Under a new ordinance passed by the Iowa City Council in April, food truck vendors can operate from metered parking spaces any day of the week. As long as they aren’t operating in restricted areas—which include parts of downtown Iowa City, Northside Marketplace, residential zones or within 150 feet of a brick and mortar restaurant—vendors are permitted to sell any kind of food or nonalcoholic beverage.
Now, two months later, area vendors are taking advantage of the more food-truck friendly laws and offering creative, delicious dining options. Here are a few highlights currently available in and around downtown Iowa City:
The Box Lunch (Liz Wohlford)
Social: Facebook
Find it: The location varies quite a bit, with parking lot service by The Box Lunch frequently requested by large employers in the area. On days without a booking, they can be found in downtown Iowa City, or at the Iowa City Farmers Market on Saturdays.
Niche: The Box Lunch offers classic diner fare made fresh to order, including hand-pattied burgers, a great selection of hot dogs, fantastic grilled cheese sandwiches and milk shakes
Taste: Their burgers—notably the Notorious Big E burger with an egg on it.
Local Burrito (Kyle Sieck)
Social: Twitter and Facebook
Find it: A staple of the Iowa City Farmers’ Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, they are also testing out a “Taco Tuesday” dinner option from 5-8 p.m. in downtown Iowa City (just north of Iowa Ave. on Dubuque St.) They will also come to your office or event.
Niche: As the name suggests, Local Burrito uses local, organic, seasonal ingredients to create dishes Sieck describes as “Midwestern-East-South” (Iowan-East Asian-Tex Mex).
Taste: The Chorizo Burrito, Korean Bulgogi Steak Burrito and Veggie Kimchi Burrito.
The Wagyu Wagon (Jonathan Stirn and Tyler Bailey)
Social: Twitter and Facebook
Find it: North Liberty Farmers’ Market on Sundays, Coralville Farmers’ Market on Mondays
Niche: The Wagyu Wagon serves premium Kobe Wagyu Beef and Iowa Swabian Hall pork products. All of their beef and pork is raised and bred at their farm, Bailey American Wagyu, in West Branch, Iowa. Their ever-rotating menu includes custom burgers, Wagyu steak sandwiches, hand-cut fries, pulled-pork sandwiches, beef and pork tacos, and even poutine once the fall season approaches.
Taste: The Sumo Burger—a ⅓-lb patty, with sweet Asian slaw and sriracha aioli on a made-from-scratch bun.
Island Vybz (Kelly and Robert McLean)
Social: Twitter and Facebook
Find it: It’s hard to miss this wild, tie-dyed food truck, usually parked on Dubuque Street between Iowa Avenue and Jefferson Street on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Niche: New to the food truck scene in Iowa City, Island Vybz Mobile Rasta-rant is making a splash with flavorful food that offers a taste of Jamaica, where Robert McLean was born and raised. “Our food truck is all about my passion for cooking,” he said, “for quality cuisine, and for introducing a taste from my homeland of Jamaica to Iowa City and the surrounding areas.”
Taste: The jerk chicken, but it’s also worth checking out pork and hamburger options, all with Jamaican flavors.
This article was originally published in Little Village issue 180
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