If you’ve ever walked by 4th and Garden Streets in Hoboken, you have probably seen a taco truck on the corner. This food truck — called Tastebuds Taco Truck — has been owned and operated by best friends and Hoboken-born-and-raised residents Jiovany and Angel since 2019. Last week, Tastebuds hinted at a temporary closure on their Instagram — and now the food truck has confirmed that a bike rack has been placed in the spot where they have a vending license for, forcing the truck out of its normal operating location. Read on for what we know about the closure of this beloved taco truck in the Mile Square.
The Closure + Bike Rack
Last week, Tastebuds posted about a potential temporary closure on its Instagram stories, which has since expired. After the story was posted, The Hoboken Girl started to get numerous DM’s from readers saying that a bike rack has been placed in the spot where Tastebuds normally operates.
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Now, on March 20th, the food truck elaborated on the situation with an Instagram post, confirming the closure of the food truck due to the bike rack being placed in the center of Tastebuds’ space.
View this post on Instagram
“Trying to recover from this has been extremely difficult. This is how we make a living, this is how I pay rent for my apartment, our kitchen space, staff, and more importantly how I provide for my family. I can’t help but feel this was done maliciously to us. (The 1942 bike rack put directly in the center of our space) A force out. For close to 4 years we have been serving this community in which we have always done our best to deliver great food, with excellent service. We cater to our residents, get involved within our community, and have donated our time and resources to be a forefront with our small business. It must be some kind of evil to do something like this to us, with no heads up, not a complaint or warning… nothing. Just a passive-aggressive chess move that screams “GET OUT” (Even though our vending license is for 4th & Garden) Now as my fist clinch up into a ball, and tears of rage fall from my face. I take a deep breath to ask you, the city of Hoboken what is our next move. How can we make this right. Help us, don’t let us die. Who do we speak to? Feel free to tag those that can help or some contacts to reach via email,” Tastebuds said in the post. “In the meantime, we will be looking for new locations to get kicked out from. So to people we serve, We will be back, I promise you that.”
We reached out to Tastebuds for comment, and they responded that they will be sending us their statement on the situation.
However, a source close to the taco truck who has been working to find a resolution with them and the City shared exclusively with The Hoboken Girl, “Today, we spoke and looks like they are planning on allowing them to park on the sidewalk.”
The Hoboken Girl also reached out to the City of Hoboken for comment and they responded with the following:
“Mayor Bhalla understands how important small businesses like Taste Buds are to the Hoboken community, as the City frequently works with the Hoboken Business Alliance to support new and existing businesses, among many other initiatives.
“While, in this instance, the business owner had been told previously that the truck was parked in a no-parking zone, as soon as the Mayor’s Office was made aware of the issue this morning, the Mayor directed the Office of Constituent Services to work with the business owners to allow them to continue operating safely and without blocking pedestrian sight lines, especially given the adjacent crosswalk is next to schools and a park. Taste Buds has been given the option to reopen in the area adjacent to their previous location, which does not block sight views and remains safe for vulnerable users such as children and seniors. We are confident that Taste Buds will be able to reopen in short order.”
About Tastebuds
Tastebuds is owned by two best friends Jiovany and Angel, who were both born and raised in Hoboken — going back three generations. With the two of them being best friends, they decided to open up a business together in September 2019. They made it through a pandemic and came out on the other end with an additional truck to cater events off-site.
Before the unexpected closure, locals could find Tastebuds on 4th and Garden by Church Square Park in Hoboken Monday through Friday from 12PM to 8PM, weather permitting. The food was also available to order online.
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The truck sold several types of tacos as well as nachos and quesadillas with beef, chicken, and veggie options. There were seven types of toppings, with the homemade avocado pineapple sauce being one of our favorites.
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