Off the Grid: Hillsdale

It was a really sad off the grid. I didn’t even get to try anything because there was only 2 trucks there. The posters inside the mall made it look like there was a big variety of food to choose from. This review isn’t for the food of those two trucks, it’s for the fact that this off the grid only had two trucks on a Friday.

Went here on a weekday when it opened at 11am. Only 3 trucks were there so I decided to try The Chairman Truck. I ordered the pork belly bao & spicy chicken bao. The pork belly was the best! Wish there was more of a selection in food trucks but I’m sure the evenings and weekends are more packed. They had a large tented seating area which was nice and very clean.

Off The Grid Hillsdale is a relatively new OTG market that’s stuck in the middle between OTG Burlingame and OTG Belmont since it’s also located at a Caltrain station parking lot, this one being the parking lot across the street from Barnes & Noble at Hillsdale Mall. The big plus about this market is that it’s on a Saturday during lunch from 11am to 3pm, which is great for people who can’t make it to OTG’s lunch markets during the work week.
For a fairly new OTG market, I’m pretty impressed with their truck lineup since they have a few of my favorite trucks including Seoul of Taipei, Izzy’s Cheesesteaks, Opie’s Gourmet Stacked Burgers, Hula Truck, and FK Custard Truck. In total, there are usually around 6 – 7 trucks and they rotate every other week so check Off The Grid’s website to see what trucks are on the schedule.
Compared to the other two OTG markets at the Belmont and Burlingame Caltrain stations, the parking lot here is the smallest and tightest when it’s crowded. They also have a small amount of chairs set up, but that’s because they’re still testing the market out.
I hope OTG Hillsdale does well. I went when it just opened late last year so I didn’t see any foot traffic. Hope it does pick up though. They have a solid lineup of food trucks and it’s a great spot to pick up lunch on a Saturday.

Off the Grid San Mateo@Hillsdale lists it locale as the hillsdale parking lot. true. it’s also across the road from Barnes & Noble. parking may be a problem. attendance seem low. (maybe some people went to see the Blue Angels)
i parked in the lot across the street, noticed caltrains parking later. decided to walk over rather than park in caltrains lot. vacancies hard to spot.
food trucks present: (10÷10÷15)
–Pacific Puff
–Waffle Roast (uses waffles as buns for sammies)
–Arki Grill-​Indian truck didn’t get much love
–Whisk of Wheels-​continuous line
–the Boneyard-​BBQ
–Don Pablo-​Peruvian eats
–Los Toluca-​mex
etc.
band: an isotope: generic rock and roll?
leftovers:
–waffle roast, whisk of wheels, boneyard had continuous lines
–don pabo, los toluca, sporaic lists
–others: no waiting.
–may return, south bay trucks never tried…

Finally! An Off the Grid within blocks from my home!
Located in the Hillsdale Caltrain Station’s South Parking lot (El Camino Real and Hillsdale Blvd) in San Mateo, this OTG is opened on Saturdays 11AM-​3PM. It’s a little tricky to find since the main parking for Hillsdale Caltrain Station is across the street from the mall. This OTG is, however, across the street from Barnes and Noble.
Parking in this lot is limited. You can find parking across the street at either Barnes and Noble or Hillsdale Mall.
The guy that welcomes everyone at the entrance is really nice. As with most Off the Grids, there are 7 trucks.
The Grand Opening Lineup:
Los Tolucas
Don Pablo
Whisk on Wheels
Ark Grill
The Boneyard
The Waffle Roost
Pacific Puffs
Had myself Waffle Roost and boy was it delicious! One of the best waffle I’ve ever had and it’s from a food truck. The two pieces of chicken I had was seasoned well and super moist and juicy. I’m going to be coming back for more! Bonus-​the cashier is very friendly and remembers and calls you by name after you swipe your card.
Whisk on Wheels’ Pineapple, Raspberry, Ginger and Basil Lemonade was amazing! $ 4, was a little steep, but you won’t find this combination of flavors anywhere else. The best lemonade I’ve ever had.
A great start to this new addition of OTG. Lines are short on opening day but I can imagine it growing so come early!