Greenville is known for its many great restaurants, but now some of Greenville’s best food has taken to the streets.
More than 15 mobile restaurants known as food trucks now roam the streets of Greenville, offering pedestrians everything from burgers to ice cream to authentic Mexican cuisine.
But with 15 different options, which one deserves your business? Take a look below for more information on three of the most popular food trucks in town, and follow them on Twitter for the latest updates on their locations.
Asada
Twitter: @ASADAfood
Owned by the Cortez family, who hail from San Francisco, California, Asada is the original Greenville food truck. The “Mission-style” food offered at this mobile restaurant originated in the Mission District of San Francisco, as the locals’ take on traditional Latin American food. So from Latin America to San Francisco and now Greenville, Asada’s cuisine has come a long way, thanks to three members of the Cortez family.
Roberto Cortez and Gina Petti, husband and wife and owners of Asada, were an artist and an accountant respectively prior to their venture into the food truck business. Cortez’s brother and fellow owner, Jamie, is a pilot. Giving up each of their individual careers, the three opened Asada in 2012 to fill the void in their hearts and stomachs for food from their home city.
The menu is simple and authentic: tacos, burritos, quesadillas and nachos. Prices are comparable to Chipotle’s, with tacos starting at $5 and burritos going for $9. Its hours are Tuesday and Wednesday 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday 9 p.m. to midnight.
While Asada is known for its food truck business, Cortez and Petti have also been running a food stand at Mac Arnold’s Blues Restaurant on Pendleton St. since February 2014. Now, a year later, they are closing their Pendleton location and working on a new brick-and-mortar location at the old Haus Edelweiss. While the truck will continue to operate, the new location at 903 Wade Hampton Blvd. will offer the same quality food with a casual atmosphere.
Cool Mama’s Ice Cream
Twitter: @CoolMamas
Of all the types of food trucks, none is more iconic than the classic ice cream truck, and of ice cream trucks, none is more eye-catching than the enormous, pink, bespeckled “Cool Mama’s Ice Cream” truck.
Owned and operated by Jessica Randall, “Cool Mama’s” got its start in an old plumbing van before Randall was able to move into her current mobile setup which, according to the shop’s website, is fashioned around the three things Randall loves: “my children, pink and glitter.”
Unfortunately for consumers, Cool Mama’s was successful enough that Randall transitioned to mainly event-based business, starting with a small party booking at $50.
But ice cream lovers need not fear: Cool Mama’s will have a new permanent home at 11 S. Main St. in Travelers Rest, which will open in March.
The Chuck Truck
Twitter: @daveschucktruck
In 2013 David Allen found a used FedEx truck with 57,000 miles under its belt and transformed it into a graffiti-decorated, full-fledged restaurant on wheels called the Chuck Truck.
Now, instead of packages, the Chuck Truck carries delicious burgers and sandwiches made with fresh, local ingredients. The Chuck Truck’s menu is surprisingly robust for such a small space and includes four different types of burgers, three different types of chicken sandwiches, french fries, salad, sweet potato fries and fried chicken.
Burgers and sandwiches from the Chuck Truck start around $10. Times and locations for the Chuck Truck can be found online at daveschucktruck.com.