LOCAL

'What's not to love'! This beloved peddler of fries won best french fries in Taunton-area

Daniel Schemer
The Taunton Daily Gazette

TAUNTON — The people of Greater Taunton have spoken:  Poutine Peddlers has the best fries in the area!

In an online poll conducted by Taunton Daily Gazette, Poutine Peddlers won by a landslide.

In all, 5,928 votes were cast for 10 popular restaurants/eateries in the greater Taunton area known for great fries.  Of those, Poutine Peddlers received 2,973, or 50.15% of the votes.

“Yeah, we did!” exclaimed Kristen Macedo, co-owner, adding this is “overwhelming” and “extremely exciting” to receive this acknowledgement from the community. 

Kristen Macedo, co-owner of Poutine Peddlers, located at 239 Broadway in Taunton, serves up award-winning fries.

Coming in second, Riverhouse in Taunton made a strong showing with 2,005 votes or 33.82% and rounding out the top three was Deep Pond Farm in Taunton with 711 votes, or 11.99%

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What's poutine?

Poutine Peddlers parked its food truck in Taunton in November 2021, located in the parking lot of 239 Broadway. 

Macedo said she and co-owner/high school friend Shelley Ring “wanted to bring something different here,” to the area, and both had fallen in love with the popular Canadian staple, poutine.

“What's not to love?” said Macedo, referring to the ingredients of french fries, gravy, cheese curds and scallions, comprising traditional poutine, all of which is a bit messy, which is why it’s typically eaten with a fork. 

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Fries are of course the foundation of what Poutine Peddlers does. Every helping is fried to order, “so that when they are sent out, they are always hot, fresh, and crispy,” said Macedo. 

Asked what makes their fries a cut above the competition, no pun intended, she added “fries are what we do. We specialize and focus on that. We wanted to be the best and we strive for that always.” 

The Poutine Peddlers food truck in Taunton offers lots of different menu options, including "The OG," featuring hand cut fries with house made brown gravy, squeaky Wisconsin cheddar cheese curds and scallions.

What's on the menu?

  • While the menu is small, Poutine Peddlers gets creative with how they present their fries. Besides traditional poutine, dubbed the “OG” on the menu, another popular selection includes the “Porky Pig,” which takes poutine and adds on top coleslaw, BBQ sauce, and BBQ pulled pork that comes directly from Taunton staple Kinfolks BBQ. 
  • Then there's the "Mac Attack” which takes poutine and adds on top seasoned ground beef, cheese sauce, pickles and “special sauce.” 
  • This reporter also recommends the “Gold Fever Chick,” which is poutine topped with fried chicken and a zesty, honey mustard-like “gold fever sauce.”
  • There are always weekly specials.  At time of this interview, Poutine Peddlers was offering a “Teeny Weeny Poutine,” which is poutine topped with fried hot dogs, mustard and diced onions, and the “Italian Sausage Poutine,” which is poutine topped with fried Italian sausage, roasted onions and peppers, and mustard.
  • And if you just want fries, by itself, you can, of course, order that and be happy. 
The Poutine Peddlers food truck in Taunton offers lots of different menu options, including "The Mac Attack," featuring hand cut fries and brown gravy, topped with creamy American cheese sauce, seasoned ground beef, lettuce, diced onions and pickles and their special sauce.

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A hit right away

Macedo admits there was initial worry in the beginning if Poutine Peddlers would take off. 

“It’s like with any new business. There was concern with how the community will perceive us. Can you get people to try it?” Macedo said.

She said once they opened “it took off from the very beginning” and “we are so happy the city has embraced us.”