In a sea of egg & cheese and Chinese food trucks, GiGi’s stands out with its Southern comfort food classics and Caribbean specialities. At the corner of 38th and Spruce, this food truck proudly boasts the “largest platters in the city.” GiGi and Big R serve massive helpings of fried chicken, fried fish, oxtail, Jamaican jerk chicken and curry chicken, alongside a wide selection of side dishes. At $10 and under, these dishes are slightly pricey for a food truck, but the serving size and homemade quality is well worth the price.
Try the fried chicken breast, crisped to perfection without drying out the chicken itself, with mac 'n' cheese and collard greens. Each platter comes with two sides, ranging from rice and beans to French fries. The creamy, slightly tangy mac 'n' cheese was a standout, and the brown sugary yams were delicious, although sweet enough to be dessert. The oxtail platter is also a favorite, with piles of brisket-like meat falling off the bone. Cornbread and peach cobbler are also on the menu, but when we visited they were out of peach cobbler, and instead of cornbread we were served a loaf of pumpkin bread. It was warm and soft, with a wonderful blend of spicy cinnamon and nutmeg, but definitely was cornbread as advertised.
The service is slow at GiGi’s, and somewhat unreliable, so don’t come at peak lunchtime hours. Although some dishes were overly salty, on the whole GiGi’s can hold its own against some of the best Southern food in Philly.
GiGi & Big R's Caribbean Soul Food Truck 38th & Spruce (610) 389-2150 Don’t Miss: Oxtail platter Skip: Slow service Bottom line: A glimpse of Southern comfort
