Happy was the day that the City of Vancouver issued the Burger Bus a licence to run a food cart on Robson Street. Not only is the bus interesting to look at, but they serve up a whole plethora of burgers that are organic, locally sourced, gluten-free, and pretty darn tasty. Some instant winners are the Bison Jalapeno, the Angus Beef, and the Hella Good Halibut Burger.
The food truck is a 1973 Volkswagen van… a classic and first of the Volkswagen Type 2 panel vans. The idea comes from the colourful and loaded with bling Cocktail Cars in Thailand.
For the longest time, La Niña and I walked past the bus on Robson and Hornby daily; they take only cash and if we had cash, we’d have a burger. They were a prominent and predictable feature on our walks.
However, one day the bus has disappeared and in its place was Big Dogs Street Hots. It was mildly distressing because in my head I kept hearing the food truck equivalent of a cage match: the Burger Bus dominated the corner of Robson and Hornby until one day they were taken out by Big Dogs Street Hots.
In reality, Big Dogs is the sister truck of the Burger Bus. Both are owned by the same company and both are equally organic, tasty, and gluten-free. There was a big event that cleaned the Bus out of all of its hamburgers; and, because their product is handmade, it took them a while to rebound. And, until then, the option was organic smokies on a potato bun.
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Even in tony River Oaks you can find a gourmet food truck – Bernie’s Burger Bus – parked next to Lizzard’s Pub on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, serving up delicious organic Black Angus burgers with homemade condiments and hot French fries from an old yellow school bus. Chef/owner Justin Turner’s fare rivals the best burger joints in the city.