Word of Mouth - Nalu’s Tropical Takeout

By Travis Hill 

In Hawaiian, Nalu means wave or surf.

In St. Augustine, it means a large flour tortilla filled with blackened fresh fish of the day, beans, cheese, lettuce, salsa and sour cream. Or possibly, two tacos filled with seasoned ground beef, served with beans, cheese, lettuce, salsa, and topped with sour cream. In other words, it means great food.

Even if you’ve never eaten at Nalu’s, you’ve seen it. You know that little truck by the Surf Station on Anastasia Blvd? The one usually crowded with a bunch of happy, bathing suited beach types? That’s it.

And for those who do know it, this article is long overdue. Nalu’s is the ultimate local legend: Tourists would never see it, but insiders never miss it.

Nalu’s has been open for six years, and it’s the brainchild of Jerry Morgan. His family moved to St. Augustine when he was 7 years old and he grew up on its beaches. When he got older, Morgan moved out to Hawaii and lived on Kauai. While he was surfing there, Morgan got addicted to a little spot called Tropical Taco.

When he moved back to St. Augustine, Morgan decided that rather than work in a restaurant, he’d strike out on his own.

“I thought I’d try to do something like what I loved in Kauai,” Morgan said. “So, I called Tory (Strange, owner of the Surf Station) because I thought his parking lot was perfect. He said ‘Great,’ and here we are.”

Morgan has added a few things to the menu over the years, and now has the luxury of letting local high school and college kids work the truck for him. The extremely low overhead – we’re talking about a truck, after all – has allowed Nalu’s to not only stay in business, but flourish. Even in tough times.

“We’re looking to take it to the next level,” Morgan said. “We’d like to move into a building, or maybe get a few more trailers.”

Until then, however, Morgan is enjoying truck life.

At any given day, you can roll up to Nalu’s and find Morgan chatting with people while they wait for their beloved tacos and burritos. Sometimes it’s friends talking about their latest surf adventure. Sometimes, it’s Morgan telling some up-and-comers about life back in the day. He has become almost as big an institution as the truck itself.

“It’s nice to tell younger people about growing up here,” Morgan laughs. “I’ve got some good ones.”

One of his favorite things to chat about is his family. Morgan’s got a son, Asher, who is a toddler and is already learning the ropes.

“He loves spinach wraps and the beans and rice,” Morgan beams.

And of course, no conversation about Nalu’s would be complete without mention of his wife, Bobbie, who does the bookwork and so many little things to make it work.

“Without her I wouldn’t be able to do this,” Morgan said.

Or be able to serve people all the tacos, burritos and quesadillas that have come to mean so much to the locals.