wafles & dinges

Some people say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We live our lives pretty much like breakfast is the only meal of the day. Honestly, outside of pizza--which is also for breakfast in case you aren't aware--we sustain ourselves mostly on bagels, donuts, cereal, and, when we're lucky, waffles. This brings us to the waffle discussion; have you ever met anyone who didn't absolutely love a waffle? Seriously, close your eyes for a second and picture yourself sitting down to the most extravagant table of culinary perfection and tell us you don't see a waffle somewhere on that table.

So now that we've established that the waffle is a superior food, let us discuss the waffle to end all waffles and its creator Thomas DeGeest. The Belgium-born former IBM management consultant-turned-pastry chef started out in 2007 like a handful of new business people in NYC--on the street, quite literally with a food truck. The enterprenuer painted his big food truck bright yellow, started to park it around Brooklyn and Downtown Manhattan, and Wafels & Dinges was born. One truck turned into two and two trucks turned into more and a test kitchen where fans can get a tour and taste of this new culinary craze. A month ago the first Wafels & Dinges the first brick and mortar location opened, and this weekend we stopped by to fall head over heels for these guys firsthand. The cafe is located on the corner of Avenue B and 2nd street[,] but you can smell the deliciousness about a block away. With bright yellow awnings to match their big food trucks and a super friendly atmosphere, just entering the place puts people in the best mood.

The menu consists of about a hundred different items, all of which that had us thinking "Why haven't I ever thought of that?" immediately followed by "I definitely have to try that." We didn't even know there are a variety of different wafles so picking out the one for us took a couple minutes and then when it comes to the "dinges" or toppings, that is a whole different story. The toppings range from walnuts and bananas to pulled pork and chili, and it's incredible. Oh, and there's ice cream with names like Children's Laughter, Unicorn Tears, and the Wafels & Dinges signature flavor, Spekuloos Cookies.

We kept it pretty simple with some nutella and whipped cream; after all, we are beginners and fully respect the fact that true wafel appreciatioon should start with the basics. We also ordered a huge chocolate shake, made with one of those classic industrial blenders (and they gave us the cup of the extra stuff instead of throwing it away, so that was rad). Eating at this place felt like we were transported to some kind of movie scene-birthday party because seriously, everyone was smiling and sharing food. It was like a 1950's diner and the only thing missing was the jukebox. After sitting for a while, enjoying the wafel, shake and a couple glasses of water we realized that sometimes things do live up to the hype and this is one of those times.

Check out the Wafels & Dinges menu HERE and peep their website HERE. Follow them on Twitter HERE to locate their food trucks, where founder DeGeest still does time and check their Facebook HERE for daily specials and funny assignments to get deals on wafels. Lastly, if you don't live in NYC you can order stuff from them HERE. Watch the videos below to see how their wafels and ice cream are made.