For Hispanic Heritage Month, we wanted to share some fantastic food trucks and creators serving classic Cuban, Colombian, Peruvian, Argentinian, and Mexican dishes that would make a wonderful addition to any employee appreciation event. Here are a few of our team’s top recommendations. Whether you’re looking for tacos, arepas, or empanadas, we’ve got you covered!
Mama’s Papas was named one of the best pupusas in the Bay by the SF Chronicle. Tracie Cabezas started the business as a pop-up from her apartment when she lost her job due to the pandemic. Her dream is to one day open up a food truck. This pop-up has a fun fusion menu that combines Hawaiian and Salvadoran cuisine. Chef Cabezas brings her professional cooking experience from Hawaii to her Kalua pork preparation. The pork is paired with cheese and is a can’t miss item on their menu served with a pineapple curtido.
Estrellita’s Snacks is a second-generation Salvadoran restaurant that specializes in pupusas, tamales, and tostadas. They offer traditional favorites like yuca frita, entomatadas, and chilaquiles — but, they also push the limits with unique creations. Don’t miss out on their pupusas filled with birria or lamb and cheese. They also have Oaxacan specialties like mole Oaxaqueno and tlayudas. The restaurant is run in honor of Maria del Carmen Florez (Estrellita’s mother). Maria joined La Cocina in 2005 and brought her cooking experience from living across Central America.
Donaji is one of the best places to get Oaxacan staples in San Francisco. The menu features handmade tortillas, Oaxaca totopos, mole rojo short rib, and Chalupas. Isai Cuevas worked in the restaurant industry for twenty years. He returned home to Oaxaca during the pandemic to reconnect with his roots. In October 2021, he opened Donaji to represent Oaxacan cuisine in the Bay. Their Mid-Week Mercado menu is exclusive and features mole negro, salsa macha, and churros.
The Tamale Fiesta offers a large selection of tamales made without lard. They’re filled with vegetables, rajas, pollo verde, puerco verde, corn, pineapple, strawberry, or beef. They’re made fresh each day to ensure the masa is moist and fluffy. They don’t skimp on the fillings here, they’re filled and nearly overflowing. They won 1st place at the 8th Annual Tamale Festival in Atascadero. Nancy Cordero started Tamale Fiesta to bring people together and share her family’s recipes. She’s most proud of her beef in red mole which features a blend of dried chiles and spices. Her favorite part of running a tamale business is sharing the dish with people trying it for the first time.
Cochinita Food Truck serves authentic Latin dishes like tacos, empanadas, and bowls. Their handmade corn tortillas and vibrant truck make them a great choice for any event. They specialize in Mayan dishes from the Yucatán like cochinita pibil (pulled pork) and poc chuc (grilled pork). These two pork dishes are bright and succulent thanks to a citrus marinade.
Mestizo is based in San Francisco, Mestizo offers delicious Mexican food from the Yucatan, including street tacos and burritos. What sets Mestizo apart is that they offer salbutes (fried handmade tortillas with melted cheese) and panuchos (fried handmade tortillas stuffed with puréed black beans) with fillings ranging from pollo asado to coliflor-maiz.
La Santa Torta is famous for their quesabirria tacos and Jalisco-style offerings. You don’t want to miss out on their stir-fried birria noodles or elote cups. La Santa Torta also brings a fun cultural experience with bachata and cumbia dancing at their Oakland restaurant! We can help replicate this experience at your office to provide an amazing employee appreciation experience!
Colombian’s Food Factory serves popular Colombian dishes like arepas, empanadas, mazorcadas, patacon, and churrasco. We recommend their arepa choclo, made from sweet corn, and filled with beef, chicken, or chicharron. We also love their chicken mazorca, a bed of yellow corn topped with costeño cheese, grilled chicken, shredded potatoes, and sauce. This truck offers a flavorful and satisfying experience that’s sure to impress your team.
Clandestina Cocina offers Cuban classics like Cubano sandwiches, ropa vieja croquetas, and yuca fries. The menu also often offers fun riffs on the classic dishes such as fried yuca served elote-style with mojo crema, cotija, and tajin. Another example is the cubanito, a Cuban sandwich stuffed into a puff pastry. Clandestina Cocina is a rising star in the Bay Area food scene.
Lamas Peruvian Food serves up vibrant and rich flavors, their signature lomo saltado offers a perfect blend of Peruvian and Mexican fusion with generous portions that are sure to impress at any event. You can even get the lomo saltado in burrito form for easy eating which is filled with french fries, onions, tomatoes, soy sauce, and egg.
El Sur Empanada blends Argentinian and French roots. El Sur offers handmade empanadas filled with unique, flavorful combinations inspired by family recipes. Starting as a food truck in 2012, they continue to provide authentic slow-food experiences across the Bay Area. They offer nine types of empanadas ranging from sweet apple to mushroom to bacon.
We’re excited to help you and your team celebrate Hispanic Heritage month with some of our favorite dishes from across Latin America. Get in touch with us at Off the Grid catering to start planning your event!
