The Gorilla Cheese truck and the Korilla BBQ truck are at opposite ends of the food spectrum.  One serves grilled cheese and the other serves Korean BBQ.  My coworker even commented that I have no business comparing these two trucks that couldn’t be any more different. To that I responded, who wouldn’t want to see a Gorilla and a Korilla duke it out. By the way, according to the Korilla BBQ website, Korilla is a portmanteau of “Korean and Grill”.  I, however, think Korilla is a Korean gorilla that happens to look like a tiger (hence the awesome battle that could take place).

For those who read my food cart check list post you know that the Korilla BBQ truck was on my personal list of must hit food carts.  It just so happened that the Gorilla Cheese truck was parked half a block away so I figured I would pit them against each other solely because of the similarity of the names and the interesting title I could have for this post.

First up, Gorilla Cheese. I order the Melt of the day (7$) which was Grilled Chicken Pesto Melt w/Muenster & Roasted Red Peppers.  I opted to make it a combo which added a soda and tots (extra 2$). There were about 8 people crowded around the truck. I soon learned that there was a line not because everyone was hyped about getting a chance to eat there, but becuase they were so slow in getting orders out.  The gentleman who ordered after me got his food before me because they forgot my order and so they had to ask me what I was having again.  It happens, I get it. It wouldn’t have bothered me, but they looked bored and more concerned about which Techno song off their iPhone they should pump out of their speakers.  Techno, as much as I like it (don’t judge me), does not sell food people.

Gorilla Cheese Melt

I was not at all impressed by this.  The bread was not exciting and by no means was it “French Bread”.  This was Wonder Bread my friend.  I could have made this at home. For $9 I could think of many a more dishes I could have purchased elsewhere that would have made a better impact.  For example, Melt Shop is 10 times better than this was.  Don’t get me wrong, it tasted good, but didn’t live up to my expectations of what kind of sandwich would be served to me by a truck named “GORILLA Cheese”.

On to the next one, Korilla BBQ.  Would I have a better ordering experience here than I did at Gorilla Cheese?  I waited 30 minutes to find out.  Their website claims lunch starts at 11:30am.  I waited online for them to open up until 12:05pm.  Some of the Korilla guys sat in a BMW parked behind the truck while the line swelled to 1/3 of the way down 47th Street. It reminded me of waiting outside of an exclusive club and the bouncers making the line get longer to build a crowd.  As soon as the truck opened, however, they were ready to rock. I wanted to get the Tacos… but they weren’t ready.  (Now wait a minute, your business is tacos and burritos, but your tacos aren’t ready when you open a half hour late?)  I opted to go with the burrito with ribeye, bacon & kimchi fried rice, red kimchi, cheese, salsa and korean BBQ sauce ($8).

  Korilla Burrito

I had waited so long in the heat and was so disappointed that they did not have the tacos, that I really wanted to not like this food.  I wanted to be able to say my wait was a huge waste of time… but I couldn’t.  This was amazing. It was an explosion of deliciousness with every bite.  When you taste this… and you definitely should… it will be clear why they were rookie of the year at the Vendy Awards last year.  I see no reason why they should not win this year.  Right now, this is one of my favorite food trucks and I would wait on that line any day.

So Gorilla v. Korilla? Yes, they are completely different foods, but when it comes to filling my stomach with delicious food and paying for them with my money… all food is on the same playing field. Don’t let me sway your decision though.  Go decide for yourself if you want an OK grilled cheese for $7 or if you want some awesome korean BBQ for $1 more.

Oh, and this is a side by side with only 2 bites in each of these meals.

How hungry are you?