Mobile Food Rodeo

Great selection, desserts greater and the service is the greatest!

I never saw a $ 5 sample at the trucks like the website said so we just bought meals and split them amongst each other so we didn’t fill at one truck.
Don’t buy the VIF pass, most lines really weren’t long enough to warrant skipping unless of course you really want to skip 2 ppl, then be my guest. Some crazy person said everyone should have to buy one, yea, how about no?
I thought there was supposed to be music? The only tables I saw were in the beer garden which also had tents so that worked for us. There were tons of options and most places took plastic so if you forget cash no big deal. Oh and good luck with parking!

This one’s tough to decide the number of stars to give! I’m going to stick with the rating of the actual event and not take into consideration any of the trucks we actually visited, those will get individual ratings if I remember them all!
We (three of us) attended both days from open to close! Can you say «Drenched»!! We purchased the VIF weekend pass at the recommendation of previous reviewers. Due to the pouring rain they really weren’t necessary but I’m glad we had them for the times we needed them. Since you pay to get into any county fair or festival, only to stand in line to pay for other stuff, I think it’s perfectly fine. So many have said it’s not right but it’s the way of the festival!
Here’s a reason for three stars instead of four — it said online the passes were not available the days of the events. That’s a lie! They were selling them both days! Had we known, we wouldn’t have purchased for Saturday night, it was not crowded at all! And getting there early we were able to hit 4 trucks before there were ANY lines!
Another reason for 3 stars instead of 4 — it stated online that all trucks were required to have a $ 5 plate, something small to sample their wares without getting full sized meals. All three of us had our wallets stuffed with $ 5 bills! Well, yep, that was a lie too! Some trucks had a true $ 5 «sample» while others just said their french fries were the $ 5 deal, or their $ 6 single taco was the $ 5 sample with tax included. Some didn’t have anything on the menu under $ 8!
The event planners should ensure their information is correct and that the rules they post online are followed by all participants. There was even one truck that was loudly announcing they would NOT honor the VIF passes and there was only ONE line at their truck! What?
We will go again, we had a blast! I suggest you go with a nice group and share each and every thing you get so you can sample more trucks. Between the three of us we sampled over half the trucks I think!

I’m a big fan of food trucks and the unique dining experience they offer. So, this being mmy first ever Mobile Food Rodeo (2014), I may have had unrealistic expectations. The event was good, but far from great.
As most reviews will point out there are two ways to attend the Mobile Food Rodeo: with or without a VIF (Very Important Foodie) badge. The badge will run you about $ 25 for one day and allows you stand in a shortened line only for badge holders. This was extremely useful and I’d even call it a necessity. I can’t see myself attending without it. Unfortunately, you are essentially paying money to stand in line so that you can pay more money for the actual food. Having the badge doesn’t get you a discount or anything for free. Additionally, it’s rather annoying to take turns zippering in with the non-​badge holder line. You aren’t standing in a line dedicated to getting you food, which is what I expected. It definitely gets you to the front quicker, though, and I can see how having two separate lines would just create larger wait times for food pickup. In the end, food trucks just aren’t designed to serve two lines of people in a super-​fast way. It’s about as good of a system as I can imagine there being.
The selection of trucks was pretty good — 30 in all was what I read but it didn’t feel like there were that many. I’m wondering if they counted some of the little tent stands selling snacks or cupcakes in that number. There was a good selection of cuisines and desserts, however. I’ve also read that there are more trucks on the Sunday portion of the event and I only attended on Saturday. Streets were shutdown to allow for maximum wandering and that went pretty well. The lack of covered area or even uncovered seating was disappointing. We stood in line in the rain, then stood in line eating in the rain. Even without the rain we would have been leaning up against a business window.
Pricing is what it is. The advertisements I saw said that every truck was required to have a $ 5 sample plate. That wasn’t true. Some did, some didn’t. Those who frequent food trucks will know that they aren’t always cheap. A medium-​sized sandwich with no chips or drink can run $ 7 – 10. We expected this so that wasn’t a surprise, plus with the types of food you eat it’s likely that you’ll fill up pretty quickly. I still would prefer seeing some kind of discount for the VIF holders or at the very least a true requirement that they have something for $ 5 to allow for the sampling of more trucks. Most trucks do take credit cards now but you’ll get through the payment part way faster if you have cash. Some trucks did not accept credit cards, though, and you can’t see that until you get very close to the window. Be prepared.
Service was good at all of the trucks we visited and we even stopped to watch some rather crazy actors fake Mexican wrestle in the downpour. It did feel much less like an organized event than a bunch of trucks that just happened to end up in the same place, though.
Overall it was a good experience but turned out to be pretty expensive because of the VIF badge. We visited three trucks and spent a total of about $ 75 (including badges) for two sandwiches (shared, not each) and two drinks. I will definitely think twice before attending the event again, but also haven’t ruled it out simply because it is a good chance to try those trucks that may usually elude you.

This review is for the 2014 event from 5÷3÷14−5÷4÷14.
Complete waste of time and money. I purchased the VIF passes, and even at Groupon prices, it was not worth it. Why?
— The VIF (Very important foodie) ticket buys you the right to skip up to the front of the line, ahead of everyone else who has been waiting for who knows how long. While nice to be able to go to the front, I even felt rude doing this and badly for the people who had not purchased their own VIF tickets. Why did they even let people in without tickets in the first place?
— Once you get to the front, you realize you are only able to purchase FULL-​SIZE meal options at normal prices. So buying a $ 20 pass + $ 10 worth of food for each truck. I’m pretty sure I spent $ 20 – 30 meal prices just to eat in the rain in front of a food truck with zero seat or table. By the time you visit 2 trucks, you’re completely full and want to leave. My first stop was at the doughnut truck — they gave me an entire bowl of 10 – 12 mini donuts for $ 4. Why would any one person want that many doughnuts? There are so many other trucks I missed out on because I filled up on food too fast.
— It was raining and cold on 4/​3, which is not unusual weather for this time of year. There were VERY few tents, and even the ones for the VIF holders got crowded quickly.
— They had a tiny beer tent and no tent with tables set up for the beer drinkers. So you would have to stand in a tiny tent with your beer, closely confined with others. No thanks.
How I wish they would have organized this? (Organizers for next year, please take note)
— Have everyone buy a pass to even gain entrance. Each pass should buy you rights to go to 1 – 2 food trucks (as in 1 pass == 2 food tickets). You use your food tickets like money and exchange them at the trucks .You can purchase additional food tickets if you want at a separate table. This would make lines go much faster if no one had to exchange money at the trucks.
— Different «tiers» of tickets could buy you either extra tickets, or extra drink tickets.
— Food trucks should be required to offer sample size versions
— Tents. Tables. Come on, it’s springtime, and you have to plan for the weather

What could be better than greasy comfort food on a rainy and cold day like today. We went over to the mobile food rodeo in Fremont and it was a hit! Thanks to the rain, the Qs were not long at all and I dont remember waiting for more than 5 – 10 minutes end-​to-​end (wait to actual food delivery) at any place. We tried mac&cheese, grilled cheese, gyros, cake waffles, Japanese stuffed pancakes and jambalaya. All owners had great attitude and service with a smile. Some of the best Seattle food trucks represented although we tried to go for new ones. They had a nice beer garden too! Wish they gave out ponchos to combat the rain.

I give it one star only because it will not let me give it zero. We got the VIP (money that was wasted) all it did is let me cut for food that was over priced, And I would need eat if it was have the price that it was. We had to go somewhere else to get food. All in all it is just a food chandler fad. Do not waste you time or money going. I do not wright on Unilocal that often but I will if it that good or bad. I ended up just going to subway.

Seriously. Get thee a pass. And get it ahead of time. That $$ you pay is going to be worth it if you like eating… and I hope you like eating if you’re going to something called a «Mobile Food Rodeo». Also, ahead of time is the only time you can get it.
If you don’t want to get a pass, then I hope you like waiting in long lines. potentially in hot weather… surrounded by hundreds of people. I also hope you have a lot of friends so that you guys can divide and conquer for what may be some family-​style fooding.
There was an awesome amount of food trucks there (as well as an awesome amount of people; there isn’t so much walking through the lanes as there is *squeezing* through)… and you might think that, surely, with people spread out like this, I can get through lines quickly! Well, you’re wrong. Get thee a pass. There is a separate line for those who were smart enough to get one. and a separate line for the fools who love standing in lines.
I do advise you to try to go earlier (closer to rodeo opening) than later, as some trucks may run out of the deliciousness just as you’re stepping up to place your order.
Volunteer staff tried their best to keep lines in check, but it was almost amusing to find that the line may be veered to the right and then later to the left and then to the right… all while you’re in it, fighting the good fight to waiting the long wait.
(Oh, and if you hate crowds, you’re in the wrong place. You *could* check out the Fremont Sunday Market just on the other end of the rodeo; they have food stalls as well.)

If I could sum it up… Good time, get the VIF pass.
They had all the trucks, maybe a few were missing, but there were enough to make you happy. A lot of the trucks had smaller portions so you could eat more.
There were a few problems:
It was busy and the passage way was tight. If this is and was the case, PEOPLE LEAVE THE BABY STROLLERS (ESPECIALLY THE DOUBLE WIDES), BIKES, AND DOGS HOME! I don’t have a problem with any of these things, but they were the source heavy backups.
We were hoping to find Off the Rez. We asked one of the staff where it was and after he made a few calls he told us they did not show. As we were walking out, we saw them in the beer garden and by that time we were too full to enjoy them.
These were not make-​or-​break problems, just a few issues. Overall, we had a very good time and I thought the trucks and there staff did a great job of dealing with the numbers

call me a debbie downer. call me crazy. call me not when this goes down again. i can’t really blame it on the Rodeo itself… moreso the experience… Freemont is already an area that is difficult to find parking on a night out… let alone when you have thousands of people flocking to eat food truck food on a sunny day!
it took us over an hour to find parking. i got a ton of emails trying to dupe me into buying VIF passes (line by-​pass) but truth be told… there’s hundreds of others buying the same pass and guess what… that turns into a line as well!
after cooking in the sun and having an hour to find parking — i found myself really crabby and grumpy. so me and my girl ended up meeting up other friends who also were tired of nothing being able to eat anything as lines were long left and right… we all ended up eating at norm’s. walked around for a little more and decided to leave as we didn’t want to take part in the madness.
my experiences with Portland food trucks were nicer, also the Seattle Rodeo that took place at Lake Union and downtown Renton were much better than Freemont’s Food Truck Fiasco.
future note to self: come early. come not hungry. otherwise don’t come at all. and just take the time for a food truck hunt rather than a rodeo.

Yayyy. I love a good food truck. I especially like when 20+ food trucks are together.
It was hot. I got a tan. I had some good eats and met some friendly people in line. We’re new to town and it was nice to have a day off from the «Seattle Freeze».
It was crowded, the lines were long, the food was good and to order, the service everywhere was friendly — what else could you ask for?
My husband and I attended last years’ event as well. The differences? This year they were much more prepared with all of their «Wranglers’ oh, and they had what seemed like 20 less food trucks.
I’m already looking forward to next year — I just wish that parking wasn’t a nightmare and the trucks of yester-​year will return. Maybe they could find a different location. You know, one where the streets aren’t so narrow that we all looked like animals being herded by these «Wranglers».

Attended the Mobile Food Rodeo yesterday in Fremont. I found it to be similar to my experience last year. Though I did find it to be a little improved.
Like last year, there was plenty of sunshine and food trucks. I believe around the same amount of trucks as last year, though the lineup has changed a bit. I went early again at 11 am. Getting my brunch on at the event. As a result of being an early bird, the lines were manageable. I think there were no more than 4 orders ahead of me at the three trucks I tried. Hence, the wait was under 10 minutes.
The event offered a VIP pass for those who wanted to skip the lines. I don’t think they are worth it if you came early, but a must if you show up later in the day.
As for the food truck selection, I found there was a good variety of eats. And the offerings were better tailored to this event, then the one last year. I like to try numerous trucks at these sorts of events, so I like that some proprietors offered smaller portion items. Some took it even further and offered specials tailored to Cinco de Mayo.
Since it was Cinco de Mayo, the event setup a 21+ area in which you could try several trucks offering special tacos. I like that part of the venue had a seating area, though it was separated off from the rest of the event. There could been a little better signage promoting it and drawing event goers in.
Enjoyed this event and look forward to the one next year!

LOVED the Mobile Food Rodeo when we took the time to purchase VIP tickets in advance this past August — they were located at SLU at the time. Good show.
HATED the Mobile Food Rodeo today between 2pm and 3pm (after not buying VIP tickets — stupid, stupid, stupid) in Fremont. We parked a mile away and were lucky to find that spot. We hiked in to Fremont and joined the MASSES trying to get close enough to a truck, any truck, to have the privilege of paying normal prices for their food.
Getting the picture?
We looked at each and every darn line snaking out from each and every darn food truck and after walking several blocks, realized that we a) were not going to get food at ANY truck within the next 45 minutes and b) that we can just look up the truck schedules later in the week or even next weekend and go try it with a NORMAL line, thus avoiding all the confounded sheep that were standing, some randomly, in lines waiting for the privilege to pay for food.
Seriously?
Never going to try the Mobile Food Rodeo again without a VIP ticket. I am not a sheep. Baaaaaaaaaaaa.

Tried this place out when I visited the Mobile Food Rodeo in Fremont last weekend. There were too many food trucks to choose from so I went with one of the more ‘unique’ choices available — a Haitian lobster roll from Caribreso ($ 16). Though it was easily the most expensive item available in this magical food truck land, I wanted to try something different.
A nice lady took my order. I held my breath as I handed over my $ 16. Then I waited, and waited, and waited. The sandwich took about 20mins to get to me (there was only one chef in the food truck). BTW it was cold and rainy out so I can’t imagine how long it would have taken to get my food if it had been nicer out. Didn’t ruin the experience for me (except that my toes were cold) but it is something worth noting.
The portion of lobster in the sandwich was fair, but the sandwich itself was pretty average. Maybe I didn’t try the right one. There were three ways you could have it, and I picked the one with cheese. The Haitian-​style of the sandwich was interesting, but I guess I didn’t love the sweetness of the pineapples in there with everything else. The bread was average, etc. Can’t say I would spend $ 16 for that again.
However, the menu overall looked interesting, and I might be inclined to try something else if I see the truck again. Everything else was about $ 6 – 10. My friend had a chicken sandwich from there and she said it was pretty decent. Also I saw plantains on the menu and I do love me some plantains.

I have mixed feelings about this year’s rodeo. This year I decided to go with the VIF pass because last rodeo I couldn’t even get close to any food truck due to long lines. I got to try many tucks some familiar, some née acquaintances. But still most of the trucks hadn’t even showed up for VIF event. What’s the deal with that? Most trucks present hadn’t even opened up till 11.30 am while the VIF event ended at 12. $ 25 of the pass wasn’t complete waste but I felt cheated and I am slightly ticked off. The deal of $ 15 LevelUp credit with VIF pass is tricky only 7(yes I counted) trucks present at VIF event offered LevelUp payment. And, all didn’t know how to take the LevelUp credit either.
And, you would think they would provide us some place to park our butt while eating as a courtesy for paying $ 25 for otherwise free event. Lack of chair sucks while trying to eat your juicy-​dripping-​coleslaw-​pulled pork sandwich. BLAH!
But I did get to see my favorite trucks which are worth mentioning —
Contigo (Their tacos have so much flavor that I probably can eat about 10 of them. Gorditas are good too)
Box on Wheels– Chicken Karaage (deliciousness wrapped in the most amazingly crisp chicken)
Maximus Minimus– decent Pulled pork sandwich (juicy and moist)
Chopstix Mobile– spicy Pork Belly Sandwich (taste-​bud-​perfection)
New to me:
Jemil’s Big Easy: I got gator gumbo. Alligator and andouille was cooked right. Gumbo was too watery and oily. Jemil offered me a alligator fried ball for taste and it was good.
Street/​Mini Donuts: Ginger + Cardamom bowl (donuts are not as sweet as I prefer– more savory). Bonus points for serving herkimer’s coffee
Street Treats: Coffee and chocolate chip cookie sammich — sweetness overload and amazing
Caribreso’s Jerk Station: Worst jerk chicken I had ever had and they didn’t had their shit together till 11.45. They had LevelUp sticker but didn’t know how to take payment. Chaos big time.
I hope they do better next time

It was such a wonderful and sunny experience with the 2012 food truck rodeo in Fremont :) This is my second time and have to give them thumbs up; it was in Interbay last year :) There were a lot of food trucks lined up with less wait-​time than last time which was a BIG plus!
My bf and I have tried the Fusion on the Run with the marinated short rib sandwich. They tasted like Vietnamese and Korean flavor to me; which opened up the horizon of my taste buds lol. We also savored some oysters from Bigfoot with siracha and fish sauce which compliment the oysters; but did not overpower its freshness at all!!! To top it off our wonderful experience was the promotional deal from LEVEL up (app for smartphones) which gave you $ 5 pre-​loaded cash = free tasting for food! There were also many dessert foodtrucks; ranging from Mollymoon ice cream to mini donuts and crepes. Too bad we were so full and cannot try all of them lol. My bf managed to try the mini donuts which made him giddy up ;)
Lastly, we were able to enjoy the gorgeous PNW sun with the beer garden and some local band performing that day~! I would love to attend this year’s second food truck rodeo; which will be located in S. Lake Union on 9÷15÷12!

I heard horrible things when I posted the event. I almost decided not to go! I am glad I went thou. It was a good experience.
We arrived there early and hung out in the Fremont Sunday Market for a little while. As soon as it’s open for non-​VIF, we walked over and checked out what the food trucks were first. Then, we decided what to get. I guess there are some benefits for early birds. The line wasn’t too bad. The concert in the beer garden was kinda fun, Country disco band!
This kind of event is better for a group. So, each person in the group can get different food and exchange. If you ever want to have a better experience, be an early bird. Come early! It will solve a lot of problems.

I had a very good time at my first mobile food rodeo and the food selection was amazing. With the numerous food trucks around you could not go hungry looking for what satisfies you. I never knew Seattle had so many food trucks driving through our city streets and creating great tasting food.
My gf and I first tried Fusion on the Run with their marinated short rib sandwich. The roll bread was so fresh and crunchy that I craved more and the sandwich itself was worth every penny since it was so tasty with all the fixings. The sandwich was so big that if you ate the whole one yourself you would have been full. Two thumbs up!
Next we tried the mini donuts which were a little pricey since you only got like 8 or 10 for $ 4 in a small bowl. I have to admit that I am a donut fan and they did taste great since they were made fresh and they had that soft pillowy texture. So good. They had a few interesting flavors to choose from, but I got the cinnamon and caramel. Good combination.
For our final stop we tried the oysters from Bigfood. The oysters were grilled and they tasted great with the added sriracha and fish sauce seasoning. They also added small amounts of scallions on top for added texture and flavor.
It was just a great day to enjoy the food and sunny weather together with my gf. The lines were kind of long through out the day for any truck, but it was to be expected of such an event. The quickest line we came across was maybe in the beer garden.
An added bonus was using the Level Up app (used for promotional purposes) to pay for purchases which made paying very simple plus you also get a $ 5 discount to select food trucks. Way cool!

Got there at 5 and it was still crowded, glad we didn’t get there much earlier.
A lot of food trucks were sold out of several items, which was to be expected that late in the day. The lines were still huge! The beer garden was clearing out when we made it over there so we did have somewhere to sit and eat.
There were some fun free activities including: Pemco had a photo thing set up, Wicked was sampling their liquors (their vodka is really good!), Zagat was giving away free cupcakes and other stuff for writing reviews (Probably trying to be like Unilocal but fail!), talked to a nice salesman from the U-​district VW/​Audi place and learned about what’s new with their cars, and listened to a band that was playing in the beer garden.

In comparison to last years disaster, I am giving this Rodeo a 4 out of 5.
It was way better than last year!!!
1. No Entrance Fee.
2. Only 2 of the 35 Trucks were a No Show.
3. Level Up Promotions
Unless you plan on trying something from every truck, you can’t have high expectations for just the food itself. My rating for this event is based on 3 things: the food, experience and set up.
The Set Up: The set up was a little tight but not overwhelming. Lines were long, as expected but worth the wait if you knew where to go. Honey buckets were well spaced and available in multiple locations. You had choice seating’s of table, lawn or curb. Map was posted at the entrance next to the large open beer garden.
The Food: I wasn’t impressed but knew just where to go…
Skillet, Off the Rez, Rainy Day Gourmet, Molly Moon and Where Ya At Matt. Where Ya At Matt!?! …exactly! Where was he!?! No where to be found! :(Luckily I know where he parks on a regular basis! Skillets Poutine and Bacon Jam never fail to amaze me. Off the Rez’ Fry Bread is light and never leaves me feeling guilty. Rainy Day’s Truffled Mushroom Grilled Cheese was a little rich but delish. Molly Moon, sorry I avoided you but I see you almost every week! I did make a detour to Lumpia World around 3:00pm and found that they were extremely close to selling out of their lumpias! When I reached the front of the line I was able to scoop up the last 3! Worth it? Meh. They were alright. Luckily I got them for free thanks to my «level up» app!
The Experience: The weather was perfect! That in itself made for a wonderful experience! ;) The entertainment was a variety of live local bands and large speakers. Skillet provided a beer garden which pleased a ton and sponsors offered a few complimentary options, one being the level up app and the VIF treatment.
I applaud these trucks for coming together for our pleasure.
TIPS:
Check the weather report and dress accordingly.
Wear comfortable shoes.
Bring water and hand sanitizer.
Load up on cash and/​or ATMs available.
Go online ahead of time for promos, info and last minute changes.
(i.e. the «level up» app which lets you pay by phone and score free food)
Arrive early and expect long lines.
Dog Friendly.
and Enjoy with Friends and Family!