Had heard good things and finally got to try their food on Saturday at Flat 12's Anniversary Party! Â We tried the BBQ Chicken Cone. Â It was definitely quite yummy! Â The only thing I wasn't crazy about was that there was a pickle in there (but I HATE pickles). Â But other than that, I loved it and can't wait to come across Scratchtruck again!
Review Source:Their poutine is amazing. Â I lived in Montreal for a few years and my mission was to find the best poutine - moved back to the USA, and Scratchtruck poutine is my favorite. Â Mine had the chicken gravy, mozzarella cheese curds, & fresh herbs (thyme and rosemary, I think). Â Their fries are perfect. Â Everything I've tried on the menu has been great - it really is fine dining from a food truck. Â My mouth is watering now...
Review Source:[ * ] Â Â Â Â Â What's that little mark over to the left of this sentence? Â It's the coveted 6TH star that I am awarding to Scratch. Â Yep, that's right. Â Granting a 6TH star is one of my superpowers. Â Why does Scratch deserve 6 stars? Â Why *don't* they deserve 6 stars?
Great menu. Â Innovative specials. Â Tasty, tasty food. Â Service with a smile...they act like they are genuinely happy to take your order and serve it up to you.
No parking near IUPUI today you said via social media? Â Parked near OneAmerica you said via social media? Â Perfect...that's about a 1 minute walk from where I was near lunch time.
6 stars. Â Definitely.
I use to think Food Trucks were for serving the hungry masses with the essentials of the grease pyramid: burgers, hot dogs, pizza, etc. Â Then I went to GenCon and came upon the wonderfulness that is the ScratchTruck. Â Right off the bat I was blown away by their vegetarian optionS, that's right a non-pizza foodtruck with vegetarian optionS. Â Considering how few brick & mortar restaurants in Indy offer vegetarian anything, I was pleasantly surprised to see a food truck with variety. Â
I decided to indulge in the polenta and black bean burger, using a fork as suggested by the chef. Â For my side I upgraded to the poutine de peru and wow wow wow were they amazing! Â The only downside of my entire meal was the size of the top bun, a problem easily solved by ripping it in half and using the "extra" to scoop up more of the poutine gravy amazingness. Â I fully planned to go back the next day but alas this Red Wonder is closed on Sundays. Â
Until GenCon '13 I will be patiently waiting to get more of that amazing poutine...and everything else offered at this magical food truck.
I neglected you. I knew you were good. I knew others loved you. Yet, I failed to give you the attention you deserve. So, here I am, after all this time, writing a food love note of sorts in an effort to redeem myself.
You, oh mighty Scratchtruck you, are a food genius on wheels. An ingredient selecting guru. A flavor combo mastermind. And it all started with the watermelon jalapeno lemonade. I am not one to overly fancy anything watermelon-flavored other than watermelon itself, but here I was with a tear in my eye hitting the bottom of the Scratch cup. Sweet and salty. Spicy and sweet. You name it - I am all about mixing interesting flavors.
I have this theory that you can tell a good chef by their tomatoes. Are they white and watery and abnormally perfect in shape or was there special attention given to finding the ripest freshest vining fruits around? Scratchtruck must have searched high and low because the tomatoes on their Polenta & Black Bean Burger were packed with flavor. The creamy and moist patty with Red Peppers, Onions, Jalapenos and Avocado Puree was crrazzzy good. I swapped out the side order of fries for the Lucky black eyed peas with Italian sausage and collared greens - this good have been a meal alone.
Fries are PERFECT here. Literally amazing, and I'm not a big time fry guy. Crispy, crunchy, salted just right ...worth the visit for these alone!
On the first visit, the polenta + black bean burger was very good. I expected a firmer polenta but this is a soft and creamy version. I really wanted a little more avocado and tomato topping though, could have put it over the top! As it stands, a big and delicious 4 star sandwich.
For the second visit, I got the Asian cheese steak sandwich (special, not on regular menu). Tender, salty, moist, balanced. I loved it, 4.5 star sandwich.
The person working the window both times was seriously, seriously happy ...even on a rough day, you can't help but smile when someone is that cheery. I'll be back again for sure. Just gotta hit the treadmill first.
Had ST today for the first time. Scratch burger was amazing. Scratch grilled cheese was an orgasm in my mouth. Fries looked like old fingers but tasted amazing. One complaint. And only. The basil lemonade was wayyy to basil-y. Tasted like lemon spaghetti sauce. I will have scratch truck again. Just not the lemonade.
Review Source:In my opinion, the best food truck in Indy. They make a grilled cheese sandwich that includes short rib, onions, and some greens - it is excellent. Comes in a box with some fries which are great as well, much better than the average french fry.
So it's five stars for the food, but three stars for the price. The grilled cheese was $9 + tax. In my mind they are competing with places like Yat's, Chipotle, etc for my "quick food that doesn't suck" dollars and they're a little higher priced than the others. That doesn't stop me from going there though. They usually sit outside of Upland Brewery on Thursday nights, so you can get food from the truck and sit inside Upland and eat / drink. Highly recommend checking this truck out.
So I've been to Scratch a few times now and I love it. Probably my favorite spot to eat in Indy. The sandwiches are smart and hella tasty! Â I suggest going for the grilled cheese with fries upgraded to the poutine. It's filling and fast and compared to chain spots, the price is right on point.
Scratch Tuck is a win not only for the food truck scene but the dining scene of Indianapolis.
I would really love to give it a four star since the fries blew me away and I couldn't think of any other places that serve tastier fries. However, the medium well scratch burger that my bf and I ordered were a little bitter. And the buns were not like what others say, toasted, it came out rather plain and soft. Plus, 8 bucks for a burger and fries from a food truck is not exactly the price I have in mind for a food truck.
The weird thing is, even though we complained the bitterness in the burger, the more we eat, the more we decided it's actually pretty good. So, scratchtruck, we're gonna give you one more try next time.
I think everyone knows about the delicious fair from Scratchtruck. The Scratch Burger is consistently amazing. Melty Gorgonzola and bacon marmalade melding together and oozing out over everything. The Scratch Grilled Cheese that is more braised short ribs with cheese than a traditional grilled cheese. Poutine has become a new star on the menu. Start with crispy fries then cover them with gravy, cheddar cheese curds, and fresh herbs. Can't get enough of them. Really.
Well, hold on to your hats b/c there is the new Scratch Royale with Cheese and Mac. Buttery, toasted, honey white bread loaded with slow roasted pork, cheddar cheese, home made BBQ sauce, caramelized onions, and mac & cheese! It's so good! Grab extra napkins b/c this sammie can not be contained. After scarfing it down, I spent 3 minutes licking all 10 of my fingers. Delicious! Do yourself a favor and get the gumbo. This is also a scrumptious new addition. Chicken, andouille, shrimp & orzo. Dark, smoky broth, that has a hint of spice, but is not spicy. Best side yet.
Aside from the delicious food that I always receive, I really love coming here. I get happy just thinking about going to Scratchtruck. A jittery, excited, waiting in line for a roller coaster, feeling in my tummy. Once at the side of the big red truck, I always get a huge smile on my face. Life seems better in the cool glow of the rope lights around the windows. Matt is always friendly, has some fun tid bit to share, and asks what's new with me. I don't even mind waiting for my food, I'm on cloud 9. Â If it wouldn't be too weird I would probably do a little tap dance ala Fred Astaire while I waited b/c I am that happy. Another one of my favorite things about Scratchtruck: hearing my name called when my order is ready. Just thinking about it now is making me smile.
LOVE, the Scratchtruck. The staff is extremely friendly and the food is excellent. Everytime I visit, no matter if it's downtown, or around town, the owner remembers me and the company I work for. That's customer service! Most business' are lacking that these days, but they have it down.
I suggest the Spicy Chicken Cone & some fries. The Poutine Fries are delicious as well. My wife loves their fries as they are extremely fresh and never soggy.
Wish they would make it up to the Northside more tho... ;)
Good but not as good as the hype surrounding it. Â I liked the basil lemonade a lot - a very unique concept. The tomato basil soup, fries, and mac and cheese were pretty good but not amazing. I will definitely try it again though before I write it off because I really do like the concept.
Review Source:I'm only writing this to keep from going back out and getting something else. I just had the braised short rib grilled cheese and fries.Yes, it did taste as good as it sounds.
Ok, what else can I type so I don't go back...what else....my favorite color is orange...well, more of a burnt orange really be....oh forget it, I'm going back!!
I'm a big follower of all of the food trucks. And it is very disappointing that more of them don't come closer to Fishers. So you can imagine my excitement one afternoon when I was on my weekly Wednesday trip to the comic book shop when we saw this truck parked off of 82nd!
I had a burger, which was delicious. One of the best I've had around town. But the highlight was definitely the fries. Fresh cut, and flavored with all sorts of yummy stuff. If all they served were fries it would be enough to make me a regular customer (but I think there's already another truck for that). So I'll just have to go back and see what other kind of yummy-ness I can find.
Minor complaints: price seemed a little high, but that was fairly easily overlooked once I took a bite of my burger. My buddy that came with had a vegetarian grilled cheese, and said that the caramelized onions were way over powering and took over the whole sandwich....but not in a good way.
Keep up what you're doing though Scratch Truck. And as I said on my NY Slice review: COME TO THE NORTHSIDE MORE OFTEN, DAMMIT!!! :)
Chris and I recently stopped at The Scratch Truck to grab a bit to eat. Â The food was really good, with everything being made daily from fresh ingredients. Â It turned out that I had previously waited on the owner. Â You can follow them on Facebook or Twitter to find their current location for any given evening. Â They did have Mexico Coke( the drink, not white powder), Which I have never tried before, It was really damn good. Â My only complaint is that for a food truck I thought it to be a little on the pricey side, but they do make everything fresh everyday, from fresh ingredients. Â So overall, it was worth the price and I would eat their again.
Review Source:I really wanted to love this place but on the day I tried them it was just okay. Â Maybe it was an off day for them. Â I had the scratch burger that comes with hand cut fries. Â The burger was slightly overcooked but had nice flavor. Â You can't go wrong with bacon marmalade. Â The fries were well seasoned. Â I also had a cup of pasta e fagoli soup had way too much rosemary. Â The soup was barely warm and a huge disappointment.
Review Source:Midst the food truck explosion here in Indianapolis few trucks have really been able to- in my mind- distinguish themselves as something truly creative and delicious. Scratchtruck is one of the great exceptions.
Two words: Bacon marmalade. I feel like this had to have come to these guys in a vision. Maybe a burning bush? Or a creepy, ethereal voice like in Field of Dreams? Some sort of bizarre, lost form of divination? But I am getting ahead of myself. Let's put things in context.
The star of this show is the Scratch Burger: a 1/3 lb seasoned beef patty with Gorgonzola, arugula, and the mythical, legendary bacon marmalade on a deliciously toasty bun. This burger is cooked to order and cooked right. For me, a burger is not a burger unless the juices are running down my forearms and dripping from my elbows. Eating a burger should be an incredibly visceral experience. I want to feel like I just trounced a gazelle- Â a smoky, sweet, bacony gazelle- and Scratchtruck does not disappoint.
In addition to the Scratch Burger, the Spicy Chicken Cone is another everyday menu item: hand-breaded chicken tenders and mango-jalapeno coleslaw with a dab of chili aioli all in a flour tortilla. I think it is the least exciting dish on the menu. and it is still better than just about anything that you will get anywhere else. Delicious.
There is always an incredible side whether it is the muffaletta salad or my favorite the Green Chile Mac and Cheese: macaroni, poblano peppers, red peppers, red onions, sweet corn & pepperjack cheese. You normally get fries with the meal- double fried fries that is- but if you shell out the extra dollar (do it) you can get the muffaletta salad, the mac and cheese, or whatever incredible concoction appears on the menu that day.
Then there is the Special, and it always lives up to this title. If there is a special when you walk up to this beautiful truck, order it. You will not be disappointed. This was the special a few weeks ago: "Pork Meatball Banh Mi-Southeast Asian meatballs, with shredded carrots, radishes, cilantro, fresh jalapenos & sriracha mayo served on a toasted baguette." Or last week: "Hoity Toity BLT- Pancetta, tomatoes, arugula & pesto mayo served on toasted french bread." When I read about the BLT on the Scratchtruck website my mouth starting watering, but I was immediately saddened by the fact they only made 12 a day.- I was certain that I was not going to be able to try it, so it is not surprising that I almost jumped up in the air and clicked my heels together when I saw this sandwich on the menu at the Herron-Morton Oktoberfest.
These guys don't just make incredible food- they make incredible beverages as well. The watermelon-jalapeno lemonade is shockingly refreshing with a slight jalapeno flavor and subtle warming on the finish. If you aren't a fan of spice don't be afraid of this lemonade.- It won't hurt you. My favorite, however, is the basil lemonade. I could drink gallons of this.- Gallons. If you asked me what my three food items were I would probably say, "Blueberries, lemon, and basil." Sure, blueberries and lemon hangout together all the time but basil and lemons? If this was all they made I would still love Scratchtruck.
All the incredible food and drink aside- they have the coolest truck in town. Just look at the pictures. It has a little ice box for the Coke hecho en Mexico, a bottle opener mounted on the side, and a fridge with glass doors to grab your panna cotta or banana pudding for desert. The whole thing is genius.
There are a lot of food trucks out there right now, but if there was a food truck apocalypse (God forbid!)- Scratchtruck would be one of the few still rolling around the streets of Indy simply because it is uncompromisingly good. The service is always friendly, the quality of the food never falters, and it there is always something new and exciting on the menu.
I've only eaten from the truck once, but will definitely head back next time they're parked by my office. Â They offered free fries if you brought an umbrella yesterday, and they were great. Â Nicely cut with a taste of garlic and some spice.
I had the chicken cone which sounds weird, but really wasn't all that amazing. Â It consists of a chunky chicken finger with slaw wrapped in a tortilla. Â Not bad, but I will probably opt for the burger or meatball sandwich next time (maybe today?).
My third time visiting I tried the Pork Meatball Banh Mi, green chile mac n cheese, and basil lemonade. The Banh Mi was delicious. The bread was just right - not to soft, hard, or voluminous. The slaw added crunch and the jalapenos some spice and the meatballs were a great blend of porka nd herbs and who knows what else. The corn is what stood out in the mac n cheese for me. Everything blended well and the corn gave it some pop here and there. But you know the basil lemonade was the unexpected real standout. I expected lemonade with basil leaves in it that don't transfer their flavor to the drink. Not at all. In fact there were no basil leaves in it but I could taste the basil so much! It was fantastic! Must put basil in all lemonades from now on.
Oh and now they give you plastic cups you can keep!
Will definitely be back- their items are creative, tasty, and reasonably priced. My favorite item is the Vietnamese sub (Vietnamese meatballs with pickled carrots, jalapenos, and secret sauce) comes with a side order of double fried french fries for around $8. This food truck accepts credit cards!
Review Source:Hello, meat. I'm Jon A. Yeah, that guy of the off & on relationship we've held together for the past decade (hey, our relationship... it's very 21st century: commitments, rehashing old flames, trysts, ceremonies). We're gonna hook up at Scratchtruck. Right there in public on Ohio & Senate, under the shadow of the State Capitol. Yeah, my girlfriend will be right there. It's fine. She's okay with it.
Who's very okay with it? Me. What am I not okay with? Hearing all this talk, reading all the stellar Yelp reviews, of the scratch burger and not checking it out (after re-committing to meat). Checking it out = devouring said burger that shakes the Capitol floor like a gavel (plus you know... this is America and the burger is the law).
I had thought the burger was $8, stand alone, but then I come to find out that the $8 includes fries. This price I can roll with.
Speaking of rolls... this is my favorite bun / roll / bread I've ever had a burger on. Most burgers come on a flimsy, cake-y, white bread "I dominate the taste around here, beef" bun. This bun. It's compact. It has a crisp shell and isn't too big. Wherever Scratch found it, don't tell anyone Scratch.
Upon first sight... the burger is more compact than I thought it'd be. But then I picked it up, and it asked for a two hand grip. Then I peaked under the bun to find a pile of gorg and the bacon marmalade was dripping off. The arugula makes this $8 worth $8. Seriously. Imagine if you paid $6 (which I bet you have) for a burger that had iceberg on it (even with the bacon & such).
The burger is made up of chuck and brisket to up the density and fat content. I'd eat this nearly rare. This time around it was thoroughly cooked, which does taste more like a burger-burger than the tender rare meat that I prefer. I'll eat a terrific burger at any cooked temp really, just like this one.
The fries are better than a vast majority of fries anywhere in the city. When I say better I mean better seasoning, better fryer and denser, bigger cuts.
We had a sneak peek into an not on the menu lemonade -- a basil lemonade. It just might be the best damn thing I've ever guzzled during burger devouring.
I could order off the whole menu but, good or not, Scratchtruck is going to up my burger intake.
Delish!! Â A great food truck!!
My coworkers and I wanted to find a food truck in the neighborhood, scratch truck was nearby. Â I checked out their menu and really was torn between the cone chicken or the tuscan chicken. Â I finally caved and got the tuscan chicken sandiwich since they only have 12. Â It came with fries. Â
The truck was awesome; it has a fridge area for drinks and dessert. Â There was also an ice cooler for more drinks and a bottle opener by the tire. Â They also had utensils, napkins, and ketchup available. Â Also, big bonus.........THEY ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS!!!!!
The chicken sandwich had good flavor and was tasty, but the bread was very dry and not very soft. Â The fries were also pretty greasy. Â Overall, it wasn't bad and tasted well, but I think I will try the chicken cone next time. Â I will still recommend scratch truck to people.
Food tried:
- Scratch Burger- 1/3 lb custom ground burger, bacon marmalade, arugula and gorgonzola cheese served on a fresh, toasted soft roll ($7)
- Muffaletta Salad- A pasta salad based off the classic New Orleans sandwich. Shell pasta, Mortadella, Salami, Provolone, Ham & Olive Salad, tossed in a vinaigrette. ($2 as a side)
- Spicy Chicken Cone- Hand breaded, spicy chicken tenders, mango-jalapeno coleslaw and ancho chile aioli served in a flour tortilla cone ($7)
- Southwest Rice & Corn Salad w/ Lemon Dressing- Sweet corn, poblano chilies, yellow bell peppers, yellow zucchini, avocado, green onions, cilantro and long grain rice tossed with a lemon dressing. ($1 as a side)
- Watermelon Jalapeno Lemonade ($2)
I had the pleasure of trying Scratch Truck twice, once when I went to dinner at one of my favorite breweries (Flat 12 Bierwerks, who have food trucks every time I've been there), and the other when they wisely parked about two and a half blocks from my apartment on a day I had no groceries. Both times, the truck staff were incredibly friendly and patient while I deliberated over which of their amazing-sounding foods to try. My first meal was the burger and muffaletta salad (with which I ordered a pint of Flat 12s American Wit, nom nom glug glug), the second time I had the chicken cones with corn and rice salad, and a glass of the much-reputed-via-twitter Watermelon Jalapeno Lemonade. All around, the votes on the food: DELICIOUS
The key to Scratch Truck's food is that they do really interesting things with their food. A burger with bacon paste and arugula; Don't you order that sort of nonsense at a fancy restaurant? Breaded chicken with mango-jalapeno sauce; Who thinks of that combo? And don't get me started on the lemonade... It can't be described in it's amazingness and refreshingness. Nonetheless, the flavors are absolutely complementary and delicious. I preferred the chicken over the burger, just because A) I love chicken, and B) it was served in a cone. I preferred the corn and rice salad over the muffaletta because I am not the hugest fan of olives (which, I'll point out that I ate because I felt it would be unfair to judge the dish without eating it all as prepared), but the lemon dressing was a bit overwhelmed by the other flavors I had on my "plate" (actually, a great cardboard box).
The price of Scratch Truck's food is a bit more than I like to spend in general, though I have no comparison with the other trucks to determine if I'm just being cheap, or if this is a standard priced menu. I will not denigrate the food though: it's worth what I paid for it.
A couple things to recommend though (the second of which was improved upon by the time I went back the second time):
1. Have a recycling place around: I love buying food from the trucks, but I notice a great waste of cardboard occurring. Not sure how simple/unsimple it could be, but I bet people would dig it.
2. When allowing a substitution, be sure to tell how much it will be: both meals I ordered should have come with fries, but I substituted the side in. The first time, I didn't realize I would be charged extra for it, and it put a sour taste in my mouth (pun not intended, but no really, I'm a broke student still). The second time, the gentleman who took my order checked with me on how much extra it would be, and I greatly appreciated it, even though it was more than I wanted to spend-just knowing it was more in advance made me able to make a knowledgeable decision.
First of all, props to serving in SoBro! Food trucks tend to stay close to downtown, or the 'burbs, unless there's a special event. Upland is super close to my house, so I zoomed over after work to try the truck. I ordered a Tuscan chicken, panna cotta and one of the jalapeno lemonades. I started sipping my lemonade while they were finishing up my food and I was surprised- the flavor of the pepper was there but the heat wasn't. I got my stuff and trotted off to my car, eager to get home and sample. I dug one fingernail into the panna cotta at the stoplight and it hit my tongue lightly, and then the creaminess kicked in. I already knew I was going to have to come there again, and I ran through my house to dip into my sandwich and found perfection in the fries. I'm not the biggest fry eater, I will usually sub out if given the chance, but I will fight someone over these. The sandwich, with it's abundance of capers (I can eat capers out the jar) was just what I wanted. So all and all, I'm satisfied (and approaching coma-city) and I can't wait to try something else!
Review Source:This is most definitely the best truck food I've had in Indy yet. The menu, while small, is innovative in its spins on traditional Indiana comfort foods. On my first visit today, I had the Spicy Chicken Cone, which is a very lightly breaded piece of white meat chicken flash fried to a perfect light crunch while retaining its natural juiciness without being the least bit greasy wrapped in a corn tortilla with a mango jalapeno slaw. So good. It's called a cone because they serve you the two essentially tacos in paper cones. But they're tacos. Whatever. Nomenclature aside, delicious.
I subbed the standard fries on the side for the vegetarian salad of the day: Southwest Rice & Corn salad - rice, corn, poblano peppers, yellow peppers, avocado, zucchini, cilantro, with a lemon dressing. It was the perfect side item to the perfect main dish.
I was also excited to try the Watermelon Jalapeno Lemonade. Who thinks of that?! It was a great flavor, and the fresh jalapeno flavor was evident though not overwhelming. In fact, I'd like there to be a bit more kick from the jalapeno myself, but I understand if they're trying to appeal to a mass audience who may not like spice as much. My thoughts, though, are that if you point out that there is jalapeno in there, give the kick it deserves and that those of us who like such things are seeking. Those who don't like spicy won't order it anyway due to the name. Cold spicy drinks are awesome...don't be timid!
A friend who had eaten here before mentioned that the Chocolate Espresso Pudding was really good. In fact, someone came into my office when I was eating it later in the afternoon because I was making too much noise while eating it. If you're a fan of chocolate, just get it. It's a very small portion, so you don't feel like a glutton, it's only $1.50, and it's sinfully good.
Please support these guys. Not only is the food great, but it's also the friendliest service I've had at these truck food vendors so far. They have the details down right, so I look forward to them (and all the others) being a huge success. Bring on the truck food love Indy!
This new truck is in competition for my favorite one. On opening night, they already seemed to have a pretty good flow of what they were doing. Their truck appears to be well designed and equipped.
The scratchburger was good, just wished it had more bacon jam flavor, but loved the gorgonzola! The fries were done right, but I was even more impressed with the Muffaletta Salad. I expected your typical pasta salad with salty meats and cheeses, but this exceeded my expectations! The spicy chicken cone was our favorite of the night. Nice spice, the slaw inside was a great contrast. The food was easy to eat, something not always taken into consideration by the food trucks. No fuss or muss here.
I hear the lemonade they offer is really tasty, but didn't try it yet. I also love that they offer small dessert bites, a trend which you certainly see at sit down restaurants. It's nice to get just a spoonful or two of sugar after your meal without having to break the bank. I will be on the lookout for future Scratchtruck stops.
Flavors were solid on the spicy chicken cone; glad I asked for some extra sauce--because it was very flavorful. My lunching companion commented that this wouldn't make it in NYC because it was too slow, but I feel like if you are making my food one at a time, I don't expect my dish to appear instantly. Â Think they still may have some slight kinks to work out--they were already sold out of the vegetarian side dish before I got there and that is what I would have ordered. The fries were a little soggier than is my preference, but again, they are so new I'm not going to surrender over that. I wanted to like the watermelon-jalapeno lemonade more than I did; it's a great idea and I'm hopeful they put a watermelon-jalapeno salad on their summer menu. This truck shows great promise, the people were really nice and I think a bad day on this food truck would still best all the chains in town. Â Looking forward to going back again soon to try something else.
Review Source: