One of LA’s Oldest Food Trucks Goes Legit With New Mid-City Location

One of Los Angeles’s longest-tenured food trucks is going brick and mortar, as the South Philly Experience rig is set to land inside a very familiar Pico Boulevard space by the end of the year.

Owner Jonathan Salvatore confirmed to Eater last week that his truck will expand into an official storefront in Mid-City, right on Pico Boulevard just east of Hauser. If that all sounds familiar, it should; Salvatore is putting South Philly Experience right where Sky’s Gourmet Tacos has for some 25 years, before recently relocating a block down to much bigger digs.

Now it’s the Philly cheesesteak specialist’s turn to put in another few decades in the neighborhood. The shop is planning to offer much the same menu as the nearly decade-old truck, from cheesesteaks with Wiz to loaded fries, wings, and a variety of other hoagie options. Salvatore says there’s a bunch that needs to be done to the space, but is timing out a hopeful opening for sometime in December.

While LA’s food truck culture has certainly waned in recent years, there are still more than a few true old-timers still turning out great food — some from right around the early Kogi days. Kogi itself still has four trucks running and does a ton of catering, while names like the India Jones Chow truck continue to roam the streets. Others, like Guerrilla Tacos, have gone fully brick and mortar, leaving the rigs behind.

South Philly Experience. 5408 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA.

• 21 Classic Restaurants Every Angeleno Must Try [ELA]