Review: Nob Hill Food Carts
September 30, 2021
Located off of Thurman and 23rd, the Nob Hill food carts are a modern collection of carts just a six minute drive or half-hour walk away from the Lincoln campus. Outside the lot of carts lies a large tent with an ample number of picnic tables for socially-distanced outdoor seating.
As you walk into the gated entrance, you are welcomed into a small community of good conversation and delicious food. There are seven food carts in Nob Hill which provide a diverse array of options for food and drink. More picnic tables with overhanging umbrellas are available inside the gates. We purchased food from three carts: Farmer and the Beast, Tehuana Oaxaca and Drunken Noodle. Carts like Rollin’ Fresh and Bing Mi, which we would have loved to try, were unfortunately closed when we visited.
We rated the food carts on a scale of 1-5 and based our ratings on five different categories:
1. Food Quality
2. Menu Options
3. Drinks
4. Overall Vibe/Aestetic
5. Price
We have ranked our reviews from best to worst-ranked food carts.
Farmer and the Beast
Farmer and the Beast, located at the entrance of the food carts, stands out with its modern and stylish design. It is a dark, evergreen-colored truck with a large, handwritten menu standing out on the front. We ordered the burger, garlic fries and Oreo milkshake. The price was a little high, with the burger coming in at $10 and the fries at $8. The place also offered a selection of salads and one other burger, but it was a fairly concise menu. The presentation of the food was delightful. The food came out in a small organized basket, and the milkshakes ($5) came with colorful striped straws. The burger was different than the usual, with very thin and small patties that were stacked on top of each other. This created a unique experience because the burger was not too large, which we enjoyed. The garlic fries were delectable, with the perfect amount of garlic that was spread throughout the whole basket. The milkshake was perfectly creamy. It did not seem too heavy or fattening, which was nice on top of a large meal. Overall, Farmer and the Beast is a modern burger joint that provides a high quality, filling lunch, though at a slightly high price.
Overall: ★★★★☆
Drunken Noodle
Drunken Noodle was the most popular truck when we visited the Nob Hill food carts. We walked by multiple people dining on their wide variety of menu options, which are displayed on the front of the cart in pictures. We ordered the chicken Pad Thai, and, while the drink options were basic sodas, they had everything in stock. The chicken Pad Thai blew us away. There were lots of interesting flavors present in the dish, and you could tell that the ingredients were high-quality. The chicken was perfectly cooked and the eggs they added were perfect. The overall vibe of the place could’ve been a little better, along with the customer service, which was a bit choppy. The server seemed to be rushed and uninterested. But overall, Drunken Noodle was a high quality Thai food cart. We would love to go back and try the other options on their menu.
Overall: ★★★★☆
Tehuana Oaxacan
At the back of the food cart pod lies Tehuana Oaxacan. The front of the cart is adorned with pictures of the menu options, of which there are many. We got the steak tacos, as they were unfortunately out of the chicken and pork options. The tacos were $4 each, which is slightly expensive for smaller tacos. The tacos themselves were simple, with a lot of meat for a small tortilla. The meat was well cooked and high quality. The cilantro and onion, which were supposed to come with the tacos, were not on the ones we received. This was our largest complaint with Tehuana Oaxacan, along with the casual design. I think our personal preferences prefer a more modern and branded business. However, the drinks we bought, a Mexican soda Jarritos ($2), were delicious. Overall, Tehuana Oaxacan won’t give you anything special, but it will provide you with a solid, locally-made taco.
Overall: ★★★☆☆
