Street food$downtownMon-Thu 11:00-21:00, Fri-Sat 11:00-23:00, Sun 11:00-20:00
Japadog's Robson cart since 2005 from owner Noriki Tamura is the Japanese hot dog that defined Vancouver street food, a brick-and-mortar plus city carts.
Try: Japanese-Canadian fusion hot dogs
Order: Terimayo dog with teriyaki sauce, mayo and dried seaweed; the original Japadog.
Tip: Cart only at Burrard and Smithe; the Robson brick-and-mortar has the full menu and seating.
Mexican$$gastownMon-Sun 11:00-22:00
Tacofino on West Cordova since 2014 is the Tofino-origin food-truck-turned-restaurant, Vancouver's reference Baja-style fish taco, four city locations.
Try: Fish tacos, burritos
Order: The Tuna Ta-Ta-Tot tots, the original Tacofino fish taco and a margarita pitcher.
Tip: The Gastown branch has a full bar; the original cart in Tofino remains the calendar event.
Street food$downtownMon-Sun 11:00-19:00, weather dependent
Japadog's flagship downtown cart at Burrard and Smithe since 2005 is the original location, the lunchtime queue and the city's most-photographed street food.
Try: Japanese hot dogs
Order: Oroshi dog with grated daikon and soy sauce, the lunchtime cart standby.
Tip: Card and Apple Pay accepted; weather closures posted on the operator's Instagram on the morning of the day.
Indian$$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.