Food Truck Nation - Our Top Street Food Spots
Ireland has been embracing al fresco eating for years, but more and more we have been moving towards outdoor dining and the food truck has become our saviour. Here is a round up of our favourite food trucks around the country...all of which are dog friendly!
Too good Taco, Just Chubby’s, Clontarf, Dublin
Tucked away behind Lotts&Co on the seafront of Clontarf, the last thing we expected to find was a bright red foodtruck parked in a lock-up. With tables both inside (it is Ireland after all) and outside in a colourful courtyard this is the perfect place to meet friends on a Friday evening or Saturday afternoon. Dishing out delicious tacos since 2022, Just Chubbys has already made a big impression on Dublin. My only gripe is that one taco per order is not enough, come on Chubbys, double up, the people want more. Get there early as they sell out fast!
Pizza Base, Glenarrif
The buzzy village of Glenarriff in West Cork has a great food truck scene just off the main street. From amazing cheese toasties to great coffee, the Glenarriff Market has it all. We particularly loved Pizza Base for its wood fired slices and vegan options (gluten free bases also.) After a trip to Garnish Island or a swim in the magical Blue Pool pop round to the Market for delicious grub.
Go bananas in Belfast
Okay, so this event space isn’t a foodtruck but it is home to some great grub and gets a whole section to itself because it simply does not fall into any one category. Banana Block is everything from a living museum to a vinyl store. Set within a historic linen mill in East Belfast, it was inspired by the bizarre connection between Belfast and bananas (yes!) In 1911, Belfast resident William Richardson, head gardener to Sir Otto Jaffe, became one of the first people to cultivate bananas in the British Isles. In a curious twist of events, during the Mill strikes of 1932, Sir Jaffe’s employees (from both sides of the community) went on the march and the only neutral, non-sectarian tune that they knew and could agree on was… ‘Yes! We Have No Bananas.’
Today the Mill is a celebration of the creatives, past and present who have made this space unique. Centred around the Banana Ring (an interactive display of banana plants and other rare species which are grown in homage to the Mill’s former gardener) you will find delicious bagels from the inhouse bakery, Bodega as well as Hearty Growers, an urban mushroom farm. Just outside you will find probably the best pizza you’ll ever have at Flout (trust us).
Pizzheira, Heir Island, West Cork
Would you expect to find delicious woodfired pizza on a tiny island off the southwest coast of Ireland? Well, that is exactly where “Italian food meets Irish quirks on an Island in West Cork!”
Heir Island is just a quick 4 minute boat crossing from Cunnamore Pier, Lisheen and is home to Pizzheiria. Having made a name for itself, this pizza truck is busy serving up great slices every Thursday to Monday during the summer months (2pm - 8pm) on a beautiful Atlantic island with stunning views of Sherkin Island, Cape Clear, the Calf Islands and majestic Mount Gabriel.
Hidden behind Luker’s Bar in the pretty village of Shannonbridge, an old boat yard on the banks of the River Shannon has been transformed into a wonderful hang out spot by three brothers. A boat bought at auction for €20 is strung with fairy lights and is in the process of being turned into a snug. Empty kegs double up as stools and an old barn provides a great indoor seating area. A shipping container has been converted into a kitchen for rotational food vendors such as Dublin’s very own Burger Cartel and local lads Packman Pizza.
With 80s beats providing the soundtrack to your evening, the atmosphere is electric at this hidden gem. So whether you’re on a road trip touring the hidden heartland of Ireland or cruising the Shannon Erne Waterway, park up or moor up at the Boat Yard for fine street food, cocktails and great tunes.
Sail up to the Boat Yard in Shannonbridge, Co. Offaly
What happens when you take a love-story mix in creative Irish cooking and set it on the Wild Atlantic Way? You get outstanding food perched on the shores of Killary Fjord. The Misunderstood Heron was created by husband and wife team, Reinaldo and Kim in 2017. They met soon after Reinaldo moved to Ireland from his home country of Chile and it wasn’t long before they set off travelling around India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Returning to Ireland and inspired from their travels they sourced a food truck and with a focus on environmental sustainability, the couple set about changing the Irish street food scene.
Using fresh and local ingredients such as mussels farmed right in the fjord below, Kim and Reinaldo make sure that The Misunderstood Heron lives and breathes their motto ‘fresh, local, never conventional’. Drive as far as you need to drive to get to this incredible spot, order the stuffed empanadas, salmon with home fermented pickles or parsley and coriander falafel. Plunk yourself down at a picnic table on the slopes of the valley and drink in the sea views. It is no wonder that this award winning chuckwagon has been named by the Lonely Planet as one of the coolest food trucks in the world.
Swing by the Misunderstood Heron at Derrynacleigh, Leenane, Co Galway
Parked up on a remote island in the Atlantic, a London double decker bus has been transformed into Inishwallah, the food baby of owner, Kartika. Whilst plating up panko breaded pollock tacos and pork dumplings, Kartika told us her story. Hailing from a Keralan family, she was born in Tennessee and met her Inishbofin husband while living in New York many years ago. The couple returned to the island several years ago and set up this amazing food truck in their garden.
Transporting the bus to the island couldn't have been an easy task and it took a while for the tides to be just right before it could be ferried across from the mainland. However, ‘must is a great master’ and she did it and for four years, Kartika has been serving locals and surprising unsuspecting visitors to the island.
Chances are that you have travelled further than her ingredients. Using locally caught fish and reared lamb, Kartika is delivering street food like no other! There are also amazing vegan options for you plant-based heroes out there.
Climb aboard Inishwallah at Westquarter, Inishbofin, Co. Galway
The Horsebox at Corcreggan Mill
Nestled in a pretty courtyard within the grounds of an old mill on the Wild Atlantic Way, the Horsebox serves up fresh seafood, cracking fish and chips and wonderful vegan dishes. There is always a warm and welcoming atmosphere with families piling around large tables and couples snuggling together beside the fire pit. Sunday jazz sessions and live traditional music create a lively buzz around the courtyard.
Keen to promote the Irish language, owner Siubhan O’Connor has created a wonderful space where visitors feel comfortable speaking, or even learning ‘cúpla focail’ as well as putting Corcreggan Mill on the Donegal food map.
We spent so many nights during the summer tucking into wonderful dishes like crab arancini, fish tacos and their signature dish, mouth-watering Tuscan fries. As the sun goes down over Horn Head, fairy lights provide a lovely glow to the courtyard as the fire pit crackles in the background. Grab a table, fill your boots with fish and chips and local farmhouse beers and settle in for the evening. You won’t want to leave and you don’t have to! After dinner, climb aboard a quirky converted boat or check into a railway carriage and keep the magic going in their glamp site.
You’ll find the magical Corcreggan Mill at Castlebane, Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal
Images of Corcreggan Mill courtesy of and used with permission of The Bearded Candlemakers
Mountain views at Mountain Melts, Donegal
The second Donegal entry deserves its spot on our list for so many reasons but mostly because it serves our favourite food in the world, the mighty cheese toastie! A feat of culinary genius, the grilled cheese toastie has featured in so many of our happy memories from childhood sleepovers to student days and the morning after the night before. Take the tastiest dish on the planet and serve it from a vintage caravan on the shores of the Atlantic and you have food heaven!
This roaming food caravan mixes it up so check their Instagram account for weekly schedules so not to miss mouth watering toasties, great coffee and vegan treats in breathtaking locations.
Mountain Melts is a roaming wagon but can usually be found at Drumnatinney Beach, Falcarragh, Co. Donegal
Image used courtesy of and with permission of Mountain Melts.
Own, known and grown is Fodder’s motto as every ingredient that makes its way into this truly unique kitchen is local -including their own Dexter beef, home made vegan bean burgers and warming lentil dhal. With great coffee for the grown-ups, adventurous woodland trails for the kids and dog bowls for the puppers, Fodder is very family and dog friendly.
As you drive off the main road and into Finnebrogue Woods, I dare you not to smile when you first see the giant fairy-lit teepee nestled in the forest. It’s like a childhood dream come true and all that’s needed to complete the scene is a hot chocolate by a fire. The magical teepee doubles up as a cosy indoor seating area complete with fire pit. If the weather is chilly, cosy up inside the teepee or if you fancy dining outside, follow the woodland trail to the shores of Finnebrogue Lough where handcrafted wooded benches face out to the water.
The shipping container doubles up as a wonderful farm shop showcasing a variety of products from local producers. Fill your basket with cheese, coffee beans and chutneys before you head back to reality.
Head down to the woods today and find Fodder at Finnebrogue Woods, Killyleagh Road, Downpatrick, County Down
