Off the Grid: Fort Mason Center

A really fun venue for get-​togethers with friends. It’s hard to review every vendor there, but so many have a lot to offer for a social event or if you just want to get away and grab a few bites, in a casual environment. Best time to go is in the summertime when there’s lots of light during the day, but that is the coldest season so bring plenty of warm clothes. At the high season it may be challenging to find seats so be prepared to stand while you eat. Some of the regular vendors that are our favorites are the pork buns at the chairman, the French sandwich truck Francis Delices, and the Korean chicken and waffles. We have still yet to find a really good dessert food truck, as the crème brûlée truck can be a little bit over-​the-​top sometimes but maybe that’s her cup of tea. Magnolia brewing does a decent job at the fermented, Adult beverages, and there usually is some sort of wine vendor as well. Come here hungry, or with a large group so you can all have a bite of everything to share.

Off the grid provides a nice food truck experience for those who enjoy sampling different types of food. It is located at fort mason center where the trucks are arranged in a circle allowing individuals to walk from truck to truck to see what every truck has to offer. It normally occurs on Friday nights and can get quite windy depending on the day, so definitely be sure to dress warm. It can get quite packed so finding a spot to eat on the benches can be difficult so expect to eat while standing or walking from truck to truck. Also, they only expect cash so please remember to bring cash with you! There is a safeway located across the street which has an ATM if you do need to get cash.
Overall a great experience to go to and great for a group outing where everyone tries something different and you can all try it and see which one you may like. It is similar to the atmosphere that a Taiwanese night market: lots of food to try, great company, and music!

This was my first time and it was honestly fun and a worthwhile experience. The gathering of food trucks and primarily younger patrons was exciting almost carnival like. It’s a great event to try different things in one same spot. I spent about an hour sampling various vendor foods and it was most enjoyable. You can tell by the longer lines which trucks are more popular than others. It’s trendy and a place where people seem to go to be seen as well as to fill-​up on culturally diverse food offerings in smaller portions. Such a wide variety of foods and all for decent prices. There’s also free entertainment, such as bands performing. It’s a great place to go on a date or hang out with friends. The food was good. Three stars for the taste and two stars for the experience. Go for the experience and be willing to try different foods and you’ll have a good time. Just dress warmly. Because the area is near the water, the open air at night you’ll get chilled very quickly and just a note OTG Fort Mason is seasonal from March through October.

Great place to hangout on a Friday night — good people, food, drinks, tunes that make you want to dance. Easy to get to via public transport.
Places I’d recommend:
— KoJa kitchen (mochimisu dessert is tiramisu with whole Oreo and mochi bits)
— Señor Sisig (craziest line)
— Johnny doughnuts
— Korean Bobcha
— El Sur empanadas artesanales (champinones mushroom one was good)
Places I wouldn’t recommend:
— El Papila (flavor was lacking in their flautas even with the special sauces — my friend couldn’t finish because it wasn’t good)

I have been there four or five times and it is a great way to spend friday evening. It is so lively and the food is amazing. Off the grid has to be one of the best things in San Francisco. My favorite trucks are koja kitchen, the chairman, sugar candy, and boba tea truck (can’t remember the name but i think it is tealicious). There is dj, live music, and alcohol. Dont forget to carry a jacket. It can get pretty windy and chilly inspite of the outdoor heaters.

I apologize! I made a tourist mistake and reviewed off the grid at the wrong location! Thanks to a fellow reviewer for catching it! My review is for Presidio

I’m not a huge fan of food trucks, but there is something magnificent about attending a food truck festival with friends. I also cannot stand crowded places (wow I sound like fun to hang out with) so I got there around 5PM when it started to avoid the masses. As expected, it just got progressively busier as the night went on, but that just encouraged me to have a few more beers. Going with friends definitely made the long lines worth the wait. Lots of food variety. Magnolia Brewery dominates the beer of this event, but they have lots of selections so I have no complaints that there are not many other alcohol vendors.
If you are in the city, definitely take carshare or public transportation. Parking at Fort Mason can be okay, but you never know what that will be like when you show up, so save yourself the stress as much as possible. Fun experience that I would totally do again. But my biggest piece of advice is… go for the quality time with friends, not for the food or drinks.

Definitely one of the coolest places for extroverts and social butterflies like myself. Tons of food trucks that come in varieties: French, Mexican, American, Filipino, Asian, Middle-​Eastern, and etc! Plus, there is a live band for the night. Did I mention they have a local brewery for beer? The Friday we were there, we had the Magnolia brewery. Good beer…
Be prepared to spend a bit of money though, but think of it as helping the local food trucks make a living. The food is good too, and that’s a great way to celebrate life right?!?
Indulged on-​Magnolia Brewery beer and any local food… had the Señor Sisig burrito, goes well with the beer! Mmmm, makes me want to have another one (or two, or three)!

With it being the 5^th anniversary of Off The Grid: Fort Mason, I thought I’d write up a review update since it’s been a while and a lot about it has changed and improved for the better with every passing year. Here are some of my favorite highlights for the last few years.
The 2013 season they expanded their vendors selection and included an exclusive restaurant section with 4 pop-​ups, each with a 5 course pre-​fixe menu for $ 50. It was a interesting concept because it gave 4 vendors a chance to test the waters of operating as a restaurant. This was also when Bok Ssam made their debut with their Korean Fried Chicken Waffle Sandwiches. Plus this was the one year where you actually got try Fried Larvae Tacos from Don Bugito.
The 2014 season was when they doubled their space and had a separate section for a carnival and retail shops. And this was the first year they finally invested in heat-​lamps to help alleviate the issue of the long cold SF nights at Fort Mason. And a personal favorite vendor of mine, Jeepney Guy, had made their debut with their Flip Dip Adobo Sandwiches and Boneless Lechon.
This year, they have 30 vendors, got rid of the carnival and retail section, but expanded the area. Some new vendors that made their debut have been CHICA, Hula Truck, and the return of 3-​Sum Eats after a two year hiatus. This is probably the first year where I’ve gone to Fort Mason and space hasn’t been an issue. Because of the new layout with having all the shops and alcoholic vendors in the middle of the circle, the lines at each vendor don’t clash anymore.
I’m glad to see that Off The Grid is still going strong after 5 years. From this one event at Fort Mason, they’ve expanded into a huge brand with markets all over Bay Area, with each location having huge followings. They’ve shown that there’s always a market for food trucks and have also given great opportunities for new vendors just starting up, a few of which (i.e. The Chairman, Curry Up Now, Bacon Bacon, Big Chef Tom’s Belly Burgers) have been successful enough to turn into full fledged brick and mortar restaurants. So Happy 5^th Anniversary to Off The Grid and here’s to more street food awesomeness in the future!

It’s not often I make it into The City, especially on a weekend so upon finding myself at Fort Mason on a Friday evening I had to stop by for Dinner as going anywhere else just didn’t seem right.
Firstly, this place gets crazy busy! Second., holy Food Trucks! Most of the food truck events I have been to have no more than 6 trucks with the one in my town being lucky if we have 3 so I’m impressed with the lineup here with a huge variety of foot. Hot, Cold, Desserts and Alcohol it’s all here. The only downside is limited seating and parking is a complete clusterf*ck so if you can bring your own pop up chair and have the ability to walk DO IT!

The outdoors, food, wine, beer, cocktails, music – for some reason, when you put all those together, a ton of people show up and a party gets going! Even with the wind blowing like crazy in the midst of a heat wave, Off the Grid: Fort Mason was off the hook! It was packed! It was a challenge finding a spot to park yourself and eat all that yummy food you stood in line for.
I’m glad we finally got around to coming here. My father-​in-​law was the impetus for our trek here from the East Bay. We thought he’d enjoy checking out all the food trucks and the spectacle of it all. And he did! He loved the ambiance of the place, the Lobsta Truck’s clam chowder and the Little Green Cyclo’s tapioca dessert.
The hubby and I enjoyed our meals too! He too had the clam chowder. I, on the other hand, gulped (I was starving!) Señor Sisig’s Pork Sisig with an Egg and Steamed Rice, and shared the Poutine Palabok Fries with the hubby. Dessert was a Sweet Southern Lady (think candied pecans and bourbon) from the Crème Brûlée truck! I washed all that down with a glass of Pinot Noir from the wine tent.
We got there just before 7 pm and the party was in full swing. Thank goodness, we were able to park inside Fort Mason ($ 5 for 2 hours parking). After getting our food, we staked out a spot by the cocktails tent and ate our food there standing. There are chairs around but they were all taken by the we got there. Some people brought camp chairs with them. There are more seating just behind the food trucks, but you can’t take alcohol with you beyond the perimeter set by OTG.
So many trucks, not enough room in my tummy! First World Problem I know! We’ll just have to come back soon. With a big appetite, a jacket and camp chairs in tow, we should be good to go!

Off the Grid is super crowded, so expect long lines. Nonetheless, it’s fun, and if you go with friends and share, you can try out a lot of trucks!
I personally got to try a classic pork belly bun from Chairman Bao (decent) and totchos from Drewski’s (you’re an idiot if you miss these. Or perhaps vegetarian. Otherwise, you have no excuse). I’ve also had the Crème Brulee Cart elsewhere in the city and can vouch for it being pretty freakin’ delicious.
I’d definitely come back!

There are so many food selections! So whatever you are craving, they have it! There are over 30+ food vendor trucks every Friday from 5pm-​10pm. I’ve tried An the Go, Curry up Now, Koja Kitchen, Happy Dumplings, Lobsta Truck, Señor Sisig, Crème Brulee Cart, the Chairman, and Frita’s Shack. There are many food vendors I still need to try. I have yet to try Bok Ssam for the famous korean fried chicken waffle: o, I shall try that next time! Some of them are notable and some are not… My personal favorites are Koja Kitchen and the Chairman. If it is your first time going, definitely try these two! It will definitely not disappoint you.
At Koja Kitchen, their rice ‘burger’ buns are delicious! They use rice patties for the buns. Get the short rib! It’s the most popular! Sweet and tangy! They also give you a good amount of meat! You also have to get the Kamikaze fries… waffle cut fries with their house sauces … SO GOOD. mmmm.
For the Chairman, the steamed pork belly is a must!

You have to go at least once and try this slice of hip, food truck culture.
Get there a little early, or around 5, like everything else in the city, parking is a B. Recommend attempting to cruise over to Lombard if the marina parking lot is full. There are a couple one way streets that parallel Lombard & they’re good to scan for parking spots. Around a 5 block walk from there to the marina.
It is right on the bay so bring some warmer wear. Lines get crazy long around 7:30pm & some trucks can get cleaned out of popular items.
Lots of chairs, but they’re usually taken, so plan on standing & mingling while you eat and drink. Moderate selection of wines and beers, saw a lot of people doing the BYOB thing because drinks were pretty steep.
Just let me day there is an absolutely delicious cornucopia of food here. I couldn’t even try everything I wanted to because there was such a variety.
Definitely hit up the «Bacon, Bacon» truck. Their California BBQ Bacon Burrito was one of the best things I ate all night. A mouth watering mix of pulled pork, pork belly, crunchy bacon, BBQ sauce & a fresh slaw wrapped in a warm burrito. Get it… get it and love every bite of it.
Other highlights would have to be the Korean BBQ Chicken & Waffle sandwich. The waffle is the bread, the meat is soft with a sweet & spicy dressing, and the maple syrup, well the maple syrup just helps it all go into your mouth. Chicken and basil dumplings are a must try from the Happy Dumplings truck.
I will be coming back, was a great date night & we had a lot fun. They had live music playing the whole time. Need to make it over to the Lobster truck next time and they had run out of a lot of choices @ the Crème Brule Cart. Until next time.

Great food. Off the Grid is basically your portable hole-​in-​the-​wall style where you get great food at the cost of ambiance/​sit-​down at a restaurant. I went for their 5^th anniversary so they had a lot more food trucks. Koja kitchen, chairman bao, french street food, sr. sigsig, phillipino fusion, other types of fusion. There were a lot of dessert options too like ice cream tacos, tiramusi+mochi hybrid, boba tea, cheesecake.
It was extremely crowded when I came for the 5^th anniversary. Trash is piling up everywhere. people everywhere. It would be nice if in the future it could be more civilized and organized.

Diese Ansammlung an Foodtrucks bietet für jeden Geschmack etwas. Burger, Indisch, Mexikanisch, … — lecker und preiswert satt werden bei guter Stimmung.

Came here a couple time 1.5 months ago with my mom and brother. Its the place to go if you love food trucks. But there’re also some food tent stands as well. Its every friday from 5 pm to 10pm. Go with friends and family so that way you guys can share and be able to try more variety of foods. When you go there, you notice that some trucks/​tents have longer lines than other, it could be that its a favorite or most popular food truck. There’re more than 10+ food trucks/​tents to choose and sometime you dont know where to stay if you’re a first timer. Of course there are some booze area for those who love to drink and non-​alcohol drinks as well
Some of the food trucks/​tents that i had were:
happy dumplings: i believe i had the chicken and pork. Each meat dumplings you get comes in 3. It was alright. You get your own sauce that this tent provide on another table
crème brûlée: had the caramel/​original. Very yummy and light.
chairman: had the stream pork belly and stream coca cola braise pork. Very good, meat was was tender, food amount of flavor and nice texture with the vegetable
sugar and spun: had original flavor cotton with strawberry flavor powder. Very sugary
Bombzie bbq: had the korean flavor chicken kebab. Nothing special. Okay flavor. Had a little burnt side.
Bok ssam: its one of the korean food tent. Had the waffle sandwich and the fried chicken with side vegetable. Forgot the name of sauce but had the tangy orange looking sauce that they coat the chickens with. Very flavorful and the vegetable blend very well with the chicken
Bini’s kitchen: nepalese dumplings specialty. had the turkey momo dumpling with same kind of sauce that they put over the dimpling. Thought it was alright.
Price range are mostly $$
This place had music that you can jam to or just listen as a background music while hanging with your friends or family
Best to bring a jacket with you since it may get chilly.

Tired of the busy city life? Want to live off the grid? No? Want to eat off the grid? Okay, go to Fort Mason and eat from 15+ food trucks serving all kinds of cuisines. Yes there is booze!
First, bring a jacket, scarf, and sweater, maybe some long johns too. Its very windy here and chilly because its close to the water. They put a crap ton of patio heaters, but its not enough. Your hands will go numb, especially if you are holding a cold drink. FYI, they offer warm alcoholic drinks too. I recommend those. If you are a beer only person, bring gloves.
Off the grid starts from 5PM to 10PM, and I recall it being much much more crowded in the past. The lines aren’t too long anymore now and days. It’s pretty quick to get food from your favorite food vendors.
My favorite food trucks are Señor Sisig, The Chairman, and Koja Kitchen. I would get a burrito or a taco from Señor Sigig, a bao or two at The Chairman, and the Kamikaze fries from Koja Kitchen. Also, I recently had mac & cheese spring rolls at 3-​Sum Eats. I recommend that too. All of this would probably cost me about $ 30 – 40 bucks. Yes, its expensive to get full here, especially if you are buying booze. Most of the items at the food trucks are $ 5 + and they are NOT large servings. The beer is $ 6 a pint and mixed drinks are… I think $ 10+.
The food is really great at most food trucks, I think the food trucks above are notch above the rest. The great thing about Off The Grid is that most food trucks have very unique and creative dishes. Its awesome to see and taste so many different creative dishes all in one venue.
This is a great place to bring a friend or family member that is touring San Francisco. Off The Grid is really unique and there’s a great variety of unique food and the scenery at Fort Mason is nice too. I personally don’t come here too often because its too cold and windy and too expensive.
Note that there are no sit-​down tables, there are a bunch of a chairs and small standing tables. Try to grab a seat near a patio heater. The bathrooms are located in the red buildings closer to the water. 1^st floor is womens, 2^nd floor is mens.

This one has a different feel from the rest of the OTGs and is my favorite. Although the Twilight Presidio one on Thursdays is definitely worth checking out as well. This is always a great way to kick-​off a Friday. However, be warned: there will be lines, it will get cold (bring a jacket, but I don’t need to tell you that), and seating will be scarce. It’s all part of the experience though (I feel like), so find a ledge, some people sit on the back stairs, or stand up. If you wanted proper seating and space you would go to a restaurant. Right?
The live music set, the variety in drink stands (wine, cocktails, and beer), and number of vendors all set against the beautiful backdrop of Ft. Mason are what make this particular OTG stand out. It isn’t just a congregation of food trucks as other OTGs are, this is an event within itself.
Some highlights for me:
KOJA, Bini’s Kitchen (nepalese momos), Curry Up Now, the carne aside place, Magnolia Brewery stand, and those ice cream tacos. Another bonus is its fairly close to Union and Chestnut if you want to keep it going after the wind gets too rough.

So many food trucks to choose from!!! Yeah, it is my first time here and I totally enjoyed being here… it’s like a festival of food trucks =)…I am with my kids, nieces, sister and bro-​in law (all 7 of us)…we shared the foods that we bought at different food trucks. had theT. Epiphany tea drinks (hot and cold), France Delices’ duck confit, bbq adobo (pork belly) on a stick from Filipino Jeepney Guy, Señor Sisig burrito, The Boneyard truck food stuff (incredible potato salad).and they are all yummy. We got there a bit early so we were able to have our tables and chairs right on the center of the food trucks and great parking space… music blaring and with totally awesome people around us. I will definitely come here again.
PS…they have heated lamps all over so you can enjoy your cold beer… it can be chilly you know.

I want to say since they’ve started to now, OTH Fort Mason has stepped up their game every time I’ve come to visit here. It’s amazing how organized and new things they can bring to the table EVERYTIME.
So in the beginning, in was simple food trucks and booths. And that was already amazing to me. It wasn’t as crowded as you would find it to be now but just the thought of having all these variety of food right in front of you was mind blowing.
Now, if you don’t get there early, the lines are long. But if you go with the right people, you won’t notice the lines because really, it’ll move quick. Cold days, they’ll have heat lamps, but honestly, dress warm, the area is nice but it’s by the water and its SF, it gets cold! They now serve cocktails, beer and wine for the 21+! And they have either a Dj or band usually playing. You literally get the SF experience here. Everyone is nice, friendly and is out to have a good time. And here’s a tip, if you see something delicious in someone’s hands, just ask them where they got it from bc they’ll be happy to tell you where!
Seriously, everyone is super nice and it’s a kids and dog friendly place. It’s a definition of a good time. But keep in mind, they’re close during winter time and reopen in spring. Just check their website to make sure when they’ll be there!
BTW; If you have to know what’s my favorite — koja kitchen, hands down! Flavors are amazing!

Cita imprescindible si pasas unos días en la ciudad de San Francisco. Todos los viernes por la tarde en Fort Mason se celebra el Off the Grid donde podrás disfrutar de comida de todos los lugares del mundo en camiones perfectamente habilitados para ello. Dos bares locales se encargan de suministrar bebida a los asistentes. Todo esto se acompaña de grupos locales emergentes que ponen banda sonora a la tarde/​noche. 100% recomendable.