Off The Grid: Hayward

I have seen the evolution of the food truck over many years and I have to say the Bay area has the BEST food trucks anyone could ever ask for. Every Monday Hayward downtown is transformed into a Food truck row from 5−9pm and I cannot wait to see what is going to be there each week.
I have had some of the best vegan, vegetarian, and soul food dinners from these trucks that I could imagine. Every one of the food truck operators are delightful, communicative, engaging, prideful and helpful to their customers and I love it. All of the trucks take debit cards as well. So, no need to carry cash.
If you haven’t been and are in the Hayward area (downtown) on a Monday night, give it a shot. I recommend it.

I’ve been coming to OTG Hayward since they started the event. It is currently located in front of City Hall. It used to be in its own parking lot in front of the casino/​Le Paradis. I go back and forth as to which location is better… downtown Hayward is always a nightmare no matter what. In a perfect world, I’d love to change the location to CSUEB, tons of parking and space available…
OTG itself is always hit and miss depending on who’s coming that night. Always check the website (
) and form your opinion accordingly. Sometimes the website is incorrect (I know sometimes this is unavoidable, but still…), so that’s why it’s not a 5 star for me. That being said, when we do get some good trucks at OTG Hayward, it’s a really fantastic time!
There’s usually live music, which is usually… interesting… if you get my drift.
Some of my favorites that have come to Hayward:
Waffle Roost
Canasta Kitchen (empanadas and taterrito are fantastic! this is a great truck)
We Sushi
Frozen Kustard
Mozzeria
Favorites that have come in the past, but I haven’t seen for a while:
The Chairman
Koja Kitchen
Whip Out
Pacific Puffs
… and many more. Please patronize OTG so that they continue to breathe a little life into Hayward. :) And OTG, if you’re reading this, keep up the good work, but please bring back some of my favorites to Hayward!

Great food good music nice evening. To hot to cook. Evey Monday there are different trucks so you get a chance to try different foods.

Omgoodness, thank God the food trucks were there when I got off of Bart. I didn’t eat anything all day except for some pineapple and watermelon. Do not do this to yourself kids because your stomach will rightfully hate you! There were about five or six trucks parked along the sidewalk of the closed off street. There was sushi, grilled cheese, crepes, and crème brûlée. I forgot the other two but in my defense, the grumblies in my stomach tampered with my brain.
I went with We be sushi and ordered a vegetarian burrito. They take card and swipe it with Square. The wait time wasn’t long which was a huge plus. The burrito was 8 dollars plus tax and tip came to the total of 9.64 dollars. Almost ten bucks and for some people this seems a bit steep. However, the few times I have visited food trucks, this price total is fairly typical. If you plan on visiting some food trucks for the first time, just remember chances are the food will not come out as quickly as fast food and prices will be a bit more expensive.
The burrito had sushi rice with various tempura vegetables in the middle. Instead of a tortilla, it was held together by seaweed. It was cut in half and wrapped in foil. It was put inside those plastic sushi boxes and came with slices of ginger and wasabi. The man gave me packets of soy sauce and chopsticks. It was warm and crunchy. I devoured it in minutes and it tamed the grumblies.
The trucks were conveniently minutes away from Bart and next to City Hall. During the time I stayed, there was plenty of empty, available chairs and tables on the grass. The area was clean and I didn’t see any trash or litter on the ground. There was chatter among people but no one was super loud except for the performer who sang and played guitar. One downer was I couldn’t find any public bathroom real close by except for the dirty ones at Bart. Maybe there weren’t as many trucks as there are in other areas but for Hayward, this was great. Fingers crossed for HellaVeganEats to show up one day.

Went to OTG Hayward, last night on a whim to get some dinner. Parking is easy in the City parking structure. It was nice evening with about a hundred people eating when we arrived at 6:30 pm. There are chairs on the lawn of City Hall along with seating along the surrounding wall. There were 7 trucks there last night. Cajun, Burger, Tacos, Vietnamese, Custard, and another two non memorable vendors. We wound up getting following
Jambalaya just OK mushy sausage and chicken rice.
Cajun Fried Shrimp and fries were very good but took a long time till it came out.
Vietnamese Noodle bowl, large bowl very bland
Siesig Pork Tacos best of the night
Tips: bring your own beverage
Everything except the tacos were $ 10. Tacos (2) $ 6

Every Monday night, Hayward City Hall transform into a charming outdoor eatery for couples, friends, family and fur babies. The sparkling lights that drapes around the trees quietly provide lighting for hungry people eating at the ample tables and chairs. The air is filled with live music, whispers, soft chats, laughter, giggles and fun. Right across the way are 7 to 8 neatly lined up food trucks, there’s something for everyone and you’re bound to find a flavor that suits your taste buds.
This is one of the better OTG market’s I’ve been to. There are just enough food trucks, the crowd is not overwhelming and lastly, the evening weather is perfect. You never feel a tinge of chill, wind or discomfort. Makes me feel lucky to have this near my neighborhood! You get to eat delicious food while you watch the sky spin out different colors as the sun settles into bed.
I felt relaxed. I felt welcomed. I felt alive. And more importantly, I felt happy and full.

Scheduled trucks did Not show up and the majority of who was there had issues and items missing that were posted on the menu. No tables only one dessert truck…

Four stars for the food truck line ups. They’re always great I’m happy that they moved locations to the front of city hall. However, They need to invest in some tables for their guests and choose some upbeat, lively music. It’s not so comfortable sitting on a concrete wall, and although I love the live band, the dull, sad music leaves much more to be desired.

I was hoping to find the Koja truck but was not there, it was ok, not much people were there, tried the takoyaki balls and curry tonkatsu it was good! We also had the crème brûlée ordered banana foster but does not taste like one, though the mardi gras was good, Oh the performer is good he sings very well! Hope to see other trucks next time:)

Off the Grid is a usual big hit in SF. They have the best trucks out of all the mobile food truck vendors. I feel like the Hayward location gets the brunt of the trucks. Ones that no one really goes to, or cares for.
It’s great that they have a East Bay location, and the spot for the new OTG in Hayward downtown is great, but the trucks are definitely not the top notch ones.

A good choice of different foods. The variety is exciting, and most of the food trucks have really tasty items. The price is a bit higher than I expected on average, but it’s not a dealbreaker and you won’t get ruined!

Great environment, delicious food, infusion of all sorts. Definitely a place you can take a date, your kids, and even the inlaws haha.
Only bad part is that they are not there everyday lol. Other than that can’t go wrong with the varieties of flavors.

Love the current location — close to bart and easier to get to vs the previous one in the middle of traffic central. Has the OTG staples — festive white lights, music, and seating.
Trucks could have varied a bit more last week — 3 of them were similar with burgers, smothered fries, and bbq, then crepes and frozen custard. I know it may be decided based on availability and other factors I’m probably not aware of but I know OTG is usually good on variety. Other than that, love that they’re still and Hayward and very accessible.

Hayward Off The Grid is pretty good, they have a nice seating area, music, nice lights hanging around and of course they have a good selection of about 8 different food trucks. The past few times I went they had Kinder’s, Frozen Kuhsterd, Koja Kitchen, Smothered Fries and some others. I would like them to switch it up a bit but they do have a good selection. It can get a little crowded but not to the point where the lines are extremely long and unbearable.
They do have some entertainment but you don’t necessarily need that because people watching will do the trick lol. Parking is a bit of a hassle since they are smack dab in downtown hayward. There is limited parking on the street and you could park in the parking lot of the grocery store but I wouldn’t recommend that.
For anyone who has not been to Off The Grid and you are in the area on Monday nights between 5 – 9 you must try them out at least once. It’s one of the nicer and more spacious Off The Grids.

Most of my monday nights were spent here! The food truck line up is good! Be sure to get the app to get the info on which trucks are there specifically.
The crème brûlée truck comes every two weeks, alternating with The Frozen Khustard.
The streatery truck — almost every week
Raved items:
— ox tail stew — it’s really good!
— doughnuts!
Koja kitchen
Kamikazee fries — really really good!
I miss the chairman truck! They came here long time ago. Wish they would be back again here in hayward
The only downside i can think of with this event is that the lineup dont really change much every monday. So it could start to get boring. Bring some new ones! Or bring the chairman back!

Must say even though this OTG location is in Hayward it is still pretty good. They have about 7 – 8 trucks every Monday from 5 – 9. They’re right in front city hall so whenever I get off BART from my commute I buy dinner.
They have a good assortment of trucks but they’re not the most popular ones in the Bay Area. They rotate every other week so you know which trucks to expect. My favorites are Smothered Fries, The Crème Brulee Cart and Frozen Khustard.
Seating is sparse so be read to stand if you can’t find a spot. The crowd can be ghetto but I also see a couple college students like me drop by along with some people from BART. The bands are iffy but sometimes they book some really good ones.
Good overall time at OTG Hayward.

It’s tough to rate OTG because the vendors are always changing with the exception of regulars… and any evaluation of the food and over pricing should really be reserved for the truck itself. So what’s left? Venue!
OTG Hayward is smack dab in the middle of literally the busiest intersection of Hayward. That’s not good energy especially when eating. Parking? limited. Seating? Be prepared to eat standing up. Crowd make up? I grew up in Hayward so I can say this, but it’s a little on the hood side. Just ever so slightly.
Came here once, won’t come back, but at least I can say I’ve been to OTG Haystizzle.

OTG what can I say? I have a love-​hate relationship with you. I love food trucks and the hedonistic offerings but my wallet and body figure hate what you do to me afterwards…
+PROS+
+Easy to find in downtown Hayward fasho
+OTG has a solid, consistent schedule of their food trucks line-​up on their Facebook and website (
)
+There is usually a good diversity of food trucks!
+Most food trucks take cash or credit without minimum
+The foods are freaking LEGEN… WAIT FOR IT… DARY. Where else can you get delicious Korean Galbi burritos and specialized fries at the same time?! Food trucks #ftw
–CONS–
–Parking is hard to find. You gotta park in the city structures a few blocks away. But at least it’s free!
–You may not always like the food trucks selections offered
–Depending on how you feel about the quality and quantity, you may feel the foods are overpriced for the portions and/​or quality
–There are only free-​standing chairs to sit on. No tables!
–They only have it once a week in Hayward (Monday evenings) :(Other than that, I go to Moveable Feast in San Jose. I am guessing the food truck management companies have a secret pact to not infringe upon each other’s territories. Kind of like a gang turf war haha

I’ve been to this Off the Grid a couple times now and I must say that I am quite pleased. Maybe the food truck excitement of years past has diminished but I like that this one isn’t overly crowded. It’s in a bit of a difficult location if you’re unfamiliar with the area with a couple one-​way streets and busy intersections but I’ve never had trouble finding parking.
There are about 7 trucks that can fit comfortably in this space and I think that’s a good variety to offer for dinner. Most of the time when I go to food truck events, I will only find about 30% of things that I really want to eat so 7 trucks is a good amount to limit yourself. I’ve seen Go Streatery, The Chairman Truck, Kinder’s, House of Siam on Wheels, FiveTenBurger, and Crème Brulee Cart.
Live music and porta-​potties are also available. They also have enough chairs too so you’ll always have a place to rest your butt. Something about this location makes it REALLY cold at night, even during the hottest summer days, so I would recommend dressing warm.

This is my first Off the Grid experience. I didn’t know what to expect which could be a good thing since I had a fun time. I didn’t have any expectations prior.
There were quite a few trucks all serving different unique cuisines. Indian, Peruvian, BBQ, Cheese melts and Cream puffs to name s few. There is something there for everyone. After the first walk around I decided to try the We Sushi truck.
We Sushi: I tried the lobster crunch roll with a seaweed salad. The food took about 10 minutes and cost $ 12.50. I have to say it is one of the best rolls I have had to date and I am hard to please. There was lots of lobster, cucumber and avocado. It had that good crunch and light sauce that completed the «package». I could have eaten 3 of those darn rolls. Since I was still a tad bit hungry (I have an appetite of a sumo wrestler) and wanted to stay on the sushi path I went back and tried the sashimi over rice $ 9.50. It had 8 – 10 large size pieces of fresh fish and the sushi rice was good with a slight vinegar taste. Alright after eating both I was STUFFED! and very content. They accept credit cards for purchases $ 10.00 or more. The guys in the truck were friendly and very appreciative of the tips I left.
The staff from Off the Grid were great. They were putting out folding chairs to make sure everyone had a seat to relax and they were changing out the recycle and garbage bins. They do a great job putting this on. The live music was nice too for a little entertainment.
I’m glad to have participated and that it was located close by. I will check it out again soon.