Their yellow trucks wafting tantalizing smells throughout the streets have become about as iconic as the shops of 5th Avenue. These trucks and food carts are home to Wafels & Dinges, the popular waffle-touting company that, since its inception in 2007, has won over the famously cold New York heart. With numerous awards under their belt, including Best Dessert Truck in America (The Daily Meal) and Best Belgian Waffle in NYC, it’s safe to say that Wafels & Dinges is here to stay.
You might have first been introduced to the company via their many food trucks or kiosks that have traction at some of the most well-known spots in the city (Central Park, Bryant Park, Herald Square, etc.), but they also have a store in the East Village, that has many more options than you can find on wheels around town.
The man behind the legend, Thomas DeGeest, sought to bring a taste of his home country, Belgium, to New York. He’s introduced three types of phenomenal waffles to his customers, each better than the next. Let’s review:
Liége – These are the waffles you probably associate with ‘Belgian waffles.’ They are soft and chewy, and way too delicious.
Brussels – These waffles are less spongy than the liége and are crispy and light.
Bastogne – These are hashbrown waffles, perfect for a savory breakfast.
Okay, now that we’ve got these different types of waffles squared away, on to the good stuff. Wafels & Dinges has a menu full of options for every type of customer, from savory to sweet. Some savory options include De Wake Up, Grumpy! (wafel-biscuit with egg, pure maple syrup and cheese – with or without bacon), BBQ Pulled Pork Classic (a crispy wafel topped with juicy pulled pork, smoke BBQ sauce, coleslaw and a coolickle) and the House Hashbrown Wafel (hearty potato wafel topped with liége syrup, sour cream and scallions). They even have seasonal options that rotate throughout the year. But you’re probably most familiar with their sweet options, like De Throwdown (legendary victor of the battle with the great Flay, with spekuloos spread, whipped cream and spekuloos cookie crumble), De Apple of my Pie (grandma style with dulce de leche, chunky apple jam, whipped cream and cinnamon sugar) and WMD (wafel of massive deliciousness. Pimp your wafel with banana, strawberries, belgian chocolate fudge and whipped cream). The varieties are endless and you can add on a variety of toppings to build your own wafel. Sorry to disappoint you folks, but you can’t make these at home. Wafels & Dinges has top of the line Belgian waffle irons that help them achieve that perfect balance of soft and crispy that we’ve all come to love.
You can also score ice cream and insanely delicious milkshakes at their cafe. After all, if there’s two food items Americans have come to associate with Belgium, it’s waffles and chocolate. And we aren’t the only ones hankering to get our mouths around another bite of wafel, the company has teamed up with some of the biggest names to cater special events for Google and Samsung, as well as hit TV shows like Orange is the New Black, Chopped and Master of None. Tina Fey even chows down on one in an American Express commercial.
Oh, and what exactly are dinges, you ask? A Flemish slang word, dinges is akin to the American phrases like whatchamacallit and thingamajig. Basically, the name means waffles and stuff. Well, good for them because we happen to love waffles and stuff.
Twisted Talk: Have you ever had Wafels & Dinges? Which wafel is your favorite? Discuss below!
