Six fabulous food trucks you could hire this summer

Hiring a food truck to come to your party, whatever the occasion may be, is a fun and convivial way to entertain your family and friends. Whether you have a penchant for pizza or po’ boys, falafel or fish, this summer, skip slaving over a hot barbecue or pizza oven and let these experts feed you.

Little Catch Seafood, Waterford

Chef Denise Darrer launched Little Catch in 2021 after 10 years working in kitchens across Dublin and Waterford. The pandemic had spurred Darrer into pursuing her dream of launching her own food business. She was excited about the concept of a seafood truck that would allow her to put the incredible seafood of the southeast centre stage.

Lobster roll: lobster and crayfish, peppery rocket, lemon and herb mayo served in a brioche roll from Little Catch Seafood at the Farmers' Market at Mountain View, Kilkenny. Photograph: Dylan Vaughan

Little Catch caters for all occasions including private parties, corporate events, weddings and more. Darrer and her food truck can travel to your home or location. Sample dishes include Little Catch’s famous lobster and crayfish roll with locally caught Copper Coast lobster in a buttery brioche roll with a hint of lemon and chives, and crispy wild Atlantic prawn bao bun with crunchy prawns drizzled with Korean barbecue sauce, sesame and lime slaw in a soft steamed roll.

Crispy prawn bao bun: Atlantic prawns, sesame and lime slaw, Korean bbq, kimchi mayo, pink pickled onions served in bao buns, from Little Catch Seafood. Photogaph: Dylan Vaughan

You can find Little Catch in John Roberts Square in Waterford city on Fridays and at food festivals throughout the summer months. For private catering, prices start at €35 per person, with a minimum of 50 guests required. littlecatchseafoodbar.com

[ 25 of the best new Irish restaurants to try this summer ]

Ginger’s BBQ, Kildare

Ginger's BBQ: Chef Nathan Diamond always had an interest in American-style low‘n’slow cooking. Photograph: Dylan Madden

Chef Nathan Diamond spent 25 years honing his craft in the kitchens of Michelin-starred chefs and five-star hotels before pivoting to launch Ginger’s BBQ food truck on the site of Canteen restaurant in Celbridge in 2020. Later he relocated to Naas racecourse car park.

Diamond always had an interest in American-style low‘n’slow cooking. There is a selection of options to choose from, with a street-food menu that includes 16-hour smoked beef brisket roll, BBQ pork roll with Mexican slaw on a brioche bun, or chicken karaage burger with Asian slaw and miso mayo on a floury bun.

[ 25 of the best new Irish restaurants to try this summer ]

For those without the required space for a food truck, the team can take a gazebo to your home, set up their charcoal barbecue and roll out a series of snacks across an afternoon or evening.

Diamond and his team will travel all over Ireland. Prices start at €1,750 for 50 people, with a per-person charge applying after. Custom menus are also available. gingerseventcatering.ie

Man Street Kitchen, Dublin

Man Street Kitchen's Catherine Keane and Dan Howell met in New Zealand, from where their interest in food and hospitality has led them on a long and interesting journey

A house-share on Man Street, Queenstown, back in 2007 was the setting for a serendipitous meeting between Catherine Keane and Dan Howell – a shared interest in food and hospitality led the couple on a long and interesting journey. Stints with Rick Stein in the UK and an eventful ski season followed before inspiration struck. One horse box and a move back to Ireland later, and Man Street Kitchen was born.

Man Street Kitchen caters for private and corporate events with a menu that includes an oak-smoked beef cheek brioche bap with jalapeño aioli and jalapeño slaw and seasonal fish wrapped in a banana leaf and cooked over an open fire.

[ 100 great restaurants and places to eat around Ireland this summer ]

Man Street Kitchen caters for private and corporate events – its food can be sampled in Dublin on Fridays at Suttonians RFC and on Saturday's at St Anne’s Park

The food from Man Street Kitchen can be sampled at Suttonians RFC in Co Dublin on Friday evenings and St Anne’s Park in Raheny every Saturday, where the team serve up home-cured smoked pastrami sandwiches, among other enticing dishes.

Prices start at €25 per person, with an option to order canapés and desserts available. There is also a €200 on-site catering charge to include chef, food truck hire, biodegradable plates and cutlery. manstreetkitchen.com

Blasta Street Kitchen, Monaghan

Wedding bells at Blasta Street Kitchen: Newly-weds Rachel and Peter Watson with truck owner Seány McCleary

Five years of traversing the globe inspired Seány and Nikita McCleary to establish Blasta Street Kitchen on their return to Ireland. Shortly after, the savvy pair went on to establish StreatSchool, which is responsible for putting 200 food trucks on the road in Ireland since 2019.

Popular dishes include local Silverhill duck tacos with pineapple salsa, slow-cooked chilli beef nachos and Tex Mex chicken tacos. Prices start at €19 per person plus a transport fee, depending on location. blastastreetkitchen.com

Al Wadi Falafel, Wexford

Palestinian and Irish husband-and-wife team Fergal and Mirna O’Gara are the brains behind Wexford-based Al Wadi Falafel. The couple relocated to Palestine during the pandemic and it was there that the inspiration for the Al Wadi food truck was born. The family returned to Ireland in January 2022 and in June 2023 they launched Al Wadi Falafel at Enniscorthy Farmers’ Market.

The menu at Al Wadi is, unsurprisingly, focused on falafel, served with generous portions of home-made hummus and baba ganoush. They also offer a range of fresh salads, with tabbouleh and fattoush being the most popular. The food is served with Arab flatbreads and a selection of pickles.

Al Wadi Falafel: The menu is, unsurprisingly, focused on falafel, served with generous portions of home-made hummus and baba ganoush

Al Wadi Falafel can also be found at The Farm Shop in Wexford at lunchtime on Fridays, and Enniscorthy Farmers’ Market on Saturdays.

Prices start at €10-€15 per person, with a minimum spend of €200 (or 20 people). Al Wadi Falafel caters for all private events in Wexford, Waterford, Wicklow, Kilkenny and Carlow. instagram.com/alwadifalafel

Food Junkie, Kildare

Food Junkie: A vintage 1965 Citroen truck that serves up wood-fired pizza made from 72-hour fermented dough

Originally an electrician, Luke Denvir travelled to Australia and New Zealand in 2008, where he started to work in kitchens. In his own words, he became a better chef (with a penchant for pizza) than an electrician.

The result is Food Junkie, a vintage 1965 Citroen food truck that serves up wood-fired pizza made from 72-hour fermented dough with San Marzano tomatoes, Irish mozzarella and flour imported from Naples. Topping choices include ‘nduja spicy Bolognese with chilli, baby spinach and fresh basil, or mushroom with black truffle oil, baby spinach, toasted seeds and basil.

Prices vary depending on location and the number of people catered for. foodjunkie.ie