Playing the matchmaker game with Charlotte breweries and food trucks
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Breweries and food trucks have joined together to completely re-define the regional palette of Charlotte as a community in recent years. From the local hops being produced everyday to the constant simmering of fried meat on the back of a portable kitchen truck; the presence of these two new additions to our city’s culinary fabric is always welcome.
Like two lovelorn contestants on your typical dating game TV show, however, neither the food trucks nor the breweries have fully been able to find their other half. One has all the best beverages the city has to offer and the other has the food we crave for leading up to the weekend. Luckily for Charlotte, these two have found a spark in recent times and began pairing up at different locations around the city. While there certainly is no such thing as a “bad” food truck/brewery combo, I’ve decided to name three that are just simply meant to be.
(1) NoDa Brewing and JJ’s Red Hots
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Between the vibrant colors and interior design throughout the North End NoDa location and the laid back atmosphere of the crowd, this has always been a wonderful experience. To top it off, NoDa has some of the best beers in Charlotte and has been doing practically since the start.
JJ’s came around a few years back and has already taken the city by storm with its “Buffalo-style” red hots that offer a crisp snap with each bite. These two simply belong together and it’s hard to think of much that could top a pint of Hop Drop n’ Roll matched with a red hot topped with Weber’s horseradish mustard and a dollop or three of ketchup.
(2) Wooden Robot Brewing and Yummi Banh Mi
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Two of the more “out there” additions to the food truck and brewery scene in Charlotte seem perfect for one another in more ways than one. The Wooden Robot Brewery is a relatively new member of the local craft beer scene but their brews, highlighted by the dare-I-say life changing Good Morning Vietnam coffee vanilla blonde ale, have brought the bar for good beer in the city up a notch or two.
Yummi Banh Mi is led by a charismatic team and has already made a dent in the food truck scene with their Vietnamese-inspired dishes that many customers may have never even seen previously. Put these two quirky characters together and what do you get? MAGIC.
(3) Birdsong Brewing and The Tin Kitchen
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These two each offer a wide array of delicious things that anyone would be happy to try but they’ve been paired together because they each have a specialty that just “fits.”
If you go to Birdsong you will find yourself surrounded by perhaps the coolest outdoor area in all of Charlotte. More importantly, you’ll find yourself with a Jalapeno Pale Ale in your hand. The signature drink of this brewery scene staple has the perfect blend of spice and crisp notes to keep you intrigued and hydrated at the same time.
When you get a drink that complex you’re going to want a food that truly works with it and in this case that food would be the pork belly tacos from The Tin Kitchen. Go ahead and try these two together, I can’t promise you won’t wind up covered in slaw and suds by the end of the night but I’m willing to bet you’ll have found a match made in heaven in the Charlotte culinary scene.