Beat Street

 

Located in The Outpost at 348 Hutchison Lane in Wilmington’s Cargo District, Beat Street offers globally inspired street food for lunch and dinner. It is open from 11-8 Sunday-Thursday and 11-10 Friday-Saturday. Online ordering is available.

 

This eclectic offering from the True Blue group offers a killer menu but its logistics leave something to be desired. First, the good: Beat Street has an impressive array of handhelds from around the world. A half-dozen varieties of tacos share menu space with burgers, kabobs, tortas, and ssam. Choosing a side will be a hair-tearing endeavor as ramen, bacon cheddar mac, and truffle fries (with lemon and parmesan!) make for an extremely difficult decision.

 

Beat Street is co-located with Alcove Beer Garden, and there is plenty of seating inside and out. That capaciousness is a double-edged sword, however, as you may need to listen from a distance and over music for your number to be called out. You’ll also be in for a wait (30+ minutes in our case): perhaps due to understaffing, the kitchen here is slow.

 

That said, the food here was as good as it sounded. We went with barbacoa tacos and pork belly steamed buns with the aforementioned truffle fries. The fries were addictive, and both handhelds were well-sauced (birria/avocado crema and hoisin/ginger scallion, respectively) and flavorful. The pork was a touch dry but not unpleasantly so, and it was satisfyingly crispy. Prices ($12 and $14) were reasonable.

Beat Street’s tantalizing menu will make you hungry, and your stomach will be happy by the end, but the in-between may try your patience.