Red Hook Ball Fields
“They offer humongous quesadillas and, huaraches for $5-6 and tacos for $2.50.”
“We also tried the carne asada con arepa at the Colombian truck next to El Olomega.”
“Don't forget to have a grilled corn on the cob with their spicy mixtures you can add too it and for dessert their fresh fruit that is already cut.”
Red Hook Ball Fields
Take-out: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
An annoying return trip to IKEA was assuaged by the much more pleasant experience of eating Latin food from trucks in the company of accepting fellow mobile eaters as opposed to coworkers and other riffraff skeptical of street meats.
I was dependent on my guide for a lay of the land and after surveying the scene chose to go with papusas from El Olomega, as does most everyone who comes here. We got one of the super ones with everything (including jalapenos) and a chorizo and cheese. This short stack of soft Salvadoran pancakes was hot, fresh, and scrumptious. I washed it down with a watermelon juice from one of the neighboring trucks.
For an experience so prone to mental buildup, it was a pretty satisfying one. Surely a return trip or two are warranted to sample the other culinary wares. The taco trucks look intriguing, as does the Colombia vehicle.
Came here on a Memorial Weekend. Mistake? Well, there were a lot less vendors but also the lines were shorter. It didn't really stop the boyfriend and I from getting pupusas and ceviches.
There were so many trucks, quite hard to choose if you ask me. Somehow we ended at El Olomega for the pupusas and on top of that, we had some fried pork with it also. Everything was excellent. Definitely get the pupusas with cheese, I threw on some of the onions which they gave on the side and chowed down; bliss. The fried plantains were quite awesome until I got to the last few pieces which were extremely salty but still very addicting.
We moved on to some shrimp ceviche. It was perfect since the sun started to shine on us, the ceviche was very refreshing and packed with tomatoes, cilantro and had that delicious citrus-y flavor. As we were sitting on the bench, a lady with churros came by. It couldn't be better than that. Fresh churros that was sugary and cinnamon-y after a satisfying meal was just more than perfect. I mean, it probably is just food trucks and carts, but you definitely can't find this kind of food and love in the city.
The Red Hook Food Vendors are legit.
Pupusas are delish! You'll recognize the truck by the long line out in front. It's like an 8-man operation in that truck and they are busy, busy, busy! The last time I was there, we grabbed delicious fresh fruit juices from the fruit and juice truck (Watermelon and Mango), a cup of grilled corn, and parked ourselves in the long line for pupusas. Ordered cheese and pork and cheese. So so good.
Great spot to hang out and people watch. I'm lucky enough to live relatively close by, but it's worth a trek.
The ball fields are so authentic, I expected a Spanish telenovela to be playing in the background.
Really though, they have some quality trucks here. The day I went, there was good representation between different countries. We had Country Boys (Mexican tacos), Olomega (Salvadorian papusas), Vaquero's (juices and fruit), and a Colombian truck whose name escapes me at the moment.
The lines were longest for Olomega and Country Boys, but definitely worth it (I had CB before, and actually waited for Olomega). If Vaquero's is there, get a fresh squeezed juice; you'll be amazed by how cheap it is!
Sadly, no ceviche the day we went, but we'll be back!
Bring a blanket, and sit on the grass and watch kids playing ball.
Or sit on one of the many benches available. Great experience, and you can take the B61 bus there and/or back.
Baseball is boring, I came here to eat:
I've been hearing about the Solber Pupusa truck for a few years now, ever since I think they won a Vendy Award. It was perfect then that I happened to be going for a run in Red Hook when I stumbled upon the row of food trucks right by the baseball field.
Remembering the name, I sought out the Solber truck, but it was actually the El Olomega truck right next to it that looked like the right choice, as it had a huge line compared to the pretty empty Solber truck. Therefore, I had no choice but to try both.
I started with the Chicken & Cheese Pupusa ($6) at Solber. Though the little Hispanic women working the truck felt the need to laugh at me and make jokes apparently at my expense the entire time I waited, I didn't mind since the food was so good. I kinda wish they talked a little slower and I remembered my AP Spanish from high school a little bit, but I couldn't really make out anything they were saying.
After that immensely satisfying mini-meal, I headed over to the long line at El Olomega to try some more of this delicious authentic cuisine. Wisely realizing how heavy that one was that I just had with all that cheese, I opted for the Chicharron Pupusa at this truck (just pork, no cheese) ($5). Not so wisely after a productive run here, I also chose to get the Tostadas, the freshly fried plantain chips ($2). The Pupusa was amazing as I expected – piping hot and very fresh as it was literally just made, but the Tostadas were really incredible. They were so crunchy and delicious, as opposed to the limp, bland plantain chips I typically experience at some much more expensive restaurants.
There are a bunch of folding chairs lining the sidewalk near these trucks, as well as a number of picnic tables right inside the park for you to share with others digging in to these delicious plates of goodness. Oh yeah, and did you notice how insanely cheap everything is at both of these trucks? The price of all that stuff I got was roughly the same price as some silly artisanal farm-to-table taco made by some hipster white kid from Michigan in Brooklyn or the Lower East Side somewhere.
So forget baseball and Ikea – these cheap little food trucks are the real (or only) reason to come to Red Hook (ok, and Baked has some really good brownies too).
Pupusas!!!! I ADORE the Red Hook food trucks. It's a part of what makes my summer feel like summer. All of the options are great, but i prefer the pupusas. It's something you don't see very often anywhere else. Love!
Gems are not found in obvious places. Nor are pearls.
You will not discover L.A. by walking down Hollywood Boulevard. New Orleans' secrets aren't displayed on Bourbon St. You're not really experiencing Vegas if you don't leave the MGM Grand. Likewise, the heart of NY isn't beating in Times Square.
If you want to check the pulse of the real New York, head to Red Hook. It's a part of Brooklyn not easily served by train or bus, so it kind of ferments on its own. Back in the day this was a major terminus of freight and docks, but today's Red Hook can't handle the massive container transfers of modern ports. As such, the streets are still cobble – with potholes – and the warehouses are either falling down or have been adopted by awesome artisans. There's now an IKEA and Fairway Market, (among other cool businesses), but for years, the area languished in disrepair.
And given the open spaces, it was a perfect place for a largely minority community to find some room to play soccer. If you like the non-US version of football, this is the epicenter of local play in the NY area. During warmer months, this place is hopping from dawn to dusk with teams of all ages.
But here's the real secret… the food. Holy crap. There are, on a lsow day, around 10 vendors representing 6 or so Southern American cuisines. On the map it looks like a trek to get here, but it's not far from the trains and buses, plus if in Manhattan you can take the IKEA ferry.
TODO:
Yelp won't let me put this restaurant on a list unless I write a review (Yelp, please change this policy!)
Therefore, this is a stub review for the purpose of populating my list. I'll write the review later.
However, whatever rating I give the restaurant with this stub review is the rating I'd give the restaurant with a real review.