Best Bay Area food trucks Our favorite picks for mobile dining in San Francisco and beyond

Chronicle food writers take to the streets and share their favorite Bay Area food truck fare, from Baja fish tacos to chaat to Sichuan noodles.

Aguachiles el Tamarindo The newest member of the Mi Grullense taco truck family is drawing big crowds for its enormous selection of seafood: Baja-style fish tacos, ceviche tostadas, aguachiles, shrimp burritos and hulking seafood towers. Most people load up on the raw stuff, but the sleeper hit is actually the smoked marlin taco. Chopped up and stewed with tomatoes and onions, the marlin’s umami-rich, smoky flavor is tempered by a thick blanket of melted cheese. The truck boasts a relatively luxurious setup in the middle of Oakland’s Fruitvale district, with a parking lot, several large tables shaded under a carport-esque structure, mariachi music flowing through the speakers and, most remarkably, a bathroom. — Janelle Bitker Order: Smoked marlin tacos ($4 each, or $12 for three with rice and beans). Aguachiles ($12), raw shrimp doused in lime and chile powder.

How to find it: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. Cash only. 3053 International Blvd., Oakland.

Al Pastor Papi The trompo is always spinning at Al Pastor Papi, the year-old truck dedicated to the Mexico City style of spit-roasted pork. Here, owner Miguel Escobedo shaves off thin strips of sweet-spicy-tangy al pastor charred on the edges but still juicy. They’re best enjoyed simply as tacos, finished with cilantro, onions and pineapple, or as gringas, open-face quesadillas loaded with stretchy Oaxacan cheese. Burritos and burrito bowls are on offer, too, as are steak, chicken, cactus and a soy-based alternative for toppings — but at a truck called Al Pastor Papi, why bother? — J.B. Order: Taco al pastor ($3.75), gringa al pastor ($7.75).

How to find it: Mostly at Off the Grid. : Taco al pastor ($3.75), gringa al pastor ($7.75).: Mostly at Off the Grid. Instagram: @alpastorpapi415

Bowl'd Acai Bay Area natives Reza Morvari and Angel Serratos jump-started the local acai bowl explosion in 2015 when they rolled out their first Bowl’d Acai truck in Mint Plaza. Fast-forward a few years, and they’ve got a fleet roaming downtown San Francisco, serving up smoothies, juices and the namesake acai bowls. The delightfully creamy blends of acai are combined with either vegetables (as in the spinach-packed Green Goliath) or fruits (strawberry and banana), and then crowned with a medley of toppings such as coconut shavings, sliced fruits, dollops of honey and crisp, fresh granola. Poke bowls are also available for the lunchtime crowd. — Paolo Lucchesi Order: Green Goliath bowl ($11.50).

How to find it: Four trucks are dispersed throughout San Francisco, but regular weekday stops include Mint Plaza, Spark Social and Salesforce Tower. : Green Goliath bowl ($11.50).: Four trucks are dispersed throughout San Francisco, but regular weekday stops include Mint Plaza, Spark Social and Salesforce Tower. bowldacai.com

Coolinaria A fine-dining chef from Mexico City moved to Oakland and opened Coolinaria, a new-wave taco truck using high-brow techniques in a street-food format. The huarache, for example, comes with black bean foam, while the purple potato tacos feature perfect polka dots of whipped cream cheese. Favorites include the shrimp costra, like little shrimp tacos finished with a thick layer of crispy cheese, plus avocado puree and cactus. Delicious. The beef tinga tacos are also a good choice, smoky with chipotle, meltingly tender and topped with a refreshing slaw. There isn’t another taco truck quite like this — just know the prices match the elegant presentation and the portions are a bit small. — J.B. Order: Shrimp costra ($13 for three), beef tinga tacos ($13 for three).

How to find it: Most days at Off the Grid events in Oakland or San Francisco. You’ll also frequently find the truck outside Federation Brewing, 420 Third St., Oakland. : Shrimp costra ($13 for three), beef tinga tacos ($13 for three).: Most days at Off the Grid events in Oakland or San Francisco. You’ll also frequently find the truck outside Federation Brewing, 420 Third St., Oakland. Instagram: @coolinaria

Del Popolo The splashiest, most stunning food truck in San Francisco is really a shipping container hitched to a rig — an elevated kitchen enclosed in glass so customers can marvel at the handmade wood-burning oven from Naples, Italy. Del Popolo’s truck, open since 2012, actually predates the brick-and-mortar restaurant. Perhaps that’s why the truck’s quality has remained impressively high: It’s not an expansion-oriented afterthought. Compared to the restaurant, the truck’s menu is slim but the individual-size Neapolitan pizzas — with their beautifully blistered, puffed crusts — speak volumes on their own. — J.B. Order: Any pizza on offer will do, but the margherita ($13) is always great.

How to find it: delpopolosf.com : Any pizza on offer will do, but the margherita ($13) is always great.

El Gallo Giro For the past 17 years, Elena Caballero and husband Jose Perez have been slinging some of San Francisco’s best tacos from their El Gallo Giro truck. Earlier this year, their home was badly damaged in a fire; they opted to keep the truck open through the ordeal, which in turn allowed their community to support them through the truck. With all respect to the lengua, cabeza and carne asada options, the thing to get here is the carnitas: a generous mound of juicy pork crisped on the edges to perfection and showered with a flurry of cilantro and onions. — P.L. Order: Carnitas taco ($2.50)

How to find it: Corner of 23rd Street and Treat Avenue, San Francisco. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays.

El Sur The Argentine empanadas that come out of this truck year after year are some of the best in the region. The unforgettable crusts are crisp, yet just the right thickness to hold in all of the juicy and abundant fillings without any leakage — and it would indeed be terrible to get grease on your sundress while you’re out in the Presidio. Packed with delicious ingredients like minced beef, creme fraiche and Swiss chard, these pastries are easy to snack on while you’re waiting in more arduous lines. That’s the mark of great street food. — Soleil Ho Order: Empanadas ($6 each), especially the traditional (Five Dot Ranch beef with onion, pimenton, olive and egg) and verde (with Swiss chard, spinach, five cheeses, olive and egg). The chimichurri (50 cents) adds a lot to the experience.

How to find it: elsurfsf.com : Empanadas ($6 each), especially the traditional (Five Dot Ranch beef with onion, pimenton, olive and egg) and verde (with Swiss chard, spinach, five cheeses, olive and egg). The chimichurri (50 cents) adds a lot to the experience.

El Tio Juan There’s something positively adorable about El Tio Juan, a combo taco and ice cream truck in East Oakland where mariachi music always plays and there’s nowhere to eat but the curb. The ice cream comes from 1950s-era local brand Loard’s. Picky kids can order a corn dog. But, of course, you are at El Tio Juan for tacos. There are no wrong choices when it comes to meat, served on two soft tortillas with cilantro, onions and salsa, but El Tio prepares offal cuts particularly well. Tacos with lengua are incredibly soft and rich, and tripas are crispy and muddy in the best way. Plates come stacked with pickled carrots, sweet cipollini onions, blistered peppers and raw radishes, as they should. — J.B. Order: Tacos with lengua or tripas ($2.50).

How to find it: 10 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. Cash only. 4075 Foothill Blvd., Oakland.

El Tonayense El Tonayense is the reliable old friend that’s always there for you. The taco truck has been a Mission standby since 1993, and these days, it’s best known for standing sentry outside the Best Buy on Harrison and 14th streets. The tacos here are smaller and more workmanlike than nearby competitors, but the distinguishing component is the salsa roja, an inimitable spicy salsa that drowns the meat and runs down your wrist when you dive into the taco. — P.L. Order: Tacos ($3). Pollo asado and lengua shine, but don’t miss the salsa.

How to find it: Three trucks are parked regularly along Harrison Street at 14th Street (Best Buy); 17th and 19th. : Tacos ($3). Pollo asado and lengua shine, but don’t miss the salsa.: Three trucks are parked regularly along Harrison Street at 14th Street (Best Buy); 17th and 19th. tonayense.com

Kokio Republic At the end of 2017, Nathan Choi and Jae Jung closed their popular Korean fried chicken truck Kokio Republic to focus on opening their first brick-and-mortar restaurant, Barnzu. The San Francisco restaurant remains open, but now the truck is back. And thank goodness. Kokio serves up awfully tasty fried chicken: crunchy, boneless strips of thighs, ideally tossed in a sticky, spicy-sweet sauce laced with gochujang, the Korean fermented pepper paste. The playful kimchi balls, deep-fried spheres of kimchi fried rice, help place Kokio Republic in drinking-food territory. Good thing it’s always parked at SoMa Streat Food Park, where there’s beer and wine. — J.B. Order: The chicken and kimchi ball combo ($12.99) gets you four pieces of chicken and two balls with your choice of sauce — go for hot and sweet or soy garlic.

How to find it: Lunch daily, dinner Tuesday-Saturday. SoMa Streat Food Park, 428 11th St., San Francisco.

Kolobok Russian Soul Food Truck The Bay Area’s first Russian food truck hails from chef Ellen Doren, a Moscow native who has held stints cooking at high-end restaurants like Gramercy Tavern in New York. Out of the distinctive red-and-yellow truck, Doren offers a restaurant-style menu — appetizers, main dishes, desserts — of Russian comfort food. Top entree choices include plump, chewy dumplings filled with pork and beef, drizzled with sour cream and paired with adjika, a flavor-packed spicy paste teeming with coriander. Another top choice is braised cabbage rolls stuffed with turkey and rice in a luscious tomato sauce, with a fresh spinach-and-beet salad on the side. — J.B. Order: Dumplings ($12), cabbage rolls ($12).

How to find it: Kolobok bounces around San Francisco, Oakland, Alameda, Pleasant Hill, San Ramon and other East Bay cities. : Dumplings ($12), cabbage rolls ($12).: Kolobok bounces around San Francisco, Oakland, Alameda, Pleasant Hill, San Ramon and other East Bay cities. Instagram: @kolobokfood

La Santa Torta Birria is one of the harder-to-find taco styles in the Bay Area, though you’ll find it in its body-warming stew format at places like SanJalisco in the Mission and Santo Coyote in Oakland. But La Santa Torta is all about this very Jalisco-influenced take on the taco, eschewing the more commonly found fillings for shredded beef that’s been slow-cooked for hours in a flavor-dense broth of dried peppers and aromatics. Each corn tortilla sucks up the flavorful and juicy red consomme of its filling as it grills on the plancha and comes packed with melted Oaxaca cheese and minced red onion as well, building up to a bite that perfectly balances the soft, crunchy and gooey aspects of its ingredients. Elotes chidos, a bowl of corn off the cob mixed with mayo, lime juice, cotija cheese and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, is an exciting melange of textures and flavors. — S.H. Order: Red birria tacos ($12 for three), elotes chidos with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos ($7), birria torta ($10).

How to find it: Instagram: @lasantatorta : Red birria tacos ($12 for three), elotes chidos with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos ($7), birria torta ($10).

Liberty Cheesesteak This roving Philadelphian embassy has everything an expat might desire: Tastykake treats, Herr’s potato chips and cheesesteaks with real-deal, gooey Cheez Whiz. Paper-thin slices of steak (or chicken or portobello mushroom) are stuffed into hoagie rolls shipped from Philadelphia’s Amoroso’s Baking Co.; the 8-inch is a hefty meal for one, but you can go up to 12 inches if you’re starving. And yes, you can order the same way you would at Geno’s or Pat’s back east: “Provolone, with,” is my order. — S.H. Order: Cheesesteak ($8.75 for 8-inch, $12.25 for 12-inch), which you can customize at your pleasure. Mushroom steak ($9.25/$12.75) is the standout.

How to find it: lcfoodtruck.com : Cheesesteak ($8.75 for 8-inch, $12.25 for 12-inch), which you can customize at your pleasure. Mushroom steak ($9.25/$12.75) is the standout.

Los Carnalitos I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely down for a taco after a visit to the gynecologist. Every day except Sundays, the Los Carnalitos food truck holds court in the parking lot of Redwood City’s Planned Parenthood, providing the sort of stellar clinical aftercare that your insurance definitely won’t cover. Its Mexico City-style fare includes carnitas with serious juice and yes, they have cabeza and lengua, but their vegetarian goods are a highlight. Try the lip-smacking mixture of cactus, mushrooms, huitlacoche and squash blossom (called “azteca” on their menu) on a quesadilla or huarache. — S.H. Order: Gorditas with chicharrones ($7), flan ($6), tacos with carnitas ($2) or lengua ($2.50), quesadilla azteca ($10).

How to find it: 11 a.m-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 2907 El Camino Real, Redwood City.

Momo Noodle Momo Noodle specializes in a soupless but hot noodle style common to the streets of Wuhan and Sichuan, China, in which the very absorbent properties of dried noodles make all the difference. The thin dried noodles used here can assimilate strong flavors and sauces while maintaining a springy chew, delivering a tingly, piquant taste that really slaps you in the face — handy if you need a pick-me-up for the rest of the afternoon. You can customize your order with more meat or heat on the iPad ordering system, but I like the basic, dandanmian-esque Momo Spicy Noodle, a heaping bowl of thin egg noodles with spiced ground pork, shredded black fungus, arugula and chopped peanuts. — S.H. Order: Momo Spicy Noodle ($10.95), spicy chicken noodle ($10.95).

How to find it: momonoodle.com : Momo Spicy Noodle ($10.95), spicy chicken noodle ($10.95).

New Delhi Chaat Of all the chaat trucks in Sunnyvale, New Delhi Chaat has it all: a basic spice level that doesn’t speak down to you, a lovely seating area, well-spiced masala chai and a great variety of snacks that will turn your mouth into a mixtape of urban India’s greatest hits. The key to delicious chaat lies in how well the dishes’ cooling, fiery, crunchy and soft elements complement and contrast each other; here, each dish is an experience. Nestled under a willow tree next to a liquor store in southeast Sunnyvale, the cart has a tranquility about it that seasoned street-food fans know they can’t take for granted. — S.H. Read more about Sunnyvale's chaat trucks

Order: Aloo tikki chole ($5), masala chai ($2), green chile pepper pakoda ($7).

How to find it: 4-9 p.m. Sunday-Monday and Wednesday-Thursday; 4-9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Credit cards accepted. 1175 E Homestead Rd, Sunnyvale. 860-597-2574 or : Aloo tikki chole ($5), masala chai ($2), green chile pepper pakoda ($7).: 4-9 p.m. Sunday-Monday and Wednesday-Thursday; 4-9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Credit cards accepted. 1175 E Homestead Rd, Sunnyvale. 860-597-2574 or newdelhichaatca.com

RoliRoti If you’ve been to a big farmers’ market in the Bay Area, you’ve probably looked into the maw of this beast and watched the meats spinning, dripping their fat onto the supple yellow potatoes lying in wait underneath. You might keep walking, planning to spend your precious dollars on dates or fancy eggs instead, but the smell of crisp chicken skin and brussels sprouts seasoned with rosemary salt will inevitably draw you back. Luckily, the line is rarely long — RoliRoti’s crew keeps up the pace well. Go ahead and grab a whole chicken, to go with the kale and fresh bread that you picked up elsewhere at the market. — S.H. Order: Brussels sprouts ($6), porchetta sandwich ($10.50), chicken ($16 for whole, $8 for half).

How to find it: Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Check at : Brussels sprouts ($6), porchetta sandwich ($10.50), chicken ($16 for whole, $8 for half).Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Check at roliroti.com for other appearances.

Sabor Catracho Honduran comfort food is the highlight here, so start with simple baleadas, thick flour tortillas filled with mashed beans, mantequilla and crumbled cheese. You can upgrade to the baleada regular, with scrambled egg inside, and even up to the baleada super, which adds chorizo and avocado, to have a more substantial meal. As you bite into it, the mantequilla, its loosely creamy texture halfway between sour cream and room-temperature Camembert, oozes out the side; use the tortilla to sop it up. The bigger entrees, like the whole fried tilapia (!) are very shareable and perfect options if you want to go big for lunch. — S.H. Order: Sopa de camaron ($14.50), tajadas con pollo ($12), tacos catrachos ($7 for two), baleada sencilla ($7).

How to find it: : Sopa de camaron ($14.50), tajadas con pollo ($12), tacos catrachos ($7 for two), baleada sencilla ($7). Instagram: @lasantatorta Usually at 350 Second St., San Francisco. Check strucks.foodeaze.net before you go.

Senor Sisig Started in 2010, Senor Sisig now has six Filipino-Mexican food trucks and a brick-and-mortar coming to the Mission — it’s basically an elder statesman when it comes to the Bay Area’s contemporary food truck scene. Sisig, the sizzling Filipino chopped meat, stars in tacos, burritos, nachos, fries, rice plates and salad, but the burritos are deservingly the most popular medium. The classic burrito with pork is a fun version of the Mission burrito, but the sisig shines even brighter against crispy fries, cheese and guacamole in the California burrito. — J.B. Order: Classic burrito with pork ($11.50), California burrito ($12.50).

How to find it: Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Senor Sisig is usually in San Francisco, and with six trucks, in many locations at once. Cash not accepted. : Classic burrito with pork ($11.50), California burrito ($12.50).: Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Senor Sisig is usually in San Francisco, and with six trucks, in many locations at once. Cash not accepted. senorsisig.com

Tacos El Gordo When Tacos El Gordo opened in Fruitvale, the taquero offered tacos with cabeza, lengua and sesos. All of those offal cuts remain on the menu, alongside buche, suadero and taco truck standards, and now the Tacos El Gordo empire has grown to include two restaurants in San Leandro. But regulars still line up at the truck daily, particularly late at night — it’s open until 2:30 a.m. most nights and 3:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Tacos are gloriously packed to the brim with meat and come with a generous serving of sweet onions. It’s unusual to find tacos with suadero — a thin cut of beef near the belly, here nicely charred on the edges — on a truck menu, so take advantage of it. The state of the trompo on the left side of the truck is inconsistent, but if you spy meat on the spit, order tacos al pastor. — J.B. Order: Tacos with suadero ($2.50) and al pastor ($2).

How to find it: Around 6 p.m. until late Tuesday-Friday, all day Saturday-Monday. Cash only. 4201 International Blvd., Oakland. 510-501-5103 or : Tacos with suadero ($2.50) and al pastor ($2).: Around 6 p.m. until late Tuesday-Friday, all day Saturday-Monday. Cash only. 4201 International Blvd., Oakland. 510-501-5103 or elgordobayarea.com