Off The Grid: McCoppin Hub

parking across the street. or down the street. its on a saturday.
they have 5 trucks. so hopefully you know who you’re looking for. I went and i was disappointed because i should have searched señor sisig’s website or checked my email (they send out a where they’ll be email to their loyal customers every week).
I saw some grilled cheese…5 to 7 dollars? it really was just bread and cheese… it wasn’t even like that expensive cheese. it was one of those… try out a food truck and see if you’d like to do this for a job/​career. rented from off the grid.
i forget the others. i must have looked and looked for a while trying to decide. i went there specifically for a food truck… and i didn’t like the choices of the 5. Señor Sisig was gonna be there for dinner but i was there for Lunch.
Oh well, its tough to know who is gonna be where. Good Luck!

This particular off the grid location just so happens to be in my backyard! Convenience factor I see you!!!
The food… well to the say the most it won’t disappoint and to say the least it’s not awesome, amazing, rave, rant, and beg. No, but you may suggest for some new food truck exploration. That’s what it’s all about right?!
I tried the Thai fries, pulled pork sandwhich, pepper jac Mac, and chilli. Pretty spanking good. All flavors definatly satisfied my taste buds. I was disappointed that I forgot to put barbaque sauce on my pulled pork (I assumed it came on it, mah bad). I wish someone would of reminded me but you can’t always have your cake and eat it too.
Try this location out to try out a new location and have fun playing dodge the bums… just kidding their quite respectful of off the grid.

This has somehow turned into a Saturday morning habit. It’s a pretty nice setup: food trucks surrounding a tent with lots of chairs and some kind of musical entertainment. So far I have to say I have not once enjoyed the musician (Can somebody please fix the gain? I can’t tell if I’m getting old or if it’s always just too freaking loud.) Also, I hope OTG starts listing the food trucks in advance on their website, or at least throw it out there on Twitter. It would be super helpful!

Welcome to the food truck era.
If you have never been to a OTG event. Get you but in gear.
Super fun. Really tasty. My personal favorite is Curryup Now. Chicken Tika Masala Burrito is amazing.
Senior SigSig’s burrito is a close second and Sam’s Chowder Mobile is amazing.

We were visiting from Chicago so this concept was very new to us. However, the food was delicious and the portions were perfect for tasting. I can’t remember which truck it was but we loved the Korean Chicken wings!

(See pics) Review #1142. First try of OtG and this one was at McCoppin which is a smaller scale with only 5 food trucks. A good area with slightly protected and didn’t get windy. Liked it that they had a cute live band playing along the way to keep the eaters entertained.

I went to this location recently, and I would like to make a suggestion.
Please turn the music down. Hey, I love music, and sound systems. I even liked the alt-​pop-​electro stuff you were playing. But the loud music, coming out of mediocre, over-​driven speakers, combined with the truck’s generators, just made for a very uncomfortable environment for me. Not the place to hang out for your hung-​over brunch. I ate quickly so I could leave.
The food from, what was the name, Veritas or something? Pretty good. Although the whole reason I ordered it was that they claimed they had hash browns. They were not. They were fried potatoes. Still very good, but not hash browns in my book.
This isn’t really the nicest or cleanest street in the city. Some sort of visual block between the dining area and the streets would be nice. I sort of felt on display eating there.
Thanks for the chairs, tables would have been nice, but I’m not complaining, just suggesting.

My friends and I arrived at 7PM and the lines were already extremely long! We were lucky to find parking right about the paid lot. As a breakdown of the foods I tried:
+ Pork Dumplings: overpriced for what you’re getting. Filling but nothing special
+ Crème brûlée: I’d only suggest the nutella-​flavored one. Everything else isn’t very tasty
+ Chicken tiki masala burrito: very sausy and filling — unless you’re crazy about curry
+ Fish tacos: my favorite of the night — extremely tasty and satisfying
+ Kennel corn: surprisingly good
+ Empanadas: PASS!
I wish I got to try more but that’s all the time, and stomach space, I had for the night. I’d suggest getting in early or you’ll be standing in the cold. It’s a fun experience though!

Definitely an OK location, but really small and on a slight hill where bottled drinks fall over and the seats lean back… almost scary. And there were four food trucks here, 51^st State, Eat Curbside, Brassknuckle, and one more i cannot remember (no offense). In fact, Señor Sisig LIED on their blog stating they’d be there and they weren’t… bad Señor Sisig BAD! I expected perhaps a cart or two in addition, but I’m doubtful they can fit more than what was there already.
But parking wasn’t horrible, metered (on Valencia) but definitely BARTable, or like some others, take a cab and/​or walk. Definitely a place for people watching; like part of a wedding party came through, as well as flannel /​plaid laden hipsters, and the occasional trendy, too. Next time i’ll head out to Fort Mason

Many people know about Off the Grid at Fort Mason. Some people know about OTG at Civic Center or the Upper Haight.
But who knew there was one in the McCoppin Hub? And furthermore, who knew that cul-​de-​sac was called the «McCoppin Hub?» Did we get a say in this? I vote for a recall. My choices are as such:
–The Octavia Octagon
–The Onpoint Offramp
–The Topsy Turnaround
–The Hoppin’ McCoppin
After checking out SF Underground at Public Works and making our way over to Hayes Valley, we stumble (d)upon (.com) this mini convention of food trucks.
5 trucks are set up in a U-​shape with a tent in the middle with a bunch of chairs that can easily be moved around. There was even a small group of musicians playing some jazz music. I’m not sure if the rotation changes, but we were graced with Señor Sisig, a Hawaiian truck, a Mexican Truck, a Korean truck that cleverly used Seoul in its name, and a final one I can’t quite remember.
My buddy got a single pork taco from Señor Sisig and it was beyond delicious (he let me sneak a bite). Their cilantro cream sauce needs to be mass produced, bought and consumed only by me.
Knowing this exists every Saturday afternoon is going to be a very, very bad thing for 1) my belly 2) my wallet 3) my desire to try anything else during this time frame.
OTG at The Hoppin’ McCoppin: you had me at «pork taco.»

I traveled to Off the Grid from the South Bay expecting it to be similar to what’s portrayed in «Food Truck Revolution» on the Cooking Channel. Unfortunately, there were only three Asian food trucks and a crème brûlée stand available there last Saturday for dinner.
While the food was good (I had a chicken taco from Kung Fu Tacos and garlic noodles with lemongrass chicken from An the Go), I would like to have seen more of a variety. Not to mention, the Iz It truck only had select items available from their already limited menu. The good news is there is plenty of seating and no lines.

I went to peep out this spot Saturday night. It’s weird because you might not see it if you weren’t looking. By the time I got there, things were winding down. In the actual cul de sac, it was only the JapaCurry truck and the Southern Sandwich truck. Unfortunately, I had already eaten dinner so I’ll have to hunt down both of these trucks again. My mission this night was to try out the Crème Brulee Cart and True Sake, both of which were inside Jackie’s Vinoteca and Café, right across the street.
So inside there are two counters. One counter is the True Sake lady, and the other counter is the CBC guy. The True Sake counter had 3 bottles to choose from, ranging in price for a cup: $ 5, $ 6, or $ 7. BUT, they also had a sampler of all 3 for $ 8. Uhhh… hello…the choice is obvious! The CBC counter I think had 5 choices. I went with the vanilla bean, the roasted coconut, and the «Yes, Please!» which is nutella (yes, nutella) with balsamic strawberries at the bottom. Mmmmmmm… Oh, and each crème brûlée cup costs $ 4 each.
Ok, so I like drinking sake, probably cold better than warm. It’s usually pretty smooth and it creeps up on you, which is always fun. I mean, if I knew how to read or speak Japanese, I’d definitely order more sake all the time. But I definitely have a preference for the sweeter ones. The three I tried this night ranged from sweet and smooth ($ 5), to not sweet and kind of bitter ($ 6), to I know I’m drinking alcohol and too much of this sh! t will F@ck me up ($ 7). Since I have a major sweet tooth and love everything sweet, the first one was definitely my favorite. I wouldn’t mind having a bottle of that around the house to go with a juicy steak dinner or something. I know, I should have taken the names of the bottles to be more informative. Sorry! Next time…
As for the crème brûlée, they were all very good. You can probably guess that the Yes, Please! was my favorite. I mean, nutella and strawberries? Come on. I’d eat a whole cake of that stuff. My only gripe is that the cups are really small for $ 4. I mean, I’m still a newb when it comes to food trucks, but I feel like they should all be a little cheaper. It’s not like they have all that overhead cost and a wait staff to pay. And I know they gotta make a living, but times are tough. Haha. And we all wanna get our eats on. Anyways, I guess I’d value those crème brûlée cups at $ 3-​$ 3.50. If it were more than $ 4, I’d probably only get one and not come back. But as it is now, I’d probably hunt him down and try a different flavor. It was good, after all.
And here’s why I’m giving 4 stars. The sake was good and it was fun trying different ones. The crème brûlée was good, but it wasn’t like shaking-​my-​head-​in-​disbelief good (well, maybe the Yes, Please! was). The reason I gave it 4 stars is because together, the sake and the crème brûlée, they were a perfect combination. They each cleansed the palate of my tongue to bring out the flavor of each other. Take a bite of the crème brûlée… yum, take a swig of sake… yum, then reset. The flavors of each counteracted each other perfectly so that every bite or swig was like tasting each one for the first time. I thought it was odd at first, walking into that café and seeing the selling of sake and crème brûlée and nothing else. But now I get it, now I see the light. Much props to the owners. Thanks for introducing me to a new experience.

My second Off the Grid experience at the OtG: McCoppin, its SOOAIGHTTT!!!
OtG: McCoppin is located in a cul-​de-​sac at the end of McCoppin St just crossing Valencia St. If you know San Francisco this is really NOT an ideal location for an Off the Grid. Parking could be a challenge depending on the time of the day and the location is not exactly a stroll in the park. I wouldn’t exactly come here solo during the evening hours, but that’s just me.
We were actually on our way to my sister-in-law’s house, when we stopped by to pick up some food. It was around 3:30 pm, so fortunately we found parking right away, right in front of the «Medical Marijuana» building, (HELLO!) just two buildings away from the cul-​de-​sac. I was with my wife and three kids so I didn’t bother bring them in with me, so I just grabbed the food to go.
They only had four trucks serving and they were in the ending part of their shift so the selection was somewhat limited. The following trucks were present:
Señor Sisig — Got my kids their favorite, Nacho Sisig and my wife her Sisig Tacos.
JapaCurry — One of the SF Food Trucks I’ve been dying to try since I love Japanese food and Curry. I got the Chicken Katsu Curry and it was simply OISHII! (That’s delicious by the way, and yes I Googled it!)
Southern Sandwich — Never heard of this Food Truck before until today, but I tried the Fredricksburg Hot Link and it was YUMTASTILIGHTFULICIOUS! (Now try Googling that!)
Eat Curbside — Didn’t try it, sorry. We can only eat so much.
Like I said in the beginning, this is not my ideal place for an Off the Grid, but I still love the Food Trucks represented. They did have plenty of seats and umbrellas for shade. Then there’s your great and friendly Off the Grid followers that fully support the Street Food Movement. So if you love your Off the Grid then give it a shot, just come in a group and your running shoes. Oh and don’t forget the 2^nd building from the cul-​de-​sac ;)

I just got back inside from dashing through tonight’s LIGHTENING STORM to get to Off the Grid; I’ll be damned if anything stands in the way of my Saturday food truck grub fest.
On tonight’s menu were ahi sliders from Eat Curbside and some Hawaiian mochiko chicken with kimchi and macaroni salad from 51^st State (with a piece of complimentary banana cream pie thrown in for braving the elements!).
I’m thoroughly stuffed to the gills and a little damp, but I will continue to make my weekly rounds to this hub and do my part to keep these trucks around. I live right down McCoppin, and I gotta say, my block isn’t the nicest one SF has ever seen. Not only does Off the Grid bring great new food options to the neighborhood, but I’ve noticed that come Saturday, this gathering scares away the riffraff that would otherwise be breaking into/​sleeping in my car and making it smell for the hundred thousandth time.
So keep coming back, Off the Grid! I love you, truly madly deeply.

To me, Off the Grid is the total SF experience. It doesn’t get any better than this. People you talk with and meet are just super cool — nice and friendly and happy to be grubbing. You get to sit outside on foldable chairs with your friends, breathing in the crisp SF air, a little bit of bay breeze nipping at your nose. A Jazz duo is playing in the center, music is filling the air, and there is nowhere else I would rather be.
Ok on to the food. 5 trucks tonight.
1) Señor Sisig — chicken sisig tacos. Tender cuts of chicken in a soft tortilla with fresh salsa. But heck I ordered MILD! Still super spicy but tasty. My friend ate 3. Veggie lumpia was bursting with flavor, and wasn’t greasy. Wasn’t hot (temperature) enough though.
2) 51^st state — the hawaii — ginger and soy sauce marinated chicken. Perfectly done, still crispy on the outside but tender and juicy on the inside. Mac salad was decent too.
3) Little Green Cyclo — rice vermicelli noodles with pork, nicely done and the pork was grilled nicely, not overdone but tender. Sweet potato fries with mango mint dipping sauce. Try these. Must. Salty Lemonade, haven’t had one since I was a kid. Very sour, might be an acquired taste.
4) Eat Curbside — The ahi tuna sliders were off the hook. Crazy Yummy. One of the best I’ve had. The bun was perfectly toasted, the ahi was perfectly seared with the middle still raw, and the wasabi aoili was so, so tasty. The truck had the longest lines and I understand why.
5) Twirl and Dip Ice Cream — Got the ice cream soda with butterscotch. It was very good, kinda reminds me of the salted caramel at Bi-​Rite. A totally great way to end the food evening.
Come out and support your local chefs.

Off the Grid represents the essence of cuisine in San Francisco: good food from someplace unexpected…
Because it was a yucky day there were only 2 trucks but that was enough to satisfy me and my patna. Vietnamese sandwiches and Pork/​Duck buns. The food was so good from both and of course the price was spot on. Cheap eats! I’m a fan!

We knew we were going to have a «light dinner» and so we got really excited when we spotted a taco truck in the corner of our eyes as we walked along Market Street.
«What’s a little greasy snack before a light, healthy dinner,» we thought.
And surprise surprise, do our eyes deceive us? 5 different trucks? Why yes… making that slight detour off Market totally worth it. A smaller «Off The Grid» but definitely more manageable with next to no lines. There was Señor Sisig, Le Truc Gastrobus, and ummm … sorry I got distracted by fried chicken drumsticks at IZ IT Fresh Grill.
A cul de sac on Valencia and McCoppin makes for a cozy pod for food trucks and their fans. Yes it’s not exactly as pretty as Fort Mason or Jack London Square, but for a quick bite, this OTG venue more than suffices.

I must admit that Andrew Zimmern’s appearance here (with Food Network chef Chris Cosentino) for a filming of Bizarre Foods is what initially led me here.
Boy, am I sure glad we came here! The food was so awesome and I wish we had more room in our tummies to try even more things. We tried food from carts/​trucks that had Filipino food, Korean food, falafels, and Mexican food… everything was delicious! There was also a cupcake truck (CupKate’s), and the main attraction… Le Truc, featuring offal from Chris Cosentino that day.
The area wasn’t too large, but there were enough chairs for everyone when we arrived for our late lunch.
My favorite today was definitely Liba… one of the best falafels I’ve ever had. They had small or regular size, and their topping bar is plentiful and adorable. Mmm, I should have bought an extra falafel to take home. The flavor was awesome, and there was no overpowering ingredient. They also had awesome sweet potato fries. Now, these were not like the stupid giant sweet potato fries you order in a pub… they were smaller pieces that were seasoned and came with lime wedges! So flavorful and SO GOOD.
The meat from Seoul On Wheels was also quite tasty… I think they gave a very good amount for the money as well. Great flavor, and tasted fresh off the grill :)
The Mexican food truck (forgot the name) had veggie tamales, which were quite interesting. I thought those tasted okay, not as awesome as the other food we tried.
We also had tacos from Hapa SF. The first one tasted awesome, but I do have to mention that tastes really salty. Well I LOVE salt so that was fine by me! However, later on it started getting too salty, so one taco was quite enough (the orders come with two soft tacos).
Everyone selling food there was super friendly, and we didn’t buy one thing that we didn’t like. It was a very family friendly event; some people even brought their dogs. Man I LOVE food carts/​trucks… made for an awesome lunch today :)

Had to come check out the trucks. Off the Grid is a great way to try some of the awesome food trucks in the city without having to search the city for them. This is a great little spot where McCoppin dead ends. The trucks line the perimeter and there are seats in the middle, no tables so be prepared. All employees were friendly
Was expecting 6 trucks this evening based on facebook information, but only 3 trucks this evening:
51^st State
Curry Up Now
Chairman Bao
Started with Chairman Bao, was dying for some buns. You have your choice of baked or steamed. Baked is your typical round bun with stuffing inside. Steamed buns are like the pancakes you get when you order Peking Duck. I personally prefer steamed, I just like the taste of the dough. My date and I ordered 3 buns: braised pork with cabbage was so delicious, pork was juicy, tender, and savory cabage was good contrast to slight sweetness of braised meat. Tofu was a thick slice with greens, good flavor, they had run out of this one before we left. My other half liked the duck, I don’t eat duck so can’t say.
Did not order anything from 51^st, they had run out of mochiko chicken and their pork sandwich. Was tempted to get salad they had because it had Green Goddess dressing… takes me back to my childhood, it was my favorite dressing.
At Curry Up Now we ordered a chicken tikka masala burrito to share. This was so flavorful and spicy, maybe too spicy for some people.
All trucks had waters, sodas. And Chairman Bao also had coconut water, and shaved ice drinks with tapioca including a matcha mango green tea, salted caramel pineapple, and ginger lychee. I had a ginger pineapple with bits of mango that I had heard the employees say they could make for the people ahead of me. It was delicious, sweet, tart, and gingery all at the same time.
It was a little chilly but still fun to sit around and people watch. It was a great mix of people from all over the city. Even recognized some Unilocalers from their pictures. Will definitely be back to check out other food trucks.

OTG: McCoppin
Organizer website:
Hours: NO schedule — PENDING for 2014
4 – 5 food trucks
(Saturdays 11am-3:30pm — discontinued on 9/​7/​13.)
(Tuesdays 5−9pm — Sep-​Dec 2013.)
** Update for 2011: Due to low foot traffic, evenings hours (5−10pm) have been discontinued, but reserved for special occasions.
** Update for 2012: OTG added Sundays on 6÷3÷12, but soon after discontinued that schedule due to low demand.
** Update for 2013: On 9÷10÷13, this Saturday brunch event was moved to Tuesday nights (5−9pm). I really don’t understand who thought this change would be better. Bad idea to abandon their loyal weekend brunch customers. Also, it’s not safe to walk around this area at night (my opinion). Who knows, maybe they plan to feed some of the drug dealers, crooks and drunks that wander at night. Deducted a star for the change.
** Update for 2014: Organizers scheduled a few new events (movie night, yoga, bake sale, speakers, etc.) during Nov. 2013, to attract nearby residents to the hub. All activity ceased by Dec. 2013 because the Cul de Sac will be converted into a park («McCoppin Hub Plaza»). Construction will include lateral space for food trucks, so OTG will return by mid-​2014 — No news yet on future truck schedule.
Not sure that a park is the best use for our tax dollars. The grass areas will eventually go bald because of people standing on them, pets and homeless (and drunks) will relieve themselves on the trees, and the ground will be muddy on rainy days. Plus debris from trees on non-​rainy days. Result = more smelly and dirty than it’s today.
*************
Location #4 for the popular gathering of food trucks in SF. This is a small Cul de Sac just across the street from the Travelodge Motel, and next to uHaul.
Good for the few people who cannot attend other weekday OTG events, or those who hate long lines. The space can hold up to 6 trucks, today there were 4 different food trucks scheduled for lunch and dinner.
Honestly, not much incentive for the food trucks to come here. Long hours without enough customers, equals less profit. Truck owners already know that crowds prefer locations like OTG Fort Mason. Other limiting factors: Not enough parking for customers to come here, and public transportation is not convenient. The Market street bus stops are many blocks away.
This seems like a gentrification experiment by the city. This particular area is iffy, so always check your surroundings, and during late hours it’s better to walk with a group. See tips:
I did some research, and according to the SFPD crime data online, this small area has approx. 150 crime incidents (muggings, auto theft, vandalism, petty theft, drug possession, assaults, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, strong-​arm robbery, resisting arrest, bicycle theft, etc.) avg. per quarter (90 days). That’s lower than high crime areas like: 6^th St (+700), Mission (+600), Bayview (+400), Tenderloin (+2K), and Market St (+1K), but still considerable enough to be concerned.
In my opinion, it’s a safe area only during the day. Never had any problems when I come to shop at nearby Flax Art Supplies. Note that the Hayes Valley Proxy area (about 8 blocks, north of Market St) has much better and wider dining options.
After subsequent visits, this OTG brunch has now become a popular spot on sunny weekends.
Most trucks are cash only, but a few now use the «Square» app device to accept credit cards. Check Facebook for event updates.