Adelaide’s most popular food trucks from Enfes Delights, to Staazi & Co, Daisy Burger, Paella Bar and Soza’s
Full of flavour, no frills – food trucks are an underrated dining experience bringing together cuisines. Meet the people behind SA’s best and where to find them.
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It doesn’t matter what cuisine you’re after, there’s a food truck delivering those tasty treats to a street corner near you.
Food vans operate in various modes and in a multitude of locations around the state, but one thing’s for sure – they’re all about conquering our tastebuds.
Here’s a roundup of some of the best mobile food and beverage businesses in SA.
ENFES DELIGHTS
enfes.com.au
Enjoy a true taste of Turkey thanks to founder Mert Emir and his truck Enfes Delights.
Emir’s delicious gözleme – a hand-rolled traditional Turkish pastry – is the star of the show, with a range of different fillings available from cheese and spinach, to spiced lamb, Turkish sausage, plus plenty of vegan options and even Nutella for dessert.
“This is the food I grew up with, I really wanted to share the cuisine from my childhood,” said Emir, a civil engineer by trade, who emigrated to Adelaide in 2016.
“This is very authentic gözleme, it’s made right before your very eyes.
“You will feel like you’re visiting Istanbul – it’s very fresh and authentic.”
Enfes Delights can be found at various food festivals and events throughout the year, from the Lucky Dumpling markets, to the Adelaide Fringe and the Royal Adelaide Show.
MOORISH BITES
moorishbites.com.au
Moroccan street food is showcased at Moorish Bites, from tender spice-rubbed barbecue lamb and chicken dishes served with toasted flatbread and homemade gourmet dips, to saffron arancini balls, filled with quinoa, rice and mozzarella.
The cuisine is the brainchild of Moroccan born and trained chef Mohamed Bensaid, who launched the truck in 2014.
“Our unique blending of marinades and spices and proud tradition of fast, fresh, affordable and locally-sourced halal street food has gained us a dedicated local following,” he said.
Bensaid said their homemade sauce options that accompany the dishes – spicy harissa, chermoula (coriander and lemon juice based) and mint – were also a standout.
Moorish Bites is a regular at large events and festivals such as Womad, Fork on the Road and Food Truck Carnivale, or you can find them at the Seacliff Yacht Club, Summertown Studio and various local breweries.
DAISY BURGER
daisyburger.com.au
Founder Luke Bartolo had just turned 30 and had spent most of his life working in hospitality when he decided to launch Daisy Burger in 2015.
“I’d gotten sick of working for other people and just decided to give this a go,” he said.
Bartolo hasn’t looked back since. His wide range of tasty burgers have proven popular around the city, from an 18-hour cooked pulled pork burger and southern style chicken, to crispy bacon, beef and cheese or their vegi delight offering.
“People tend to gravitate to this cuisine and I love burgers myself as well,” he said.
“We don’t just do plain old burgers, we can cater for all kinds of needs.
“We also only use local, good quality ingredients, with sustainable, plant-based packaging.”
A regular on Friday night at the Wheatsheaf Hotel in Thebarton, they’re also available for private events, including weddings and birthday parties.
WAFFLESTIX
facebook.com/wafflestix
One of the self-proclaimed “OGs” of Adelaide’s food truck scene, owner operator Daniel Adams started WaffleStix about eight years ago after returning to Adelaide from a stint in Canada.
“I’m not a very good cook to be honest,” Adams said with a laugh.
“I wanted something that I could get anybody to help with, without the need for chefs.”
Specialising in waffles on a stick, the decadent desserts are a “crowd favourite”, and often coated in Nutella and accompanied with fresh fruit.
“We go through so much Nutella, it’s ridiculous! Our waffles are freshly baked and they’re about as healthy as a dessert can be. They’re completely customisable to whatever the customer wants,” Adams said.
“I think everyone just enjoys the simplicity of a coffee and a waffle together.”
You can find WaffleStix at most large food truck events, the Royal Adelaide Show and they also cater small parties, weddings and corporate shows.
THE PASTA GUY
thepastaguy.com.au/
Qualified chef and British expat Richard Thorne noticed a “gap in the market” when started his food truck about six years ago.
Based in the Barossa Valley, Thorne’s most popular dishes include traditional spaghetti bolognese, carbonara and puttanesca, to more gourmet offerings, with all pasta sauces handmade and fresh.
“It’s not your average pasta. It’s simple but delicious, we make all our sauces and we do everything from scratch,” said Thorne, who has worked in kitchens all over Europe.
Where possible, The Pasta Guy uses locally sourced Barossa Valley ingredients for the freshest and richest flavours.
A fully functioning catering service, the truck also features a variety of salads and sides, freshly brewed coffee and popular cakes and cold drinks.
During the summer, you’ll also find The Pasta Guy at private functions, weddings and corporate events.
WHAT’S THE SCOOP
whatsthescoop.com.au
There’s a slice of history in every creamy scoop of owner-operator Greg Tillman’s mobile food business.
Originally a Mr Whippy van for the first 40 years of its life, the colourful food truck was carefully restored and became the home of What’s The Scoop in 2016.
“I went and picked it up in Queensland because I’ve got four kids and they wanted me to do ice cream,” said Tillman, who also runs SA’s Fork on the Road food truck series.
Using Golden North ice cream, it’s hard to pick just one flavour – or one scoop – with everything from chocolate and salted caramel to boysenberry and cookies and cream on offer.
“The sorbet range is also amazing these days, including gluten-free and vegan friendly,” Tillman said.
A regular at festivals and parties around town, the van is stationed at Adelaide’s southern beaches including Sellicks and Aldinga Beach during the summer.
“Summer is always fantastic down south, the beach circuit is really working for us,” Tillman said
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PAELLA BAR
paellabar.com.au
Owner-operator Andrew Luscombe bought the popular food truck in 2015 from his brother-in-law – and it’s one of the best decisions he’s ever made.
Offering an authentic ‘Taste of Spain’, the Paella Bar offers a variety of seafood, meat and vegetarian options, though Luscome said the chicken and chorizo dishes were the most sought-after by his customers.
“It’s very flavoursome, and it’s a good healthy meal,” he said.
“The cooking of the paella with the large pans is colourful and theatrical. It’s exciting for everybody to see, smell and finally taste the delicious paella as it is prepared and served in front of them.”
A full-time business, the food truck was recently at the Royal Adelaide Show and appears at all the big festivals around town. It’s also a favourite at weddings and parties, plus corporate events.
“It keeps us very busy these days,” Luscombe said.
BONNIE’S VEGAN VAN
facebook.com/BHJVeggieVan
Launched in 2018, this beloved food truck specialises in Chinese delicacies that are 100 per cent vegan, including dumplings, veggie pockets, spring rolls and vegan kebabs.
The van’s Chinese-born owner-operator, Bonnie Holmes, said she wanted to showcase the cuisine that she grew up with – but with a vegan-twist.
“I wanted to help spread the vegan food and let people know that vegan food can be delicious as well,” she said.
“Everything is homemade, handmade and plant-based. They’re all very special recipes and I did a lot of experimenting to get it just right.
“If I didn’t tell you that it’s vegan, you wouldn’t know it.”
You can find Bonnie and her vegan van every Saturday at the Old Spot Hotel in Salisbury. She’s also a regular at the Brighton Community Market and at festivals around the city.
STAAZI & CO – THE GREEK VEGAN PROJECT
staaziandco.com.au
Owner and founder Anastasia Lavrentiadis said their 100 per cent Greek vegan offerings, including yiros, lamb, chicken, ABs, and falafels can fool even the most diehard meat eater.
“I actually had someone ask once, ‘Is this really meat? I’ve been eating it for nine months and I didn’t realise!’” she said.
In 2017, Lavrentiadis and her husband Roger had just turned to a plant-based diet when they decided it was time for a career change.
“I was working in a corporate job and was looking for a way out. I started nosing around the vegan food scene and there was wasn’t Greek and vegan,” she said.
“So we started playing around with some recipes, came up with the idea for a food truck, mainly because I didn’t want to be tied down to a 9-5 job.”
Now the van is one of the city’s most popular, appearing at food festivals and markets around town. It was even voted the fifth best vegan food truck in the world by Lonely Planet in 2019.
“The food is absolutely delicious and it caters for a niche market,” said Lavrentiadis, who has also opened a bricks and mortar store in the East End.
CHIMICHURRI GRILL
chimichurrigrill.com.au
Long before he started Chimichurri Grill, Greg Tillman was a young student who worked at Gouger St institution, Gaucho’s.
That experience influenced him when he moved into the street food trade about 11 years ago and he chose to focus on gourmet Argentinian cuisine.
“It’s a bit more high-end than just burgers. This is scotch fillet, this is chicken breast, great chorizo, pulled pork. That’s all chargrilled,” he said.
“We also have the best chips in town too.”
The colourful food truck is a regular at all major Adelaide events, and is available for private weddings and birthday parties.
SOZA’S
sozas.com.au
Bringing authentic Sri Lankan street food to Adelaide – that’s what Soza’s is about.
The truck was founded in 2016 by the Soza brothers, who share their childhood memories of Sri Lanka by reproducing its street food and creating their own dishes inspired by their homeland.
“We got together a little bit of savings we had put away, got an awesome trailer built up and took on our very first event catering to a group of a 100 at a wedding in Willunga,” the trio said.
“Our next event was the WOMADelaide music festival for more than 1500 people … and the rest is history.”
What you hear, smell, see and taste from the truck will transport you back to their roots and give you a glimpse into traditional Sri Lankan cuisine.
Among their favourite offerings are the chicken kottu, kadala and fish cutlets. But undoubtedly, the most popular dish on the menu is the hot butter squid, with its sweet yet spicy batter and butter sauce.
The business has now been acquired by the Fernando brothers who own a Sri Lankan restaurant in Magill and are very popular among the Sri Lankan community.
“We generally cater all events both large and small and regularly make an appearance at our favourite pub the Wheatsheaf Hotel,” said co-owner Anton Fernando.
BUBBLE ME BUBBLE TEA
bubblemebubbletea.net
This popular truck had humble beginnings in Mohamed and Diana El-Sayed’s home in Morphett Vale.
From a Vietnamese background, Mrs El-Sayed convinced her husband to try bubble tea and after a little time, he was hooked.
“My wife was like, how have you never had this before? So we went to Chinatown and I tried it, I thought it was nothing special … until I started craving it every day,” Mr El-Sayed said. “I became obsessed with it, I had it every day.”
The couple’s love for bubble tea blossomed into a business that started in 2020.
The Bubble Me Bubble Tea mobile drinks trailer now travels to food truck events, showcasing their range of delicious teas freshly brewed in a variety of milk and fruit flavours, and with tasty toppings of jellies and pearls.
They also cater for private events and recently opened a new store in Southgate Square Reynella.
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