15 of the Best Food Trucks in Denver and Beyond

Some of the best food in any city is found on its streets, and Denver is no exception. Food trucks require less overhead and staffing than brick-and-mortar restaurants while offering chefs flexible schedules and opportunities to serve clientele in different neighborhoods. So it’s no wonder that the Mile High City and surrounding areas are teeming with ambitious restaurateurs striking out on their own—many of whom are preparing food inspired by their own cultural traditions from around the world. From mobile kitchens serving everything from Detroit-style pizza to Scandinavian sandwiches, here (in no particular order) are 15 of Denver’s must-try trucks.

Areyto Puerto Rican Food

Yari Ortiz and Erik Elias have been satisfying Denverites with comforting Puerto Rican staples for seven years via their food truck, Areyto. From the mobile eatery, the duo serve crispy amarillos (fried plantains), arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), and mouthwatering mofongo relleno: a cup-like vessel crafted from fried and mashed plantains and filled with tender meat of your choice. The dish—which we recommend getting with shredded chicken cooked in cilantro-onion sofrito sauce—is so tempting that it caught the eye of Guy Fieri, who featured Areyto on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives in 2019. —Riane Menardi Morrison

Grey Duck Eats

Via three-and-a-half-year-old Grey Duck Eats, proprietor Jared Mikkelsen specializes in modern takes on traditional Nordic delicacies, such as smørrebrød: Scandinavian-style open-faced sandwiches crowned with the likes of smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onions, and spicy microgreens. Another fan favorite is the Swedish meatball tacos on lefse (a tortillalike flatbread made with potatoes), which also come stuffed with sour cream, tangy lingonberries, house-made pickles, crispy onions, and a hint of horseradish. —Charli Ornett

Luchador Mexican Food Truck

This past June, longtime fine-dining veteran Zuri Resendiz (formerly of Shanahan’s and Cattivella Wood-Fired Italian) hit the streets in a matte black truck to sling street food inspired by his native Mexico City. Familiar comforts of al pastor, carne asada, and birria tacos satisfy any taco craving. But while you’re at it, you may as well order a bowl of Resendiz’s signature birria ramen: chile-laced beef broth laden with homemade noodles and topped with the same tender slow-braised beef normally dipped into consomé in quesabirria form. Top your bowl with the accompaniments of onion-chipotle árbol salsa and fresh lime. —RMM

RxR’s Texas Tacos & BBQ

In a city known for brunch and tacos, the famed Texas-style combination of the two is strikingly rare in Denver. But head to the Arc Thrift Store parking lot in Littleton to feast on breakfast tacos lovingly prepared by Texas natives Rick Sharman and Ryan Ross (who hail from Austin and San Antonio, respectively). The lineup includes Lone Star State classics like chorizo-egg-and-cheese tacos and migas—tortillas crested with eggs, onions, tomatoes, jalapeños, and corn chips. If you believe everything should be bigger from Texas, tuck into the hearty El Camino taco. The quarter pound of slow-smoked brisket is piled high with egg and cheese, which is best drizzled with the tangy house barbecue sauce in lieu of salsa. —RMM

Mama Kabob

The specialties from this year-old food truck will transport you to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Choose a bed of fluffy rice studded with zereshk (a tangy red berry) or a warm pita as a base for your chicken shawarma, beef or lamb gyro, or crispy falafel, all of which come with a tangle of greens sprinkled with feta, olives, and crunchy cashews. Watch for specials such as the kabob koobideh, a skewered, Persian grilled meat dish made with ground lamb and beef. —CO

Motor City B’s Pizza

Chase down chef Brittney Wojtowicz’s bright blue truck to sink into pillowy Detroit-style pizza ringed by the signature crispy cheese crust that makes the Midwestern pie so special. Wojtowicz started the truck in May 2022 as a way to bring her family together after the death of her cousin, and she honors her Michigan roots by dedicating each variety to a special person in her life. (The Little 8 Mile cheese pizza, for instance, is a shout out to her nieces.) The six- by six-inch, single-serving square pies are crested with classic, no-frills topping combinations like her signature tangy tomato sauce, Italian sausage, bell peppers, and mushrooms. But our favorite slice is the Broken Oak—pepperoni, banana peppers, and feta cheese—in honor of Wojtowicz’s late cousin. —RMM

Toby’s Po’Boys

Anyone who’s been to New Orleans has seen the city’s green streetcars whizzing up and down its history-packed avenues, and they’ve also likely tasted the heaven on a bun that is an overflowing shrimp po’boy. It was only fitting, thought NOLA native Damon Tobias, that a kitchen on wheels serving up the Southern staple rumble along in a trolley. The round roof and fully windowed sides presented difficulties during the two-year build-out stage that began in 2016 (turns out it’s tough to screw electrical wiring into glass or rig up ventilation through curved aluminum), but Damon and his business partner and wife, Maria, say the wait was worth the ambience it facilitates: Jazz and blues pump from the speakers while the pair make sandwiches and tots zinged with Slap Ya Mama, a staple spice blend in the Big Easy. “We hand out Mardi Gras beads with the food,” Damon says. “It’s this whole New Orleans nostalgia bomb.” —Courtney Holden

Mukja

Three-and-a-half-year-old Mukja, which is operated by owner Julia Rivera and her children Kayla and James Makowski, dazzles patrons with Korean fusion street foods that are harder to find in Denver. Case in point: The Korean street cheese dog is a stick of battered and fried mozzarella cheese that’s rolled in sugar, topped with a comforting duo of honey mustard and spicy ketchup, and served piping hot. For those looking for heartier fare, try the veggie-packed bibimbap—rice noodles accompanied by lettuce, carrots, mushrooms, cucumbers, house kimchi, gochujang, and a fried egg—or the Korean-style birria ramen, which comes swimming with kalbi jiim (braised beef) and torched cheese. —RMM

Ninja Ramen

Noodle soups, dumplings, and rice bowls that are as visually pleasing as they are yummy are Hiro Takeda’s forte. From his four-and-a-half-year-old food truck, the chef—who hails from Shikoku Island, Japan—serves crunchy-edged gyoza accompanied by soy-vinegar and chile-garlic sauces and umami-rich tonkotsu ramen topped with pork, corn, and a hard-boiled egg. Or try the honey teriyaki chicken bowl with moist hunks of chicken thighs, steamed seasonal veggies, sour-tart pickles, and shredded cabbage. —CO

Schnitzelwirt

In 2019, longtime hospitality pro and Austria native Mario Milkovics bought his food truck, from which he slings rib-sticking bratwurst, sauerbraten, and other traditional German dishes—which are delicious whether or not it’s Oktoberfest season. Don’t miss the stellar jägerschnitzel, a plate-size breaded and fried pork cutlet smothered with rich, creamy mushroom sauce and accompanied by tangy stewed red cabbage and buttery potatoes. —RMM

Pikine Grill Express

Chef David Diop introduces Coloradans to the bold flavors of his homeland in West Africa via North America’s first Senegalese food truck and catering company, launched in 2015. Look for his brochettes—large chunks of habanero-hot-sauce-basted, grilled poultry served with tomatoey jollof rice, crispy fries, and a simple salad drizzled with house ranch—and the yassa special, whose seasoned tilapia, lamb, or chicken are buried in a bright sauce of onions, lemon, and mustard. —Ethan Pan

Urban Burma

With its reflective metal exterior and rounded roof, it’s easy to assume Urban Burma’s traveling food trailer is a modified Airstream—but it’s not. “I can’t afford an Airstream!” owner Siri Tan says. He and his brother Martin, who hail from Myanmar (formerly Burma), opened what they claim was Colorado’s first restaurant serving the country’s cuisine back in 2019 with a location inside Aurora’s Mango House food hall. During the pandemic in 2021, they decided to go mobile. From a stainless steel trailer that resembles the iconic aluminum camper, the Tans serve samosas with sweet tamarind sauce, sii cheh kao sweh (noodles with garlic oil), and tea leaf salad. —CH

Tacos Tepa

When the wildfire smoke over Boulder County cleared in late December 2021, Tacos Tepa owner Pedro De La Cruz thought he’d lost everything in the Marshall fire. He nearly had: Everything the native of San Luis del Cordero, Mexico, owned burned except for his truck, van, and two-month-old food trailer. It was a sign to keep his fledgling business going, he says. In August, he took first prize at the Boulder Taco Fest for his al pastor and barbacoa tacos, and customers continue to line up at his truck (parked Monday through Friday at 90 McCaslin Boulevard in Superior for breakfast and lunch and at 1285 South Public Road in Lafayette) for tortillas stacked with Jalisco-style carne asada, carnitas, and tripas (beef intestine). —CH

Taste Bud Bullies

Jarmal “Chef Redd” Smith serves Southern comfort with Midwestern flair inspired by his family’s Louisiana roots and his Chicago upbringing at two-and-a-half-year-old Taste Bud Bullies. At the truck—which is usually parked outside the Dirty Duck in Virginia Village—don’t miss the Swamp Fries, a boat of crispy taters topped with crab, crawfish, tender shrimp, and dill aïolï (ask for a side of Smith’s secret hot sauce, Tang, to kick it up a notch), and a side of Cajun-spice-blend-seasoned fried Bad Azz shrimp. For even more Southern comfort, grab “Just a Lil Taste” (snacking size) of the red beans and rice or gumbo, crawfish and peppers swimming in a deep brown roux sauce smothered over tender rice. —RMM

The Magic Food Bus

Although an eccentric, red-haired science teacher isn’t at its helm, the vibrantly colored Magic Food Bus certainly leans into its namesake’s quest for adventure—it’s just of the culinary variety rather than exploring, say, outer space as the vehicle in ’90s cartoon The Magic School Bus did. “We don’t really have a genre of food that we’re tied to,” says Ashley Southard, who has run the business in a modified school bus with her husband, Gary, since 2020. Both are trained chefs who cook whatever strikes their personal fancies, whether that’s Colorado beef burgers, Brussels sprouts tossed with truffle oil, or tots with vegan green chile, queso, fresh jalapeño, sour cream, and Cheetos dust. Just as Ms. Frizzle’s ride changed its appearance on occasion, so, too, does the Magic Food Bus, which guests are welcome to customize with the black Sharpie resting near the kitchen window. —CH

More on Food Trucks in Denver

• The Ultimate Guide to Denver’s Food Truck Scene