We are all about the grungy food scene and decided to take a break from our normal stomping grounds in Chinatown and head north to Jackson Heights to check out the food truck scene. I remember stumbling upon a Himalayan restaurant during our first trip visiting New York City (before we moved up here from Texas, obviously). We emerged in Jackson Heights bleary-eyed from the wild ride on a M70 bus from LaGuardia airport, searched on Yelp for a place to fill our bellies, and chose one of the first places we saw. The food was scrumptious and I was filled with that awe that most visitors experience in NYC, thinking about how wonderful of a cultural and foodie melting pot this city was, etcetera, etcetera. Little did I know that Jackson Heights and Queens in general were so much more than this! Queens holds the title of being one of the largest and most diverse urban centers in the world, and the food culture speaks for itself. We focused on the food trucks on this particular foodie day trip, but we definitely need to return to taste more of what Jackson Heights has to offer.

Food Truck Tour of Jackson Heights, Queens, NYC

Amdo Momo

74-54, 74-98 37th Rd, Jackson Heights, NY 11372

347-446-8098

Jackson Heights has a plethora of Nepalese momo food trucks, but this one is my favorite so far. The momo skin is not as thick as others (but definitely still thicker than Chinese dumplings) and the filling was well-seasoned without being salty. That red sauce is SPICY, so beware but enjoy!

Potala Fresh Food

73-15 Broadway, Jackson Heights, NY 11372

718-288-8858

Ironically, the momos at Potala Fresh Food didn’t taste quite as fresh as those from Amdo Momo. The filling texture was also less consistent. I don’t recommend against Potala, but for a momo-to-momo comparison, I’d go to Amdo.

Tong Bengali Street Food

7301 37th Ave, Jackson Heights, NY 11372

929-257-6996

This was the food truck I was most excited to visit, and we happily killed a few hours in the area waiting for opening time at 2pm. Just look at these fuchka! Fuchka are happy little round hollow nests of fried flatbread filled with spiced potatoes and peas, topped with grated egg and aromatics, and dipped in tangy tamarind water. Those colors and shapes and textures— “mmm.” Tong is apparently the first fuchka cart in the USA (as advertised on the side of the cart), but there are now other Bengali food carts in Jackson Heights as well, one of which is parked literally around the corner from Tong.

Birria-Landia

77-99 Roosevelt Ave, Queens, NY 11372

347-283-2162

Birria-Landia is one of the larger food truck establishments in Jackson Heights. They’re popular as well— both locations in Jackson Heights and Brooklyn boast wonderful reviews online and the Jackson Heights location has even expanded to two physical trucks to meet demand.

Call me crazy, but Birria-Landia just didn’t do it for me. Am I a taco snob? Or do I just prefer the taco taste in Texas? I’m used to a wonderfully fresh taco, filled with heaps of meat and dripping juices (in a good way) that costs <$1.50. At $3 a pop, the tacos at Birria-Landia don’t break the bank and are actually pretty affordable for NYC standards, but the flavor was just alright. Despite the amount of actual meat in the taco, it didn’t taste meaty enough. I did enjoy the consome (birria broth with more birria meat) and thought it was a good deal for the large chunks of meat in the serving.

Jugos and Ice Pops

These unassuming stands (not quite food trucks) are scattered throughout Jackson Heights, on street corners and tucked underneath the subway overpasses. They don’t look like much but don’t overlook them! The juices are more like smoothies blended to order and have all of the real stuff (fruits, veggies, and supplements as requested) and no filler or additional sweetener. And that little coconut ice pop in a tiny plastic cup may have been the best thing I consumed all day. This may have had to do with the fact that the temperature was >90 degrees the day we embarked on our food truck tour full of trekking around eating spicy food under the sun…but still, that coconut ice was DELICIOUS.

Queens Food Truck Gems For Next Time

We were disappointed to find that many food trucks in Jackson Heights didn’t open until closer to evening hours. Please learn from my mistake and make sure to check your desired cart’s opening hours before you make your way out to Queens! Here are the places I wanted to try but didn’t have the time (or frankly, the stomach space) for:

• Mr. Khao Man Gai used to have a food cart located at 73rd St and Roosevelt Ave, but the latest Yelp reviews for this cart date back to 2019 and as of 2022, Google Maps now pins the location now to 26-32 Jackson Ave, Queens, NY 11101. If the cart is still there, opening hours used to be 7:30pm-12:30am on weekdays only.I was super excited for that Hainan chicken and rice cart, but it didn’t open until dinnertime so we didn’t even go looking for it. Instead, we tried a similar brick-and-mortar chicken rice restaurant in Elmhurst: Eim Khao Mun Kai on Broadway! Eim Khao Mun Kai is a Thai version of the Hainanese chicken rice, but it gets extra points for having a street cart actually parked inside the restaurant!

• Que Arepa (84-01 37th Ave Jackson Heights, NY 11372) open 3:00pm-10:00pm daily
• Tia Julia Taco Truck (40-06 Benham St, Queens, NY 11373) open 10:00am-10:00pm daily but closed on Thursdays. The tortas are recommended.
• Franky’s Souvlaki in Astoria (31 Steinway St #2, Queens, NY 11103) open 11:00am-9:30pm daily. People love this Greek cart’s gyro, skewers, and platters. Apparently this place uses chicken thigh rather than chicken breast like King Souvlaki does, creating a more flavorful dish. It is recommended to opt for the tzatziki sauce rather than the white sauce.
• Skewers on Broadway– this is another of those elusive but promisingly delicious-looking food carts in Elmhurst. Check out the food cart’s Yelp page for helpful commenters posting the cart’s most recent location. As the reviews are old, I’m not convinced the cart is still in operation but those who never look will never find the treasure!