trucks are their keto tacos that swap corn tortillas for tortillas made from crispy cheese. You don’t want to miss out on their torta served on spongy telera bread and loaded with guac, pico de gallo, and grilled cheese. The can’t miss item on their menu is their vampiro. It’s a tortilla that’s crisped on the grill and topped with meat, onions, guacamole, and spicy salsa.
Marley’s Treats
Marley’s Treats is a Bay Area bakery famous for their mastery of ube. Owner Gemma Ballesteros started the business from a food truck in 2017. Since then, she’s opened a storefront in Hayward but continues to operate the truck at food events like Off the Grid. Ube, aka purple yam, is a tuber with a flavor similar to vanilla and nuts. This flavor profile makes it a popular choice for baked goods — at Marley’s Treats you can try it in the form of a cupcake, ice cream cone, or milkshake. You can even find bright purple ube cinnamon rolls and flan. They experiment with more than just sweets.For example, they collaborated on a chopped cheese sandwich where they made ube french rolls drizzled with ube sauce. Keep an eye out for their purple food truck next time you visit an Off the Grid event.
Melina’s Kitchen
Melina’s Kitchen is a Mexican food truck with a large menu including burritos, tacos, and loaded fries. It’s owned by Luis Morales who has 28 years of kitchen experience. He decided to open his food truck because he wanted to communicate directly with his customers. A popular menu item is the shrimp taco. It’s made with shrimp tossed in a spicy marinade then seared on a flat top grill. It’s topped with slaw, pico de gallo, and chipotle aioli. It’s a light, refreshing dish that’s best enjoyed under the summer sun. The loaded fries are drizzled with cheese sauce and then stacked with carne asada, pico de gallo, and crema. The portion is pretty big, so you’re going to want to share with a friend. If you stop by, make sure to say hi to Luis and his team!
