***Review for their curry paste sold at Eat Real Festival *** Hmmm...something seems odd that a non-asian guy is making some darn good curry paste. Had a sample of their vegan Magic Curry Paste at the Eat Real Festival and this stuff was too tasty! $4 for 1, $10 for 3 small jars of red, green, yellow curry paste which can go a long way...1 tablespoon of paste mixed with coconut milk, cooked carrots/potatoes and a protein... and voila! Located next to the Jade Chocolate booth at the Eat Real Festival. read more

Magic Curry Kart - Yellow, green and red Magic Curry Paste - Herbs & Spices Near Me - San Francisco, California

Magic curry kart...the words conjure up thoughts of a secret blend of spices that tantalize the taste buds, served up by an elusive cart/kart. I caught up with the Kart (though I didn't actually see a cart) at the Mercury Lounge. The menu included chicken or tofu curry over rice ($6), curry tacos, and soup. * Pumpkin Curry Soup: 1/2 quart $3, the saltiest pumpkin/kabocha soup I've ever had, it was thick, medium spicy, seemed to have many spices in it, it was supposed to have coconut but I didn't notice the coconut, pumpkin curry soup should be sweeter * Spicy Pork taco with slow roasted pork shoulder, veggies, magic curry paste, magic chili sauce: this was decent, liked the marinade they used on the pork shoulder, the meat was shredded and added to sautéed peppers, onions, mushrooms. Something seemed to be missing (it came with sour cream but I left that off), e.g., cilantro and a stronger sauce. I did not taste the curry. * VegE taco: had sautéed peppers, onions, mushrooms, and a garlicky magic chili sauce - that's it, something was missing in the flavor department, it seemed like it needed something more substantive too, like tofu or curried potatoes Each taco came with one thin tortilla that seemed cold and fell apart. Really annoying. The tacos were not constructed well and seemed unfinished. They were 2 for $5 or $3 each. read more

Magic Curry Kart - Spicy pork & VegE tacos - Herbs & Spices Near Me - San Francisco, California

MCK 2.0 is in the works... Gentlemen we can rebuild it, We have the technology, We have the capability to make the world's first bionic curry cart, MCK will be the one, Better than it was before, Better, stronger, faster... Da-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na... (low budget bionic sound effect... hey, just roll with it) The hush-hush construction work is being conducted in southern California. What will it look like? We'll find out in a few days. MCK 2.0 pics revealed - ta da! http://media1.px.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/Uy92xnpY1g8m1XsHRcnXxg/l http://media1.px.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/v41uKiRmHPSjklaU6jbkGw/l read more

At 7 o'clock I stood at the corner of 19th and Linda , I kept checking twitter to make sure that he would be there this Friday. I was sure I was at the right when I noticed cars slowing down at Linda looking towards the dead end. Finally around 7:30pm the magic curry man was done setting up and passed a clipboard for everyone to place their orders. I was the fourth name on the list for his tofu curry and still had to wait 30 minutes. Which goes by pretty quickly when you're trying the other stalls. It's VERY IMPORTANT that you SIGN THE LIST, or you could be like some who those who weren't aware of the list and probably waited more than an hour for their food. I thought the curry was pretty decent, I wasn't expecting anything spectacular but I still thought he did a pretty good job although the rice was a bit too mushy, but for $5 dollars I can't complain. It's definitely a fun experience that one should everyone should try. Be prepared to wait around because that's what's it all about, but it's worth the wait. http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2009/05/hot_meal_magic_curry_creme_bru.php read more

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So I've been hearing a lot about this Magic Curry Kart. I finally found him at an arts gallery from a friend who follows him on twitter. He literally cooks his curry on a cart and two rice cookers. There are two wok, both filled with the coconut curry and has fish sauce and siracha if you need to add more taste. $6 for a bowl of of choice of either chicken or veggie curry. There wasn't a line when i went, but the guy told me to write down my name and which type of curry I wanted. I came back about 10 mins later and it was just finished. To me the rice was a little too mushy, but I think its because the rice sits in the rice cooker until someone orders. There was a good amount of veggies(broccoli, string beans, bell peppers) and little bit of chicken. The chicken was white meat so it was a bit tough for me. Overall, for a $6 curry that has a decent amount of chicken and veggies, I'd rather go to another place to get more authentic curry and rice that's cooked good. Its a fun and exciting experience but I've had better. read more

Magic Curry Kart - Chicken Curry - Herbs & Spices Near Me - San Francisco, California

Now why can't full-blown restaurants be like this? * great value * fresh ingredients * personable chef (even though he's busy in the middle of things) read more

Made to order, with the perfect amount of spicy kick. Rich flavor (a bit on the sweet side), a big mix of veggies, and your choice of chicken or tofu (and the tofu version is even made with vegetarian fish sauce). Served up on some very sticky rice (which absorbs the curry sauce wonderfully), it's a remarkably filling meal for a paltry $5! And try not to think about how much coconut milk goes into it - trust me, you'll be happier. Follow him on twitter - @magiccurrykart - to find out where & when he'll be, but he's most often found on Linda near 19th st on Friday evenings, in the company of the equally delicious Creme Brulee cart! You'll want to get there early, though, because the line can get pretty long... read more

Magic Curry Kart - on Linda - Herbs & Spices Near Me - San Francisco, California

I can now tell people that I am no longer a cart virgin thanks to the Magic Curry Kart. My cousin has been following a few of the carts on Twitter for a while and found out that a bunch of them will be in Precita Park today filming with Food Network so she asked my sister and I to go cart hopping. We figured what better time to hit up a bunch of carts than today? There was a good sized crowd when we got there and we knew we had to get the curry first. Luckily, there was no line and we were able to secure two orders of the shrimp curry. The shrimp were cooked beautifully and very succulent. The curry sauce was on the mild side but had a very good curry flavor with tons of veggies. I kind of wish there was more rice to soak up all the sauce but overall pretty decent curry. read more

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I got a chance to try the Magic Curry Kart guys at the Eat Real Festival 2013. They were offering satay wings, coconut rice, satay tofu and noodle salad. For $5, we got a whopping plate of about 6 wings laced in their special peanut sauce. The chicken was hot, fresh, and fell right off the bone. The satay sauce was delicious, but was a bit too sweet. It could definitely use some altering to make it more savory, but worked well with the chicken nonetheless. Guy behind the booth seemed a bit socially awkward, so it was a strange experience. Still got my wing grub on, though, and left very happy. read more

Magic Curry Kart - Satay Wings - Herbs & Spices Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Props to this guy for adding ethnic variety to street eats. His outfit is nothing short of impressive, wheeling along a proper cart that houses two rice cookers and two woks enough for feeding a steady stream of ravenous throngs. While the vegetable medley is a cornucopia of rainbow goodness, he fails in executing a crucial component: the sauce. Tinny coconut milk provides the basis, along with a few scoops of curry paste and dashes of fish sauce. Lemongrass and galangal are nowhere to be seen. The result is a bland version of a Thai curry that wouldn't even fly at a wee hours joint in the TL. read more

Renegade cook-to-order food cart. Much props to the Magic Curry guy for being a pioneer in the SF food cart scene and for maintaining a food cart that requires cooking each individual order right in front of you. I'm too lazy to even microwave food sometimes and here he is cooking curry for dozens and dozens on the spot. He normally offers the curries in 3 choices; tofu, prawns, and chicken. I had the green curry tofu and it was awesome. There's major heat to the curry so it's not for the weak tongued. A big plus was the fresh veggies that he used and a bigger plus was the yellow squash he used. It was a pleasant surprise and not an ingredient you would normally see in a Thai curry. For $5 an order, it's definitely a steal. Follow him on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/magiccurrykart BTW - His brother is the Creme Brulee Guy. It's not 1 dude doing 2 carts though they do look alike. read more

Once the Magic Curry Man scooped out a nice mound of curry paste into his pan, I was instantly taken back to Thailand. The scents were ah-mazing! The chilis and spices just lit up that obscure alley in the Mission. Generous amounts of coconut cream rounded out the heat of the curry. Get their early and sign up on the clipboard. We were fortunate to be the 2nd group in line and got our orders relatively early. Otherwise, expect quite a long wait as he does his orders 4 at a time on his two small burners. You can always get dessert first from his bro's Creme Brulee Cart. The taste was very authentic... vegies still crisp, but found the chicken to be a bit dry and rice to be sticky. But they're pre-cooked so I cant complain. I still love the spice factor and the novel idea of serving "rogue" food. ;) Portions are just right and left me sopping up every last bit of the curry sauce. Hope he expands to 4 burners and different curries. read more

Looking to earn a little extra cash, proprietor Brian Kimball started his Magic Curry Kart , while moonlighting from his day job as a therapist for children in the Tenderloin. Business has been good enough to Brian that he's been able to upgrade his cart to a custom-built bike-powered model (w/ a DieHard car battery powering the rice cooker!) in order to get to more events. W/ the Kart's success, along w/ his new Magik Chao joint-venture w/ Banh Mai's Mai Le, he is considering giving up his day job. Brian conceived of his Kart idea in November of 2008 & rolled it out on Linda Street on March 6, 2009 for a trial run. The next week he sent out a Facebook invite to all his friends in San Francisco. Twenty people showed up, & one of them tweeted about the occasion. He then promptly joined Twitter, tweeted & more people started showing up. In the months that his cart has been up and running, he's collected over 4,000 Twitter followers. At least half a dozen other carts including his brother Curtis' the Crème Brûlée Cart, have rolled out since. The Magic Curry Kart offers a choice of chicken or tofu curry & lots of veggies (broccoli, string beans, & carrots), served w/ rice for $5.00 a serving. His brother Curtis' Creme Brulee Cart can often be found nearby. Santa's Yelper sez: "Chicken Curry rocks!" Actually almost anything w/ chicken rock, SY. read more

I'm from the east coast. Back there, when I'd eat from food carts/ roach coaches, I'd be praying for death a few hours after consumption of whatever bacteria-infested substance it was that I had been served. Two words come to mind when I think of these places: EPIC FAIL. Not so is the Magic Curry Kart!!! I LOVED IT. I was not drunk when I ate here, nor would I have to be to come back for a second visit (which will hopefully be soon since I'm following him on Twitter thanks to Don H). Seriously, where else would you find a mini curry party in an alley surrounding a random food cart?? This is why I love San Francisco!! Magic Curry Kart is no east coast ghetto epic failure... No, it's a total SUCCESS! 5 stars! read more

It wasn't so much a hectic twitter chase across town that lead me to the Magic Curry Kart, more like he meandered to where I was along Abbey Street in a weekend block party full of kegs, colorful streamers thrown from ceilings, hula-hoops, and of course, only in SF, a hippie bus. The getup was an impressive one, two rice-cookers, two burners, a mini-fridge, built-in counter and car battery all attached to a single bike. A simple small whiteboard with the faded words "Magic Curry Kart II" written in blue marker on the side. The 2.0 version of his original bike. Brother to the Creme Brulee Kart man, I asked him what made him choose curry? He said affably that he'd started out trying to make some money on the side and use a bit from some cooking classes he'd taken at Thailand years ago. In small takeaway recyclable boxes he served creamy coconut red curry, chock full of pre-chopped green beans, bell peppers, and squash. Chicken or tofu were the "meat" choices, and he used vegetarian fish sauce for the tofu option, a really thoughtful touch. It may not be worth the runaround through town, but when he's at your door and you're craving something good, this is a really satisfying meal to end the day with. read more

First time at Off The Grid and the first stop is Magic Curry Kart!! Woohoo... give me some of that tasty Indian curry... Hmm the curry in this delicious veg taco taste like thai curry. That is because it is thai curry not indian my much adept and PC foodie friend points out later on. Isn't that some form of borderline false advertising? Come on you have a food truck called Chairman Bao... another named Senor Sisig... I think I should stop now or I'll get flamed... Anyways, I enjoyed the crunchy veges with nice heat to the curry flavor, plus a drizzle of their bottle of sauce was sweet and tasty! Good taco to start!! read more

Don't let my 5-star rating fool you . . . the Magic Curry Kart is not that good, in fact it's probably the worst curry I've ever had. By no means should you even consider checking it out. Seriously, stick to Osha Thai across the street where you pay a lot more, for a lot less, thus stimulating the economy more effectively and losing weight at the same time! But no, seriously, please stay away, I really don't want to have to wait in a line for this goodness. read more

Mushy rice and mediocre curry. long wait and slow cooking. Have had better and bigger for $6 or whatever. Good concept, though; very clever. Chasing the kart is half the fun, right? Meh. Go to king of thai in North Beach and get yourself a $5 green curry and pay $1.50 for a side of Jasmine rice. It's way better. read more

Simply good Thai curry, like the kind you can get at a restaurant but minus the other menu items, the waiters, the seats, the plates, the etiquette ... Be warned: You may have to wait long for your order because the line gets pretty long, so either have a small bite before coming and wear something warm while you wait or don't come at all. JONASAPPROVED! read more

Good idea, but just not very well executed. I found the rice to be too mushy and overcooked. The chicken was dry, but I'm personally not a fan of white meat to begin with. The curry itself was overpowered by too much coconut milk. It was missing all the traditional flavors and spices typically found in Thai curry. I've certainly had better Thai curry. Nothing to call home about and certainly not worth waiting 25 minutes in the freakin San Francisco cold for either. read more

Momentous life moments: - Birth - College acceptance - First job - First car - Going without a car - Moving to San Francisco - Meeting Tiesto - Running a half marathon - Discovering my tailor I can now add "Eating at the Magic Curry Kart" to the list. Was it mind blowing? It was good, but not that good. Could there have been more prawns in my curry. Sure, though for $4 you can't really complain. But this man start a movement. A street food movement. There are now plenty of imitators, but there is only one original. Glad I finally made it. read more

My Ratings: Quantity: 3 - Enough to satisfy my hunger but not filling Quality: 3 - It's ok but not flavorful Price: 3 - Not bad for the portions Location: 3 - Depend where you find him Parking: 3 - Depend on the location Service: 3 - ok Speed: 3 - ok Overall: I like the concept but curry needs more flavor! Once is enough for me. My Opinion/Story: We drove all the way to Palo Alto to check them out and taste their product. We got both creme brulee and this curry. It was ok but rice was a little hard (it was rushed), the curry lacks the curry flavor, not enough veggies but shrimp was good. I know he can do better! read more

magic curry kart in an interesting name for this vendor. they are in a tent. not a cart, curry is present in name only, little curry taste. magic must be the voodoo type implying invisible curry. locale: eat fest (9/'24) sampling: curry chicken sliders, $3, 2/$5 -schredded chicken with a curry-lite sauce with no curry taste. little taste of anything. chicken had no taste. -lots of veggies, cucumbers, sliders crunchy. 2.5 stars foodnotes: -friendly service. -food made to order, seemingly. 5-10 minutes. read more

I love him and his bro so much, I gave them my welder - Supporting commerce... I dig it. Thanks for yummy food always. Now get some rest. Except I could use a fix at 7.30p in the usual spot. read more

I left Lone Palm one evening and was hungry. "I wish there was something besides a greasy, beany burrito that will sink in my stomach and stay there like a gluten anvil for 20 hours to eat that's around here", I thought... Lo and behold like magic manna from heaven I spot the Magic Curry Kart. I almost heard celestial noise and almost saw celestial lights surrounding the kart. It took a minute, fine things take time but for a ridiculously low price I had a compostable package full of delicious curry to enjoy. It was the exact perfect amount to not weigh you down, tasted delicious and although certainly not diet wasn't bad for you. I didn't have to get a lead like bean bomb, where people glare at me for requesting vegetarian after all. Yay. Magic Curry Kart Man, you are my hero. read more

Only in the Mission! The Magic Curry Man and his brother who runs the crème brûlée cart nearby create a great experience together. Brian(?) started the cart to service the great lack of nighttime street fare in the city. The Mission only has the bacon dog cart which for us (mostly) vegetarians doesn't work out well. He's apparently starting out early nights to see if he can get demand before he works later. Trust me, if he could speed things up a bit, I would go to him every weekend for a late night snack. I went on a Thursday and got there about 8:15pm and there were already tons of people waiting there amidst the great aromas. My buddy and I got on his list and got our food about a half hour later, all the while chatting with the Magic Curry Man and his brother. The curry itself wasn't mind-blowing but still very good, spicy enough to keep a South Indian like me satisfied though not at all overwhelming. It is a coconut-based curry which I love and the veggies were pretty fresh. A little more tofu would have been nicer but not a big deal. The portions aren't huge but for $5 I don't expect that and, more importantly, I came away almost full and wanting a crème brûlée so it was a perfect sized meal. The only gripe I would have is the wait. Though it was fun to hang out and chat with the Magic Curry Man and a couple of others, it would be nice if he had more burners and/or larger pans to make more food to supply the crowds he garners. I doubt too many people would wait around that long late at night so hopefully he figures out how to speed things up. Follow him on Twitter @magiccurrykart if you know what's good for you. read more

I have love for the MCK. Everyone else should too. "Why?", you may ask. "Why should everyone have so much love for this unpretentious little curry kart? Is it because of the seasonal perfectly cooked veggies? or spicy curry sauce with the flavor profile of delicious? or the ease of twitter stalking and the short 5 minute wait? or because of the hippie-man with multiple orders standing right next to the iPhone-toting office-bee in line? or because the food was so hot that hand-scorching may occur? or generous portion size and re-heatability? or the friendly guy with the chef jacket and busy hands? or the general laid-back atmosphere?" "Well," I might reply. "it isn't for the parking or the slightly shady neighborhood." A slight pause and then, "Or the mediocre rice, really." "But," I may continue, "how often does $5 buy a tasty bowl-full of fresh food from served by an attentive guy with cooking sense and a nice smile? Yeah, that's right, you can say that you love MCK and that I'm right any time now." Ahem. Where was I? Right - in conclusion, everyone must have oodles of love for the Magic Curry Kart. Hot, drippy, coconut-enhanced, crunchy-veggie curry love... read more

Awesome Thai curry, especially when you pair it with his brother's creme brulee for dessert. It's great that $6 can get you a great-tasting bowl of cooked-to-order curry. AND for those who like to live on the edge, he has condiments out. My roommate and I got a little Sriracha-happy... take a cue from us and don't get so excited over the stuff like we did. :) Also, mentioned this in my Creme Brulee Cart review, the fact that these guys are brothers BLOWS MY MIND. Seriously. read more

Super tasty tofu & veggie curry! All that magic from a cart..I was really impressed. And at only $5 I was delighted!

Presidio Green Grand Opening - Magic Curry Kart I sampled a vegetable and rice curry dish here and sadly I have to say it was the worst dish I had that day. The dish was watered down and any curry that was there was very little so the dish lacked of taste. =/ read more

He uses fresh ingredients, all efficiently prepared in advance. Meat, tofu, and vegetables are all precut and rice is already piping hot in a giant rice cooker under the cart. He then adds all the necessary ingredients, including the curry paste, spices, and coconut milk before adding the meat or tofu and vegetables. There are two curries available, red or green with either chicken or tofu. We tried both. It is served over a bed of hot, fluffy rice in a to go container. The portion is a satisfying size, as it filled me up pretty well. Though I could have definitely eaten more, only because it was that good. The curry had a lot of flavor and just the right amount of heat, but I think next time I'll ask him to throw in some chili paste over the top, I love my food spicy! At $5 each, it won't break the bank and it will leave you satisfied and sailivating for more. Check out my in-depth feature with photos on my blog, Hoodscope. Link is on my profile. read more

I've wanted to try to Magic Curry Kart for years now. I finally got to during Noise Pop. Now, it was not quite what I had in mind. Based on the food truck trend, I was expecting something bigger. In fact, it is quite literally a cart. That was a bit of a twist, but it also reminded me of the street food I'd see in Asia, so it was pretty cool. The food itself was pretty decent. I tried the half size dish of curry and it was a perfect amount to hold me over for a while. The curry was good, but it wasn't as flavorful as I had expected and the rice was kind of mushy. Maybe it was not quite what I hoped for, but it was still good and made for a fun experience. read more

Went to an event at Sports Basement last night, and I saw the Magic Curry Cart there! They were raising money to go to Burning Man. Got another curry to share with my sis and her bf. And it was still really good. A little spicier than before, but I enjoyed it. No line, had seats to sit on in the basement of Sports Basement, and not in the freezing SF cold. YUM! If I start getting cravings, I'm gonna have to go a-searchin' for the cart each week and seriously track him on Twitter... read more

It's not just about the food, but about the experience as well. Yes, there are long lines - this is what happens when it's one guy with a couple of woks and a couple of campstove burners tries to make food for thirty or more people. Deal with it. Talk to the people around you, because anyone that's willing to endure thirty minutes to an hour in the San Francisco winds during the evening on a Friday is probably at least somewhat cool. Best curry ever? Nah. But a good street food experience? Yea, it's up there. I just always end up talking to at least somewhat cool people while waiting in line. Someone should start a "coffee and tea and heatlamp" cart to follow this guy around. read more

Portions are big and the price is small -- $5 for a nice meal crafted right in front of your eyes, on demand! But be prepared to wait a bit. The curry kart is still getting up to speed. On the bright side, there will be lots of cool people hanging out so you might just meet someone magical. read more

The Best Thai curry I've ever had from a Kart. Hell with the Kart, the best Thai curry I've ever had. Find Brian and try his curry. The man is a genius chef! A Must Try! read more

MCK: I love this guys Curry. Always with a smiling attitude. The curry is reliable and flavorful. I appreciate his full portions and his good vibes that shines throughout his dishes. There are alot of street food vendors out there, but the Magic Curry Guy has been serving me reliable food food for the past year with constant quality How about some Bangkok style sauce options with crushed peanuts? read more

magic curry kart... very good idea indeed... but no magic here... i do give props to the guy for thinking this through and actually putting his ideas into actions... maybe he should do more cooking on the curry first... we didn't wait that long cuz my friends put our name down when they got there... when i got the curry, my first bite was already a disappointment... here's my take on it: rice - too mushy; overcooked curry sauce - too much coconut; not much spicy or flavor vegetables - some were not cooked all the way; raw chicken - it's chicken breast so of course it's dry and rough i gotta say tho, my friends tasted more flavorful than mine... so he's not very constant with the flavor/cooking... sorry guys, i've had better... read more

ok, $5 is awesome. small box of rice topped with ur choice of chicken curry or tofu curry. chicken curry was decent, pretty spicy, homey taste. but tofu curry was very bland. the sauce isnt the same as the chicken curry sauce, just tastes really milky and creamy. the wait can easily be over an hour if ur not on the 1st or 2nd page of the signup sheet. luckily i was about #20 on the list, but it still took an hour to get my curry. hey, its all fair game, first come first serve. try to get there early and grab the signup clipboard!!! 3-stars because of long wait, and tofu curry was lacking. read more

this is as SF as SF gets. w/ the economy reeling, SF citizens bounce back and provide an awesome service for the city and surrounding areas. here comes the magic curry kart and his wonderful thai curries. located in the back of the linda st. alley near 19th and guerrero, this place is prime to be the next foodie sensation! my wife and i were pondering how this area is gonna be laden w/ food karts in the weeks/months to come and be home to a new street food movement. be sure to get there early cuz mister curry man takes orders via a list and if you're not there by a decent time you might end up waiting close to an hour for food! we got there around 7:30 (right when he starts taking names and cooking) and we didn't leave until 8:40! it matters not as it there were so many good folk out having a great time. his curry of the night was green curry and could be ordered w/ either chicken or tofu. the tofu one is made w/ a veggie fish sauce which made me tilt my head but i waved it off. i got the chicken finally and must say i really enjoyed it. not mind boggling amazing but satisfying and well made. the veggies were fresh especially the asparagus. the curry had nice heat and the chicken was cooked well and wasn't tough. i'm more of a red curry fan so i'd love to try that out. guess i'll make sure to keep up to date w/ his menu @magiccurrykart on twitter! i encourage everyone to come by and support this great movement. you'll also find his bro, the creme brulee cart, right next to him as well as the amuse bouche cart and the new spring roll cart! what a nice lil evening! read more