Land ho! Wafels & Dinges, the popular food truck turned brick and mortar shop, has arrived upon the shores of the mainland and docked along 149th Street in front of Lincoln Hospital.
In 2007, a Wafels & Dinges truck began roaming the streets of Manhattan, along with Williamsburg and the usual suspects in Brooklyn, and Astoria in Queens.
Serving up what they call “authentic” Belgian Wafels — which doesn’t consist of using pancake batter — they became what Gothamist called “a perennial favorite”, since they only operated during warmer months of the year.
Last year the truck plucked down some roots and the company opened its first cafe in the East Village.
According to Tyler, an employee who was operating the truck in Melrose on Wednesday, they’ve only been out for a few weeks, “but the numbers are already encouraging.”
And locals were equally pleased.
Alex Brown, a student at Hostos Community College who first alerted Welcome2TheBronx about the Wafels & Dinges truck, said it, “…was the perfect after class snack.” He had a mini with Nutella and powdered sugar and a coffee.
A nurse at Lincoln Hospital was excited to have such downtown flavor, Uptown in The Bronx and told us, “If you bring it and show people that there are different options they will come.”
Three women who worked down 149th Street towards The Hub agreed. One of the customers kept raving to her colleagues about the new truck and had brought along two of her friends for the experience.
Melrose resident Karah Shaffer told us her Belgian roommate, Steven Schuermans who’s been living in Melrose for the past four years says, “It’s the most legit of wafels in the US.”
“…I think it’s great they’re coming up here. They do sell the real deal, as authentic as it gets at least. They make them just like back home but they offer a bigger variety of toppings…it’s quite nice to have a little piece of Belgium make it’s way into the Bronx,” Schuermans, 27 year old Filmmaker and Director, told us.
You can get a plain old Belgian Wafel and choose from a variety of toppings, or ‘dinges’ as they’re called, including but not limited to: walnuts, real Vermont maple syrup, powdered sugar, butter, bananas, strawberries, and dulce de leche.
For the adventurous, you can opt for a savory wafel which includes popular menu items like ‘Chicken N’ Gravy Wafel Biscuit’ which is “Two savory mini wafels smothered in chicken & mushroom gravy with a side of greens,” or ‘BBQ Pulled Pork Classic’ which they describe as, ” Where Brussels meets Biloxi: a wafel topped with Pulled Pork, coleslaw, sweet BBQ sauce and a coolickle.”
What did I have? I opted for a regular sized one topped with walnuts, bananas, Vermont maple syrup and powdered sugar. I can honestly say that it was the best tasting wafel I’ve ever had and it wasn’t the cheap version we’re used to here in the states made from pancake batter. It was such gooey deliciousness.
Wafels & Dinges were recognized in 2010 as the number one food truck in the city by Zagats, and The Learning Channel called them the best food truck in the country.
Their arrival is yet another indication of the growing confidence the commercial sector has in the Melrose area of The Bronx. The location is perfect since The Hub, two blocks over, is the busiest intersection outside of Times Square (over 200,000 people walk by daily). Just a couple of blocks away is The Opera House Hotel (The Bronx’s first luxury boutique hotel) and a few blocks north the luxury boutique Umbrella Hotel will be opening in September.
Wafel & Dinges food truck is out on 149th Street between Morris and Park Avenues Mondays and Wednesdays from 9AM to 8PM. Make sure to follow them on Twitter @waffletruck to find out which other locations they’re heading out to in the city.
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