Parked Food Truck Festival promised “Eats from NYC’s best food carts & trucks and specially crafted local beer.” Unfortunately, the experience fell far short of expectations. If I had to sum it up in one word: Terrible.
The Start of a Disappointing Day
The day started with an hour-long wait in line for the ferry to Governors Island—a ride that took just two minutes but only filled the lower level, leaving the rest of us sweltering in the sun. Once on the island, I was handed a flyer listing the vendors, and that’s when disappointment set in. Many weren’t even trucks! While I appreciated vendors like Mud Truck, Robicelli’s Cupcakes, and Red Hook Lobster Pound, they felt out of place at a “food truck festival.” Actual trucks were few and far between, and most seemed woefully unprepared for the massive crowd.
The Food Trucks I Tried
Cinnamon Snail
To start, I visited Cinnamon Snail, an organic vegan food truck usually based in Hoboken, NJ. I ordered the Korean BBQ Seitan “sandwich” ($8), which was more like a plate. It came piled with spicy seitan, vegan kimchi, and shredded raw kale on top of a dry, flaky wrap. The flavors were fantastic, but the wrap felt unnecessary—I ended up eating it with a fork.
Hallo Berlin
Next, I decided to brave the line for Hallo Berlin. It was a nightmare. Over an hour of waiting for what turned out to be a disappointing $12 plate: sausages, spaetzle, cucumber salad, red cabbage, and a sad potato pancake topped with applesauce. Everything was bland, and the potato pancake was particularly underwhelming. Half of it ended up in the trash.
Kelvin Natural Slush Co.
Hoping to cool off, I joined the line at Kelvin Natural Slush Co., where the wait was about 20 minutes—surprisingly long for pre-made slushies. I got a ginger slush with white peach syrup, which was absolutely delicious and refreshing. It had the perfect texture, like the slushies I loved as a kid but with more sophisticated flavors.
Robicelli’s Cupcakes
One of the bright spots was Robicelli’s Cupcakes, which surprisingly had no line despite the chaos around them. I grabbed their chicken and waffle cupcake, which was unique and tasty. It was recommended to let it reach room temperature for optimal flavor, but I couldn’t wait. The flavors were enjoyable, even if the cupcake was a little hard from being chilled.
