Neil’s On Wheels Serves Up Tasty Smash Burgers and Chicken Sandwiches in Greenwich

Bigger than the bun. Way bigger.

Cruise down the more residential part of Glenville Road in Greenwich and if it’s the right day, you’ll run into a cutoff where Neil Moore parks his food truck.

If you don’t blow right by it, park your car. Do it. Right now.

It’s where you’ll find Moore’s namesake truck, Neil’s On Wheels, griddling smash burgers and deep frying chicken thighs so big that they hang way off the Martin’s Potato Roll.

The burgers and the fried chicken sandwiches are all so expertly done, you’d swear a chef was back there working each station.

Nope.

In fact, Moore rolled out his truck in August of 2021 because, as he puts it, “I retired in March 2020. I took time off and realized I wasn’t making money playing golf.”

And even though Moore cooked a lot and posted his home cooked dinners and his grilling adventures on a Facebook page titled “Life in the Food Lane,” he had another demanding profession as a police officer.

After over five years on the NYPD, a little over a year in New Rochelle, and another 12 in Rye Brook, Moore started taking the advice of friends and family who urged on his love of cooking and told him to get into the industry.

“I worked on things to cook, like what would go well, so I did lots of trial and error on smash burgers and fried chicken,” Moore says. “I tested it out on friends and family and decided to give it a go. I ordered a truck, had it built, and it was brought up here. We launched last August.”

What he settled on for his smashed all the way down patties is an 80-20 lean to fat Angus beef that’s available to customize your way or you can opt for one of Moore’s creations, the signature burger being “Neily’s Way,” topped with American cheese, homemade burger sauce, and ultra-caramelized, sweet grilled onions that I just had to ask about. “We cook off a bunch of bacon in the morning, so they’re cooked in rendered bacon fat with a little seasoning and we keep it in a pan on the grill so it’s cooking all day.”

Smash! You’ll have to excuse this autumn themed food photo shoot. There are no tables or chairs. What you will encounter are loyal customers saying how good the food is.

Each smash is exactly what you want. It’s well seasoned, juicy, saucy, cheesy, and Moore cranks the griddle up high to achieve a proper crust on the beef—something Moore says he remembers his mom doing in a cast iron pan. Personal opinion? It’s the best smash burger I’ve had since Gotham Burger Social Club did a few Fairfield County pop-ups.

Then there’s the fried chicken. The spices, the crunchy coating, the non-greasiness, and using the thigh makes it way more flavorful than the breast. Unlike Colonel Sanders, Moore was willing to share a few secrets.

This Nashville hot chicken sandwich is the right amount of spicy. It won’t kill you, so if you dig a little heat, this is the move. FYI: I didn’t eat this on the spot. I ate it roughly 6-7 hours later and it was still crispy!

“I use boneless, skinless thighs because I love the more flavorful dark meat,” he says. “I soak it in seasoned buttermilk the night before, then it’s dredged in seasoned flour, right into canola oil. No big secrets, I just think I found the right ratio. There’s a good amount of seasoning involved. I like it to be as crispy as possible.”

Neil’s on Wheels’ chicken sandwich choices are a chicken-bacon-ranch, “The Bird and the Buffalo” smothered in buffalo sauce and blue cheese, “The Nashville” with pickles and coleslaw, the spicier “The Hot Chick” with jalapeños and pepper jack, and “The SUPER Hot Chick” with the addition of buffalo sauce. Or you can keep it classic with pickles and a slathering of homemade chicken sandwich sauce.

Banana pudding!

The truck also offers hot dogs, fries (available in chimichurri, cheese, buffalo, and burger fries), fried pickle chips, and for dessert, homemade Southern style banana pudding made by Moore’s wife, Jackie.

Oh, and don’t feel like you have to choose between a burger or a massive fried chicken sandwich. Get both. If you can’t handle that responsibility, just go back a different day for the other.

And as for Moore, he’s enjoying his new beat.

“It’s way more work than I thought! It’s challenging but I love what I do now. I have a whole new respect for people in this industry. I hope I get to do this for a while.”

Schedule – It varies. Check out Neil’s On Wheels on Instagram for updated days/times.

Where? Usually just past 205 Glenville Road in Greenwich. Sometimes they’re in Rye, NY.

 neilsonwheelsfood.com