The Last Exit

I have been dying to try The Last Exit ever since I heard about it. Located on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway, it is a collection of food trucks- think American food truck stop, but elevated.

The Setting

Pulling into the exit, I was really excited and the thrill of experiencing something unique for the first time blinded me from feeling the heat...for about 10 mins. I made the mistake of visiting at 12:30pm and the sun was not feeling shy. I couldn't even take any good pics as it was so hot.

The brightly colored trucks definitely catch your eye and there is a little sand pit for kids and a medium-sized seating area for families who prefer to eat indoors with the basic amenities. There is some outdoor seating too which wasn't being used, obviously, as it's just too warm for that. I would recommend that they add some more shaded seating to expand the seating area outdoors and so that people can sit there if it is full inside.

I settled on trying three trucks: Poco Loco, The Burger Pit and Urban Seafood. All three happen to be drive thru trucks (as opposed to walk up trucks). 

The Process

The downside at all three trucks was the wait time, if its a drive thru, then you can't have each order take 10-15 mins. Its just not feasible. I think that having someone take people's orders could speed things up as the food can then be delivered to your car.

In addition, most people were actually just walking around and it's super awkward to stand at a drive thru ordering box and speak into it when you know that just a few feet ahead, the person you are speaking to is in the truck. They need to take walk-in orders and not make people walk to the booth.

The Food

So is the food worth the hassle? I obviously couldn't try everything but I have ranked the food I did try.

1- Fish and Chips from Urban Seafood: This was by far my favorite meal of the day. Despite the fact that it didn't look as crunchy as I hoped, I was sold as soon as I took my first bite. The fish is fresh, a decent thickness, cooked through and it has that perfect bright white flaky texture. The breading was light and allowed the fish to shine. Although I generally like my coating crispy, I thought that for this fish it was just right.

2-Buttermilk Chicken Burger from Burger Pit: There is just something about a perfectly fried piece of chicken that I find irresistible. I am actually surprised that this wasn't top of the list but there was a touch too much sauce for me. They do get extra points for unique packaging though.

3- Chicken Burrito from Poco Loco: While I am yet to find the perfect Mexican place in the UAE, this is a pretty decent option. The chicken was well-seasoned and the bread is the perfect thickness. I personally don't like rice in my burritos and I prefer black beans to kidney beans but it was still pretty good.

4-Original Burger from Burger Pit: My dad actually loved this burger, while I was on the fence. It's decent but I don't love BBQ sauce and for me, the wait was not worth the burger.

5- Nachos from Poco Loco: I was craving nachos, so these were a bit of a disappointment. There wasn't enough sour cream for me and while the guac was great and the nachos were ok, these felt ok overall.

6- Karak from My Karak: I love love love karak and this was barely ok. I didn't think it was sweet enough although the milk to tea ratio was really good. I just think that at 10 dirhams for a small cup, I can't justify the cost.

7- Grilled Cheese Lobster from Urban Seafood: I was hoping for something great with this meal but it turned out to be a bust. No one really liked it, it wasn't toasted enough and it's a little too sloppy to eat comfortably. It's one saving grace is the side of potatoes that come with it.

The Conclusion

Overall, I think it was a fun experience and I would go again but other than the Fish and Chips, I don't think that there is anything I would crave. I think they still have a lot of growing pains to deal with like providing shade, making the system smoother and picking up the pace when it comes to delivering the food. Other than My Karak, even the customer service was lackluster- and on Eid no less! We chose to eat in the car, so I can't comment on the seating area- do you have any thoughts?