By 2010, something started to change in California’s food truck scene and the way people perceived it. A slew of laid-off chefs turned to more affordable business models during the financial crisis, inspiring hungry customers using a new app called Twitter to go to the ends of the earth for Korean burritos and loaded fries. No longer “roach coaches,” food trucks suddenly became “gourmet.”

The frenzy proved that these mobile restaurants are more than just a viable business model, but are also excellent places to eat. While many at the forefront of the local gourmet food truck era, such as Curry Up Now and Señor Sisig, have graduated to brick-and-mortar restaurants, the loncheras and taco trucks that preceded them are still vital parts of the Bay Area. Many have always been (and remain) community figures, providing a service to hungry workers or locals. Some are simultaneously on the cutting edge of local food culture.

Today, people don’t use social media to chase down trucks, but you can still see that era’s legacy at stationary truck-filled places like Spark Social in San Francisco and Off the Grid festivals throughout the Bay Area.

Food trucks are boundless in their genre. They’re places to find sensational fried chicken, emphatically spiced chaat, flame-grilled kebabs, fiery mariscos, spicy noodles and game-changing tacos.

Below are 10 of the 25 best food trucks in the Bay Area. Click here for the full list. For more suggestions check out our lists of the best restaurants in the Bay Area, the best tacos and the best affordable restaurants

Carnitas Carnitas Zamora |2301 E. 12th St., Oakland

About a decade ago, Alejandro Rocha missed the carnitas from his hometown of Zamora — in the Mexican state of Michoacan, which is known for carnitas — so much that he decided to start making them himself. After nailing his family’s recipe for the braised, then crisped pork, loved ones encouraged him to start catering parties. When that revenue stream started to dry up during the pandemic, he struck a deal with a tire shop to sell carnitas there. What started as a hobby has become a bona fide side hustle: Every Sunday, he posts up in his white lonchera selling carnitas by the taco or the pound. Tacos here are usually accompanied by pico de gallo and pickled jalapeños, but salsas, pickled onions, raw onions and cilantro are also available. Rocha sells only four cuts: carnitas, ribs, buche (stomach) and cuero (skin). Try a taco ($3.50) with a mix of carnitas and cuero, a fatty blend of meaty richness.

Payment Options: Credit cards accepted | Hours: Lunch and dinner Sunday | Phone: 510-866-4421

Delhi Chaat | 725 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale

Delhi Chaat is one of many in Sunnyvale’s notable chaat truck scene, most of whom park at auto shops and gas stations. The baby blue truck has a carousel of snacks, everything from samosas and potato cakes to multiple configurations of fried puffs. The sensational pani puri ($6.99) is a high point for its burst of vivid flavor. The order is served with everything on the side; fill a puff with the potato mixture, add a bit of tart, herby water and a drizzle of tamarind chutney, then pop it into your mouth. If you’re spice averse, try the dahi papdi chaat ($7.99), crackers layered with cooling yogurt and chutneys; it's sweet, crunchy and teeters on the line between savory snack and dessert. The truck is stationed at a Midas and offers one shared table, if you elect to dine there.

Payment Options: Credit cards accepted | Hours: Lunch and dinner Wednesday-Monday | Phone: 510-895-1818

Dos Raicez | Check online

Operating out of a squat red truck, Dos Raicez puts a contemporary spin on tacos and tostadas. Carnitas tacos (three for $13.50) draw inspiration from Michoacan and honor the tradition with melty pork. Similarly, the beer-battered fish tacos ($14) pay homage to Baja California with an airy crunch, while the crisp chicken taquitos are a tribute to home cooking ($12). Another highlight is the ceviche tostada ($10) that’s full of fun textures. Resting over a fried corn disk are tender chunks of yellowfin tuna, creamy avocado mousse, crisp jicama and smoky salsa macha. The latter adds so much body to the equation, with its boldness balanced by spice, acidity and salt. The hitch truck is usually found stationed at Gilman Brewing Co. in Berkeley.

Payment Options: Credit cards accepted

El Paisa by Los Alegres | 2110 Middlefield Rd., Redwood City

Opened in late 2022, El Paisa by Los Alegres is a Mexico City-style taqueria complete with the requisite, sluggishly rotating al pastor trompo. The snack-size tacos ($2.95) come on double yellow corn tortillas with classic Mexico City options like sweet-spiced al pastor with a tangy slice of piña and rich suadero, a confited beef cut prized in the Distrito Federal. But the most interesting is the lengua taco ($4). Instead of meat cubes, the taqueria slices the smooth, incredibly tender tongue into slabs about the size of the tortilla. All the tacos are sparsely salted — an old-school taqueria move — but each plate comes with a packet of salt. Sprinkle it on and eat at the communal table, or over the hood of your car.

Payment Options: Credit cards accepted | Drinks: Soft drinks | Hours: Lunch and dinner daily

Imagination on Fire | 1790 Soscol Ave., Napa

Taking a stroll down Soscol Avenue in Napa, you’ll encounter a corridor of food trucks enticing hungry motorists and pedestrians. Among those is Imagination on Fire, a comfort specialist with a sparse menu of smashburgers ($15) and fried chicken sandwiches ($15), both of which come with crackly fries. The burger is well-built: The bun has a notable squish, the medium-thick patty is properly seasoned, and the richness is cut with acidic pickles and white onion slivers. While the burger is a worthy expedition, the spicy chicken sandwich is the clear victor. The craggy, pepper-dusted chicken burns with a citrus tang that nicely pads the spice. If the flame is too much, dab it with a smoky-sweet honey barbecue sauce.

Payment Options: Credit cards accepted | Drinks: Soft drinks | Hours: Lunch Wednesday-Saturday, dinner Thursday-Saturday | Phone: 707-225-7132

Joella’s Deli is a petite, bright orange truck positioned in front of an auto shop in Napa. Here, you’ll find sandwiches with precise flavor, like the audibly crunchy chicken sandwich ($18). This beaut is a designer sandwich that’s as spicy as it is sweet. Sheltered in a potato sourdough bun glittered with sesame seeds is a scabrous chicken cutlet veiled in peppers and an herbaceous ranch-coated slaw. The meatball parm ($17) is another stunner, the roll fittingly toasted to withstand the juicy meatball and tomato sauce inside. Don’t sleep on the citrusy Caesar salad ($12), which has a healthy dose of Parmigiano Reggiano shavings. Next to the truck are two wood tables under canopy shade.

Payment Options: Credit cards accepted | Drinks: Soft drinks | Hours: Lunch and dinner Friday-Sunday | Phone: 707-981-3965

La Piñata Taqueria | 809 Broadway, Vallejo

Parked in front of a beauty salon, La Piñata commands the hearts and stomachs of Vallejo denizens with well-made tacos and spicy salsas. The most popular taco ($2.50) option is suadero, which is seared on the flat-top grill until crisp. While there’s no trompo, the al pastor’s adobo is fragrant with spice, activated by the fiery salsas. Other fillings like springy lengua cubes ($3), fatty cabeza ($2.50) — both paired with tangy salsa verde — and formidable asada ($2.50) are flavorful additions to any order. Grilled onions and chiles come on the side to fortify your tacos with allium sweetness and heat. Dine on the picnic table, over the trunk of your car or take it to-go.

Payment Options: Credit cards accepted | Drinks: Soft drinks | Hours: Lunch and dinner Monday-Friday| Phone: 707-334-8381

La Santa Torta | 333 Broadway, Oakland

La Santa Torta is a mobile birrieria a couple blocks from Jack London Square. Look for the pink-and-black truck adorned with a sketch of a luchador. Its specialty is Jalisco-style birria, specifically quesabirria (three for $12) where half-moon tacos are stained red with rendered birria fat. These are unctuous, rich tacos oozing with cheese and beef, featuring tortillas seared until crisp on a plancha (grill). They’re a messy affair and worth the trouble. The quesabirria comes three to an order, garnished with onion, cilantro and salsa roja. Make sure to order a cup of consomé to dip or sip on its own. If you want something heavier, go for the birria torta ($16), with crusty bread, melty cheese and an excess of adobo-spiced beef.

Payment Options: Credit cards accepted | Drinks: Soft drinks | Hours: Lunch and dinner Monday-Friday| Phone: 925-207-9275

Señor Sisig | 601 Mission Bay Blvd. N., San Francisco

Pinoy taqueria Señor Sisig quickly captured the hearts of the Bay Area with hefty burritos stuffed with sisig (minced meat, onion and peppers) and tosilog (sweet pork and fried egg). Today, the operation is a force, with three restaurants scattered throughout Oakland and San Francisco along with multiple food trucks. The best among the burritos is the pork Señor Sisig ($15.50) layered with smokiness that reverberates through every bite. You can even find a California burrito version ($16.50, with fries, cheese and sour cream) of the sisig. Heat comes in the form of chopped jalapeños.

Payment Options: Credit cards accepted | Drinks: Soft drinks | Hours: Lunch and dinner daily | Phone: 510-735-9963

Momo Noodle | 601 Mission Bay Blvd. N., San Francisco

Momo Noodle is one of the options found at food truck park Spark Social in San Francisco. The bright yellow truck with an adorable animated noodle-eating bear logo offers potent spice. That’s best seen in the momo spicy noodle ($10.95), thin noodles cloaked in a cumin-forward seasoning mix. Adding sweet pork belly ($5.50) ups the richness. If you want even more heat, consider the fierce, fiery beef jerky ($7.99), which plays well with the aforementioned noodle bowl. The ordering process is done entirely through a tablet, and there are ample cabanas and picnic tables where you can eat.

Payment Options: Credit cards accepted | Drinks: Soft drinks | Hours: Lunch daily, dinner Monday-Saturday | Phone: 408-800-6819