Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on February 19, 2020.
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If there is one thing that Pittsburgh certainly lacks, it is food truck rallies.
We have amazing food trucks in Pittsburgh, and apart from finding them at breweries and periodic events, getting to enjoy an assortment of food trucks can be tricky at times.
There was the brief attempt at a food truck park, but when that did not return after its first season it seemed like we were back to the drawing board. Enter the Millvale Food Truck Roundup, a periodic food truck rally that takes place at Grist House and Strange Roots on select weekends throughout the year.
It may be our favorite food truck rally yet.
Two Breweries and Several Trucks at the Millvale Food Truck Roundup
Food truck rallies are pretty simple events. A bunch of food trucks get together at a cool spot and make a day of it. Its really that simple, and the Millvale food truck rally is no different.
At this one, approximately eight or so food trucks and stalls get together and split up between Grist House and Strange Roots- two Millvale-based breweries located about 0.3 miles from each other (5-minute walk). This makes for a perfect opportunity to visit one brewery, grab a snack or two and a beer, and then take a quick walk to the other brewery to repeat the process.
During our recent visit, Grist House had Cool Beans, Oakmont BBQ, Pittsburgh Sandwich Society, Pittsburgh Tortas, Yetter's Milkshakes and Strange Roots had Pita My Shwarma, Mr. Bulgogi, Blue Sparrow, Pittsburgh Po'boy- a great spread of some of the best trucks if there ever was one. While we couldn't eat our way through all of them, this collection of trucks did seem to be able to keep up with the masses visiting for the event, and we can certainly appreciate that!
Likewise, the two breweries like to often coincide some of their latest beer releases with these roundups, meaning that you can also be among the first to sample a new creation or get your hands on cans/bottles of some coveted brews all at the same time (naturally, we did).
Parking Can Be A Challenge During the Roundups
Millvale is a fairly tiny borough, and parking can be a bit tricky when it comes to popular events like the Millvale Food Truck Roundups.
During our visit, most of the traffic congestion was felt by those who tried to park in the lot next to Grist House. This one is always a bottleneck due to its tight entry/exit but is especially noticeable on popular days like during the food truck rally.
Thankfully, even at its busiest a fair number of metered parking spots can be found along Grant Street (specifically going further north into Millvale), and an hour was just 25 cents during our visit. As such, we recommend not even bothering to try and park in the conventional lot and instead park a few blocks away at a meter and enjoy just a bit longer walk between the two breweries.
Overall, the Millvale Food Truck Roundup is the kind of rally we want to see more of in the region. While this one only takes place a few times per year, you'll do well checking out the social media profiles of Grist House and Strange Roots to look out for the next one. If all goes well, we'll see you there!
For more food truck rallies, check out the monster Food Truck-a-Palooza at the Monroeville Convention Center each January!
