Jerk Chicken from Gigi & Big R

All weekend I'd been working on this soul food cover for Philadelphia Weekly, drawing and looking at pictures of fried shrimp, wings, catfish, macaroni and cheese and various forms of chicken, and thinking a lot about Carribean food and fish hoagies, and realizing that there's a TON of soul food spots way out west and north that nobody ever writes about in all those "best fried chicken" articles.

So the other day I was in West Philly and thought I'd check out some food trucks, but it was late and everything was closed.. except for Gigi and Big R off on a dark side street near 30th street station. Super awesome jerk chicken, insanely flavorful but not crazy spicy.. dirty pile of rice & beans soaked through with jerk juice. Delicious.

There's a reason they beat out all the hipster trucks at the Vendy Awards and also these guys are open 7 days a week and LATE I think until 9 or maybe even 11?

La Marqueza Taco Truck

Last week, Chau was talking smack on the Garces Guapos Tacos truck, so perfect timing to come across this real taco truck parked near the Art Museum.


I was on the drive home from a failed pre-memorial day Tomato Pie/Hoagie mission, pretty bummed and hungry (place was closed) but this brightly colored soccer ball and skull covered taco truck saved the day.


The carnitas were delicious and tender and unlike some in these parts pleasantly free of gristle. Although the lettuce and sour cream is less than authentic ( "Lettuce?!?" groans my outraged friend from San Diego, who insists there's "no good Mexican food in Philadelphia") it tasted great as did the orange carnita grease dripping out of the end of the taco mixed with sour cream.


And a complimentary bag of homemade tortilla chips. Awesome.


This place gets my vote for real deal Philadelphia taco truck made by real Mexicans. A notch above Taco Loco, but not quite as good as the unlicensed tamale/taco car that used to park on Moravian street every saturday.

No twitter or internet presence I can find (unless it goes by a different name?) but it was parked on 22nd & the Parkway on the weekend, and word is they set up near Phila Community College (15th and Spring Garden-ish) during the week.