Cities such as Bangkok, Delhi and New York all have a thriving street food scene, while (until recently) Dublin's only street-side grub would have been a greasy burger 'n' chips after a late-night gig. But not so any more. Head along to any of the city's buzzing food markets and you will find an array of tasty, well-made, food-to-go offerings – from gourmet pizzas, continental-style sweet and savoury crêpes, authentic Indian curry, organic burgers and Middle Eastern falafel to homemade cupcakes and buns, artisan chocolate and so much more.

And there is nothing makeshift about these movable feasts. Indeed, many of the traders have gone to great lengths to design and build their own vans to create bespoke mobile kitchens. They have to adhere to strict health and safety codes too, so although they have chosen to eschew the more formal restaurant route, there is nothing 'relaxed' about the food standards of these freewheeling food producers.

In the UK, they have just launched the British Street Food Awards – in search of the best, affordable food. Judging will take place next month after members of the public vote for the best pie, best burger, best sandwich, best dessert and so on. We don't have an Irish street food awards, yet, but when we do, we have some hot contenders among the following foodies.

Dick & Dave's Wood-Fired Pizza Co

Long-term friends Dave Lennon (31) and Richie McCann (31) are both from restaurant backgrounds. Richie spent years managing a restaurant in Dublin and spent time managing a busy sports bar and restaurant in New York, while Dave, a Ballymaloe-trained chef, worked in London at Wild Honey in Soho, and super-trendy spot-of-the-moment, Sir Terence Conran's Boundary Rooftop Bar and Grill in Shoreditch.

When Dave returned to Dublin less than a year ago, he and Richie saw a gap in the market for really good wood-fired pizza served at very reasonable prices – and they had the remarkable brainwave of converting Dave's father's old chip van into a mobile wood-fired pizza oven, thus allowing them to travel to markets and festivals and even rock up to people's houses to cater for private parties in a unique way.

Not only have they built their own mobile wood-fired pizza kitchen but they also make their own sourdough pizza bases and delicious tomato sauce from scratch. Add to this such toppings as tomato and mozzarella coupled with anchovies, capers and olives; baked ham and mushrooms; and fresh chilli and chorizo and you're beginning to get a flavour of these mouthwatering pizzas. To taste, they are every bit as good as they sound, with a woodsmoke-infused crispy base offset by piquant tomato, oozing cheese and melting toppings.

"We wanted to serve food that was fresh, natural and simple," says Dave. "I think people are fascinated to see someone actually prepare a fresh pizza from scratch in front of them and then slide it straight into the wood-fired oven, where it cooks in 60 seconds. That's fast… and without the 'bing' of a microwave. I also find that not many people are familiar with sourdough and are surprised by how light and tasty our sourdough bases are. We get a real kick out of it when people come back and tell us how much they liked their first taste of sourdough. It's interesting to see how Irish people's attitude to trying new foods has changed – I find people are more willing to try new flavours. You really see it at the markets, with people of all ages and backgrounds trying different cuisines and really getting a kick out of it. That's part of the reason we love our mobile life – working at the markets is so vibrant and buzzy, there's never a dull moment and you get instant feedback on the food."

Find Dick & Dave's Wood-Fired Pizza Co on Wednesdays at East Point and Spencer Dock market; Thursdays at Mespil Road Market and Ballsbridge Market; Fridays at Sandyford Market; Saturdays at Point Village Market and the Red Stables Farmers' Market and Sundays at Point Village Market and Marlay Park Farmers' Market; Pizzas are priced at €7.50

Tel: 086 1685381; www.dickandaves.ie

Poulet Bonne Femme

Dubliners Gavin McCarthy (31) and Sara Mitchell (35) set up Poulet Bonne Femme in May 2009, leaving their previous careers in property development and marketing behind. Redundancy played a role in giving them the final push to make their foodie dream a reality. Having spent time in the south of Spain and France and having always loved the rotisserie-style chickens that are ubiquitous there, they decided to bring a flavour of the continent home, but with a uniquely Irish twist in using only the best quality free-range Irish chickens. To get set up, they sourced the rotisserie oven from France before meeting with the food safety people to ensure their van met with all the health and safety requirements.

"After that, the most important thing for us," says Gavin, "was to visit the farm in Limerick where we were sourcing our free-range chickens. And we were very pleased with what we found – they look after their chickens very well and no antibiotics or growth hormones are used. We wanted to make sure we were sourcing the best quality Irish free-range chickens in order to serve them straight from the rotisserie, bursting with juicy flavour, to our customers at an affordable price.

"We have created our own secret marinade, and then depending on the day of the week and the market, we sell our rotisserie chickens in a variety of ways.

"At the weekend, we find people like to buy a full chicken to bring home for lunch or dinner. We also offer roast potatoes, homemade coleslaw and freshly cooked baguettes

"During the weekday markets, our roast chicken rolls filled with homemade coleslaw are the most popular. We also offer picnic boxes that include a quarter chicken, French bread and a side of coleslaw or our lunch special of quarter chicken, potato wedges and a side of coleslaw. The potato wedges are cooked in a little salt and pepper and extra virgin olive oil, making them very tasty and low fat.

"I am delighted to see that more and more people are really concerned about the quality of the food they are buying. They ask us about our free-range chickens, where they are from. Buying Irish really seems to be important to them. They are also, of course, concerned with value for money.

"Farmers' markets have traditionally had a reputation for being expensive but this is definitely changing. For €12.50, people can buy a rotisserie-roasted free-range chicken from us and have half of it for lunch or dinner, make sandwiches the following day and still have enough for another meal, not to mention using the bones for making stock and soups.

"The mobile market life has been very good to us so far – it certainly beats working in an office. And we are now working on expanding our business and creating a range of soups, casseroles, stocks and pâtés as well as vacuum-packed cooked chicken.

We are currently supplying some cafés and delicatessens with our chickens and we will be growing this area over the next few months, so keep an eye out for our Poulet Bonne Femme market."

Find Poulet Bonne Femme on Wednesdays at Spencer Dock Market 12-2pm; Thursdays at Mespil Road Market 12-2pm and soon Harcourt Street Market 12-2pm; Fridays at Sandyford Market; Saturdays at Marlay Park, Rathfarnham 10-4pm and Red Stables Market, St Anne's Park 10-5pm and Sundays at the People's Park, Dun Laoghaire, 10-5pm and soon Malahide Market

www.pouletbonnefemme.com

Froberry Frozen Yoghurt

Mark Sexton (42) left his career in sales to launch his own range of frozen yoghurt, Froberry, two years ago. "I think it's natural to want to feel good about what you eat and in turn feel better for eating it," says Mark. He believed that more and more people were beginning to think this way and that encouraged him to create his own low-calorie, fat-free sweet treat.

"I believe that Irish food and ingredients are among the best in the world. And, thankfully, more people are beginning to recognise this, and seek out producers who are at the top of their game.

"I make the yoghurt myself, using only the best natural Irish ingredients. I worked on the recipe until I came up with a light and creamy yoghurt that is tart, but tasty and strangely addictive… if I do say so myself."

Having tucked into a tub myself, topped with chopped strawberries and fresh pineapple pieces, I can concur with Mark. The yoghurt, which comes in vanilla, green tea or mango flavour, has all the smooth creaminess of an ice cream, with none of the cloying sweetness. Customers can then add their own choice of toppings – from naturally sweet, chopped fresh fruit to chopped chocolate or a scoop of Smarties.

"Our frozen yoghurt is low-fat, low-calorie and packed with probiotics," says Mark. "So it doesn't matter if you are calorie careful or calorie careless – you can enjoy a great-tasting treat that's good for you and completely guilt free. I've received huge encouragement from loyal customers, who really believe in what I'm doing.

"I find the food market environment is actually much like any working environment – it's important that the traders are impassioned about quality and they are supported by a professional market management team. Consumers recognise quality and they seek it out – good-quality food, presented well, generates repeat business. I've learned this from working in a trading location where people return week after week to feed their frozen yoghurt addiction and it makes it a very rewarding place to be.

"We are excited that Froberry will be available in supermarkets from autumn 2010. It will be sold in the frozen foods section. And it will also be available 'whipped up' from a select number of cafés and food outlets this month. So keep your eyes peeled."

Find Froberry beside the Old Dun Laoghaire Swimming Bath (weekends and sunny days); on the West Pier, Dun Laoghaire (weekends); the Red Stables Market in St Anne's Park, Raheny (Saturdays); the Mespil Road Market and the Rivergrounds Market in Ballsbridge (Thursdays); Special functions catered by arrangement

www.froberry.com

Kanum Thai

Matthew Spalding set up Kanum Thai Food and Noodle Bar on Mespil Road, Dublin 4, with Pat Fitzharris and his sons almost a year ago. Matt came on board as culinary consultant and devised the concept, name, menu and more. Kanum has since gone on to earn a reputation for serving super-fresh Thai food zinging with authentic flavour.

Indeed, the food has proven so popular with hungry Dubliners that the lads have just opened a new Kanum restaurant on Orwell Road in Rathgar. Matthew, previously of Pad Thai on Richmond Street, has been cooking Thai food professionally since the late 1980s and so knows what he's about. Since January of this year, he decided to take Kanum to the streets in traditional Thai tuc tuc style.

"What we want to do is bring people 'good food fast' as opposed to fast food," he says. "I saw the food markets springing up over the city and was excited by the quality of the food that I saw there; and I thought we could really add something to that with our tuc tuc and Thai chefs. At the markets, our gaeng kheow wan gai [green Thai chicken curry] and nam toc moo [barbecued pork with a spicy tamarind dressing] are the most popular choices.

"I have to say, after all my years in the food business, I am delighted to see that the Irish palate has finally been broadened. There was a time when the Irish would have turned their noses up at 'foreign muck' but I am glad to see that has changed – for the most part. Although I am saddened to experience the rudeness of some of the 'Tiger' generation, who all of a sudden are experts in everything.

"Working the markets is a new venture for us and we are really enjoying it. The other operators are accommodating and fun to work with and the customers are, by and large, into the craic and buzz of what is basically a field kitchen. There can be no doubt that the real hard work is done by the traders, but it's worth it."

Find the Kanum Thai tuk-tuk on Wednesdays at Spencer Dock Market; Thursdays at Mespil Road Market and Fridays at Sandyford Market

Kanum Thai, 77 Mespil Road, Dublin 4 and 16 Orwell Road, Dublin 6. Tel: 01 660 8616; www.kanum.ie