There is a tendency, perhaps an American one, to want to brag about how one’s country/state/town does such and such better than anyone else on the planet. And while I have not set foot in every nation in the world, I can without hesitation say that no other city in a Western Industrialized nation tackles the awesomeness that is street food, better than New York.

And no, it’s not just hot dogs.

There are the deluxe fancy cars hawking artisan ice cream in flavors as common as vanilla and as uncommon as ginger. There’s the roaming Rickshaw Dumpling Cart that sells an assortment of Asian inspired dumplings, and of course the Calxico cart which has done so well in it’s two Soho locations that they actually opened a brick and mortar shop.

And yes, there are the ubiquitous hot dog carts peddling hot dogs, pretzels, sausage, and my personal late night favorite, chicken-on-a-stick, as well as the morning coffee carts selling not-so-spectacular but ever so dependable coffee, donuts, muffins, and even freshly made bacon and eggs .

But the best carts, in my opinion, are often the humblest carts cobbled together by immigrants who manage to scrape together thousands of dollars to rent black-market vendor permits (yes such a thing exists) and which extol the flavors of their homeland. The names of such carts are often legendary among cart loving circles: “The Jamaican Dutchy” cart in the financial district,  The Arepa lady in Jackson Heights, and the Red Hook Food Carts in Red Hook Brooklyn.  They are the bread and butter of New York food cart culture; the perfect intersection of taste, convenience and price.

For the scoop on which carts to seek out (and where) there are a number of sources. Each year the Vendy Awards, for example ranks the best street cart vendors in the city.  Similarly, this 2007 New York Magazine article is still fairly accurate though it leaves out some of the city’s most recent entrees. And there is of course, the old standard of just asking a New Yorker.  They’re sure to have strong opinions.

One final word of caution. If you’re worried about street food making you sick, don’t be. With 20+ years of street food eating under my belt, I can honestly say I’ve never gotten sick from frequenting a cart. Now certain restaurants on the other hand…