Taco food truck: a trailer for Mexican street food
Tacos, burritos and quesadillas: what a Mexican food truck needs for cooking, cold storage, speed of service and paperwork, and which trailer goes with it.
Romain BarreauFounder of Food Truck Store · 4 min readA taco food truck runs on speed: tortillas warmed to order, fillings straight off the griddle, salsas kept cold and a queue that keeps moving. Here is what a Mexican food truck needs inside, the EU rules that apply wherever you trade, and the trailer that fits the menu.
Tacos, burritos, quesadillas: the menu.
Mexican street food starts with the tortilla, made from corn or wheat and filled to order. Choose one signature dish and a short list of fillings: your menu decides your kit.
- TacosSmall corn or wheat tortillas, filled to order and served open: meat, onion, coriander, salsa.
- BurritosA large wheat tortilla rolled around its filling, easy to eat on the move.
- QuesadillasA tortilla folded over cheese and toasted on the griddle until it melts.
- Nachos and sidesTortilla chips, beans and guacamole: quick extras alongside the main dish.
Griddle and fryer, under the hood.
Meat on the griddle, tortillas warming, tortilla chips in the fryer: cooking gives off heat, grease and steam. In Ireland, grilling and frying call for a canopy (FSAI, Guidance Note 16, 5.2).
- 130 cmextractor hood on the Chef+ AIR 220, 180 cm on the BOLD 270
- 126 × 60 cmlowered cooking area on the AIR 220, 180 × 60 cm on the BOLD 270
- 0 to +5 °Crefrigerated counter: two doors on the AIR 220, three on the BOLD 270
- €13,495the Chef+ AIR 220, excl. VAT ›
Keep the fillings cold.
EU hygiene rules call for temperature control in a mobile food outlet (Regulation (EC) 852/2004, annex II, chapter III). Limits are national: 5 °C or below for high-risk food in Ireland.
Sauces and fillings within reach, kept cold until the order comes in.
Speed comes from the prep.
A taco is assembled in seconds, so set up the trailer as a line from the griddle to the hatch. The AIR 220 suits a team of one or two, the BOLD 270 two or three.
- Before opening
Meat marinated, salsas made, tortillas counted and fillings in containers within reach.
- The cooking
Meat on the griddle, tortillas warmed and tortilla chips fried, all under the hood.
- The assembly
Fill, fold or roll on one worktop, moving from the hot side towards the hatch.
- The counter
As soon as the queue grows, one person takes orders and payment while the other cooks.
Allergens and registration before opening.
Register your food business first (Regulation (EC) 852/2004, art. 6). Allergen information is mandatory for unpackaged food; your country decides how you give it (Regulation (EU) 1169/2011, art. 44 and annex II).
- RegistrationNotify the competent authority of each establishment, in the way it requires.
- GlutenWheat tortillas contain it: cereals containing gluten are on the EU list of 14 allergens.
- MilkCheese, sour cream and crema: milk is on the list too.
- Eggs and moreMayonnaise-based sauces contain eggs: check every sauce and spice mix.
Taco food truck: your menu, your trailer.
Take the free FTS Academy quiz to confirm the layout, then compare our food truck trailers. Still weighing up a van? Read our van or trailer guide.
A short menu, and a counter that keeps up.
Your questions answered.
Got another question? Just ask us ›The Chef+, our hot-food layout and the only one with an extractor hood. Your griddle and fryer go on its lowered cooking area, and its refrigerated counter keeps the fillings cold. It starts at €13,495 excl. VAT in the AIR 220.
No. Food Truck Store supplies the fitted-out trailer: hood, refrigeration, stainless steel, double sink and electrics. You choose the appliances for your menu; the cooking area measures 126 × 60 cm in the AIR 220 and 180 × 60 cm in the BOLD 270.
Both work. The gas bottle box is an option on every model, and a qualified professional in your country installs and inspects the gas. For electric appliances, the trailer is wired for 230 V single phase, with two inlets: plug in both.
Check each recipe. Wheat tortillas contain gluten, cheese and sour cream contain milk, and many sauces contain eggs. For unpackaged food, allergen information is mandatory in the EU; your country decides how you give it.
Yes, the AIR 220: under EU rules (Directive 2006/126/EC), a category B licence covers a trailer of up to 750 kg gross weight, behind a car rated to tow it. For the BOLD 270, check your car and your licence first.
Food Truck Store only sells trailers: the kitchen without the engine. You unhitch it on the pitch, your car stays free and there is no engine to maintain. A truck makes more sense if you change pitch several times a day.
By Romain, founder 
