Guide 05 · Updated August 2026

The Chip Truck Census

Every chip truck we can confirm between Ottawa and Peterborough, in the order you meet them. The rankings come after the drive.

The census

9 trucks, east to west — the order you meet them driving.
  1. km 50
    The Crispy Spud Carleton Place

    Specialty poutines, grilled dishes, sandwiches and wraps out on Hwy 15 north of town.

    7615 Hwy 15 · Aug 2026 · Lanark County tourism · Map

  2. km 50
    The Potato King Carleton Place

    Chips, fries and poutine, which is the whole point and the whole menu.

    161 Townline Rd W, Unit 145 · Aug 2026 · Lanark County tourism · Map

  3. km 50
    Valley Fries Carleton Place

    A vintage chip truck on Franktown Road, crispy chips and a secret sauce it won't tell you about.

    355 Franktown Rd · Aug 2026 · Lanark County tourism · Map

  4. km 85
    Law & Orders Perth

    Certified AAA beef from small family farms, plus poutine, and a second window right on Hwy 7 at Innisville. Home of the Rhippo Challenge, which is two one-pound burgers and a pound of poutine in twenty minutes.

    7 Craig St · Aug 2026 · Ontario's Highlands tourism · Map

  5. km 85 The Tater Time truck in navy and red, a timber pergola over blue and yellow planters, with a pig standing by the bench
    Tater Time Perth

    A family owned food truck serving up fresh-cut fries, loaded poutines, juicy burgers and all your comfort-food favourites, made fresh and served with a smile. Nine years on Hwy 7 east of town, next to Paws Oasis.

    17716 Hwy 7, Perth · Sep 2026 · owner submission by email, address corroborated by directory listings; photo from the truck's own Facebook page · Map

  6. km 120
    Frenchie's Chip Hut Sharbot Lake

    Fresh-cut fries and a poutine with real curd and a vegetarian gravy, run by Chris Charlebois and Kenneth McQuaid since 2021. Burgers use meat from Milligan Meats up in Cloyne.

    Hwy 7, north end of Sharbot Lake · Aug 2026 · Frontenac News feature · Map

  7. km 150
    Gala's Pit Stop Kaladar

    A family chip truck at the Hwy 7 and 41 corner with a long list of poutines, burgers, wraps and Kawartha ice cream. Hours move with the season, so call ahead in the shoulder months.

    112964 Hwy 7 · Aug 2026 · Naturally Lennox & Addington tourism · Map

  8. km 165
    Duffer's Chuckwagon Tweed

    Parked beside Stoco Lake, and second-generation — the family bought a Tweed coffee route in 1978 and added the chip wagon in 1981. Fries, burgers, sausages and deep-fried veg.

    240 Victoria St S · Aug 2026 · the wagon's own site, dufferschipwagon.com · Map

  9. km 230
    Sugar Shack Mini Donuts Havelock

    Burgers, fresh-cut fries, a long board of poutines and mini donuts made to order, out of a silver trailer at the 11th Line corner between Havelock and Norwood. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 11 to 7, and Fridays until 8. Turn in from Havelock-Belmont-Methuen County Rd 11.

    They have the best poutine, pulled pork and some killer mini donuts for dessert. It's a father son operation and they are always busy. The father and son are very friendly and always make sure their customers are taken care of. Also, their portions are big.

    Jaclyn M. · Aug 2026

    5140 Hwy 7 · Aug 2026 · the trailer's own Facebook page · Map

How the census works

The list above is the census — who’s out there, and where. The ranking is a separate job, and it can only be done one way: by eating a lot of fries. When the census drive happens, every truck gets the same order — a regular fries, eaten on site, no toppings — and gets scored on four things:

  1. The fry itself — cut, colour, crunch, interior fluff. Fresh-cut is table stakes on this corridor.
  2. The gravy question — offered, and if so, is it real?
  3. The wait — a chip truck is fast food; twenty minutes is a restaurant with wheels.
  4. The spot — shade, picnic tables, and something to look at count for more than people admit.

Before you pull over

Chip trucks keep their own hours. Most have no website, plenty are cash-only, and a good number run a season that ends somewhere between Thanksgiving and the first snow without ever announcing a date. That’s part of the charm, and it’s also worth a phone call — especially in spring and late fall, when a truck that was busy last weekend might not be open this one.

Everything in the census was checked against a county tourism listing, local news, or the truck’s own site.

Also on the route

Trucks we know are out there and haven’t documented yet. They’re on the list for the next drive:

  • Jossy’s Grill & Chill — Sharbot Lake
  • Totally Fryed — Hwy 7, Havelock
  • Ma & Pa’s Country Fries & Scoops — Lombard St, Smiths Falls
  • T’s Chips and More — William St W, Smiths Falls
  • Mr. Norm’s — Hwy 7, Carleton Place
  • Hank’s On the Run — Rideau Ferry, mostly at fairs and festivals

Have a nomination?

Every census misses a truck someone swears by. The corridor east of Kaladar is where we’d most like tips — Madoc, Marmora and Norwood especially. Send it in: a name and a rough location is plenty, and it goes on the route.

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