By Emily Harrington
Editor’s Note: This article was updated in June 2015.
Champaign-Urbana never ceases to amaze me. We are consistently on target for big-city trends and early adopters of what’s current and relevant.
I began to see the trucking movement at Urbana’s Market at the Square a few years ago. Since then, more and more trucks, vans and wheeled smokers have popped up in traffic or on our street’s sidelines. The food truck. It’s all-American and all-over the place. The Food Network features shows about them and bloggers rave about them.
The C-U area is home to some great ones. In our area there are a few mobile hotspots: events/festivals, farmer’s markets, Research Park, downtown Champaign, Springfield/Mathews Avenues on Urbana’s University of Illinois Campus and the Wolfram Research building at 100 Trade Center Dr. in Champaign. Find these places and events to check out what cuisine is rolling around our towns. First, check the linked truck names to see where they are regularly located. Most of these trucks are social media savvy and update often.
Burrito King
There’s nothing like beans, meat and cheese wrapped in a handy tortilla. You’ll find these portable creations in the Burrito King Food Truck born from the popular Green Street establishment. Find the truck at the Urbana farmer’s market. Contact: (217) 607-0073.
Caribbean Grill
This concept is soon making a right turn. Currently, Caribbean Grill is a full-service caterer working out of the Refinery space at 2302 W. John St. in Champaign. Because of their success, they recently initiated a Kickstarter campaign to earn money for a food truck. You can expect to see this truck in the late summer. Until then, head to Refinery on Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for “Lunch to Go.” Taste the flavorful cuisine that will likely be on the truck. A full lunch of jerk chicken, rice n’ peas, a plantain, Jamaican bread and another side will run you $7.99. Contact: (217) 960-5375.
Chester’s BBQ
You can find this popular late-night fare in the parking lot of Tumble Inn Tavern at 302 S. Neil St. in Champaign. Check them out Thursday through Saturday nights from 5 p.m. until 2:30 a.m. The pig-faced truck also travels to area festivals and caters large and small events with its rotisserie smoker. The BBQ is so popular, JT Walker’s Restaurant & Brewery in Mahomet adopted their product to serve once a week. When you spot the truck, try the popular applewood-pulled-pork sandwich with a side for $8 or the pulled-pork-BBQ nachos for $8. Contact: (217) 417-6985.
Cool Bliss Popped Bliss
For seven years this candy-colored truck has been sitting in front of Li’l Porgy’s at 1917 W. Springfield Ave. in Champaign. They sell 250 flavors of shaved ice and handmade popcorn in caramel, cheese, kettle and mixed flavors. The popcorn is made the old-fashioned way with no machines. You may have seen the larger identical truck in the mall parking lot this winter. This larger truck has taken to the road to strictly do events. The smaller truck remains on Springfield Avenue this summer. Stop by Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 9 and Sunday from noon to 6. Contact: (217) 317-0548.
Cracked
A few self-proclaimed foodies brought this egg-themed food truck to campus. During the summer the truck can be seen at state-wide festivals and pretty consistently at the Urbana farmer’s market. During the school year the truck holds irregular hours in downtown Champaign and at Research Park. They are most often parked on their home turf—campus on Mathews Avenue in Urbana. Due to growing popularity, Cracked has hatched another chick in order to cover more ground! When you do catch them, try the popular “Morning Bender” sandwich with a fried egg, hash browns, cheddar and cream cheese on crusty bread. Contact: (847) 501-1357.
Derald’s Food Truck
This truck is nothing if not consistent. Since 1979, Derald’s Food Truck has parked in front of Noyes Laboratory of Chemistry (right off the quad) at 505 S. Mathews Ave. in Urbana. This longevity has earned the truck the longest standing campus food truck in the U.S. designation and original food truck of Champaign. Before food trucks were “in” Derald, now Derald’s nephew, was serving popular items like the “Daily Double” (double sausage, double egg and cheese sandwich) for breakfast or the infamous fish sandwich for Friday lunch. Most items range from $4.50 to $6. Catch the all-American truck in the summer from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Contact: (217) 637-0144.
Food Trucks roll into the Urbana Market at the Square. Photo Credit: Emily Harrington.
Dragon Fire Pizza
Dragon Fire is handcrafting individual cooked-to-order artisan pizzas with as many local ingredients as possible. This truck is the first wood-fired pizza oven in C-U and it’s mobile! Dragon Fire makes their own dough and sauce. Combining precise preparation and an 1,000 degree oven means they can cook a pizza in 90 seconds! Try the signature “Dragon Fire” pizza with fiery green dragon sauce, sausage, locally grown peppers, onions, cheese and jalapeños. Individual, 10-inch pizzas range in price from $7 to $10. This rolling pizza place is ALL over our area. Try to find them at Research Park, Springfield/Mathews Avenues in Urbana or one of the two farmer’s markets in our area. Contact: (217) 649-2433.
Fusilli Tony’s Italian Food
This truck rolls on Springfield/Mathews Avenues in Urbana during the school year. This summer, however, you can find them by the Wolfram Research building every other Monday (June 15 it’s there) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. If the truck is in town, it’s hard to miss this red and green Italian stallion. Try the Italian version of the sloppy joe. The “Sloppy Giuseppe Panini” is topped with parmesan and mozzarella on Italian bread for $6. Contact: (217) 649-4219.
Hendrick House
Chicken-and-waffles anyone? The Hendrick House campus dining/housing facility takes to the streets with a food truck. This is not your normal dorm food. The truck totes hearty foodie delights to the patrons at the Urbana farmer’s market on Saturday mornings, downtown Champaign on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Research Park on Thursdays and Fridays for both dinner and lunch. For $7 you can purchase the popular chicken-and-waffles for $6, or try a steak sandwich with grilled onions and chile mornay sauce on sourdough for $7. Contact: (217) 365-8000.
Hickory River Smokehouse
This trailer is used special events only. Their soulful food is based from the popular Urbana restaurant. If you do catch them at an event, try their beef brisket, pulled pork, turkey, macaroni and cheese, ranch beans, potato salad and coleslaw. Wash it all down with a lemon shake-up! Contact: (217) 337-1656.
Kona Ice of Champaign
A refreshing twist on the food truck, or rather a modern version of the old-school ice cream truck, Kona Ice is a rolling shaved-ice Kona Entertainment Vehicle (KEV). You may have heard, or seen the colorful vehicle rolling through your neighborhood this summer playing tropical tunes. Now there are two identical trucks rolling around town and surrounding areas in Champaign County. This gluten-, dairy- and peanut-free product is a good option for kids and adults alike. Choose from dozens of flavors like strawberry daiquiri or banana colada. An attendant inside the truck can help you, or you can make your own creation from the “flavorwave” system on the side of the truck. The most popular do-it-yourself concoctions are, “Tiger’s Blood” made from strawberry and coconut flavoring, Blue Raspberry made from blueberry and raspberry flavoring and “Godzilla” made from fruit-punch flavoring. Prices range from $2 for a kid’s cup to $5 for a color-changing cup. KEV rolls around town all through the week and is available for special events. Contact: (217) 974-KONA (5662).
The Mas Amigos Taco Truck
Catch a taste of the former Urbana-based Mexican restaurant in an abbreviated form in Champaign. All through the week, during lunch and dinner hours, you can catch this taco truck on the corner of Prospect and Bradley. Sit underneath the pergola and benches set up and watch the traffic go by. There is a second truck sitting outside of La Morenita Mexican store at 607 N. Cunningham in Urbana, too. Contact: (217) 202-9940.
Pandemonium Doughnuts
This doughy delight is perpetually sold out—everywhere. Get in line first and fast to grab these unique flavors. They bake both cake and yeast style using fresh, real (organic if at all possible) ingredients. Try the yeast-style banana Nutella, blueberry lemon and caramel apple fritter or the cake-style birthday cake. The flavors vary and they bake small batches in limited numbers which only adds to the want from the consumers. Find them on Wednesdays at Research Park, Thursdays at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at 500 S. Goodwin Ave. and Fridays in downtown Champaign at Neil Street and University Avenue at 7:30 a.m. At 7 a.m. on Saturdays they will be at the Urbana farmer’s market. They will stay wherever they are until they sell out—and they will sell out. Contact: (630) 946-4306.
Piato to Go
These popular Urbana-based, Lincoln Square cafes—Piato and Piato Too do not shy away from change and reinvention. Offering catering and a food nanny service, they do it all. Now you can check their food truck out featuring a variety of options. Find them at the Urbana farmer’s market. Try the Hawaiian nachos topped with Modelo chicken, pineapple salsa and Hawaiian BBQ sauce for $8. All sauces are homemade. Contact: (217) 344-9015.
It’s on wheels so it’s a food truck. The Icicle Tricycle by The Pop Stop, Inc. Photo provided.
The Pop Stop, Inc.
Need to wash down that breakfast burrito or chicken-and-waffles delight? Grab a handmade popsicle or a bottled soda at The Pop Stop truck. This truck has a sweet and cool spin on the traditional food truck. Made with primarily local fruits and organic products, you can feel good about eating the sweet treat. On Wednesday through Saturday evenings, The Pop Stop may cruise campus and downtown Champaign. And are at both farmer’s markets. The Pop Stop has a baby, too. The ADORABLE “Icicle Tricycle” goes around campus and our downtown areas. Contact: (217) 714-0587.
Quis Dogs
This hot dog toting truck takes the foundation of a high-quality Nathan’s hot dog and dresses it up. This is the traditional hot dog cart on steroids, cheesy steroids. One of the toppings available is chili con queso. Each meal comes with a hot dog, chips and a bottle of water for $5 flat. Head north on Neil Street just past University Avenue to find this truck in all its simplistic glory during lunchtime. Contact: (217) 840-8460.
ROKs Tacos
New to the area—ROKs Tacos serves Korean-BBQ-style tacos. Try the “WHAT UP FIELD” (Bulgogi Taco) for $4. This taco has sweet marinated beef with cucumber, lettuce, pickled radish, ROKs spicy sauce and sesame seeds. This truck is commonly at Neil Street and University Avenue, Research Park or Springfield/Mathews Avenues in Urbana. Contact: (847) 708-4414.
Sidney Dairy Barn
If you can’t make it to Sidney to visit The Sidney Dairy Barn, a Chambanamoms CU Essential, you can stop by the “Moo Mobile” at the Urbana farmer’s market. The “Moo Mobile” carries around five flavors of ice cream for the Urbana farmer’s market. Try a cup for $2.75. These rotating flavors are relatively traditional: orange, lemon, mint and many more. You can also try an ice cream sandwich or sundae. Contact: (217) 688-3700.
Sweetie Sweets
Find this pink truck at the Urbana farmer’s market. The sweet smells alone are worth the price of admission. The truck features cupcakes, cookies, pastries and pie. Contact: (217) 863-2423.
Some of these trucks are gleaming and shiny, some are older and faded, but, one thing is consistent—passion. Each of the drivers show undying commitment and love for their product, and it shows in the end result. Any of these trucks are going to provide you something special and unique. So, be daring! Forget sit-down dining and eat from a rolling restaurant.
Most all of the trucks are available for private events and/or catering. Did we miss any other food-on-wheels in the area? Tell us about your local experience with food trucks in the comments below. Also, the City of Urbana is hosting a food truck rally series over the lunch hour the last Tuesdays in June, July and August. Check out many of our local trucks in one spot!
Emily Harrington is a Chambana townie that left her 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. job to be a 24/7 mom to a dreamy son. Still interested in writing, Emily uses some of naptime to practice her passion and keep her mind right. Emily is a happy wife with a happy life because she fell for a fellow townie. Oh, and let’s not forget her other son, a degenerate canine named Heppenheimer.
Related Posts
Birthday Party Review: Alpha Dog Entertainment Mobile Laser Tag
Champaign-Urbana Weekend Planner June 5-7 Sponsored by Atkins Tennis Center
St. Thomas More Girls Basketball Camp Giveaway
Tips for Shopping at Urbana’s Market at the Square
Free Summer Meals for Champaign-Urbana Area Children