Off the Grid: Burlingame

It’s so awesome that a bunch of the San Francisco trucks make it down to Burlingame. I love Bacon Bacon. Their pork tacos and California burrito are awesome. Another favorite is the Vietnamese food truck I forget the name of. Love me some garlic noodles and tea. Good location, the tea lights are so pretty at night. It’s easy to ignore the trains.

It was a gorgeous day in Burlingame and this location was central enough that I was able to meet up with a couple friends coming from different directions. They had a nice variety of trucks (we loved the BBQ) and plenty of chairs. I wish Off the Grid would provide small tables because it is hard to balance your full plate of food and drink on your lap in a chair. This OtG is next to the Caltrain tracks and there were some noisy little kids who would scream every time the train went by. This was cute to their parents but not so fun for the rest of us who would like to have functioning ear drums — thank you. Otherwise, this is a solid Off the Grid!

4.5 stars rounded up
On Tuesday evenings, Peninsula peeps have a choice between OTG Serramonte or OTG Burlingame for mobile dining options.
I adore this location: in the CalTrans parking lot so spaciousness and/​or finding a parking spot is not an issue, close proximity to the freeway, relatively sunny in the summer (instead of foggy like Daly City.)
About ten trucks were in attendance when we went including: Hill Country BBQ, Lexie’s Frozen Custard, Curry Up Now, Izzy’s Cheesesteak, etc. Lines were only 3 – 4 people deep (if that) around 7pm.
Live music, dining al fresco (a couple more chairs wouldn’t hurt), well-​behaved doggies to gawk at, & almost a dozen trucks — this OTG market gets my stamp of approval.

Ok OTG, this is gruel. #maddmexcantina
#3sumeats #baconbacon and #johnnydonuts. Decisions Decisions! Plus Jimbo Trout for entertainment. Another great night.

Love this OTG! Variety of homegrown food. Love the variety of food, every Tuesday’s in the summertime

Love Off the Grid. Having so many selections is nice when I’m not sure what I want to eat for dinner. If you come to this location, make sure you get there at 5:00, not at 4:58 like my coworker and I did. The crème brûlée cart was quick to tell us that they would be opening in 2 minutes at 5 (queue eye roll). There weren’t many trucks, maybe 8 total. Coworker and I got to pig out at about 5 trucks. I highly recommend going with a partner and splitting orders. That way you get to taste a little bit of everything. If you really want to experience OTG, I would rather go to the Fort Mason location. Way more trucks, and a better vibe in general.

It is worth the drive to come here. The space is small but the food is worth getting. Suggestion: get Pacific Puffs

Off The Grid was Off da hook! The food that my girlfriend and I ordered was amazing. My Girlfriend ordered the Guac on a Walk. I had a few bites of this burger and I was in heaven! The beef was soft and Tender. The food I ordered was the Loma saltdano, which was the ny strip steak sandwich with sweet potato fries. The sandwich was tasty and the artisan bread was very fresh. I will definitely be back!

Unfortunately this market is not very exciting, whatsoever. They have the same tired trucks rolling through here every week. The first few weeks of this market were interesting but now, these trucks may as well be permanently affixed.
We need variety here, please. Get different trucks to come through already, for crying out loud.

I tried out so many different dishes and they all were good. I’m glad they have Off the Grid in Burlingame… YAY! There is always a line at every truck so you have to have patience because they all have great foods!

Not bad. OTG in SF is wayyyyy better. I think the Burlingame OTG had around 8 – 10 trucks? Not bad. I was a little cold though

It’s so great that Off The Grid has finally arrived in Burlingame! We live within walking distance of the Broadway CalTrain Station, so this event makes our Tuesday nights that much more fun. What a great event to enjoy with friends during summer evenings!
P. S. Most trucks take credit card, so don’t worry too much about having Ca$h on hand.

I had no clue that there was an off the grid located in Burlingame. But apparently it’s one of the newer sites and still considered to be a hidden gem. You can tell by the fact that there are not hordes of people at this particular site, waiting in long lines like there are at the Fort Mason, and Serramonte Center venues.
Although it is located next to the Caltrans train stop, it’s still a decent size venue for half a dozen trucks. I suggest checking what trucks will be there before you go just so you can catch her favorite trucks there. There are no set trucks that will be permanently there every week. So it will probably be smarter to check online for who’s available. On a good note though unlike the other locations, all the food trucks take debit card and credit card. Which I know made it real easy for me and will make it easier for most people who do not carry around cash all the time.
I am sure however that as word spreads, so will the amount of trucks to this particular site. I am extremely happy now that my Tuesday nights will include off the grid now. It’s a great way to start off the summer with the warm weather, nice summer nights and wonderful food that I can share with friends.

Very excited to have Off the Grid in BURLINGAME!!! It’s so NICE to have a chance to eat something different once a week! The vibe is pretty sweet, as well.
Yesterday, I had the garlic noodles with lemongrass chicken and the crispy rolls. SUPER DELICIOUS! Thanks An The Go!
Can’t wait to try Hill Country BBQ next week!!!

Finally got to go OTG Burlingame. I like the spot. Set up right in the Caltrain parking lot on California as you’re turning from Broadway. The trucks are parked in a straight line bumper to bumper. The parking lot is not very wide. Everyone is a lot closer which is nice.
They have a couple of new additions to the OTG line-​up. Lobsta truck, Hill Country BBQ and Oaxacan kitchen. I tried them all. I love the variety of food you can have at OTG. The lobster roll at lobsta truck, was very tasty but very expensive. $ 20 for what seemed like a small and that is adding extra meat. SAMs chowder mobile is twice the size and cheaper! And use the same Maine lobster!
Hill country BBQ is delish. 3 meat plate and 2 sides $ 16. I got brisket, pulled pork and ribs with Mac n cheese and potato salad. The BBQ was moist and tangy, juicy tender brisket! Yumm. They serve good BBQ. Oaxacan kitchen, i had a fresh made churro and Horchata. The churro was hot and fluffy! Lots of cinnamon and sugar, very good. The Horchata was a big disappointment! I love Horchata, but there’s was literally like drinking water with a bit of cinnamon in it. It was pretty bad.
Glad that OTG Burlingame is back!

I so look forward to Tuesday nights because of Off the Grid. It’s not always fun to find parking but it never is in Burlingame. Great options on food too.

Beginning bitch ranting for 2014
Hey there, trailer patrons,
Thanks for visiting my favorite trailers. Together, we help keep great local eateries in business and encourage their delivery of review-​worthy food into our face-​parts.
This is a good thing. However, you completely fuck it up when you start treating trailers like a full-​featured restaurant. DO NOT order 35 tacos for the entire construction yard. DO NOT bring an entire softball team for lunch. When you do this, corners get cut.
Seriously. You’re making my eggs dry.*
*(that’swhatshesaid)
/​End Bitch Rant
Wait, more Bitch Rant.
As long as things proceed at an orderly pace and YOU people stay the fuck away from my beloved food trucks where I go to eat my shame this has the potential to be the happiest spot in the world.
Steer clear of the poutine. That’s where I dive in for a good cry.
To be continued.

I never got to go Off the Grid Burlingame during its first run before it closed. But I’m glad that they re-​opened after a short hiatus. It’s basically the same layout as Belmont’s Off The Grid which is in front of a Caltrain Station and parking is free and you’ll have trains rolling by every once in a while. The lineup for the re-​opening was pretty solid:
An the Go
Bacon Bacon
Fins on the Hoof
Hill Country BBQ
Kasa Indian
KoJa Kitchen
Little Green Cyclo
Old World Food Truck
Pacific Puffs
Sneaker’s Curbside Grill
I think for once at an OTG other than Ft. Mason, I actually had a hard time deciding what to get here because they were all really good trucks! I’ll have to come by more often with this lineup. And the lines here aren’t super long like Fort Mason, but that can soon change once word of mouth gets around and the weather gets warmer.
The only downside is that they re-​scheduled it on Tuesday nights which clashes with Off The Grid Serramonte which is more closer to me. It creates a little bit of a food truck dilemma since I’ll have to decide which OTG has the better truck lineup. Of course it’s still possible that I can go to both, but that’s not really ideal for me. Check it out if you’re down in the Burlingame area on a Tuesday night and want some great food truck grub for dinner.

Woohoo! After my luck trying to find the one in San Mateo (apparently they closed down there…) I’m glad to have this one right next door!
Despite how small parking may seem, you’ll probably still be able to find a spot. This is located at the Burlingame Caltrain Station, which can get pretty noisy when the trains fly by, but it’s bound to happen knowing that it IS at a Caltrain Station.
There was about 10 trucks there that night and it gave me plenty of food truck options to choose from. I love the variety and it helps that I’m so indecisive that I can just satisfy all my cravings by getting a little bit of everything.
I got sisig tacos from Hapa SF, Kamikaze Fries from Koja Kitchen and a peanut butter cream puff from The Puff Truck!
There were chairs, live music and a string of lights. Perfect for a casual dinner.
Overall, count me in for the next one!

OTG: Burlingame
Organizer website:
Hours: Tuesdays 5−9pm
10 food trucks
** Update 1: Another South Bay brouhaha developed in late 2013. Burlingame residents want this popular OTG to remain open (online petition @Change.org), but Broadway street merchants want it moved elsewhere (restaurants alleged that OTG customers are hoarding parking spaces). So this OTG event is on hiatus, until the issue can be resolved amicably. (Thursdays 5−9pm — discontinued in late 2013)
** Update 2: OTG Burlingame MOVED to Tuesday nights, starting on January 14, 2014. Hopefully this will satisfy the merchants parking issues, because it’s a slow day for them.
*************
South Bay food trucks fans were disappointed when OTG San Mateo closed in 2011, barely a few months after opening. Apparently due to a dispute with city officials, who later brought in a replacement organizer (Urban Table), but UT made a fiasco of that event and got cancelled altogether.
Now, OTG has found a new home for dinner just 2 Caltrain stops north, at the Broadway Caltrain Station (NOT the Burlingame station). It soft opened on 9/​26, and last Thursday was the official grand opening. So far so good.
The 10 food trucks line up on the farthest half of the parking lot, on the right hand side of the Carmelita street entrance. Plenty of chairs for diners. The hanging string of lights looks beautiful at night. It’s probably the closest thing we have to a night food markets like those found in Asia. My reviews of individual food trucks are posted separately.
And FYI, if u are in the East Bay today, OTG Concord opens Saturday 10÷5÷13.