Kid-Friendly Food Trucks: The Best NYC Treats & Eats

A sweet take on “dazed and confused,” Glazed & Confused brings fresh mini donuts to NYC. Flavors include Classic (powdered sugar & cinnamon dust), New York Cream, Smores, doNutella, Funfetti, Salted Caramel Pretzel, American Pie (apple pie filling), Cookies & Cream, Peanut Butter Cup, and more! Not only are donuts a favorite treat for kids, but the miniature size of these donuts appeals to children. Kids can try a few different flavors, instead of having to commit to only one, full-sized donut. The truck moves all around the city, but most recently it was at 48th Street and 6th Avenue, and 54th Street and Lexington Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. Stay up to date with the truck locations on the Glazed & Confused Instagram!

There’s nothing so refreshing as Italian Ice on a hot summer day. Andy’s Italian Ice offers 42 water ice flavors. Kids love the U.S.A. Rainbow, Hawaiian Pineapple, Cotton Candy, Blue Raspberry, and Fruit Punch. They also have over 100 creme ice flavors so that you can indulge in ice cream without all of the calories that come along with real ice cream. I recommend Cheesecake, Chunky Monkey, Cinnamon Roll, and Strawberry Shortcake. If you’re trying to keep your kids away from lots of sugar (maybe your visit to Dylan’s Candy Bar got a little too out of hand), they also have sugar free flavors that still taste delicious. The mobile food truck is always on the move through Manhattan and Brooklyn, so check out their locations on Andy’s Italian Ice Twitter or call 516-972-7959.

As New York City’s first mac & cheese truck, Mac Truck NYC brings you gooey, extra cheesy deliciousness. Choose from Classic Mac & Cheese, BBQ Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese, Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese, Cheeseburger Mac & Cheese, Bacon Mac & Cheese, and Fried Mac & Cheese Bites. Mac Truck NYC moves throughout Manhattan, so stay up to date with their location at the Mac Truck NYC Instagram.   

Grilled cheese, yes please! Gorilla Cheese NYC is committed to providing delicious grilled cheese sandwiches that make the best comfort food. The menu includes classics, in which you choose your cheese, dipping sauce, and any additions. There are also Specialty Sammys, which combine different cheeses, meats, and seasonings for bursts of flavor! Don’t forget about their side dishes — tater tots, tater tots with cheddar and bacon, mac & cheese bites, and tomato soup. If your kids are looking for something sweet after the savory, try the Smores Melt on Graham Cracker Bread. Gorilla Grilled Cheese posts their food truck locations on their online site, so you can always know where the food truck will be ahead of time. 

The Cinnamon Snail offers delectable treats that are 100% vegan and Kosher. As the country’s first vegan, organic food truck, The Cinnamon Snail is a favorite among the vegan community and beyond. The award-winning food truck has a variety of options, including blue corn pancakes, apple pecan pancakes, Korean BBQ Seitan, Creole Grilled Tofu, and more! The Cinnamon Snail also has unicorn treats, vegan donuts, cinnamon rolls, and custom, kid-friendly cakes. Keep up to date with the location of the food truck with The Cinnamon Snail Food Truck Calendar!

Serving an award-winning Grandma Thin-Crust Sicilian Pie, Jianetto’s Pizza Trucks are right up kids’ alleys. There are three trucks in Manhattan, covering ground from downtown Manhattan on Wall Street to Park Avenue in Midtown. The daily menu includes the thin-crust pizza, baked ziti, stuffed shells, penne vodka, and various hot subs. The 51st Street truck is only operating on occasion, so the two main locations are 47th Street between Park & Madison Avenue, and the North-East Corner of Front Street & Wall Street. Jianetto’s Pizza Truck is very active on twitter, so keep checking their tweets for updates.

An All-American, NYC Food Truck, Yankee Doodle Dandy’s is known for their amazing chicken tenders and fries. This is truly a truck for everyone to enjoy, but kids especially love this classic food. The menu includes chicken sandwiches, burgers, grilled cheese, tuna fish sandwiches, chicken tenders, sauces, salads, Texas toast, potato salad, fries, and more! There’s also chocolate pudding pie and red, white, and blueberry strawberry shortcake for dessert. The food truck wants their food and brand to symbolize NYC & America, and they’re doing a pretty great job at it already. Utilize their Truck Locator to find where the truck will be next.

Have your kids ever tried Taiwanese cuisine? The Yumpling Taiwanese Fare Food Truck is a great place to start! Kids love the pan-fried dumplings, fried chicken sandwich, and crispy chicken rice bowl. You can also try out the slow-braised beef rice bowl or the stir-fried basil eggplant rice bowl. Your eyes might have raised at the amount of times the word “fried” is included in their menu, but sometimes you just have to treat yourself. And it’s all a part of the Taiwanese cultural experience! Locations are as follows: Monday- Bryant Park, Tuesday- Rockefeller Center, Wednesday- DUMBO, Thursday- Rockefeller Center, Friday- Soho. For specific locations, check out Yumpling Taiwanese Fair Food Truck Locations.

Looking for creative tacos and hot dogs? Coney Shack is your place. Your kids won’t ever be able to return to the typical taco after tasting one of these. You can basically put anything in your taco: Southeast asian Basa, calamari, pork, lemongrass chicken, tofu, mushrooms, and more. Try out the loaded hot dogs and quesadillas as well. Not to mention, Coney Shack food is very Instagram-friendly! Stay up to date on the food truck’s location @ConeyShack Twitter.

The award-winning Belgian Waffle truck brings sweet deliciousness to NYC kids daily. Enjoy different types of waffles with dinges, including strawberries, dulce de leche, whipped cream, Belgian chocolate fudge, Vermont maple syrup, Nutella, bananas, powdered sugar, and more. I recommend trying out one of their Legendary Creations, such as De Double Trouble, which is a waffle sandwich loaded with Nutella, whipped cream, strawberries, bananas, and cookie crumbles. De Verdekke is a waffle ice cream sandwich that brings together two warm waffles and a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream. Find out about all the other creations by stopping by the food truck! Wafels & Dinges has multiple food trucks all over the city, so check out all of their locations!