THE FOOD TRUCK STORE: BUENOS AIRES IS FAMOUS FOR BEEF BUT HOW DO THESE BURGERS RATE?
The Cost -$15 per person at the official exchange rate
The Atmosphere –Located on Avenida Callao in Buenos Aires’s Recoleta neighborhood, The Food Truck Store is a relatively small restaurant, but it isn’t uncommon to find a line out the door at lunchtime and during peak dinner hours. The kitchen lies in what is made to look like a food truck that is inside the eatery. After placing your order at the “truck,” you are given a buzzer and pick up your order when it is ready. It’s a fast-casual eatery that is decorated well for what it is - The Food Truck Store features a lot of brick on the interior and has a bit of a hipster vibe. There is a decent amount of seating inside as well as some limited seating outside. Casual attire is acceptable.
The Food Truck Store is a popular burger spot in Argentina’s capital city that has expanded over recent years to include a second location in the chic Palermo neighborhood as well as a location in Miami, Florida. Started by Rodo Cámara, the former President of Argentina’s Mobil Gastronomy Association, The Food Truck Store’s menu focuses on one thing: burgers. There is, however, a vegetarian burger option as well as a couple of chicken options and some typical burger-friendly side dishes like onion rings and mozzarella sticks that you can choose from.
The Order – Bomba, Mexican, and a Dulce de Leche Milkshake.
The Great – The best thing that was ordered was the Bomba: about a third of a pound of burger patty that is topped with cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, pulled pork, and barbeque sauce. The thing that makes this burger stand out is the pulled pork, which is delicious and really adds to the flavor of the dish. The barbeque sauce is good as well, but I was a bit disappointed to learn it came from a bottle and wasn’t made in-house. The bomba is a very sufficient portion of food for one person, especially when you consider that it comes with crinkle-cut french fries on the side. The fries, which are very tasty, are golden and a bit crispy on the outside while retaining a soft potato inside.
The Good – The Mexican, a burger with the same sized patty that is topped with cheddar, red peppers, guacamole, salsa criolla, and tortilla chips, was the other food item that was ordered but with an extra burger patty (for an extra ~$3). That extra patty brought the meat weight in the burger to a whopping two-thirds of a pound and while the meat was very good, the toppings on this burger took away from the taste instead of enhancing it. The cheddar cheese on this burger didn’t go well with the guacamole or salsa criolla. The crushed tortilla chips, which were supposed to be nachos, didn’t add anything to the flavor of the burger which lacked spiciness, even in the guacamole and salsa. It tasted way more like an Americanized Mexican burger rather than anything that would actually have come from Mexico. Overall though, the burger’s beef pulled it through to receive our Good rating.
The Okay – I decided to try one of The Food Truck Store’s milkshakes and it made sense to try the Dulce de Leche Milkshake given that I was in Argentina. Unfortunately, it looked better than it tasted. Served in an old-fashioned milkshake glass, the shake was made from dulce de leche ice cream with milk, chocolate sauce, and some whipped cream. It was an average milkshake at best and I wish that they had used real dulce de leche and better ice cream to make the shake.
The Verdict – The Food Truck Store is a solid place for those looking for a quick lunch or dinner and craving a burger and some fries. While I wouldn’t recommend going with the Mexican burger, the Bomba was delicious and there are many other burgers on the menu that sounded very good. I’d also recommend that you stay away from the milkshakes and instead go for a water, soft drink, or beer.