Presenter and podcaster Éadaoin Fitzmaurice joined Jennifer Zamparelli on 2FM to chat about the best food trucks to try around Ireland. Listen back above.
Long gone are the days of the greasy food truck that punted out just curry chips, dry burgers and barely edible sandwiches – unless you actively want that, and who hasn't?
Now, food trucks are culinary destinations in and of themselves, with some of the country's top foodie talent pivoting to delivering portable, high-quality plates of food.
And it's not just our culinary stars getting stuck in. In the years since Covid-19 shuttered restaurants and cafés all over the world, ambitious chefs who are new to the scene have been making the most of the flexibility afforded by food trucks, which is one of the reasons they're so exciting, Fitzmaurice says.
"I love a food truck because it's usually the early stages of a food business, that really exciting point in their journey, the cult following starts to begin", she told Jen.
Not only this, but the fact that these trucks can move around, very often they lead diners to eat at some of the most scenic parts of the country, such as lakes, cliffs, beaches and more.
Fitzmaurice's first recommendation is The Place on Grand Canal Street in Dublin, which she says is like "an outdoor food market" with multiple food trucks. Among them are The Drunken Cookie and Dosa Dosa, a South Indian truck selling potato pancakes and other street food.
"It's really different from the typical takeaway Indian food that you might get from your local place down the road."
Food trucks also allow for freedom among groups, Fitzmaurice added: "Let's say you meet up with all your friends and one person loves Indian food but one person loves Mexican, you can all kind of taste all the food together, you can order whatever you want, it's a much more casual setting."
One of the longest food truck markets running is the Irish Village Markets, on Dublin's Mespil Road and UCD among other locations. Pizza al Volo, Kerala Kitchen and Day and Night noodle truck are among Fitzmaurice's must-try spots.
One truck getting a lot of buzz, she adds, is Salt and Malt, which you can find at the Irish Village Markets. They specialise in locally sourced seafood.
Outside the city centre, Just Chubby's has been dazzling locals in their Clontarf spot for the last few months, serving up fresh and authentic tacos. You'll have to be quick, though: Fitzmaurice says they stay open only a few hours as the stock sells out so fast.
In Cork's Marina Market, GUJI is her top pick, slinging out indulgent pastries, such as croissants that are filled with crème patissiere and topped with chocolate and nuts. They also do a top tier flat white, Fitzmaurice says.
The Misunderstood Heron in Connemara isn't just the best-named food truck on this list, but it was also recently voted one of the coolest food trucks in the world by Lonely Planet. They specialise in pasties, as well as curries and other dishes using Irish ingredients.
"That's one of the other things about food trucks, they're a really personal thing. You're meeting the people who are behind it, they're working tirelessly, they're in there almost every day", Fitzmaurice says.
Here's the full list of Fitzmaurice's must-try food trucks:
- The Drunken Cookie - The Place, Grand Canal Street, Dublin
- Dosa Dosa - The Place, Grand Canal Street, Dublin
- Pizza al Volo - Irish Village Markets, Mespil Road, Dublin
- Kerala Kitchen - Irish Village Markets, Mespil Road, Dublin
- Day and Night - Irish Village Markets, Mespil Road, Dublin
- Salt and Malt - Irish Village Markets, Mespil Road, Dublin
- Just Chubby's - Clontarf, Dublin
- Roots - Monkstown, Dublin
- GUJI - Marina Market, Cork
- The Misunderstood Heron - Connemara, Galway
- Álainn - Galway
- Julia's Lobster Truck, Clare
