I had my second taste of Fidel Gastro's last Friday while attending the Canadian National Exhibition and it didn't do much to improve upon my original tasting last year at BMO Field. Since service isn't always a huge thing when it comes to food trucks (basic service for a busy truck, can't really expect much during such a busy time) I figured I would get straight to the food (the part I actually care about). I ended up ordering the spicy chicken sandwich and it just didn't do what I was hoping it would do. The sandwich came out in about 5 minutes and looked delicious. The problem is that when you have to chew chicken like it's some kind of rubber, well, it's just not a good experience. The sandwich did not hit the spot and between the sandwich and the $4 ginger ale I was left wishing I ordered something from another truck. read more

Fidel Gastro's - a sandwich in a styrofoam container - Street Vendors Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

The phenomenon that is the pop up resto has taken on the Big Smoke by storm. Right now the big chatter on the street is La Carnita who basically tweet out their popup location only to inundated with throngs of mad food gobblers who have gone fish taco crazy. Well there is a new kid on the block and he goes by the name of Fidel Gastro and his tagline is "Rebel Without A Kitchen" and in his world it is all about slamming sammies! In real time his name is Matt Basile who was a former ad man who just couldn't stand life in a cubicle anymore and has been honing his food skills under some fairly prominent city chefs. He was part of his own first pop up event last Thursday night down at The Bunky (135 Tecumseth Street) from 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. at pop up called "Opposites Attract". FG's was featuring four signature sammies and The Feel Good Guru was offering up vegan eats. So I figured now was as good a time as any to check him out. By 7:30 p.m. The Bunky was hopping. Who ever lined up the tunes had the place rocking and you got a complimentary glass of wine upon entry, which eased the wait of the lineups. FG's four signature sammies included The Havana Club: Steam Whistle pulled pork, havarti cheese and a douse of something with some kind of attitude; The Virginia Ham, onions and chili aioli; The El Paisano, egg fried spaghetti with Wagyu beef and veal meatballs; The Cuban Mac with Chorizo sausage, 3 cheese baked macaroni (yes, you read that right, a mac & cheese sammie!) and finally The Toronto Cheese Steak featuring sliced rib eye, Havarti cheese, hash browns, onions, Dijon aioli and a fried egg. All the sammies are served on a custom made bun (by Cobb's Bakery) and are in my opinion, just the perfect size. All sammies were priced at a decent five bucks. Being with friends we just bought up a batch of the sammies and passed them around. Surprisingly for me, my personal fave, was the Cuban Mac & Cheese. At first I thought, mac & cheese on a bun? No way, this is a gonna be a carbo blow out. Two bites into this Mac & Cheese bliss and I was a convert. The chorizo really tempers out the cheese and the pasta was cooked perfectly to be used in this way. If you are on Twitter at all you can follow this up and coming street food maverick at @fidelgastros Matt is definitely a guy to keep your eye on for some really fun street eats and as he would yell out after selling each sammie.....Ole! Funnily enough FG's table is anchored by a really funny, over the top cheap bust of Elvis Presley. On my way out the door that evening I tweeted...."Elvis has left the building with a Mac & Cheese sammie!". I'm quite certain had Elvis still been alive this particular sammie would have been a staple in his diet. I await the next Fidel Gastro's pop up. These are definitely slamming sammies. read more

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Night four, round two of the TIFF food trucks. This truck was the one I've most been looking forward to try. As expected, there was a long line to try these sammiches. What made it even longer was that they were doing some filming for an episode of "Rebel Without A Kitchen". Sooooo...a promo video or something to that effect? Once the film crew took a break things sped up and the line started moving. When it was my turn there had been a couple large orders ahead of me so I got to hang out for a couple minutes at the front of the line and watch the action. There was lots of order shouting and replies of "Ole". Fun times. I nabbed me a Sgt. Slather; a pulled pork sandwich with guac and crushed tortilla chips. They squish those ingredients into a bun and grill it until it's warm and crispy. It's delicious and just as it's melting in your mouth you get a little crunch from a tortilla chip to snap your wandering mind back into reality. The city really needs to change the laws around food trucks so I can get these guys to park outside my house for dinner one night. read more

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Caught them at Mississauga Celebration Square on Canada Day. I paid $6 for Pad Thai fries, thinking it would be a fusion of the noodles and french fries, or something similar. What I got were fries deep fried in pad thai sauce, resulting in a super greasy, pad thai-tasting french fries. They taste really, really good, but you can file this recipe in the "gets old fast" category (a la Bloomin' Onions), as I started to feel the effects of the oiliness by the time I was halfway finished. I'd definitely be a fan of this dish if it were sold in a smaller portion for a cheaper price. I've yet to try their sandwiches, but I've seen them and they look both equally greasy and good at the same time. read more

Fidel Gastro's - Kimchi fries - Street Vendors Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This food truck is one of the more disappointing meals I've had. I got the Diablo's Right Wing sandwich, and was very let down by the food. Firstly, the size of the sandwich was significantly smaller than the equally priced Havana Club and Shrimp Fat Boy and the sandwich was lacking flavour. The pulled chicken was dry and lacking any flavour, (Which is the difficulty in pulling chicken in comparison to pork). The main spiciness came from the Siracha and carrot slaw. The carrot slaw tasted no more than just finely sliced carrots with spicy drizzle of Siracha. The one delicious part of the sandwich was the toasted crunchy bun. It was perfectly crispy and soft for the sandwich. Another large problem is the pricing of the sandwich. As I said the sandwiches are all the same, I didn't order Pad Thai Fries, but a friend did, and I tried some. Nothing too amazing for the pad thai fries. Just some ketchup spicy tasting sauce on top of the fries. Definitely overpriced for the $3 combo portion they gave. To be honest, I have yet to try ALL of the food trucks, but I would probably go to this food truck rather than one of the other commercial food trucks that do not step outside food comfort zones and TRY to make something original. Although, given choice, I would try a different food truck. read more

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It was hard to choose what meal to take but I ended up asking for the Cowboy Tacos with a side of Pad Tai fries. All was good and well later that day because that meal was delicious, filling and interesting. I always love it when places love to "experiment" with new flavors for diffrent foods and these guys did it well read more

Fidel Gastro's - a plate of food on a picnic table - Street Vendors Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Tried the Phad Thai fries at the ACC and they were pretty tasty. Loaded with flavour and had a little kick too. The flavours married well and definitely recommended eats for all even those on a cheat day read more

.... my first time was a sunny afternoon in May, in the cool shade of the Evergreen Brickworks. Six dollars?! This better be good, I thought to myself..... That was two months ago, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about that mouth slathering, soul-filling pulled pork, guacamole and tortilla sandwich. I've been a bit of a boring adult these days; meal planning, watching my language, posting mommy-blog-esque quips on facebook, staying off yelp because I had nothing new or exciting to review... So when I found out that FG's was going to be at the Wychwood Barns beer market I dropped that ladle for the chicken soup I was making for my sick husband like a hot potato, ran across the street and then straight back home to enjoy my two sammiches. The pulled turkey with purple slaw and bacon jam was tender; sweet but also savoury in all the right places. The beef short-rib and homemade kimchi made me break out in a post-coital sweat and I assured my husband that, yes, it is THAT good, while I tried to speak between bated breath. That was lunch. I just enjoyed the second halves of each sandwich for dinner. I'm afraid I didn't get the proper names of any of those sandwiches, I do remember them being quite clever. You will have to find out for yourself next time Fidel Gastro's pops up near you. And please, give my regards to the one with the bacon jam. read more

Got to the food truck around 12pm. It was pretty busy. I ordered the Shrimp Fat Boy, which consisted of fried shrimp, Asian slaw and a pineapple ketchup on top of a crunchy, toasted roll. The sandwich itself was pretty fresh and delicious. I also ordered a side of Pad Thai fries for $3, which was a bit disappointing. The portion was fairly small, and the flavours did not impress me. Overall, the sandwich was tasty, but I would not order the fries again. read more

Fidel Gastro's - Shrimp Fat Boy sandwich with a side of Pad Thai fries - Street Vendors Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

(Food Truck) Ordered the Captain Belly sandwich with pad thai fries at lunchtime since the line seemed quite long and the people seemed to be peppered with a lot of energy. Basically the sandwich was a deep fried pork belly with slaw on a bun. It wasn't too bad, just a bit heavy on fat and lacked the real contrast something like Bahn Mi Boys do with their pork belly bahn mi. The pad thai fries though I was a bit more disappointed with. It just felt again sort of one note, one sharp sour flavour with bean sprouts. I'd love to try their other sandwiches as I hear the pulled pork is good, but I guess it depends on the day and where they are. read more

Fidel Gastro's - a sandwich in a paper bag - Street Vendors Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

The food truck came to our workplace but their menu didn't have all the items listed on their website. I would say i'd give this place a 3.5 star instead of 3. I tried the pulled pork kung pao sandwich and pad thai fries. Fries were too spicy for my liking, but the sandwich was decent. read more

Fidel Gastro's - Pulled pork kung pao sandwich - Street Vendors Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Had the pad thai fries and a sandwich Both were great. I'd recommend the fries first just because I have never had fries like these. read more

Fidel Gastro's - Street Vendors Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I first encountered Fidel Gastro's during one of the recent Friday Night Live @Rom Events. The smell of cuban sandwiches lingered throughout the hall, and was a welcome addition amongst the unique atmosphere of drinks and dinosaurs. My boyfriend is a, let say, hesitant eater (picky sounds kind of mean) and isn't open to trying new things. Luckily, I was able to convince him to try one of the delicious smelling sandwiches that was being offered. He settled on the sloppy jose, a delicious sandwich featuring brisket and baked beans. Thankfully, he loved the sandwich and didn't leave the ROM event hungry. When I found ou Fidel Gastro's was going to have a pop-up at one of my favourite east-end boutique's (Nathalie-Roze & Co.) it didn't take much convincing to get him to come shopping with me. I looked at pretty things while he ordered a sandwich. Matthew (the owner/operator) is incredibly sociable, and is the perfect balance of friendly and professional while creating one of his signature sandwiches. He's also really open about the ingredients that goes into his food, so should any of you be hesitant to try his creations due to food allergies, never fear. He was able to steer me in the right direction so I too was able to enjoy some melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork and beans. Conveniently priced at $5 a sandwich, we left full and happy with promises to seek him out at a future event. Fidel Gastro's doesn't have a storefront, and completely runs a pop-up operation, showing up at events and functions all over the city. For more information where to find an amazing, well-priced sandwich, be sure to follow this "rebel without a kitchen" on Twitter @fidelgastros. read more

Most recently, I've made an effort to visit these up and coming food trucks that roam the downtown core. My office is up at eglington so it's somewhat scattered for lunch food in my parts. Luckily I have half day friday's meaning lunch gets to happen downtown. Today was fidel gastro. I roll up around 2:30pm only to see 3/4 of the sandwiches are sold out. That's great, business is good! I ended up having the only option "sgt. Slather". Pulled pork, avocado, tortilla chips. Sounds good, assuming the tortilla chips were a side. They weren't. In fact, it was like taking the ends of a bag of tortilla chips, you know all those crush bits, and then crushing them even more and throwing it onto a sandwich. I was contemplating asking for the tortilla chips they forgot, but then I realized they were suposed to be on the sandwich. 10 minutes later the sandwich is ready and comes in a large styrofoam container. The container is big enough for 2 sandwiches and a side. Poor presentation and what a waste of space! The first bite always sets the tone for the meal. Underwhelming. I can't say I've had kraft bbq sauce since I was a child, but wow that bbq sauce was boring. The meat, (I can only imagine it was cooked on the truck in an oven) had little to no smoke taste. Pork was pretty chewy, but kudos to cutting out the fat. The avocado was nice, a+ for using real avocado, pulsed to a puree. The bun was ok, somewhat greasy in which I could only assume it hung out on the grill for a few minutes. Long story short, fidel should have stuck to opening a restaurant, assuming the cuban would be the staple. read more

Just tried the pork ribs, being barbecued by Fidel himself. I was excited to see him in action and high-fived him when he was preparing my order, but when I tasted the ribs, they were tasteless and undercooked. I've lived in Texas and travelled to Louisiana for years, so believe me, I know ribs and I know what I am talking about. I'm highly disappointed with Fidel's ribs. Worst ribs I ever had. read more

I have heard great things about this food truck so I was über excited to see it at Harbour Park. I ordered the Stg. Slather for $10 (which is about the going rate for a food truck sandwich). The pulled pork was over powered by the sauce which I think was there to cover up the fact that the meat was a hit over cooked. There was so littlest guacamole that it was barely noticed...it had very little flavour. I think a spicy coleslaw would have made the sandwich better adding a bit of kick and texture. The crushed chips that were on top were stale. So stale that they had lost all crunch. I was really disappointed. Also, the two people working in the truck although seemed lovely, kept talking about how much money they hoped to make that afternoon. That's a bit tacky if you ask me. I'm a big supporter of Toronto food trucks but I don't think I will order from this one again. Sorry, I really wanted to like it. read more

I tried the food when it was a popup at the Toronto Underground market. He was serving up four different kinds of meat filled sandwiches, and I ended up trying from three of them. They were all pretty tasty! And I would definitely eat from his now food truck, but I just haven't had the opportunity to do so. In person and in interviews I have read, he comes off as very friendly and personable, with a huge passion for food. That passion carries over into the product. Recommended. read more

Had the pulled pork sanny with guacamole and tortilla chips. It was tasty, if a bit small. I felt like it was gone in three bites, but that could just be because I was wrapped up in some sort of delicious time warp. read more

i tried fidel gastros at the craft beer festival and it was delicious and service was so awesome i got the sgt slather sandwich with a side of pad thai fries. the sandwich is great except i wish they would put more guac on it and the guac be chunkier and fresher. .i got one squiggly line of it. it seemed to be a pureed kind of paste like guacamole which im not a fan of. but i ate it anyway obviously the pad thai fries were different i liked them but they didnt really taste like pad thai sauce to me..more like a tangy almost buffalo sauce like taste. it was good though because they gave u a lime wedge to give a kick to the flavour. i will defs get fidels again if i see it around :) read more

Went to the Ex today and decided to hit up this food truck. I got the beef brisket and bean on a bun. I think it was called something like the Sloppy Jose. I have to say I was underwhelmed. The quality of the food seemed decent, but it really lacked any sort of complexity. I believe it could have been saved if there was some hot sauce or some dip to add a little zing to this creation, but as it was, I didn't even bothering eating more than half of it. read more

Last Friday I decided to try Fidel Gastro's for lunch as they were parked at the Food Truck Alley. I opted for the Sgt Slather sandwich and pad thai fries. The sandwich was really tasty. It was a good size for lunch time with a lot of flavour to it. The fries were great. Adding hot sauce, lime, bean sprouts and cilantro to fries seems like a strange idea, but it really works. The fries were also cooked nice and crispy. I don't think the taste is quite pad thai like, but they are delicious. Can't wait to eat here again. read more

I was really excited about this food truck, having heard great things. I got the Captain Belly and it was really awful - the pork was tasteless and the coleslaw was overpowering and too creamy. The pad thai fries were good - I'd had them before at Lisa Marie so I wasn't surprised. One of my friends had the pulled pork sandwich with the guacamole and said it was good - so perhaps I just ordered the wrong thing. read more

Had the pad Thai fries and chicken sandwich. They were both amazing. I randomly saw them at a festival in Whitby. Need to have more!

Cuban food? Nah, I don't think so....Pulled Pork Sandwich with spiced fries. Lets begin with the bun. Its a hot dog bun, dag- dam- it! Not a Cuban bread, french stick style loaf. Not authentic at all. The pulled pork, its , finely shreded smothered in tomatoey bbq bland. No smoke, no heat, just Heinz. Toppings, not requested, came with order: dolop of guacamole,sprinkles of salad bar crunchy taco chips. This is like a 6 year olds attempt at mexican backyard bbq. The fries...how wrong can you go with frozen spice fries? Well you can let them soak in the oil instead of blotting/draining them. All with a pop for whopping $15.00 I was hoping for rice & beans & roasted beef or pollo. Nope! You would think with such a simple pre-prepared menu & they guys in the kitchen it would be quick. It ain't. But hey, one good point...the music was LOUD! read more

Like many other reviewers I also ordered the Sgt. Slather. I really enjoyed the bread used, the sauce and the pulled pork, and would've have given this place a four star if it weren't for these following issues. First, there was no avocado in my sandwich, which was really disappointing since it would have been nice to have the creamy avocado offset the tangy spice of the bbq sauce. At first I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt and thought maybe it was just finely diced, but looking at the pictures posted on Yelp, I think they simply forgot while being in a hurry to serve me my food. Similarly, they also skimped on my nachos. Sure, I tasted their presence, but I could not see them in the sandwich at all, unlike the pictures here on Yelp, not to mention the fact that they've completely lost their crunch. However, despite these relatively big errors, I still give this truck a decent rating because the food was still not bad and the guy taking the orders had a really great personality, and probably provided the best service I've had from a food truck thus far. Hopefully, similar mistakes won't happen again on my next visit! read more

One of my favourite food trucks. I've eaten here three times now and every meal was a delight. I do find it a little pricy for lunch but for dinner, there may be no food truck better. The last sandwich I had was the Sloppy Jose but my favourite is the El Senorita, a turkey chilli with jalapenos. Sooo good. read more