HAPA

one word — YUM!!! HAPA has been opened for quite some time now and its always been on my to-​go list. I finally dragged my butt to their truck when they were in downtown Stamford. Let me tell you, I regret not going earlier. I ordered their signature burger with fries and practically licked the box clean. I’m pretty sure I inhaled the burger without stopping to breathe. The fries are topped with furikake and their house aioli, which gives it a very unique flavoring. My friend got the chicken adobo rice bowl with crispy brussel sprouts tossed in. I didn’t try it, but it looked amazing as well. She said it was very delicious, so I might have to get it on my next visit. Salamat for the great experience HAPA! I’ll be back for more :)
for newcomers, check their Instagram and/​or Facebook to see where they are each day!

Almost a year ago I visited Hapa Food truck and ordered three tacos. Little did I know that the smiling face of owner Chris Gonzales, who prepared those delicious tacos was hiding an incredible talent of delivering bold, balanced and creative cuisine. After I finished the tacos he told me I needed to try the burger. I was too full at the time and told him I would come back. Shame on me for waiting a year. Since that time Hapa has developed quite a following and Chris recently opened Miro Kitchen in Fairfield, and a colleague who visited Miro told me it was fantastic.
Well…fast forward and I recently returned to Hapa for the burger. The smiling face of Chris was replaced by an equally smiling and friendly face of his wife, Nicole. I ordered the HAPA burger with fries and she asked if I liked Brussels sprouts, of course I did.
The HAPA burger consists of grass-​fed beef topped with pork belly, Vermont cheddar, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, house aioli, encased in HAPA’s signature ube bun.
Let’s start with the bun. Ube is a purple yam. The HAPA bun was a sweet potato bun (made with pureed ube) which gave it the distinctive purple-​blue hue and a high level of sweetness, a brioche on steroids. Inside the bun was a large beef patty, which was prepared exactly to medium rare. The meat was delicious, with a loose, medium grind and slightly seared. A delightful and creamy slice of Cheddar cheese was melted on the patty, and then the culinary boldness appeared with the accompanying ingredients. There was a slice of pork belly atop the burger that contributed a wonderful layer of smokiness and juiciness from the fat. Now the HAPA burger offered another level of flavor… the caramelized onions. These were cooked low and slow to create a soft and delicate texture, with the inherent sweetness elevated with the addition of brown sugar. The aioli intensified an already bold combination with another level of sweet and spicy, with a touch of wasabi to kick up the heat. A thick slice of tomato and lettuce rounded out the outrageous combination.
The fries were equally creative and delicious. Topped with a cheese sauce and sweet and spicy seasonings, they were the perfect accompaniment to the burger. There was tremendous flavor in both.
Let’s not forget the Brussels sprouts. They were equally outstanding. Deep fried and then finished with pico de gallo, papaya seed dressing they are some of the best sprouts I have eaten.
Overall the HAPA burger can challenge any from restaurants in the area and is a contender for best burger in Fairfield County… it is that good.

Visited Hapa food truck last Wednesday on a foodies recommendation. Had a Hapa Burger and split an order of short rib tacos. The burger was awesome but the tacos really hit the spot IMO. The food was great and the people On the truck were also very friendly and inviting. I would highly recommend grabbing a bite at this above average establishment on wheels.

Absolutely my favorite food truck ever! The food is so great– try the fries, brussels sprouts, any of the tacos or burger– basically try everything! Also, the people are super friendly and seem very passionate. The best!

This review is late since they’re closed for the season, but better late than never, right?
In short, HAPA is amazing. One bite of their crispy brussels sprouts and you’ll be hooked. I’ve had a bunch of different dishes and I’ve loved every single one of them, from the hapa burger, to the fries (great sauce), korean short rib tacos, adobo tacos and even their little rice balls with seaweed furikake. The guys (and gal) working the truck are extremely friendly and you can tell that they’re passionate about their food and making their customers happy. I can’t wait for them to open back up!

Had them come to our house for my mom’s birthday party. Great food, great people! Total hit and they were a pleasure to work with. Just to reiterate, fantastic food!

Wow. I used to work in midtown and was missing the food trucks big time. Hapa is a welcome addition to the relatively small food truck scene in Stamford. For my very first visit today, I honed in on the taco plate: pick 2 from 3 varieties: chicken adobo, Korean short rib and crispy cauliflower. Went with the first two and they were fantastic. At first I thought it was kind of pricey at $ 10 but in the end, it was well worth it. It’s actually more food than you would think – they didn’t skimp on the chicken or beef and it came with 2 rice balls with seasoning. I will definitely be back. Nice job, guys!

Best burger I ever had!!! Well worth the trip from New York. The burger was huge. The ube bun was amazing with it. I will definitely be driving back for more.

This food truck is serving up some extremely delicious, and interesting, food!
I live in NYC and have driven down to have this truck at the Beer Garden numerous times in CT. The truck itself is clean, and the service is always friendly. I’ve met the owners of the truck (since they are the ones on the truck) and they are really nice people who love what they do and love serving quality food to their customers.
Every time I come to this truck I order numerous items off the menu — if I’m going to drive to CT, I’m not just having 1 item! I almost always order the «HAPA Burger» which is a beef burger (grass fed) with pork belly, caramelized onion, lettuce, tomato, aioli and ube bun. NOTE: The Ube bun is purple (since ube is purple) but don’t let this scare you (it’s not like that terribly scary purple ketchup heinz put out a bunch of years back…) it’s a really good bun, like a potato bun. I often also order «Chicken Adobo Tacos» & «Korean Shortrib Tacos» — these tacos are freakin’ delicious — especially the chicken adobo. I don’t know what they do to their chicken but it’s delicious and had my whole table talking about that taco. Lastly, I get a side of «Furukake Fries» — because, sure I can’t pronounce that word, but who doesn’t eat fries with their burger?! They have a sprinkle of seaweed on them and a house aioli — so good (and I’m not even a fan of seaweed.)
The last time I was at the beer garden eating at the truck one of the owners came and gave my table an order of «Crispy Brussel Sprout Salad» since it was a new item that weekend. Do you know how much I love Brussel sprouts? No? Well let me tell you. I don’t. I appreciated the offer but assumed I’d be someone at the table not trying the salad. Butttt, since it was free, a nice gesture, and sitting there (with everyone else saying how tasty it was) I gave it a shot.
To my surprise it was really delicious. I like when food has a ‘char’ flavor and these Brussel sprouts are crispy and charred. If you like Brussel sprouts, you love this. If you don’t like Brussel sprouts, you might actually like this too!
Overall, this is an extremely high-​quality food truck with owners and cook’s who actually care about putting out a fantastic product to every customer.
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NOTE: Their social media handle is @HapaFoodTruck so follow them to know where they are going to be on any given day.

We were a party of seven on a Saturday night at the Beer Garden site at harbor point and the HAPA truck was there. They made the best beef and yellow fin tuna burgers and fried chicken sandwiches. They also had taco platters with a choice of meat or vegan tacos. They also had the best seasoned fries and corn on the cob. The park setting, the beer and wine and great food made for a great summer evening overlooking the harbor as boats came in from the sound. The illusion of being on vacation. Two very big thumbs up for the passion and hard work everyone on the HAPA truck to serve such delicious food.

Love the Hapa Truck! Creative food served with a smile! Took my dad who is 64, Sicilian to the truck yesterday at the Beer Garden, got him the Tuna Steak Burger, he LOVED it! Chicken Adobo and Short Rib Tacos, amazing! Love the little candy they give you with each order. Their French fries are also delicious!

One of the best food trucks in the area!
We had everything on the menu & it was all delicious!
Whether a straight up meal or hang over food, this is THE spot! If you pass this truck up, back up & follow it or Twitter them… well worth it!

I will definitely visit this food truck whenever I am in town. Great food, reasonable portions. I’m excited to see how they will evolve. Great job!

Love the Filipino Hawaiian fusion theme on this awesome food truck. Family took me here since I’m really curious to try the ube bun as they’re raving about it ans we dont have this in Socal. I ordered for the whole family so I can also try a little bit of everything. Here’s what we ordered so far.
1. Hapa Burger ($ 9) — Mouthwatering grass fed beef burger with pork belly, caramelized onion, lettuce, tomato, aioli and ube bun. I told them to slice it in 4 so we can all try it. All it takes is 1 bite and I can truly say that all the ingredients are fresh and oh that ube bun just didn’t disappoint. The mixture of savory, salty and sweet are all playing in my mouth. Yes, I think I can finish a whole burger but I want to try the rest.
2. Crispy Brussel Sprout Salad ($ 7) — my niece and nephew are both vegan and they enjoyed this dish as much as I do. The brussel sprout is so fresh. A very simple dish with a hint of salt and pepper. I love that the brussel sprouts are crispy on the outside and a little caramelized. This dish is the bomb. I can eat this everyday.
3. Korean Short Rib Tacos ($ 10) — my girls ordered this and I tried it. A mixture of salty, sweet and tangy. The tacos are wonderful and tasty. My girls don’t like the red cabbage on top though.
4. Furukake Fries ($ 5) — fresh cut potatoes with some seaweed, sesame and some house dressing that’s a little similar to thousand island. Kids are a fan of this that I have to get 3 as they inhaled the whole thing.
5. Philippine Chicken Adobo taco plate ($ 10) — served with rice and tortillas this dish is truly a keeper. My MIL loved every bite and I was able to sample a bite. Sweet, tangy, salty with a hint of spice. What more can you ask for?
6. Coconut Roasted Veggie ($ 9) — Vegan niece ordered this and she said it’s yummy. Wasn’t able to take a bite as I was busy eating this next dish…
7. Hapa Ahi Burger ($ 14) — last but not the least let me present you the yummiest of all… the Ahi burger. This right here made this trip worth it. Thick cut fresh Ahi tuna with caramelized onion, lettuce and tomato, it’s like eating poke in a form of a burger. The addition of the ube bun complimented everything. Yes, I finished the whole burger and every single bite was a piece of heaven.
Highly recommended place. I’ll be back when I visit the family again next year. Yum!

Purple yam bread bun on the burger is awesome. Everything is made to order and there’s a choice for everyone (gluten free and vegan options).

Good food and friendly service. On the pricier side of food truck food, but not outrageous. Rice bowl portion could be a little larger for what they’re charging (just bulk it up with a little more rice and veggies!).
Hapa burger was delicious! Really good beef and the ube bun was fun… how could purple bread not be fun?! Fries were just OK but the ‘sprinkle’ makes them special.
Looking forward to another burger at the Beer Garden tonight! Salamat!

Great experience from start to finish. The truck is so welcoming and perfectly decorated. The staff with smiles on their faces. The food is to die for, this chicken is perfectly cooked and the burgers will make your mouth water. The perfect unique touch is a purple bun! Makes things fun and interesting. Definitely will go back.

Tried hapa on a lunch break last week. Got the chicken taco and short rib taco. Both were sizeable portions. The rice was interesting and had a seaweed garnish that was unique. Everything was very tasty. Will definitely return soon.