Red Hook Ball Field Food Vendors | NYC

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What

Latin American street food.

Why

A variety of inexpensive, authentic foods, prepared to order using fresh ingredients.

Every Saturday and Sunday from late Spring through mid-Fall, the corner of Clinton and Bay Streets in Red Hook, is filled with trucks lining the corner of the local soccer field. Inside the trucks, cooks from Honduras, Mexico, Ecuador, Columbia, and other Central and South American countries, make tacos, huarache, and pupusas by hand. The vendors have been selling Latin American street food since 1974, but in the last few years, food bloggers have started raving about the comidas tipicas and now people from all over the city come for cheap, fresh, and excellent food.

The Vendy award-winning Country Boys/Martinez truck make huarache, quesadillas, and tacos. The chicken taco is good, but the pork and especially the pork skin are the way to go. The pork skin is crispy and just the right amount of piggy. The tacos are two for $6, and manageable portions, which gives you the option to try different meats.

The huarache originates from South-Central Mexico and is much more messy due to its larger size and ample fillings The dough is a moist cornmeal dough (masa) that is rolled, pressed, and stuffed with a layer of beans, pressed again, and cooked until crisp. The fillings and topping are the same as a taco, but the beans in the dough really make the dish.

Huarache from The Country Boys / Martinez truck

Don’t forget to add some of the homemade sauces they provide for added flavor and punch.

The Country Boys Fernando Martinez was recently asked to describe his food. Watch him here.

The Mexican based trucks are on Clinton Street; turn the corner onto Bay Street and you’ll be able to check out the Salvadoran, Columbian, Chilean, and Guatemalan food.

Tacos from The Country Boys / Martinez truck

The pupusas are a very popular choice, in other words, the most crowded line. The pupusas are a thick, hand-made biscuit-like flat bread made with masa de maiz (corn) and stuffed with flavorings such as cheese, meat, or loroco. The loroco with cheese pupusa is a very traditional option offered at the Lainez Olomega truck. Loroco is an edible green flower that grows in El Salvador. It may sounds like an odd choice, but it’s really good. The pupusas are served with a side of spicy, hot pink cabbage. Again, add additional condiments (tomato sauce or jalapeno to taste).

The vendors at the Ball Fields are successful because they make everything to order and use fresh ingredients. Grab some friends, spread out across the trucks, meet up at one of the picnic tables around the ball field lawn and compare notes. It’s makes for a fun and cheap afternoon out.

The Red Hook Food Vendors website is a great place to do some pre-game research and plan your attack, but to the right is a summary of the country of origin, truck name, and specialities of each truck.

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Red Hook - Brooklyn, NY