Off The Grid

This was my first time going to Off The Grid and I thought it was pretty cool. I got there shortly after it started and it wasn’t very busy. There were about 6 trucks there and a band was getting ready to play. I felt like they had a lot of different foods to choose from. It took me about 15 minutes of walking from truck to truck to figure out what I was going to have. I ended up with a sandwich from Grillaz Gone Wild and not only did it look phenomenal, it tasted amazing! Then I finished it off with a fudge sundae that was out of this world. Everybody working there was very friendly and helpful. I downloaded the app so I can see where they will be. I will be making my way to the other various locations to see what other kinds of great food I need to try. I think this is a very cool thing and I hope it continues to grow.

At this Off The Grid location in Pleasanton, I have yet to see a large crowd. They are located in the same shopping center as Taco Bell and the JC Penney Home store off of Springdale Ave, One of the reasons that I like it here is because I hate crowds! There is always a different lineup of food trucks present here every Sunday. I have counted 7 trucks each visit.
Other positives are the following: Lots of parking available, good bands playing their music, and just a relaxing atmosphere overall.
Make sure to check the Off The Grid website to find out which food trucks will be here on each date.

We went to this event about a month ago. All the trucks where open until AT LEAST 3pm, and all the food was good. We ate at the Hamburger Place and Frozen Custard truck. Each where awesome. The people where nice, the atmosphere was cool, and I ate a hamburger and had a root-​beer float.
As for the reviewer that said they shutdown early, they close at 3pm, any service after that and they are doing you a favor. Knocking them for not working hard is probably the lowest class and myopic comment/​lie I have read in some time Unilocal!They have prep in the morning — buying groceries, food prep, etc — and most of those trucks have multiple events or sites to serve in a day, which is why most are pretty strict with the times they put up.
Overall, love the food trucks, good food and we are going back today.

The hot rod truck food was sub par and just mirrors fast food at its worst. And we spent $ 20 for two meals –disappounting food and prices. We should’ve gone with our gut for the new Orleans truck which we saw a catfish sandwich come out of the window that looked good. I hear the Fort Mason Off the Grid is the best. We will not be returning to this location.

The variety of food trucks (about six) today was great and we were able to choose several different items to share from almost each truck. There was a grassy knoll area where people could sit and enjoy their selections while being entertained by a musical group. Some people brought their own folding chairs in anticipation of the event. There was even a yogurt food truck where we got our dessert!

I enjoy eating so I’m fond of off the grid. There’s usually about 5 – 6 food trucks, a band, and tables & chairs. There’s a grass area to lay a blanket on. They’re pet friendly.

Always a great selection of food trucks! The Chairman and on the go are our favorites… Until today when I had Lobsta! We had the lobster roll with lemon butter extra meat, the crab roll with lemon butter and lobster bisque — all were amazing! Could have gone back for seconds! The only downside of Off the Grid is they don’t have tables. I’ve been to lots of food trucks and they usually have lots of upside down buckets for tables. We just use an extra chair though and it works fine :)

Make sure you check out southern comfort kitchen for a taste of authentic cajun cuisine that is hard to find anywhere else.

If you are looking for something different, Off the Grid offers a good variety of choices. My favorite is The Chairman food truck. We have been fans of their food for awhile now as their food is fresh, consistenty delicious, reasonably priced. My husband and I get their Steamed Tender Pork Belly with Turmeric Pickled Daikon & Green Shiso, Coca-​Cola Braised Pork with Savoy Cabbage & Preserved Yellow Mustard Seeds, Spicy Chicken with Toasted Sesame Purée, Pickled Carrots-​Cucumber & Cilantro… the combinations seemed strange at first but they work so well. They are addicting!
My husband and I like to try a little of everything so we prefer the steamed version over the baked (baked are bigger); though we did have the baked version of the Coca-​cola braised Pork and it was yummy.
For my boys, I bought the Mushroom Swiss Cheesesteak and The Original Cheesesteak sandwiches from Grillaz Gone Wild and their Loaded Fries. These sandwiches were loaded with good portions of grilled beef counterbalanced with a soft, fresh roll. Of the two sandwiches, The Original was the preference as they enjoyed the abundance of cheese sauce on the sandwich. The Loaded Fries were steak fries, smothered in cheese sauce, bacon, sour cream & green onions. What I noticed about the bacon was the leaness. It was quite lean, and not very salty. The dish was hearty and would be a good one to share.

Came here on a sunny Friday afternoon after a quick shopping run at the mall. It was pretty crowded. I was happy to find several new food trucks to try.
I went for the Smokin Hot BBQ and Treats truck. Their logo has a pig as grillmaster with Cookie Monster, which is rather creative.
Also creative was their BBQ Sunday, an ingenious formulation of potato salad, cole slaw, chunks of your selected meat (Hickory Smoked Brisket for me), layers of spicy-​sweet BBQ sauce, and topped with pickled jalapenos. It literally looked like a sundae only better for lunch! The flavors really worked together — spicy, sweet, and smokiness from the meat. I recommend eating with a long plastic spoon!

Great way to spend a Sunday cheat day! Or just nurse a hangover!
I enjoyed it so much we will be heading into SF this weekend for Off The Grid at the Presidio, over 30 trucks!
The only thing I wished I knew was that dogs ARE allowed. I looked on the website and couldn’t find anything. Bring the dog and make an afternoon out of it!

This is our first visit to Pleasanton’s Off the Grid. We’re a big fan of OTG, but driving to SF on a Friday night after a long work week was not as fun for us as we hoped. We’ve been meaning to try the Pleasanton location, but kept forgetting.
This weekend I made my claim to the Sunday plans given Chairman Bao was going to be there. Not only is parking a DREAM, the venue is really well run. There are plenty of chairs to go around and the lines are so short and sweet (compared to 90m wait for Chairman Bao at Fort Mason).
We all enjoyed the pork belly baos (I got the steamed and kicked myself for not getting the baked which was gorgeous and BIGGER!). We shared some chili cheese fries from the Cheesesteak truck and hubby/​daughter each got a grilled cheese.
Fantastic venue, great trucks available, plenty of seating, easy parking… what more could you ask for? The answer is stretchy pants, just for fun. Trust me on this.
Bön appetit!

First and foremost: The food is going to be expensive.
Running food trucks is pretty demanding, and their prices are going to be more than you’d expect for the sort of food offered. Your best bet is to go for food that is more interesting, that you haven’t tried, to make your $ worth it.
(I mean… If you’re paying $ 6 for fries and are disappointed that they just taste like fries, that’s your fault.)
Go for the Chairman, the Peruvian truck, the Frozen Kusterd, 3 3 3, Koja.
Chairman offers succulent pork belly buns for $ 3, and a bigger burger-​sized version for $ 6. They also offer yummy wonton chips for like $ 2. Grilled Cheese Bandits give you a good sized grilled cheese sammie for like $ 6 – 9, so it’ll fill you up, and is a little bit fancier than your run of the mill grilled cheese. Dessert is more affordable too if you just want something sweet. 3−3−3 lets you try a bunch of different things for not too much (mexican, indian, and korean) and you’ll hit a lot of flavors at once. Koja isn’t around much here anymore, but their Kami Kaze fries are fun and delicious.
It’s also kinda fun to sit around, eat, and enjoy the live music and cute dogs. Just make sure to spend your money on food that you at least think is somewhat interesting that you wouldn’t whip up at home. Try something out of the box for you.

If you love food trucks, then you are in food truck heaven. Near the Stoneridge mall, Off The Grid sponsors this little mini food truck event with about 6 – 8 food trucks, all varying in types of foods/​drinks that they offer! My mom and I were not frugal about calories or money, as we were determined to try every single food item that appealed to us!
We started at a truck called «Frozen Kuhsterd», essentially Cream on wheels. It was so good! And they offer interesting toppings and flavors. I ended up getting a s’mores kuhsterd, topped with actual roasted marshmallows and graham crackers! Highly recommended for the sweet-​toothed fans; mine was so sweet I couldn’t finish it!
Then at «Meat Heads» we ordered some of the best Garlic fries ever (topped with actual fresh garlic), and they even had some pretty tasty-​sounding burgers, but at this point I as pretty fool. I got a 3-​cheese grilled cheese sandwich from a different truck, and needless to say, after that? I threw in the towel. Each food truck offered a meal that was so filling! Yet somehow I managed to eat 3 because they were so good!
GO ON AN EMPTY STOMACH, you will be able to try more foods. And trust me, there is quite a bit temptation. You will not regret checking out the goods here, since they are guaranteed to have something here for everyone!

Grateful that OTG comes as far east as Pleasanton because I’ve been wanting to get my food truck grub on! I’ve been there two times so far and have been fairly pleased with who’s who in a small section of the JCPenney Plaza parking lot just a stones throw from Stoneridge Mall.
The first time around I immediately decided on the Hemi at Drewski’s Hot Rod Kitchen. This gooey wonder boasts Carolina pulled pork, Mac n’ Cheese, grilled onions, cheddar cheese grilled on a sliced French. It was very good and gooey like they touted. I felt completely useless after eating that monstrosity but I did it to myself.
The next time I went there, I decided to be adventurous! While the gang went for some tried and trues, I went for something a little more off the beaten path by belling up to Sanguchon! This is not your ordinary Sangucheria… umm what is that exactly? Basically a Peruvian Sandwich Shop on wheels so I was eager to try one of their delicacies. So I didn’t miss out on the deals, I opted for their Combo deal ($ 12 — pick an entrée, side and drink). I chose the Barbacoa (Pulled BBQ pork spare ribs with cole slaw peruano & potato chips served on brioche bun), Yucca Fries (Yucca root cut and fried w/​huancaina sauce) and their Passionfruit Punch (must’ve been a special because it’s not on their regular menu). All of the flavors played very well with each other but I did get some spicy at the end that I wasn’t too keen on. Overall the dish was delicioso!
Whether you just want to get out of the house for a bit on a nice day or plan an outing to this newish food truck staple, it is sure to please basically anyone!

I’ve been to the Off the Grid in both Berkeley and San Francisco (Upper Haight) so I was really excited to see Off the Grid back home in the East Bay. It was a nice change to have the option of cart food instead of the generic chain restaurants at the mall. Although it was a nice experience sitting outside on a warm spring day with a lot of cute kids and families around, the food experience was only average.
There were a lot of trucks to choose from:
–Curry Up Now (Indian Street Food)
–Cluck It Up (Wings)
–Smothered Fries
–Grilled Cheese Bandit
–Pacific Puffs (Cream Puffs)
–Sanguchon (Peruvian)
–Frozen Kuhsterd
–Twister Truck (Mexican)
We ended up deciding on Smothered Fries and Twister Truck. At Smothered Fries got the one with ground beef, cheese, and mushrooms on top ($ 7). The fries seemed to be missing that kick though and was overall very bland. It also didn’t help that the cheese wasn’t melted. It was nice that they had Mexican Coke though! At the Twister Truck got the «twister burrito cone» ($ 7) with chicken. It seemed like a fun concept but there really is no way to eat the cone with the rest of the meal. For dessert we got cream puffs from Pacific Puffs – the Chocolatier (chocolate cream with chocolate icing on top) and the Classic Powder (vanilla creame with powdered sugar on top). The minis were $ 2 so not that expensive and overall a nice, sweet way to end our meal :)

Great location easy to get to and plenty of parking.
Hubs and I went on ²⁄₂₃ it was a nice sunny day with a lot of trucks lined up to feed everyone. There were around 7 savory food trucks and 2 sweets trucks. I liked the variety to choose from there was something for everyone.
OTG had a few tents up with a lot of folding chairs available so we found a seat easily.
The live band interacted with the crowd and was doing a great job entertaining us.
There is a nice grassy area to sit and relax on. A good area if you bring a doggie friend.

In the parking lot west of World Market.
OTG made it to the Burbs! And I am thoroughly excited about that. Sundays are for low cal eating but a visit to one truck won’t kill me. It was pretty difficult to decide from this line-​up:
–Curry Up Now (Indian Street Food)
–Cluck It up
–Smothered Fries
–Grilled Cheese Bandit
–Pacific Puffs (Cream Puffs)
–Sanguchon (Peruvian)
–Blue Saigon (Vietnamese Fusion)
–Frozen Kuhsterd
–Twister Truck (Mexican)
And the winner… The Chairman! The menu was impressive with pork belly, coca cola braised pork, spicy chicken, duck confit, or crispy miso cured tofu. They are served in a steamed bun for $ 3.25-$ 3.75 or baked bun for $ 6.00−6.75. I chose the Coca Cola Braised Pork that came with savory cabbage and mustard seeds in a steamed bun. It was incredible! All of the flavors and textures mixed together culminating into a snack of unexpected deliciousity! If this truck is not included in the OTG Pleasanton rotation in the future I will throw 10 fits!
The discovery of The Chairman almost didn’t happen because I had my mind set on a fish taco. So, I have to thank the Twister Food Truck for their lack of customer service and preparation. At 11:30 (OTG opens at 11:00) I walk up to the «order here» window and make eye contact with one man who proceeds to stare at me yet offers no help or information. Then a woman walks up to the window only to ignore me and take the sign off the window that had something to do with churros. Then another guy steps out of the truck, looks at me, then walks off. I would be ok if this truck doesn’t make it into the rotation to make way for trucks that have better customer service and want to do what they came to do which is sell food.

Off the Grid returns to Pleasonton, this time @Stoneridge Mall Road and Springdale Ave. same area as Taco Bell and JC Penny but alongside the parking perimeter.
food trucks present:
–curry up now (indian fusion, chicken tika masala burrito)
–crème brûlée (all good!)
–smothering fries (fries/​? with toppings)
–koja kitchen (korean japanese fusion, mochimasu for dessert)
–garden creamery (ice cream of sorts)
–an the go (vietnamese, garlic noodles…)
–rib whip (bbq, ect)
–waffle roost (waffles and fried chicken)
–savorie streets (american comfort foodO
–SAJJ (falafel, shawarma)
footnotes:
–lst day had many newbie food trucks, future weeks will be the usual regulars
–lots of seating, albeit chairs disappear close at 3 cut off time.
–didn’t notice tax added like at soma street park.
–lots of parking,

Welcome to Pleasanton, Off the Grid! Glad to have you here and hope you stick around.
Sun. Jan. 19^th marked the soft opening of OTG: Pleasanton. Located at the corner of Stoneridge Mall Rd. and Springdale (across the mall, in the same plaza as Taco Bell and JC Penny home), this weekly event brings together the best and finest food trucks in the Bay Area. My source (read: one of the guys in a food truck) says that trucks will rotate every other week. So next week, we’ll see a different set of trucks come through.
For their first round out, here were the players: Curry Up Now (Indian street food with a twist); Crème Brulee Cart (not your regular old crème brûlée); Smothered (smothered fries); Garden Creamery (sorbets, sundaes, ice pops, oh my!); An The Go (garlic noodley goodness); The Rib Whip (southern comfort); The Waffle Roost (chicken meets waffle and tasty goodness happens); Sajj Street Eats (shwarma, falafel, wraps); Koja Kitchen (Korean meets Japanese eats); and Savourie Streets (North American comfort food).
With so many options and only two bellies to feed, we hit up just half of the trucks.
Smothered — POUTINE!!! The first truck that made my eyes go big. Ever since trying poutine in Toronto, I was hooked, and every so often I see it on my menus here in the Bay. Smothered offers a different take on the classic, with options such as popcorn chicken & gravy, or New England clam chowder. I stuck with their Classique — beef gravy and cheese curds. Flavors worked well, cheese melted nicely. I would’ve preferred the gravy a bit thicker as it seemed a bit watery. Solid outing but I’ve had better. ***
An The Go — Garlic noodles and lemon grass chicken combo. ’nuff said. ****
The Waffle Roost — Anyone who knows me know that I’m a lover of chicken & waffles. Hubby ordered the «I’m Spicy & I Know It». It’s a waffle sandwich with chicken, jalapeño & serrano peppers and aged crispy melted cheddar, served with sweet potato chips. My oh my. A combination that sounds crazy but works so well. Wasn’t as spicy as I thought it would be, but hit it up with some hot sauce and you’re in business. Waffle was tender, yet firm enough to hold all the goodness of the crispy chicken and peppers. Sweet potato chips complemented the sandwich nicely, but some of our chips didn’t crisp up all the way, leaving us with limpy chips. ***½
KoJa Kitchen — Bulgolgi KoJa and Kamikaze fries. The KoJa is made with Korean BBQ beef, drizzled with their signature sauce and pressed between handmade rice buns. Kamikaze fries are crisscut fries with BBQ beef, onions, kimchi, green onions, drizzled with sig sauce and Japanese mayo. Flavor combo and presentation of both dishes were on point! ****
Crème Brulee Cart — Special of the day: chocolate crème brûlée, topped with berries and waffle chips. A different take from the traditional (though they do that well, too). Great mix of flavors with the chocolate, balanced with the fresh berries, and then the waffle chips add a little bit of texture. ***½
There are seats that line the perimeter of the parking lot; I can see that as the event (hopefully) grows that seats may become a hot commodity. We saw one family who brought their own chairs and «tailgated» at their car. Well played. All in all, it was a solid start for Off The Grid’s debut in Pleasanton. Can’t wait for more good eats to come to our side of the Bay.