Dayton area food truck
Dayton, OH 45402
937.232.8314
Facebook page
As food trucks in Dayton go, there has been a great influx of new ones coming online in recent years to show up at all the public events and things. The most popular of the old food trucks are always tied up in private events and gatherings. The Vistro is one of the newer ones; while there are relatively few Vietnamese restaurants in Dayton itself, this spot offers some common Vietnamese dishes, which you can walk with and enjoy. These dishes are pretty easy to like, especially if you like Vietnamese food.
So the restaurant totes authentic Vietnamese cuisine, and I’d call it a familiar representation of common south Vietnamese versions of foods. Most of them are pretty simple — if you’ve been to a good local dive, you know bun, or pho, or springs rolls. What I tried:
- Spring Rolls: $1.50 gives you an enormous fried spring roll with a very crunchy thick wonton wrap and a filling of chopped veggies. It’s delicious, and it’s served with a fish sauce-based dip called nước chấm. Generally it’s a bit sweeter but this version really lets that fishy taste come front and center.
- Banh Mi: The most popular version of this French-inspired sandwich has grilled beef and a pork sausage patty inside. Cilantro gives it a little bit of freshness, but make no mistake that this sandwich is spicy! With an assertive heat that really leaves you warmed up. I love it.
- Noodle salad: Pretty well known as Pho. A base of vermicelli noodles and lots of cilantro, bean sprouts, onions, Vietnamese sausage and the like. Then you have an option for a kind of meat that suits you. This take on Pho is a bit salty, but it’s definitely a very satisfying lunch.
The truck tends to roll up around local events; the Food Truck gatherings downtown each month, the local breweries where hanging out in the evenings is popular, and in most of those places, it’s going to be the only one there specifically catering to good Vietnamese food. It’s delicious! I’m a big fan.
Vietnamese food is entering larger public acceptance in the U.S. today, but Dayton, with its big Air Force roots, has always had a particular audience for it. It’s nice to see a food truck catering to this kind of food seeing enough popularity to be a mainstay in town here. I certainly hope to see more of this one around town.
Recommendations
- The “Noodle salad” is actually one of the most popular dishes, Pho. This one is good to take and walk, though you might want to sit and eat it so you don’t spill (Banh mi is good to take and walk.)
- A lot of things here have Vietnamese sausage in them by default. Like Vietnamese for its vegetarian and healthy qualities? Just make sure you let them know when you order.
- The truck is pretty active on Facebook, so you can spot it there.
Another Food Critic 