Puddin’

One of my favorite stalls at Union Market and truly a traditional southern establishment. The bread pudding was so rich and moist — rivals even that found in Charleston. Also had the shrimp and grits which was packed with Cajun flavor. If you want to try something a bit different, close to the south and is not fried chicken — try this place. Worth every calorie.

Their bread pudding is amazing! Shrimp and grits is very tasty… it burned my tongue one time, but I guess it was too fresh and straight out of the pot.

I got the shrimp po boy and it was really really good. It was my first time having one so I don’t know how authentic it tastes. Its a bit on the small side for $ 8 but that’s just the nature of the beast in DC. The butter, bourbon bread puddin definitely sounds better than it tastes. My stomach turned as i tried to eat it so i wouldn’t recommend it.

While perusing Eastern Market today, I stopped at Puddin’. I’ve never been to this outside food station before but the line told me, I had to see what it was about. So, I tried the reasonably priced shrimp and grits and it was incredible! The combination of seasoned tomatoes, parmesan cheese, grits and succulent shrimp was truly divine.

I visited Puddin’ at Union Market earlier today. I ordered the Brown Butter Bourbon Bread Pudding. While tasty, the smallest size was $ 6, which, in my opinion, was overpriced for the portion size that I received. Also, while the flavoring was good, I would have preferred that the bread pudding was moister than it was. If the petit size was $ 4 or less, it would be a much better value and I could justify purchasing it again, but for $ 6 and the variety of other delicious options at Union Market, I’m not likely to return to Puddin’ again due to the price of the small size.

I spent the day at Eastern Market and found this food truck.
I wish I tried other things they had. But, I’m so glad I at least tried the Brown Butter Bourbon Bread Pudding. It was WONDERFUL!!! So sinful … WOW. just. WOW.
They had samples to lure you in. They know what they are doing.
My only regret is not buying more of the bread pudding. None of it made it home.

Oh. my. freaking… YUM. I’d read and heard great things about Puddin’ and it was on my mental must-​try list for ages (brown butter bourbon bread pudding – how can you forget about that?) Last weekend, I ran into a group of friendly people eating pizza, we chatted for a bit, and I realized one was the owner of this truck and business – the lovely Toyin :). So with Puddin’ fresh on my radar, knowing the truck would be near work today, I made a point to go throw down some puddin’ today. And it was even better than I hoped! The shrimp and grits were outstanding – the wonderful texture of the grits with their cheesy flavor was perfectly paired with the big fresh shrimp in a superb tomato-​ey sauce. The flavors were divine. A truly outstanding dish, easily just as great as versions I’ve had at upscale restaurants (DC’s Vidalia). And the bread pudding? Words cannot do justice to the buttery sweet salty warm blanket of loving comfort that is this creation. Best bread pudding I’ve ever had. Thank you, Toyin! Puddin’ is fabulous – Go get some now!!!

Both my brother and sister have tried the food at this food truck. & I’ve had the pleasure of trying out what they ordered and paid for. :) The first time we were at the Emporium Living Social event and Puddin’ was a block away so we decided to stop by because why wouldn’t you eat before you’re going to eat. He ordered the fried shrimp and grits and it was really good! The grits were creamy and the shrimp was crispy and very flavorful. It took a while for us to get our order and we were literally the only two people ordering. We waited about 20 minutes with no up dates. The second time my sister ordered i believe what was the gumbo when we were at a beer event by the National Stadium. I had a taste and I thought it was ok but do not take my word for it. I personally just don’t like gumbo but everyone else seems to have liked it. So if it’s what they’re known for, it’s worth a try.

Finally, a good cajun food truck! After trying Cajunator’s and Willie’s Po’Boy truck, I didn’t trust trucks that served Cajun food anymore, and thought it might be another rip-​off bait truck. I saw the excellent reviews here, so I decided to give it a shot. Lo and behold, a real oyster po-​boy loaded with oysters. The one I had from Willie’s Po Boy was full of full of bread, and nooo oysters, and it got 4.5 star average! All you taste was bread, and about 2 small strips of oysters that line up the sandwich, with cheap lettuce and no sauce. Puddin’ gives you a pile of oysters inside, and the remoulade was really good with it. I had a mouth full of oysters, and it had me smilin’. The chicken and sausage gumbo was also really good, and tasted like it had been stewing for awhile, had deep flavors and was authentic gumbo. Puddin’ is one of the rare trucks that I would visit again.

Puddin’, Puddin’ Puddin. Singing the Puddin’ song. You know it is a good day when this truck shows up down the block from your office. You can also find them most weekends at the Eastern Market. The Po’ Boys are excellent, lightly breaded oysters or shrimp on a perfectly soft, slightly chewy roll. The flavor is zingy and good. Another favorite is shrimp and grits. Oh my yummy. I believe there are two sizes and get the larger one because you are going to want to scarf every bit of that cheesy goodness down and lick the paper bowl. Shrimp are large and cooked just right. Service is friendly but the line can be long for this truck and since the food is cooked to order allow plenty of time to get your food and eat. Just tell the boss you are going to a meeting.

Now while I can’t say that I am an expert on down home «Nawlins» cuisine. I’d like to think that I do know when I taste exceptional food. My experience actually took place at Union Market, but since I don’t see them listed in that location i’m posting here.
Initially when I past this vendor they offered a sample of the shrimp and grits. Usually I won’t take the sample unless I could see myself being in the mood to eat it, and at the time shrimp and grits was about the last thing I saw myself eating at the time. However as soon as I took the first bite of that sample it all changed.
I looked over at my mother who I had invited to come with me to union market, and all I could manage to say was «Well damn». And she’s looking back at me like «yea, i know».
So we went and got a table, and i came back to order my shrimp and grits. Now standing in a line behind an older couple. I see the lady scooping something into a container that looked amazing and smelled ridiculously good.
It is at that time I look over at the sign on the counter and read «Brown Butter, Bourbon, Bread Pudding». I had to read it again but slower. Brown… Butter… Bourbon… Bread… Pudding. #MindBlown.
Yes I’ll be having that also!
Funny thing is a couple walked up behind me looked at the menu and were like: Brown… Butter…Bourbon…Bread Pudding? I looked at them like yea, I just saw that too. They were equally amazed, and decided to walk around for a while, but were definitely sold on coming back.
I got my food, went to my table and grubbed out. $ 6.00 for my small order which was still a decent portion. However they do have $ 8.00, and 10.00 containers also.
I highly recommend this place. I was thoroughly impressed. I’m sire to be stopping back through my next tome in DC. Great Job!

Best bread pudding ever. As a carnivore I’m embarrassed to say that I enjoy the the regular version over the one with bacon. When their location moved to another table in Union Market and was replaced by a worthless, overpriced biscuit shop, I nearly collapsed, thinking «why would they ever get rid of this?» Thankfully, I found their new spot in the back of the Market.

Puddin’ has several locations throughout the DC area: the Fresh Farm White House Market (Thursdays, from May to October), Eastern Market (Saturdays and Sundays), Fresh Vista Market at HHS (Wednesdays (seasonally, but currently closed), and the Greenbelt Farmers Market (Sundays, from June until the end of November). Currently, their food truck varies its location on a daily basis (Wednesdays through Fridays), so you have to check their social media site! The menu is very simple (great for indecisive people like me!) — Chicken & Beef Sausage Gumbo, Shrimp n’ Grits (GF), Po’Boys (your choice of fried oysters, shrimp, or catfish), and their famous dessert, the Brown Butter Bourbon Bread Puddin’ (they also have pumpkin during the holidays, which I would loooove to try (!!!)). Their truck is usually near the NPR building, on the 1^st Street area (in front of the Union Center Plaza). I met up with ADRIENNE M. for a lunch-​time rendezvous (as I’ve been hearing non-​stop about this favorite food truck of hers!) and tried out the following: Oyster Po’Boy (battered fried oysters, served on a very soft sub roll, topped with an extra spicy remoulade and mounds of tangy sweet slaw; one of the best fried oysters/po’boy I’ve had in quite some time, maybe even ever?! The oysters were extremely well-​battered, crispy, seasoned perfectly, and the amount of the remoulade and the refreshing slaw was generous (which I really loved!); this was the hub’s and my favorite!); the Shrimp Po’Boy (lightly-​battered shrimp with the same fixings as the Oyster Po’Boy — the shrimp were less battered than the oysters, but still juicy); the Chicken and Beef Sausage Gumbo (had some shredded chicken and spicy beef sausage slices; I wasn’t a fan, as it was just way too of an tense of a seafood flavor, and I think I preferred something a little more thick); and, the famous Brown Butter Bourbon Bread Puddin’ (buttery bread with an intense bourbon taste — the bread pudding itself did not contain any raisins or nuts, but those weren’t missed (although, I wouldn’t have minded if they were there!), as the dessert itself was just saturated with the creaminess and the bourbon-​ness of it all — came out piping hot, it was extremely decadent — the hubs thought it was a little too sweet, but I thought it was yummy!) I did order the Shrimp ‘n Grits, but they forget to put that in, and swapped it for the gumbo T_​_​_​_​_​_​T I was soooo sad! I did read about their seasonal pumpkin bread puddin,’ so I am definitely going to wait anxiously for that! They also will soon have a ‘DC Boy’ (all the po’boy fixings with a half smoke (!!!)). I will definitely be back for the Oyster Po’Boy, the puddin’, and I definitely still want to try out the Shrimp ‘n Grits!
+Oyster Po’Boy :D
+Brown Butter Bourbon Bread Puddin’ :D
+check their social media for food truck location during the week!
+accepts both cash & card

I got three words for you. OYSTER PO BOY. I know this truck is known for their bread pudding, and I haven’t had a chance to try it yet, but that oyster po boy was amazing! This cute food truck caught my eye while doing some errands at the Office of Tax and Revenue (1101 4^th St SW). They’ve been here on the two Fridays I’ve had to come down here so maybe this is their Friday spot.
On the menu were po boy sandwiches (shrimp, catfish, or oyster), shrimp and grits, catfish and grits and of course their bread pudding. I went with the oyster po boy shorty (also comes in a biggie). The shorty was about 5 inches. OMG this sandwich was insanely good. The oysters were perfectly fried, the slaw was nice and tangy and that sauce! It was perfectly spiced and a generous amount. My only complaint was that the bread of the sandwich would have tasted better if it was toasted.
If you see the Puddin’ truck make sure you stop by!

Disclaimer: this ain’t no grandma’s bread pudding! This place is fired up, bread pudding on crack, and they should have locations across America! I visited the pop up station in Union Market, and the aroma alone caught my attention. I shared the bacon bread pudding with my buddy and I’m seriously regretting that decision. Get your own and get a big one! It was warm, flavorful, moist (I hate that word but it seriously describes this well), decadent, and just downright illegally good! I’m salivating right now just thinking about it…*sigh.*

Since I was in the Eastern Market area to get lunch with a friend anyway and we were walking around and enjoying the unseasaonably warm February weather, I decided to stop by and get some bread pudding from Puddin,’ an amazing food stand in the Eastern Market outdoor market area (near North Carolina Ave), right across from the famous Crepes at the Market stand (which I have written a separate Unilocal review for). This place had been on my restaurant bucket list for a while, so I was so happy to finally visit.
I ordered the smallest bread pudding size available and that was sufficiently big, as the bread pudding is packed with flavor! I absolutely loved my bread pudding — it was very warm and delicious and fluffy. Perfect, just as bread pudding should be. The food stand does accept credit cards, which is nice. The small size of bread pudding is a bit pricey ($ 6), but you get a lot for what you pay (especially for the expensive Eastern Market area).
I am so, so, so glad I stopped by Puddin’ to get bread pudding for dessert during my recent sojourn to Eastern Market. I will certainly visit again and highly recommend this place!

So I check the food truck notifications to see what’s in my neck of the woods today and I see Puddin’ on the list. Now, normally, as a Po’ boy obsessed foodie I would be out the door, down the stairs and standing in line to avoid the lunch rush. However, I have tried the shrimp po’ boy from their truck and it was a big disappointment. Stale bread, waaaaay too much ‘slaw and hardly any shrimp. I felt like I was actually eating a coleslaw sandwich because I couldn’t even taste shrimp. That would all have been bad enough, but when you factor in the price for such a blah boy, it added insult to injury.
I’ve read some good reviews that I want to give them another chance, but…

Let me start off by saying, not by any means am I a Po Boy aficionado. Sure I like the way it tastes, but I’m not really into sammies hot, or cold. This is to say, my whole plan was to try the bread pudding (by try, I mean eat a lot of it) and sample a Po Boy. What happened was slightly different from my seemingly realistic expectations…
Puddin’ is a creole inspired food truck, packed with favorites like Po Boys, gumbo and of course their famous bread pudding. As mentioned, I came for the pudding, but I left with a biggie oyster Po Boy, a small bread pudding and small shrimp and grits. This was overwhelmingly more food than my tummy could handle in one sitting, but at least I tried.
Brown Butter Bourbon Bread Pudding: I parked and walked around the corner to the truck. At about 200+ feet, and I could smell that brown butter bourbon coming from the truck (honestly, you could smell it trapped in a small paper container, placed in a bag that sits beneath the driver’s seat if you sniffed one good time) and it smelled delectable. When it finally arrived in my possession, I realized I was a fool to believe that I could handle even a small size. I could taste every ingredient, every stir, every bit of bourbon… it was super rich and I had to accompany it with milk, in an attempt to stop my tastebuds from vibrating. A little crispy on top with plenty of sauce, dense, but very moist, I was in love as soon as it’s greatness touched my bottom lip.
Oyster Po Boy: Crispy bread, healthy portion of perfectly seasoned fried oysters (if ever you needed to prove your love to me, take me to get some fried oysters), little spicy/​little vinegary/​crunchy slaw (I was very enthused about this), and a spicy, jammed packed with flavor remoulade sauce that rounded the Po Boy very well. Flavor, upon flavor, upon flavor… without being salty! With every bite, I promised never to eat a subpar Po Boy again, fore this, my dears, has set the standard.
Shrimp & Grits: This was my least favorite, but still good nonetheless. The grits were creamy and rich, topped with a spicy tomato based shrimp gravy (I don’t approve of any tomato based gravy in creole cooking, unless it’s a spin on an Italian dish). The shrimp were seasoned well, but there wasn’t enough. Two may have come in my Togo container. Overall it was just alright, nothing I would go out of my way to try again.
If I could, I would give Puddin’ 9 stars (–1 for the shrimp and grits). I loved the Pudding and Po Boy and have no other choice but to come back and relive the experience. I honestly have never tried any other Po Boy as good as theirs and am not likely to, based on my experiences in the DC area. Puddin is a gem and truly speaks to the level of quality to which food trucks have arrived.

Slight up arrow for taste, slight down arrow for value.
It’s good bread pudding. I know there is other stuff there, but you come to a truck named Puddin’ for pudding. The first time they gave me quite a bit for the serving, and it was mostly the middle of the bread and plenty of the bourbon sauce. My only complaint is that when the sauce accumulates on the bottom, it becomes cloyingly sweet. Second time got a lot of crust, and it just wasn’t as good.
But 6 bucks for a small? I think the sticker shock for the large would be less if the pricing was 5−7−9.

This review is solely for the brown butter bourbon bread pudding. OH MY GOODNESS. If you leave this truck without getting the bread pudding I feel sorry for you.
I have always seen Puddin’ at the farmers market by the White House on Thursdays, but was never able to try it because of personal reasons (gotta eat healthy during the week!) But last week I went to Emporiyum by Union Market and there on the side was Puddin’. It was a no-​brainer, I immediately ordered a small bread pudding with whipped cream (go hard or go home). After I paid I dug into my bread pudding and I was literally STOPPED in my tracks by the deliciousness. My friends had to ask me to move along and I really couldn’t. I was permanently immobilized by this magic in my hands.
Do not do what I did and pass this up for so long, go get some bread pudding now!!!