Cheap Eats: Food trucks that go brick-and-mortar
A monthly roundup of ethnic eats, counter service chow and other tasty bargains. This month, we check out the growing number of brick-and-mortar locations opened by food truck vendors.
Big Mike’s Brew N Que
1222 NW Maynard Road, Cary
919-799-2023
How they roll: Barbecue joint and bottle shop in one. Try the smoked wings, 14-hour-smoked beef brisket, and banana pudding (go ahead and splurge on the version with house-smoked bacon).
Cafe Love
3219-201 Old Chapel Hill Road, Durham
919-251-9541
How they roll: Brought to you by the Triangle Raw Foods truck, Cafe Love hits all the health-conscious buttons: vegan, local, organic, gluten-free, dairy-free and raw. Note: The shop offers takeout and delivery only.
Chick-N-Que
420 S. Main St., Rolesville
919–263-9777
How they roll: Specializing in chopped chicken barbecue, Eastern NC-style. Other poultry picks include burgers (ostrich to black bean) and sandwiches such as the Alarm Cluck (smoked chicken with jalapeños, pepper jack and habanero Ranch).
Daisy Cakes
401-A Foster St., Durham
919-389-4307
How they roll: Bakery and cafe covers all the bases from breakfast (ham and cheese biscuit, egg baked in herbed brioche) to lunch (citrus shrimp wrap, empanadas) to Saturday brunch (curried tofu scramble, carnitas hash with chiles and eggs).
Happy + Hale
443 Fayetteville St., Raleigh
919-307-4148
How they roll: Cold-pressed juices, smoothies and meal-in-a-bowl salads make for a healthy meal, whether you prefer to eat it (Quinoa Bowl) or drink it (Romaine Calm, a veritable garden of greens in a glass).
Iced Cupcakes
5911-103 Poyner Village Pkwy., Raleigh
919-578-2757
How they roll: Daily changing selection tempts with the likes of Wedding Bells (vanilla cake, almond buttercream, pearl sprinkles), Chocolate Maple Bacon, and Raspberry Lemon. Leave your willpower at the door.
KoKyu Na’Mean
4823 Meadow Drive, Durham
919-699-4667
How they roll: All the favorites from perennially popular food truck KoKyu BBQ, from short rib quesadillas to duck fat tots, plus a chalkboard full of soups, sides and inventive daily sandwich specials. Cheerwine and swine slider, anyone?
Monuts
1002 Ninth St., Durham
919-286-2642
How they roll: New larger location comes with an expanded offering. Now, in addition to killer donuts, you can choose from a menu that includes a daily quiche, salads, and sandwiches such as the Guac Dirty To Me (guacamole, house-made breakfast sausage and local egg on a biscuit).
OnlyBurger
3710-118 Shannon Road, Durham; 359 Blackwell St., Durham
919-937-9377 (Shannon Road); 919-237-2431 (Blackwell St.)
How they roll: Made with hormone- and antibiotic-free beef that’s ground fresh daily, these burgers are so good they’ve already opened two locations. The only tough call is whether to go with hand-cut fries or the onion rings.
The Parlour
117 Market St., Durham
919-919-564-7999
How they roll: House-churned ice cream that’s sure to bring out the kid in you, whether you’re a traditionalist (vanilla, chocolate) or a jaded palate (Vietnamese coffee, rosemary olive oil, salted butter caramel).
Sweet Traditions
12516-106 Capital Blvd., Wake Forest
919-780-8212
How they roll: Choose from a rotating selection of 75 cupcake flavors, or order a cake for special occasion. Now the hard part: German chocolate, or Neapolitan, or Pineapple, or Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake, or. . .
And two more, slated to open in the coming weeks:
Captain Poncho’s Tacos
706 Market St., Chapel Hill
919-697-2237
How they roll: Tacos on house-made corn tortillas, plus burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, chilaquiles and more, all made with an emphasis on local ingredients
Porchetta
Food Court, Streets at Southpoint Mall, Durham
919-272-4402
How they roll: “Your pork-centric food truck” features shaved, slow-roasted Italian style pork sandwiches on toasted ciabatta. Alternatives for pork-aphobes include herb-marinated chicken and veggie on flatbread, with plans to add rotisserie-roasted chicken at the food court site.
This story was originally published April 23, 2015 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Cheap Eats: Food trucks that go brick-and-mortar."