Chicago Lunchbox

Great looking truck, with a menu that sounds very appealing and intriguing. But the customer service and food left something to be desired. The truck was on 57^th St on UChicago campus for the lunch crowd, and I stopped by ~12 PM. By the time I ordered they were out of all meat except the grilled pork sausage (good I thought since that meant lots of people were eating here). I finally got my food at 12:25 PM, took so long to make when they only took orders from 2 people after me, just baffling. The sausage wasn’t anything special, and with some rice and pickled veggies it didn’t fill me up either. I suppose other items might be better, since it’s a popular truck, but my experience didn’t leave a positive impression.

Hands down, my favorite food truck in the city. Just look for the bright orange truck! I normally get the Sloppy Thai or the Beefy Korean — either in a Banh Mi or over rice, depending on my mood. The quality of the meat is consistent every time, perfect amount of marination and never over cooked. For a perfect lunch on the go, this hits the spot every time! Keep up the good work, Chicago Lunchbox!

Finally! After working in the city over a year, I finally get to try Lunchbox Food Truck! The wife and I went to Andersonville for their annual «city-​made» fest that was full of local vendors and food trucks. It was like in slow motion, I see the orange truck and it calls out to me to eat it and boy did I. I went with the sausage, bahn mi style with jalapeños. Wow. It was super good. The bread was nice and flaky, the meat was seasoned so well, and the sweetness of the sausage with the spicy jalapeños was just a treat for my mouth. I was pleasantly surprised. I just wish the portion was a little bigger as I was still hungry after the sandwich. I will stalk you down again and eat you!

This place doesn’t skimp… if you like fast casual Asian fusion this is the place to check it out. Using fresh ingredients and a good combination of Asian flavors it always provides the extra kick for those that like spice, there’s always the mild version as well. Def check it out!

Given the amazing reviews I was really excited about eating at Lunchbox. However, I was disappointed to find that it was kind of an overpriced, overhyped Vietnamese stop. Maybe I’ve just had too many good $ 3 banh mi’s, but I was expecting a little more flavor and excitement.
I ordered the rice bowl, and the rice was cooked well. The meat took awhile to cook, so I waited about 8min. It was served with a side of vegetables which added a layer of texture to the dish.
Overall, I would come again, as it is one of the healthier food truck options, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here.

One of the only food trucks I’ve ever tried. I was really excited when I heard that there was bulgogi at one of the food trucks so I vowed to go try it and ended up going about a year ago. I ordered the bulgogi over rice and really enjoyed it. I do think the portion size could’ve been a bit larger but it was enough food that I wasn’t hungry. If it ever comes near my office building, I’ll probably want to go again and try the banh mi!

Finally treated myself to eating out and followed fellow Unilocalers’ reviews to come here, being a follower of food trucks.
Pretty big crowd already when I got there right before noon Friday at Clark and Monroe. The lady taking my order was very nice and attentive.
I got the Viet rice box. Waited a good 10 minutes for my order, but oh well.
Got back to the office and I was very happy. The pork was delicious. Perfect texture and flavor. Not too sweet. The pork was on point. The julienned veggie salad was fine, while I did not care too much for the side of iceberg lettuce/​mayo combo.
For lunch under $ 10, this was a fantastic option and definitely one of the better food trucks here in Chi city. Looking forward to trying their other proteins!

Chicago Lunchbox is my go to food truck for lunch. It is a New Years resolution buster for sure. The food is always fresh and delicious and consistent time after time. The beefy Korean tacos are the best. And if they have the appetizers, the spring rolls and fiery rangoon, I recommend that you get both, because they are both amazing. To top things off they are really great people!
Food trucks can be hit or miss. I have been to the Lunchbox about 100 times and they have NEVER missed!

Absolutely delicious, fantastic, addictive food. If I had food with this quality of presentation, freshness and flavor in a sit-​down restaurant I’d be impressed, and these culinary geniuses are serving it out of a truck!
The way the menu works is that you choose your meat (beef, pork or chicken), then your base. The bases are lunchbox style (rice on the bottom, topped with meat and slaw on the side), banh mi, or tacos. All three options are delicious, but in any instance, the meat is the showpiece.
The viet pork is amazing; sweet, smoky, tender, and charred all at the same time. The crunchy vegetable slaw that they serve on the side complements the food perfectly, and adds just the right amount of texture, citrus and spice. I have not been lucky enough to have the beef because they are always out of it by the time I get there, but I’ll keep trying!
Please support this truck! This is an incredibly difficult city for food trucks to survive in and we don’t want to lose this delicious gem!!!

Can’t believe it took me this long to check out Chicago Lunchbox. I consider myself a bit of a food truck connoisseur — I go to one for lunch every day and my friends ask me for recommendations, so I’m happy to be anyone’s neighborhood ambassador to the food truck scene.
I ordered the beefy Korean banh mi. The meat was good, but that was to be expected — what I was really surprised by was how good the bread and other toppings were. The bread was perfectly crisp on the outside and the pickled vegetables on top added great flavor — and I usually hate anything pickled. The only downside was that crunchy bread led to tons of crumbs all over me after I was done eating. Sad life.
The sandwich was decently sized, although I did think that there could have been more filling. By the end of the meal, while I wasn’t still hungry per se, I felt that I could’ve eaten more.
Will be back to try the pork!

This food is soo good! I tried the Viet rice box, the Beefy Korean rice box and the Banh Mi and they are all soo tasty! (the Sloppy Thai was not as good). Just wish the rice boxes would come with more rice but overall delicious!

Good food. Very irritating service. The menu is rarely up to date but they don’t update it/​cross things off, and don’t announce when they are out of items. I have spent 15 mins in line only to be told at the front that they are out of everything which is pretty ridiculous. That said the food keeps me coming back.

Not a bad food truck, and I caught them during one of the days they were at Taste of Chicago. Their banh mi sandwich wasn’t bad, but there’s something about the banh mi sandwiches at Nhu Lan that I just slightly prefer over theirs. I’m not sure why?
If I ever luck out and catch their truck again somewhere (sadly not likely, with my s***ty and terrible luck with catching food trucks for the most part), I’d definitely be up to give more of their menu a try.

Chicago Lunchbox came to an event at Amundsen High School where not only did they serve up delicious food, they also donated a portion of sales to school programs. I got the fried pork spring rolls and Sloppy Thai sandwich and couldn’t stop raving about them all night. I ended up buying a second sandwich for my husband because he had to try it. The Nguyen’s serve up fresh and flavorful food that is simple in its complexity. I will definitely continue to follow them on Twitter and find their hang outs. It’s worth it to stalk them for great food.

The Beefy Korean is something I will remember for years to come. Absolutely delicious! Thank you Lunchbox for making my last year at the University of Chicago a truly memorable one! Lunch breaks never tasted so good. I will really miss Suji and the crew!

Really Freakin Good, I had the steak sandwich, Its Perfect, All of it could eat this twice a week with no problem, Nice looking truck, professional, Friendly staff .
Soo Good u will not regret this choice …

I LOVE everything on this food truck’s menu! Everything is so unique and flavorful! Each bite explodes in your mouth! This truck is definitely worth the hunt and the wait in line… the service is impeccable and even the owner, John Nguyen, will take the time to tell you his recommendations! Talk about service :) I love «The Beefy Korean» Banh Mi and the fried spring rolls… I highly recommend you try for yourself

I normally don’t like spending $ 9 for a sandwich, If you understand the economies of scale that a small business food truck will have higher than expected prices, than you’ll agree that this place is delicious!
Sandwiches are well portioned, the veggies are fresh and the bread is perfectly crisp on the outside with a soft, chewy inside.
Service was quick, they take credit

We tried Chicago Lunchbox at the food social this past Saturday. It was their first time debuting their truck and they consistently had the longest lines. After tasting their banh mi, I can see why. The bread is perfect! It’s soft on the inside, yet has a really nice chew/​crust on the outside. The meat is seasoned perfectly and I love how the pickled veggies pair up with the savory meat. You end up with something light and tasty. They also offered egg rolls and crab rangoon. We had the egg rolls which were two huge pieces ridiculously affordable at $ 3. I think even restaurants tend to charge more.
I thoroughly enjoyed the beefy Korean. I wish we had also tried the Classic Viet, but we were trying to save room for the other trucks.
They also had the square so you could pay with credit card. I rarely carry around cash, so I really appreciate that feature!
I hope to catch the Chicago Lunchbox more often as it makes its rounds.

The bright orange paint isn’t the only thing that pops out at Lunchbox, chicago’s newest and most flavorful Asian themed food truck. From their flavorful and appropriately named «Firecracker Rangoon» to the Pan-​Asian assortment of bánh mìs, Lunchbox does it right.
My fiancée and I thoroughly enjoyed our order which included the Firecracker Rangoon, Beefy Korean, and the Classic Viet. The Korean take on the bánh mì is creatively delicious! Korean bulgogi accompanied by thinly sliced jalapeños, a very tasty pickled daikon, and a special sauce. The classic Viet contains traditional elements perfectly executed.
Tank and Nhu Lan are some of my favorite bánh mì spots, but I will be on an avid search for that bright orange truck and I wish Lunchbox great success in this Windy City!