Food trucks offer quick eats

Cameron Carr
Tue, 25 Oct 2016 04:06:14 +0000
Arts & Life, Buckeye Bites, Dining, a&l, a+e, al tubasee street, arts & life, arts and life, best of columbus, buckeye bites, columbus food, food, food trucks, osu food, tatoheads, thyme and change

Greek Gyro food truck Al Tubasee Street sits outside of a Columbus gas station. Credit: Elizabeth Tzagournis | Lantern Reporter

To avoid long lines at Raising Cane’s, Chipotle or even the dining halls, a food truck could be the perfect change of pace.

Columbus hosts a number of food trucks that can be found Downtown, or at festivals and events. While many trucks favor those locations distant from campus, trucks set up shop nearby as well.

Tatoheads

The Tatoheads food truck lives up to its name, serving up a potato-based menu.

The truck parks at 2598 N. High St. and is open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

The location puts Tatoheads conveniently across the street from the Old North Arcade and within one block of music venues Ace of Cups and Spacebar.

Menu items include variations on potatoes, such as sweet potatoes and tater tots, with options including wraps and loaded potatoes.

Owner Daniel McCarthy cited “The Thing” as one of the most popular menu items. He described it as a combination of chorizo, mozzarella and potato in a deep-fried tortilla.

“People are really digging ‘The Thing,’” McCarthy said.

Thyme and Change

Thyme and Change directly reaches students on campus. The truck parks near the corner of Neil Avenue and Annie and John Glenn Avenue on weekdays from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Unlike local trucks, Thyme and Change accepts the Ohio State meal plan.

The menu changes each day of the week, varying between Southern BBQ, pierogis, Korean BBQ, gyros and hot dogs.

Kathy Grant, campus dining services operations manager, said customers appreciate the variety, but there are still menu favorites.

“Let me tell you, we sell a lot of grilled cheeses,” Grant said. “Nothing beats a grilled cheese.”

Al Tubasee Street

At the corner of High and Hudson streets, Al Tubasee Street offers authentic Greek cuisine.

Owner Yaser Al Mubaslap runs the truck on his own. Al Mubaslap said he opens the truck around noon and closes around 3 a.m., but the hours serve as rough guidelines rather than strict rules.

The menu includes gyros, falafel, hummus and other Mediterranean and Greek items. Al Mubaslap said the hummus and falafel are two standout items.

He said the truck never moves to other locations to maintain consistency.

“Everybody knows I am here,” Al Mubaslap said. “I don’t want anyone to have to look for me.”