Food trucks bring good eats to Tidewater’s streets

Tidewater’s food trucks are on a roll. On weekdays, these mobile kitchens crisscross the region, offering diners an alternative to a brown bag lunch. On weekends and evenings, you’ll find them parked at the area’s many breweries. “There’s a beautiful symbiotic relationship between breweries and food trucks,” says Brock Houston, who runs the Nosh Modern Mobile Bistro truck.

Food trucks became more popular during the pandemic because people could keep a safe distance while enjoying a taste of something new. M.J. Medlar, who runs the Capt’n Crabby truck, remembers when customers were wary about ordering from a truck. No more: “Now it’s become huge.”

While local regulations make it difficult for food trucks to park permanently in a spot, you can track them on their websites and social media accounts. Here are 7 food trucks in the Tidewater region you’ll definitely want to try:

The truck offers 4 crusts: original New York, cracker-thin, deep-dish Detroit, and gluten-free. “You can call Domino’s and order a pizza, but we offer more variety,” he says.

What to order: The Flaming Pie, a peppery pizza with jalapeño, Sriracha sausage, chorizo, and spicy red sauce.

Adopting a vegan diet changed Shauntel Davis’ life and helped her lose 100 pounds. She found that a plant-based diet can be delicious—a lesson that anyone who tries her food also discovers.

Her truck’s signature Jerk Chix bowl substitutes chicken with savory, flavor-packed grilled oyster mushrooms. (For veggie-wary customers, she also offers a few dishes with chicken.) 

Eggrolls stuffed with collard greens and sweet potatoes—a dish that tastes like sweet potato pie—round out a meal.

“I love to see what you can do with vegetables,” says Davis, who previously ran a Caribbean restaurant in Portsmouth. Nowadays you’ll find her greeting customers from her truck wearing an avocado-printed headscarf. “I want to make vegan food fun.”

What to order: The Jerk Chix bowl—which also includes rice, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and barbecue sauce—has just the right amount of Jamaican heat.  

The key is the bacon-cheese sauce, says Melissa Fossee, who co-owns the truck with her husband, Jason Fossee, and Alex Carr. “I call it liquid gold because it runs our truck.” Get it on burgers, fries, even a pork cutlet. Jason says their formula is simple: “We’re an upscale twist on bar food from a kitchen that runs down an interstate.”

What to order: The Best Philly, a wonderfully messy rib eye sandwich with onion, cheese, jalapeño, fries, and bacon-cheese sauce.

The result is a truck that serves a cuisine unfamiliar to many diners. Laotian dishes taste like a lighter version of Thai food, says Phonexay: “It wakes up your senses.” He says he’s happy to help customers who are new to Laotian food. “People come up to the window and say, ‘I don’t know what to order.’ I understand.”

What to order: Thom khem, a spicy, caramelized pork dish that may come with an orchid blossom on the side for decoration.

“We’ve been told we’re serving restaurant-quality food without restaurant prices or restaurant waits,” Enslen says. 

Highlights from the pair’s travels decorate the truck, which is plastered with pictures of themselves in Cambodia, Berlin, New Zealand, and other places.

What to order: The menu changes quarterly. Ask for recommendations.

Tidewater knows its seafood, so M.J. Medlar and her husband and business partner, Steve James, must be doing something right. Since 2014, they’ve been serving Baltimore-style crab cakes sautéed in a cast-iron skillet. “We’ve built our business on them,” Medlar says.

The Capt’n Crabby menu offers a variety of toppings, ranging from bacon to green-chile goat cheese. “We do our crab cakes like burgers,” Medlar adds.

Also popular: the creamy shrimp salad. It’s based on flavors from Kibby’s, a landmark Baltimore restaurant that’s now closed.

What to order: The Italiano crab cake sandwich, served on a potato roll

with prosciutto, tomato, mozzarella, pesto, and basil.

After finishing culinary school, Brock Houston went on to become executive chef at the James River Country Club. But he traded in his toque for a truck and now creates seasonal and locally sourced dishes from two mobile kitchens. “It’s nice to get out of being surrounded by 4 walls,” Houston says.

Whether it’s the frites with truffle oil or the popular Greek lamb sliders, his food pairs perfectly with beer. That’s no coincidence: One of his trucks is permanently parked at St. George Brewing Company in Hampton.

What to order: Reuben fries. Served poutine-style over shoestring fries, this deconstructed version of a classic Reuben sandwich includes grilled corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing.

Charlottesville-based writer Larry Bleiberg will gladly eat standing up when the meal comes from a food truck.