Wafels & Dinges
15 Avenue B at East 2nd Street, East Village
646-257-2592
Getting There: F to Lower East Side-Second Avenue
www.wafelsanddinges.com/‎

Any lover of food trucks knows the obsession with trying to locate their favorite ones city-wide either by tracking them on social media or flat out old school exploration. One of the most popular New York City food trucks has done their fans a huge favor by finally setting up their first brick and mortar location. The familiar yellow truck that houses the Belgian inspired sweet and savory oasis known as Wafels and Dinges is now a permanent fixture on Avenue B in the East Village.

The brightly lit corner location is creatively adorned with the same vibrant brown and yellow colors that have made chasing the food truck such a sought after event week after week. And once inside, the sheer smells emanating from the waffel grills are decidely heavenly. Each freshly prepared Wafel is warmed and decorated in an assortment of sweet and savory options in the eatery’s island style kitchen, smack dab in the center of the restaurant. Slightly overhead sits the restaurant’s menu which ranges from the traditional to the inventiveness that has brought Wafels and Dinges such acclaim from critics and on-the-go eaters alike. Watching the employees chit chat with undecided guests, mulling the multitude of different Wafel sizes and toppings made ordering much easier for first timers like us.

Wafels and Dinges offers a variety of distinctive menu items exclusive to their shop alongside all of your favorites offered at their food truck. In house options like the “Wake Up, Grumpy,” a Wafel biscuit stuffed with bacon, egg, and cheese and the “Volkswaffel,” layered in ham, raclette cheese, and scallions, sounded equally mouthwatering- but it was the “BBQ Pulled Pork Wafel” that really got our juices flowing. Topped with a creamy cole slaw, the tender hunks of pulled pork were doused in a sweet barbecue sauce pairing together admirably atop the long Wafel they sat upon. To its credit, the Wafel was no slouch soaking up every bit of flavor left behind by its plate-mates, and adding a subtle and sweet profile of its own to the overall dish. On an even sweeter note, we quickly devoured a smaller Wafel, this time topped with a spekuloos spread and fresh strawberries, rivaling any of the best dessert foods that you’ve tasted recently. The creamy, reminiscent of peanut butter spread lacquered each red berry and was sprinkled in white powdered sugar for good measure, making the complete combination a perfect reason to stop for dessert any time of the day, and feel good about it.

The unmistakable yellow food truck Wafels and Dinges has pleasantly not sacrificed any of its quality nor its inventiveness as it takes the leap from truck on wheels to bustling East Village storefront. Inside, the atmosphere is pleasant for families and young folks, and the comfort style food being served up is downright delicious. This might not be your momma’s old fashioned ‘waffles and syrup,’ but the memories conjured up while rolling your eyes back in delight will make you forget everything you once knew about the traditional Wafel.

- Jay Rubin