Zea May’s

We’ve only been here a few times. The first time we had the bison dog. It was dry and hard like a price of driftwood. The sauce was too tart and probably wouldn’t have gone well with the bison even if it was cooked properly. We’ve been avoiding this truck for months now and decided to give it another try today. We ordered something small — a couple of empanadas. They were burnt. The crust was like chewing on dead fall leaves and the filling was void of flavor. The service was slow but friendly, and the price good — too bad those elements don’t mean much when the food sucks. Such a shame.

Solid empanada, but I’ve had better (to be fair, I’ve lived in Buenos Aires, where empandas are as abundant as slices of pizza or cheesesteaks).
The empanada shells are flour-​based and are served deep-​fried. This made them delicious by default, but it would have been nice to see a corn-​shell or baked option. I ordered the rhubarb and the bean and cheese. These were the only two that were offered, so you’re up for a gamble if you’re a picky eater. The rhubarb wasn’t really that sweet (not a dessert empanada), but did have a slight orangey essence. The bean and cheese was pretty standard. Both of the empanadas were tasty, albiet definitely overpriced (2 for $ 7). Be careful when you bite in – the fillings were piping hot and I had to wait a little to eat them.
Major bonus for the Philly-​based Nirvana chipotle hot sauce that was offered alongside Cholula’s. I also appreciate the whole native American ingredients –thing they have going on. Service was super friendly.

Delicious black bean and cheese empanadas! Best empanada I have EVER had (by a mile). I would love that recipe… wow! The women working this food truck at «the Mann» were so sweet, too. The empanada was a great accompaniment to my «summer shandy». Great venue, Great food and drink, Great sounds= happiness for me.

I tried Zea May’s in love park. I have to say I wasn’t that impressed. The food was not bad, but I felt like it was lacking something. I agree with the others as I was not overstuffed when I was finished, but I cannot say I was satisfied either. I may try this truck again in the future as I like the ingredients that were used.

Recently I got to try a few of the offerings from this food truck. I liked the idea of using native American ingredients. The sweet potato empanada was, as others have pointed out, very tasty, not too greasy, but small; and it was kept at a pleasantly warm temperature (no need to worry about burning your tongue). The lamb and yam salad was an okay combo of yam bits and lamb sausage on top of some greens. However, it lacked oomph or zing and was cold and on the dry side. The chocolate bark — a spicy, crunchy, dark chocolate combo was delicious and could well be sold on its own.
Prices are reasonable, though on the opposite side of what would be considered a bargain. Service was friendly and fast. Then again, service can be quite rapid when there’s no cooking involved but just packaging of pre-​prepared items. One of the appeals of food trucks is that they serve as miniature outdoor restaurants — performing some of the cooking magic (or chemistry, if you prefer the technical term) that you don’t get at, say, a convenience store. But when a food truck functions as essentially a mobile convenience store (even a gourmet convenience store) then, well, what’s so exciting about that? I hope they step up their game; they’ve got potential, but they’re not there yet.

I tried Zea May’s for the first time today. As I type this, I’m eating the wild rice & corn salad and a sweet potato empanada. The salad is amazing. The texture is so crunchy and pleasant — there’s a bit of oomph in each bite. The flavors of the corn, red peppers, rice, nuts, and dressing blend perfectly together. The empanada is really good, too. It’s sweet and light and airy, as others have said.
Service was quick, and the ladies who run the truck were really pleasant. I look forward to returning.

It’s a little weird — I am probably the one person I know who doesn’t love empanadas. I always seem to like the idea of them more than the actual food. They’ve always been too doughy, or dry, or the filling not flavorful enough… or something… until I tried Zea May’s!
These changed my opinion! They had not one, but *TWO* vegetarian varieties — pumpkin and spicy bean and cheese! They were on the smaller side, delicately fried, and the fillings were delicious! I am impressed! None of that doughy flavorless dryness I’ve experienced before. I really like the ratio of dough to filling, but these are light somehow, so they also don’t leave you feeling like you ate a brick. They are kind of small for the $ 3 price tag.
I also tried the quinoa salad, which was pretty good, but the only other ingredient in it was green and yellow peppers. I could have done with a few other ingredients — maybe roast corn, or beans? It was a nice portion, on a bed of lettuce greens with a lemon dressing.
A food truck with a focus on Native American ingredients — unique and perfect for fall!

Food Truck lovers, admit it — when you eat from a food truck, you very ever, so rarely, at the end of said food truck meal feel light, airy and say to yourself ‘Hey, I did some good, responsible, tasty and healthy eating’ — right?
Zea Mays is the exception to the rule. I’m finishing up a meal that on first impression may sound a bit too order-​happy: Sweet Potato empanada, Wild Rice salad and cranberry, apple corn muffin. $ 9.75 later, I feel satisfied, full and airy — and just good.
The empanada, which is pretty small for $ 3, is delightful, the sweet potato mixture that includes maple syrup and nutmeg in a lightly fried crust is delicious, nearly dessert-​like and a perfect start to a meal (who doesn’t want to start with dessert, anyway?).
A wild rice salad for $ 5 (with summer squash, sesame seed, white bean, corn and brown wild rice atop mixed greens) is perfectly dressed with an amazing mouth-​feel and is absolutely delish. The accompanying corn muffin with cranberry and apple (at $ 1.75) is the perfect complement, also light, savory with the hint of fruit tartness.
All in all, a very complete meal, that left me feeling, good, not hefty and with the truck’s focus on foods made from Native American ingredients, it isn’t surprising.
This truck will be here on Monday and Wednesdays for all of September, so make sure to include it in your rotation.

Zea May’s is a new food truck on the Philly scene specializing in foods made from native american ingredients. Being a small part Native American myself and loving all the anicient grains that are gaining popularity (go quinoa!) I was excited to get to try Zea May’ at the Night Market. That evening their menu was completely vegetarian which always makes choosing hard for me. I went with the Sweet Potato Empanada since I thought eating any sort of salad while walking around was more than my coordination could handle.
The empanada was nicely cooked, not greasey, and held together great. I added a little hot sauce to mine and it worked well with the delcious sweet potato purée inside. At $ 3 the price was very fair. I look forward to trying their other 3 Sisters salad (corn, quinoa and beans) soon.