Pelican Brother's Food Truck: I'm in love with a food truck

Pelican Brothers Food Truck
(Usually parked outside of Common Grounds and open only at night)
Follow them on Facebook for more locations and hours

I've fallen in love with a food truck! Despite the recent national popularity of these mobile culinary emporiums, Gainesville seems to only have one operating at the present moment. Started by the former bass player of Mercury Program and his wife, Pelican Brothers serves up unique dishes perfect for late night snacks.

Nearly every menu item is reasonably priced finger food that will satisfy any alcohol induced craving. You're looking to spend anywhere from 3-7 dollars on anything from Fish Taquitos, empanadas, quesadillas, oyster sliders, or hand cut french fries.

As everything is cooked inside the truck, there aren't many preparation options available besides deep frying. Typically, I steer clear of fried food as it's usually very heavy and laden with oil. Pelican Bros, however, has perfected the art of deep frying and their items always arrive as feather light crispy treats.


My ultimate favorite menu item is the fish taquito. They don't roll up and deep fry the whole thing (like other "taquitos"). Rather, they just serve a golden breaded chunk of delicious fish on a small corn tortilla shell, complete with cabbage and spicy sauce. It's basically a little taco. You can get 2 for $5 or 3 for $7. I absolutely love these things and can't get enough of them.

I've also tried the quesadilla, which is prepared on the griddle and not deep fried. It came with a delicious tomatillo salsa and some sort of creamy avocado dip that had wonderful spices in it (I want to say clove or allspice). Finally, I've eaten the peanut butter and plantain empanada with chipotle sauce drizzled on top. It was quite good.

I'm really impressed with the flavors, preparation styles, and simplicity that comes out of this little truck. It is a much welcomed addition to downtown Gainesville's night food scene. I hope they consider opening for lunch, as downtown really needs some new quality lunch options.