Indian$$south-granvilleWed-Sun 11:30-15:00, rotating schedule
Vij's Railway Express is Vikram Vij's food truck since 2010, a Granville Island Saturday vendor, the operator's casual format of the Vij's restaurant kitchen.
Try: Modern Indian street food
Order: Lamb kebabs in a paratha wrap with green chutney, Vij family classics, on the truck.
Tip: Schedule on the operator's Instagram week of; Granville Island Saturdays through summer is the most reliable stop.
Street food$downtownMon-Fri 11:00-15:00
Mom's Grilled Cheese Truck on Howe Street since 2011 is downtown's lunchtime grilled cheese cart, a 12-cheese rotation and the city's reference cheese truck.
Try: Grilled cheese, soup
Order: The Big Cheese with tomato soup, the operator's lunchtime calling card.
Tip: Card-friendly; downtown lunch line is busiest 12:00 to 13:00. Soup of the day pairs with any cheese.
Asian fusion$downtownTue-Fri 11:30-14:30
Le Tigre on West Hastings is one of Vancouver's longest-running downtown food trucks since 2012, a Chinese-leaning Crack Salad and rice bowl menu.
Try: Chinese-leaning street food
Order: Crack salad with chicken, the operator's most-ordered bowl.
Tip: Daily location on the operator's Instagram; weekday lunch only.
Mexican$downtownMon-Fri 11:00-15:00
Tacofino's downtown cart on Burrard since 2014 is the operator's lunchtime format, the original Baja-style fish taco and the burrito of the day.
Try: Fish tacos, burritos
Order: The original fish taco with the Tuna Ta-Ta-Tot, the Tofino cart-classic combo.
Tip: Daily location confirmed on the operator's Instagram; the Burrard cart is the most reliable lunch stop.
Japanese ramen$$downtownDaily 11:00-22:00
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka on Robson is the Vancouver branch of the Asahikawa-based chain since 2011, the cherry pork chashu and salt-broth shio bowl.
Try: Tonkotsu ramen
Order: Shio ramen with the Hokkaido cherry pork chashu, the kitchen's signature bowl.
Tip: Counter only; queue tops 30 minutes at peak lunch and dinner. The shio bowl is the kitchen's standard pour.
Vietnamese$punjabi-marketDaily 09:00-19:00Cash only
Banh Mi Tres Bon on Kingsway is the Khmer Vietnamese counter the city sets its banh mi bar by since 2008, a 10-seat counter, fresh-baked baguettes hourly.
Try: Vietnamese banh mi
Order: Classic dac biet banh mi with house pate and cold cuts, the city's reference banh mi.
Tip: Cash only; arrive before 12:00 for the freshest baguettes. The pate special is gone by 13:30.