On Sunday, April 9th, over 50 food trucks lined Main Street in Manayunk from 11 AM to 5 PM. No matter what you were craving on StrEAT Festival day, whether it was BBQ chicken or gourmet cupcakes or both, you were satisfied.
TIP for next time: Park at United Artists Main Street to avoid crowded parking lots, steep fines, or long walks. It’s less than 10 minutes in walking distance from all the commotion of the festival.
My friend and I began our journey towards the rows of colorful trucks awaiting our consumption. We were so hungry, it felt like forever until we finally saw police lights signifying the start of a closed road. As we approached, clouds of smoke from certain trucks and whiffs of deliciousness wafted through the air. There were big dogs and little puppies filing in amongst the hundreds of guests. We had arrived.
Our plan of attack was to walk the entire street eyeing up the options until our stomachs got hooked on one type of food specifically. This happened very quickly, but lines were dangerously long for our cavernous stomachs.
TIP: Grab a small snack or drink from a truck that has a smaller line in order to conquer the longer lines.
We got large homemade lemonades with lots of sugar that kept us alive under the scalding sun. Four dollars of pure, refreshing sweetness. We also split a large bag of kettle corn for $7.
The cups of lemonade were sucked dry and the kettle corn was half gone after about a half hour in the Smokin’ Taco line. Once we got to the front, we realized the truck served a fusion of Mexican and barbeque food. I got smoked beef brisket with pico de gallo and white barbeque sauce for $4, and it was so delicious. The brisket brought in barbeque flavors but they were unique and spicy like authentic Mexican food. I waited 30 minutes to eat the entire taco in just one minute.
After Smokin’ Taco, I wanted cheese fries so badly but it was too late. All the trucks began running low on their supplies, and cheese was undoubtedly a popular item.
TIP: Go early!! It’s better to be there when the trucks are fully stocked and workers aren’t tired.
I settled for a meatball sandwich but was pleasantly surprised with how satisfactory it was. For just $4, I got a single meatball in a toasted roll. It wasn’t just an ordinary meatball, though. It was a Rocky Ball Boa which consisted of sweet sausage stuffed with mild provolone and topped with peppers, onions, arugula, parmesan, and marinara sauce. I was very impressed.
Lastly, we ended the day with a cannoli. For $5, we split an oversized cannoli with chocolate chips and sweet, doughy crust. After the savory and the salty and the sour, a cannoli was the perfect finale for our treat yo’ self day.
The next StrEAT Festival date is to be determined; however, it returns to Manayunk every Fall and Spring!
HCXO,
Corinne