The F&B industry has flourished over the last couple of years, not only in Goa but in India, as a whole. Along with this, the concept of “Food Trucks” is trending, with at least 2 to 3 food trucks seen serving delicious meals on every street. Food trucks and local eateries as such are offering business opportunities to budding entrepreneurs and food enthusiasts across the state. Moreover, most of these food trucks in Goa serve a variety of good quality food at a pocket-friendly price for people who love to hit the streets for a quick bite.
Food trucks in Goa are changing the perspective of how people see street food, where many businesses have already made themselves a name in the industry. Food Engine is one such food truck that is popular among the locals of North Goa for serving the most delicious local burgers & more, at a pocket-friendly price.
Joel Moniz, a local Goan who owns and runs this food truck, has always been passionate about street food and hence decided to launch the Food Engine back in 2017, which is popularly known for its delicious burgers. Joel says, “I was really fond of food since a very young age. Cooking has always been something that I really wanted to do. This is a dream for me.” Even with the pandemic that hit many small businesses, including his, he was able to revive his food truck purely due to the popularity of his burgers amidst returning customers.
If you are heading towards Vagator beach, you will spot this fancy-looking food truck with themed graffiti and always surrounded by people munching on appetizing burgers, fries, and more. Providing solace on good and bad days, Food Engine is definitely a heaven for burger lovers, and why not? Served fresh & hot, these burgers are different from the regular ones as Joel uses only the Goan Bread (Poi) to make his burgers. You’d be spoilt for choice – BBQ Chicken, Schezewan Chicken, Grilled Chicken Steak, Pot Roasted Beef, Beef Chilly, Glazed Beef, and the list of burgers go on and on. They are generously stuffed with Chicken or Beef to the rim so that you take pleasure in every bite of that juicy patty or lip-smacking filling of Chicken or Beef. Ask for a cheese topping and enjoy it till the last bite! Their burgers & sauces are made from scratch, keeping it all absolutely fresh and hygienic.
Apart from Burgers, they also serve some mouthwatering Grilled Chicken Steak, Chicken Wings, and Beef Chilly. To accompany your burger, you can also try their choice of fries – Fries with garlic mayo, peri-peri mayo, chicken & cheese, beef & cheese. Now that’s something you’d not want to miss! They are open from 5:30 p.m. and run till 8:30 or 9:00 p.m on all days except Thursdays. However, a tip here; try to head over earlier before they run out of stock – it says a lot about how much demand the food at the Food Truck has!
What more? Food Engine serves some amazing off-the-menu stuff on weekends, which is why you should definitely drive down to Vagator on a Saturday-Sunday. The Food Truck is located on the Vagator-Anjuna road near AJ Supermarket and is easily found on Google Maps. Either way, you could visit the Vagator, Ozran, and Anjuna beach in the vicinity and then head to the Food Engine to grab a bite or rather take a special trip only to try out what’s on their menu – it is going to be totally worth every penny!
By Kevin Pinto
Images by Kevin Pinto
