This Sunday (Mar. 31) will mark the 8th consecutive spring kickoff for Presidio Picnic, the popular Sunday food-truck picnic on the Main Parade Ground of the Presidio.

The seven-acre lawn will be lined with 30 international mobile food vendors, and this Sunday's kickoff begins at 11:30 a.m. with a welcome blessing from the Ohlone Costanoan Rumsen Carmel Tribe, honoring the early inhabitants of the Presidio.

As in previous years, Presidio Picnic features lawn games and family-friendly activities, including cornhole, crafts for kids, yoga, and live music. And the picnic will be happening every Sunday after this week from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine, through early October.

I would recommend arriving early as this popular event attracts a lot of people who will quickly form long lines at the vendor trucks and stalls.

Returning Off the Grid vendors include the popular Nashville hot chicken sandwich purveyors Hot Bird, Peruvian fusion outfit Lamas Peruvian, and Hula’s Sweet Treats.

The list of new vendors at Presidio Picnic is a long one, and here it is:

  • Beans N Barbells: mobile pop café serving specialty coffee beverages
  • Bowl’d Acai: made-to-order juices, smoothies and acai bowls
  • Estas Manos: just-launched artisan coffee roaster proudly based in San Francisco
  • Fruity Moto: organic, all-natural, fruit-centric craft beverages
  • Gio Gelati: traditional Italian gelato made with impeccable California ingredients
  • Horn Barbecue: much-lauded authentic Texas barbecue with a cult following
  • The Base Co: LA-based natural sweetener company serving guilty-free, plant-based beverages in refillable “happiness jars” that feature designs by local artists
  • La Santa Torta: Tacos, tortas, elotes and more that showcase the gastronomy of the Jalisco region of Mexico
  • Lobsterdamus: Southern-California shellfish favorite serving up Maine lobsters on a mesquite grill
  • Mi Morena: La Cocina entrepreneur offering fresh Tacos de Guisado on housemade tortillas
  • Milk & Waffles: authentic Liège waffles topped with imported pearl sugar
  • MOMO Noodle: high octane sauces and toppings on traditional Asian noodles
  • On a Roll - Calcutta Style: Indian kathi rolls fusing traditional and modern flavors
  • Pye: savory meat and veggie pies made in small batches with honest ingredients
  • Sam Choy’s Poke to the Max The proclaimed “godfather of poke” delivers a true taste of Hawaii with island dishes and fresh fish flown in from the Aloha State
  • Spunbyss: classic, made-from-scratch sliders, fries and sides with vegetarian options that include a plant-based burger patty from Impossible Foods
  • Turontastic: crunchy and irresistible Filipino desserts with inventive fillings like ube mochi, and strawberry-Nutella
  • Bollocks: Globe-spanning spherical delights from meatball master Greg Spangler.
  • Manjé: Haitian Caribbean cuisine from entrepreneur Dimitri Lilavois.

Those latter two are participating alums from Off the Grid’s 24-month mobile food incubator in partnership with Google, Instrucktional.

Also, this year's picnics will feature cultural dance performances on every third Sunday.

"There are few events more entrenched in the social fabric of San Francisco than Presidio Picnic," says Off the Grid Founder and CEO Matt Cohen. "It’s a privilege to be able to return to the Presidio’s historic main lawn for the eighth year, along with some of the most exciting mobile food creators we’ve had to date."

Photo: Robin Eagan