Eat across five continents in the food truck capital of Texas
No other Texas city has food trucks ingrained into its culture quite like Austin. While Houston may be the hands-down winner when it comes to sheer diversity and volume of food options in a Texas city, Austin has a vibe all its own.
Most estimates of how many food trucks are in Austin start at 1,000. That means that the Texas capital has at least one food truck for roughly every thousand residents.
While there are enough food truck parks in the downtown area to keep you exploring for days, you’ll also find some of Austin’s most revered food trucks along farm-to-market roads that feel a world away from the Texas capital of cool.
Here are 10 of our top food trucks in Austin.
Cannone Gelato
While there’s no such thing as a great food city without a mix of old-fashioned ice cream parlors and a gelateria or two, Austin has an outstanding gelato shop on wheels. Cannone Gelato is a spinoff of Cannone Cucina Italiana, which was started by Italy native Salvatore Cannone. Cannone moved from Monaco to Austin for love, and the rest is sweet history. Choose from two dozen gelato and sorbetto flavors, ranging from traditional Stracciatella gelato to spicy-sweet pineapple-jalapeno sorbet.
As of this writing, both Cannone trucks are at The Picnic.
Ceviche Love
Ceviche Love, 10 miles south of downtown on FM 812, makes you feel like you’ve been transported to Mexico, as you enjoy an ice-cold michelada and fresh seafood fare. While the staff speak English, the menu is mostly in Spanish, which is the language you’ll hear most among the patrons.
At Ceviche Love, you’ll discover a wide selection of aguachiles, ceviche, seafood cocktails, and much more, all of which are under $20. Ceviche de Mango is a must-try dish here. The more traditional ceviche ingredients come topped with a whole chopped mango and red pepper flakes sprinkled on top to give it some spice.
Churro Co.
With ingredients like popcorn sugar and goat’s milk caramel, Churro Co. is the most fun place on our list. The small but sweet specialty menu has three items that seem to be in a “cutesiness” competition when it comes to names. Campfire, tossed in graham cracker and topped with torched marshmallow and Mexican chocolate, is the top seller. Texas Comfort is as American as the apple pie filling and cardamon sugar that tops this churro.
East Side King
You must be 21 to enter Liberty Bar, which is the gateway to East Side King’s food truck in East Austin. (There’s a brick-and-mortar location in South Austin.) This Japanese-leaning Asian street food concept feels hidden but is worth seeking out. The Thai chicken kara-age, served with fresh basil, mixes Japanese street food and Southeast Asian flavors. The mild spice level complements the sweet sauce.
You also can enjoy their signature kara-age on a bao bun or in a bowl. The menu offers plenty of vegetarian options.
Traveling to Houston? East Side King also has a spot at POST, one of Houston’s eclectic food halls.
Madras Dhaba
Madras Dhaba is the longest-standing vendor occupying a space at 1606 East Food Trailer Park. The turmeric-colored food truck is a popular spot for biryani and Indian tacos. According to owner and Chennai native Shyam, his chicken tikka tacos are a crowd favorite. At just $10.99, generous portions of the UK’s national dish are folded into paratha bread like tacos and topped with flavored rice, onion and cilantro.
Shyam also owns the adjacent Royal Fusion Indochinese, which opens at 6 p.m. and caters to an evening crowd. According to the spirited entrepreneur, everyone is welcome at either truck. He likes to joke that his food is “white people spicy.” If you’ve never had Hakka noodles, Royal Fusion is the place to try.
Patrizi’s
No other food truck on our list has a history like Patrizi’s. The truck, located at The VORTEX, is where you can try recipes that date back to at least 1948. That’s when the original Patrizi’s opened in Beaumont, Texas.
Eating pasta dishes, such as cacio e pepe (olive oil, grana padano cheese, cracked black pepper) and diavolo (lemon, olive oil, rosemary, egg yolks, red chili, grana padano cheese) on paper plates may seem awkward at first, but Patrizi’s is one of Austin’s more popular food trucks. There’s ample seating all around the truck, and often there’s live music.
Patrizi’s is open seven days a week for dinner.
Sammataro
Sammataro is located along East 12th Street in Arbor Food Park. This mozzarella-colored pizza truck has a wood-fired oven attached to the back, from which the Sammatro team makes three different crispy-bottom pies.
We recommend trying the Classic Pie first. It’s a traditional margherita topped with shredded, aged parmesan cheese and whole basil leaves. The meat-centric Sammataro Supreme is the Classic Pie topped with sausage and pepperoni. The White Pie is almost like a dessert, thanks to the lemon ricotta cream.
Shirley’s Trini Cuisine
Three generations of Trinidadian ladies from San Fernando (Trinidad, not California) run this Caribbean food truck, located in the same 1606 E. 6th Street food trailer park as Madras Dhaba and Royal Fusion. At Shirley’s, all meat is served on the bone, so you get maximum flavor.
The stew oxtail plate with rice is a popular dish and the one we recommend for first-time visitors. It’s an ideal way to experience the flavors of South Asia and Africa, which are so prevalent in Trini cooking. Shirley’s serves this hearty and sizable dish with plantains, salad and white rice. The oxtail meat is tender enough that you can remove it from the bone with a plastic fork.
Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ
Valentina’s is one of those “get there before they sell out” food trucks. Sandwiches make up the “Tex” part of the menu, while a handful of meat tacos put the “Mex” in Tex Mex. All meats used in the tacos and sandwiches are available for purchase by the pound.
While every city has its destination restaurants, this is Austin’s destination food truck. It’s located 14 miles from downtown, yet people from around the world have been here. Check out the large map to the left of the tin shack, which serves as the dining hall. According to the pins, patrons have come from as far as Mozambique and North Korea to try the award-winning smoked meats.
The barbecue sauce you’ll find on each table comes with a written warning that it will self-destruct if removed from the premises. We recommend buying your own bottle for $9.
Veracruz All Natural
While you can easily make a list of taco trucks in Austin, we narrowed it down to Veracruz All Natural for this list. Run by two sisters originally from Veracruz, Mexico, this local favorite has a handful of locations throughout Austin and is known for their migas tacos. But there are 16 other options, ranging from barbacoa to a half-dozen vegan dishes. The menu also boasts a variety of refreshing juices and smoothies.
Regular patrons know the drill: either order online or enter your order via the POS. Completed orders are placed by the service window in a brown paper bag every few minutes with assembly line efficiency.
We recommend the South Austin location, which shares a seating area with the popular Radio Coffee and Beer.
