Deputy editor and unofficial food editor Vivian Zhou is here to tell you about (and I cannot emphasize this more) food carts taking Venmo!!

You may have come across all those food carts that stretch from right outside Earl to the Columbia gates. You definitely have come across a halal cart or two– almost one at every corner in this city. However, if you’re like most people of this generation, you don’t carry cash. You walk up to a food cart and ask, “Hey, is it cash only?” The owner is disappointed. “Yes, sorry,” they respond, realizing they are losing another customer to the newly cashless society. But don’t worry, because there are now three (3) food carts around Columbia that take Venmo (and maybe more but we only found three)!!!

Miracle Thai Express

If you’ve seen the food carts, you’ve probably seen Miracle Thai Express. They started taking Venmo 2 weeks ago. After starting to take Venmo, more people are coming and most people have been using Venmo instead of cash. Miracle Thai serves classics like Pad Thai, Pad See-ew, Pineapple Fried Rice, Tom Yum Soup, and more. You can also choose to do a combo for $7 with white rice and two dishes from a selection including Chicken Massaman, Tofu with ginger, and more. 

Nameless Korean Food Cart

Close to Miracle Thai but more towards the Columbia gates, there is a red cart that serves Korean food (with no visible name) that also takes Venmo. They started taking Venmo 3-4 months ago. They also said that more people use it and it’s more convenient. This cart serves classic like Bibimbap, Bulgogi beef, and kimchi fried rice. You can also do a combo for $8 with two proteins (chicken, pork, beef, shrimp) and rice.

Jan’s Express Halal 

The halal cart outside NoCo (on 120th and Broadway) just started taking Venmo 3 months ago. If you ever find yourself at NoCo, now that you can’t get up the escalator to get to Joe’s, you can try some halal instead. They said that business has been getting better with the implementation of Venmo. Most students who come to the cart use Venmo, although there are also other customers who still stick with cash. At rush hour, they find it a lot more convenient because there’s no need to give change back, which is time consuming. However, using Venmo does impact the end of year taxes and sale taxes. They serve classics like chicken gyro, lamb gyro, falafel, and more.