Vancouver placed third in North America on a list ranking the best cities for food truck cuisine. There are now 103 licensed food trucks operating in Vancouver, mostly concentrated downtown, and 15 more are awaiting approval.
The list was compiled by Travel and Escape Digital Magazine and looked at the inventive food options available in each city. It praised Vancouver for providing diverse and nutritious offerings. Portland, Oregon, which has approximately 700 food trucks, earned the top spot followed by Austin, Texas.
Food trucks have been on the radar at recent Vancouver city council meetings as the number of food carts grow and permits are reviewed. Council has suggested using Portland as a model as the food cart business continues to gain popularity in Vancouver.
Food Cartology: Rethinking Urban Spaces and People Places was a study done in Portland. It found that food carts facilitate community interaction.
Brent Mansfield, co-chair of the Vancouver Food Policy Council, spoke about the diversity of cuisine available in food carts at a city council meeting earlier this year.
He said the street food industry engages people and contributes to the vibrancy of the city. Since food trucks aren’t franchised they can support local farmers.
“I know there’s interest…to purchase off of local farmers. The flexibility and adaptability that food trucks have is a plus.”
Street food fans can look to the Street Food App for up-to-the-minute information on which carts are open.
New York City came fourth on Travel and Escape’s list while Toronto placed fifth.
