I absolutely love street food.

We are very lucky in Auckland as we are spoilt for choice when it comes to street food. There are many food trucks and stands offering a wide variety – think bao, dumplings, fried chicken, vegan burgers, tacos, sushi in cones, egg waffles, milk and cookies and gelato to name a few.

Below, I have rounded up my favourite food trucks and food stands around Auckland, so that you can go out and enjoy them as much as I do!

JUDGE BAO

Back in 2015, I wrote a blog post – 5 Reasons Why I Love Judge Bao. Everything I wrote in the post remains the same – the owners, Debbie and Jamie are so down to earth, very welcoming and passionate about their product. Their bao is delicious and I enjoy trying their new creations and love seeing them at various food festivals and markets.

Judge Bao make soft and fluffy Chinese steamed buns filled with mouthwatering tofu, pork belly or beef (and sometimes fish and chicken), fresh herbs and delicious sauces.

I’m a huge fan of their ‘Sloppy Po’ Bao with Mapo Tofu, Asian mushrooms, spring onion, coriander and chili mayo. I’m not strict vegetarian, but this bao is seriously good. They also make a deliciously crunchy and spicy Firecracker Chicken, which pairs perfectly with the bao.

For my birthday party last year, I had a buffet lunch featuring all my favourite foods. Judge Bao kindly provided all the ingredients to make 15 Steamed Pork Buns, including Braised pork, Bao, Black vinegar syrup, Spring onions, Roasted sesame seeds and Coriander. We picked up all these goodies from Judge Bao in the morning and prepared the bao at home during the birthday party. Check it out here.

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THE ROLLING PIN

Gordon and his team at The Rolling Pin are some of the loveliest people I have ever met. They are a long time favourite of mine at food truck events, who serve scrumptious handmade dumplings, topped with a delicious slaw.

They make three delicious flavours – Buddhas Delight Dumplings with tofu, shiitake mushroom, pumpkin, bok choy and cabbage, Tsingtao Spicy Pulled Pork Dumplings and Penang Pulled Beef Cheek Dumplings with mirepoix and sambal.

For the birthday last year, I had a buffet lunch featuring all my favourite foods. The Rolling Pin kindly provided me with three boxes of their delicious dumplings. Check it out here.

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WISE BOYS BURGERS

YUM.

This is what comes to mind when I think of Wise Boys Burgers. They make vegan burgers and they are so damn delicious. I have tried most of their burgers, thanks to the Vegan Food Fair, Late Night Art and Go Green Expo events.

My all-time favourite Wise Boys combination is their Kumara and Moroccan Spiced Patty Burger with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion, relish and… their yummy homemade egg-free aioli on a toasted bun.

Coming in at a close second is their Smoke and Fire Burger made with Deep fried Crispy Tofu, Fix & Fogg ‘smoke and fire’ peanut butter satay sauce, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion and relish on a toasted bun. 

I love Wise Boys and their burgers and I think you should try one stat! #makeburgersnotwar

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TEMAKI TRUCK

Temaki Truck is one of my favourite food trucks in Auckland (along with Judge Bao and The Rolling Pin). The reason why I love them is because they are New Zealand’s first Temakeria, which literally means hand-rolled sushi… but theirs is different as it is served in a cone!

Their Temaki sushi cones are full of fresh and flavourful ingredients, and draw from Japanese and Brazilian influences. It is my favourite fusion twist in Auckland’s street food scene. Thanks to some foodie events over the past few years, namely Auckland ArtWeek’s streetARTdego and Food Space, I have been enjoying Temaki’s sushi cones for a while now. Each cone is filled with rice, your choice of protein – either Spicy Salmon (a crowd favourite), Kimchi Pork, Teriyaki Chicken or Tofu, paired with delicious sauces and wrapped in seaweed. They are healthy, tasty and fun to eat. Also, good for the ‘gram!

My favourite Temaki so far? Prawn! I recently tried this one at Auckland Food Truck Collective’s recent event ‘Winter Solstice Night Market’ – loved the presentation and the taste.

Also, if you want to spice your life up a little, don’t leave without trying their crunchy Karaage Chicken – it is seriously good!

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AKEMIS GYOZA

I enjoy seeing Akemis Gyoza at various foodie events, most recently at the Auckland Lantern Festival this year. Owned and run by Akemi Obata, her gyoza is authentic and delicious, and are made using her grandmother’s recipe. Flavours include Pork and Garlic Chives, Chicken and Prawn and Miso and Shiitake, all served with homemade ponzu sauce and chili oil. I have tried all three – my favourite being Pork and Garlic Chives which are very tasty.

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THE LUCKY TACO

I fell in love with The Lucky Taco back in 2013 at the Auckland Food Show, and it is definitely up there with one of my favourite foodie experiences to date! Delicious and authentic tacos in either a corn or flour tortilla plus an agua de horchata (a classic Mexican drink sweetened with rice milk and infused with cinnamon) and you are all set for the day!

Owners, Sarah and Otis Frizzell, run The Lucky Taco and are always so lovely, welcoming and friendly. These things always make me want to go back! Their truck is parked up at 230 Ponsonby Road and there is seating available – love the colourful chairs!

My all time favourite tacos include their Breakfast Taco – spicy chorizo sausage with egg (oh-my-gosh delicious!) and Pulled Pork Taco, which has a great kick! If chorizo and pork are not your jam, they also make the following tacos: skirt steak, spiced fish, stewed zucchini with tomato, beef tongue, tiger prawns, lambs’ brain, and ground beef.

If you can’t make it to The Lucky Taco truck on the weekends, you can also buy their Chipotle Chicken and Sizzlin’ Steak Taco Kits from Farro Fresh stores or order their Lucky Taco Fiesta Kits for your next Mexican party on their website here. 

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PEACH’S HOT CHICKEN

After many recommendations from friends and followers, and thanks to Auckland Food Truck Collective’s recent event ‘Winter Solstice Night Market’, I finally tried Peach’s Hot Chicken. Yes, I know, super late!

Between three, we shared their Chicken Sandwich with fried chicken thigh on a brioche bun with aioli and pickles [OMG] and the Pimento Mac & Cheese [OMFG]. The fried chicken was super crunchy, and tasted so damn good. But the Mac & Cheese… mouthwatering. I would definitely recommend ordering this as a side to your chicken dish. Next on my list to try is their Fried Chicken & Waffles with pure Canadian chili maple syrup and garlic butter. Ooh la la.

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DOUBLE DUTCH FRIES

Not particularly being a fry lover, I only tried Double Dutch Fries late last year… sad I know! DDF serve only one thing, but they do it so damn well, so much so, I now actually enjoy eating fries. Your choice of small or large serving of fries and toppings – tomato sauce, Dutch mayonnaise or satay sauce (or all!).

I chose a small serving of fries, drizzled with Dutch mayonnaise and satay sauce – both are heavenly. Also loved the addition of diced red onion on top. Their fries are very filling, so I recommend sharing with friends, or just don’t eat anything else [hehe]. 

*Double Dutch Fries have just opened up shop in Takapuna

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OTHERSIDE

Another street food discovery last year was Otherside. They serve plant based goodness – smoothies, acai bowls, a Jamaican jerk tofu bowl, and my favourite, a delicious Kimchi Burrito, which I tried at the Vegan Truck Stop event, held at La Cigale last November. Filled with chipotle, miso kumara, brown rice, black beans, kale, sesame cabbage, spring onion, kimchi, cashew sour cream and avocado sauce, it had a great kick!

Their truck is also fabulously cool as it oozes summer – it is painted pink with palm trees and a bright neon sign up top. Not to mention their insanely tasty food… which is all vegan! I can’t wait to try more dishes on their menu – see you in the summer, Otherside!

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KUYA

Kuya, meaning ‘brother’ in Filipino, is Auckland’s first Filipino food truck. The food is inspired by family recipes, and served LA street food style. On the menu, you will find Pork Adobo Tacos, Singigang Fried Chicken in a purple bao and the Fili Cheeseburger. 

I tried the ‘The Purrrp’ – a PURPLE BAO filled with Buttermilk fried chicken, red cabbage, sweet and tangy sinigang sauce and coriander. Kuya say the bao gets it purple colour from mixing the dough with ube, a naturally purple root vegetable from the Philippines. So freaking cool! The chicken inside was finger licking good, crispy on the outside and what she said – moist on the inside. 

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LALELE ORGANIC GELATO

Owners Mulan and Nathan run Lalele Organic Gelato and make delicious hand crafted gelato, using organic ingredients, and they have many vegan options available. My all time favourite flavour is their Mango Sorbet which tastes like he real thing! At recent foodie events last year (like Taste of Auckland), I enjoyed Lalele Organic‘s newest flavour – Black Sesame – which I highly recommend.

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EGLOO

Located on Albert Street, Egloo serves ice cream (topped with goodies) in egg waffle cones, just like they do in Hong Kong. I am interested in trying new things, and I love dessert, so I was super excited to check out Eggloo. I’m a chocoholic, so of course, I went for the ‘Just Chocolate’ combination – chocolate egg waffle cone, chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce and chocolate bar (at the time it was Snickers). It was delicious – who doesn’t love an overload of chocolate? Eggloo is the perfect treat come summer! Unless of course you like eating ice cream in winter… guilty…!

*Eggloo are parked up on Elliot Street and also inside Sylvia Park (near the train station)

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MOUSTACHE MILK & COOKIE BUS

There is nothing more satisfying than milk and cookies right?!

In 2016, Moustache, a popular milk and cookie bar, set up their kitchen and shop on Karangahape Road. Here, you can watch them make their famous cookies, then order your favourite, and if you are feeling over-indulgent, a shake too (I love their Nutella one). Last year, the Moustache team travelled around the North Island in their bright yellow Mo’Bus (see below), selling their cookies, milks and shakes to fans from all around New Zealand. I have seen the Mo’Bus a few times this year – at the Vegan Truck Stop event held at La Cigale last November and the Auckland Lantern Festival this year.

My all time favourite Moustache cookie is the Oreo Marshmallow, with the Vegan Peanut Butter coming in as a close second! Other delicious flavours include: Snickers, Chocolate Chunk, Nutella, White Chocolate Macadamia, Cinnamon Donut and Black Forest. Swoon.

*Moustache is located at 309 K’Road and also M-F at Auckland University Quad

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GROWN UP DONUTS

Last, but definitely not least, Grown Up Donuts. Okay, I am being honest here, I haven’t actually tried one of their doughnuts yet. At the most recent street food event I attended (Winter Solstice Night Market), the line for Grown Up Donuts was INSANE IN THE MEMBRANE. Plus I had already stuffed myself silly with all things savoury… but look at the doughnuts below!

Their doughnuts are seasonal, but some of the flavours you may find include: Cinnamon Sugar, Belgian Chocolate, Nana’s Spiced Apple Pie, Passionfruit Curd, Salted Caramel, Heilala Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee and Raspberry and Rosewater Jam. Yum.

I took a billion pictures because they reminded me of the doughnuts from Bread Ahead Bakery at Borough Market in London. I can confirm they are amazing – just by watching people after people buying them and exclaiming how great they are.

* I plan to try one next Thursday at Auckland’s Fried Chicken Festival – watch this space!~

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Hope you enjoyed my guide to Auckland’s Best Street Food!

Happy Eating! x