The Bearded Chef Food Truck and Break Room Review
If you have read my Best Melbourne, Florida Restaurants guide, then you know I am a big fan of the Bearded Chef. This food truck has been cooking up amazing things in the area for a couple of years now. You can imagine my excitement when I found out they were opening a restaurant as well!
Now, in addition to the food truck that roams the area weekly, you can visit The Bearded Chef for lunch at The Break Room. Both menus offer some of the most creative and delicious food in the area. Whether you like spicy or savory, are vegan or carnivorous, there are plenty of tasty options for you at The Bearded Chef.
The Bearded Chef Food Truck
First and foremost, the Bearded Chef has been a food truck that makes weekly stops around town. Common locations include breweries like Dirty Oar and Intracoastal, local parks and gardens, like Rockledge Garden and festivals.
The menu changes pretty frequently for the truck. You can usually count on some combination of burgers, sandwiches, tacos and fried rice though. They make possibly the best vegan burger in town complete with vegan cheddar and pickled shittake mushrooms that is almost always available for order.
However, their burger for carnivores, is ever changing, and we have yet to be disappointed. You especially want to go during the July James Beard Blended Burger Challenge, where the Bearded Chef always creates some sort of masterpiece for the competition! Last years Pho-Real burger had all the delicious flavors of pho combined for a burger!
The Bearded Chef Break Room
Now that the Break Room is open, the Bearded Chef has a stationary location as well. This spot is open for lunch only, Monday through Friday. It is mainly a counter-service spot for local office workers. However, even if you don’t work around here, I urge you to get here for lunch one day. That’s because they are one of the few places in town serving ramen and it is so delicious!
Besides the fantastic ramen, you can also get sandwiches, tacos and fried rice here. The quality is excellent, just like the food truck and we have enjoyed everything we have eaten. The menu has not changed too much since opening, besides a few weekly specials. For drinks, they only have sodas and water, so you will have to visit a brewery when their food truck is there to have a beer along with your food!
Our Experience
We have been enjoying The Bearded Chef for a couple years now and continue to be blown away by the food. I added it to my best restaurants in Melbourne list despite it being a food truck, because I really think he is cooking up some of the best eats around! It is not uncommon for Andrew and I to check out where the food truck will be and make a weekend plan around it.
My favorite thing I have ordered here is the Fried Kaarage Chicken Hokage. This was basically like a Japanese fried chicken burrito complete with an elote salad and crema. It was one of the most flavorful things I have ever eaten and if I see it again on the menu, I will definitely order it!
Other favorites include the bulgogi tacos and the fried rice. Andrew like to split these a lot, especially when there is pork belly to top the fried rice with. We love getting sides here and usually get either a loaded fries or a mac and cheese. They have all sorts of mac and cheese options that we have enjoyed in the past as well. The Bacon Apple Mac and Cheese was a pretty unique option that I was pleasantly surprised by!
Ask around, and you are guaranteed to hear equally rave reviews of The Bearded Chef. The only negative I will say is that there portions (not for the burgers or sandwiches) can be a bit small for the price. We tend to spend about the same amount here as we do on a casual sit down dinner, which can be surprising for a food truck! All the ingredients here are extremely high quality though, so it’s worth it for the price.
Know Before You Go: The Bearded Chef
Between The Bearded Chef and FM Pizza Oven, I have found some of the best local restaurants to have started out on wheels. It’s so nice to now have a standing location to get the Bearded Chef most days of the week, although I still try and find their truck around town. Whichever location you end up at, here’s some things to keep in mind.
- The Bearded Chef Break Room is open from 11 AM to 3 Pm Monday through Friday.
- The food truck stops at various spots throughout town during the week. You can find their schedule on their Facebook page.
- Most entrees cost $10 and up and there are sides available for $3 and up.
- The menu is ever changing, but you can usually expect to see burgers, sandwiches and tacos on the menu.
- Both the restaurant and food truck offer a diverse menu that can be modified to fir your diet. This includes vegan options!
- The restaurant is indoors only and there are no dogs allowed inside.
- The Bearded Chef offers catering for special events as well.
Which food truck would you like to see become a restaurant next? I am hoping EatQuel opens up a taco stand! For more ideas of where to eat in Brevard County, check out my best Melbourne and Cocoa Beach restaurant posts.