Here are our top picks for food trucks in Austin (Photo: Madras Dhaba) – Photo credit to Brian Cicioni
No other city in Texas has food trucks immersed in its culture like Austin. While Houston may be the clear winner when it comes to diversity and volume of food options in a Texas city, Austin has a vibe of its own.
Most estimates of the number of food trucks in Austin start at 1000. This means that the Texas capital has at least one food truck for every 1,000 residents.
While there are enough downtown food truck parks for you to explore for days, you’ll also find some of Austin’s most revered food trucks lining market farm roads that feel like a world away from the fantastic Texas capital.
Here are 10 of our best food trucks in Austin.
Ice Cream Cannon
Cool off with a cannon ice cream cone at the picnic – Photo credit Brian Cicioni
While there’s no big city for foodies without a mix of old-school ice cream parlors and an ice cream parlor or two, Austin has an outstanding ice cream shop on wheels. Cannone Gelato is a spin-off of Cannone Cucina Italiana, founded by the Italian Salvatore Cannone. Cannone moved from Munich to Austin for love, and the rest is sweet history. Choose from two dozen flavors of ice cream and sorbet, ranging from traditional Stracciatella ice cream to spicy-sweet pineapple-jalapeno sorbet.
At the time of writing, both Cannon trucks are at The Picnic.
love ceviche
Ceviche Love, just south of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport – Photo courtesy of Brian Cicioni
Amour de ceviche, 10 miles south of downtown on FM 812, makes you feel like you’ve been transported to Mexico as you sample frozen micheladas and fresh seafood dishes. While the staff speak English, the menu is mainly in Spanish, which is the language you will hear the most among customers.
At Ceviche Love, you’ll find a wide selection of aguachiles, ceviche, seafood cocktails and more, all for under $ 20. Mango ceviche is a must-try dish here. The more traditional ingredients in ceviche are topped with a whole chopped mango and pepper flakes sprinkled to give it some warmth.
Churro Co.
Try the Campfire Churro, a successful Churro Co. – Photo courtesy of Brian Cicioni
With ingredients like popcorn sugar and goat milk caramel, Churro Co. is the funniest place on our list. The small but sweet specialty menu includes three items that appear to be in a competition of “cuteness” when it comes to names. The bonfire, mixed with a graham cracker and topped with flambéed marshmallows and Mexican chocolate, is the best-selling. Texas Comfort is as American as the apple pie filling and cardamom sugar that accompanies this churro.
king of the east side
East Side King Thai Chicken Kara-Age – Photo courtesy of Brian Cicioni
You must be 21 to enter the Liberty Bar, which is the gateway to the King’s East Side food truck in East Austin. (There’s a brick-and-mortar place in South Austin.) This Japanese-trend Asian street food concept seems tucked away but it’s worth seeking out. Kara-age Thai Chicken, served with fresh basil, fuses Japanese street food with Southeast Asian flavors. The sweet spice level complements the sweet sauce.
You can also enjoy their signature kara-age on a bao bun or in a bowl. The menu has many vegetarian options.
Traveling to Houston? East Side King also has a seat at POST, one of Houston’s eclectic food halls.
Madras Daba
Madras Dhaba, where the chicken tikka taco is a best seller – Photo courtesy of Brian Cicioni
Madras Dhaba is the oldest vendor occupying space in 1606 East Food Trailer Park. The turmeric-colored food truck is a popular spot for Indian biryani and 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 has the adjacent Royal Indochinese Fusion, which opens at 6pm and hosts an evening crowd. According to the ardent businessman, everyone is welcome in both trucks. He likes to joke that his food is “spicy for whites”. If you’ve never eaten Hakka noodles, Royal Fusion is the place to try.
Chez Patrizi
Watermelon feta by Patrizi and cacio e pepe salad – Photo by Brian Cicioni
No other food truck on our list has a history like Chez Patrizi. The Truck, located at VORTEX, is where you can try recipes that date back to at least 1948. It was then that the first Patrizi’s opened in Beaumont, Texas.
Eating pasta dishes, such as cacio e pepe (olive oil, grana padano, cracked black pepper) and devil (lemon, olive oil, rosemary, egg yolks, chilli, grana padano) on paper plates might seem embarrassing at first, but Patrizi’s is one of Austin’s most popular food trucks. There are many seats around the truck and there is often live music.
Patrizi’s is open seven days a week for dinner.
Sammataro
The classic Sammataro cake – Photo attributed to Brian Cicioni
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 Sammatro’s team churns out three different crunchy pies.
We recommend trying the classic cake first. It is a traditional margherita topped with seasoned grated Parmesan and whole basil leaves. The meat-centric Sammataro Supreme is the classic pie topped with sausage and peppers. White Pie is almost a dessert, thanks to the lemon ricotta cream.
Shirley’s Trini kitchen
Shirley’s Trini Cuisine Stewed Oxtail – Photo courtesy of Brian Cicioni
Three generations of Trinidadian women from San Fernando (Trinidad, not California) operate this Caribbean food truck, located in the same 1606 E. 6th Street trailer park as Madras Dhaba and Royal Fusion. At Shirley, all meats are served on the bone for maximum flavor.
Oxtail with Rice is a popular dish that we recommend to first-time visitors. It is a perfect way to experience the flavors of South Asia and Africa, so prevalent in Trini’s cuisine. Shirley’s serves up this hearty, hearty dish with plantains, salad, and white rice. Oxtail meat is tender enough that you can peel it off the bone with a plastic fork.
Valentina’s Tex-Mex barbecue
Valentina’s Tex Mex barbecue tail – Photo courtesy of Brian Cicioni
Valentina is one of those “come here before they run out” food trucks. Sandwiches make up the “Tex” part of the menu, while a handful of meat tacos put “Mex” in Tex Mex. All meats used in tacos and sandwiches are available for purchase by the kilo.
While each city has its own destination restaurants, this is Austin’s destination food truck. It is located 22 km from the city center, but people from all over the world have come here. Check out the large map to the left of the tin shack, which serves as the dining room. According to the pins, customers traveled to 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 that you buy your bottle for $ 9.
All Natural Veracruz
Veracruz All Natural is known for its migas tacos – Photo attributed to Brian Cicioni
While you could easily make a list of taco trucks in Austin, we’ve narrowed it down to Veracruz quite naturally for this list. Run by two sisters from Veracruz, Mexico, this local favorite has a handful of locations throughout Austin and is known for its migas tacos. But there are 16 other options, ranging from barbacoa to half a dozen vegan dishes. The menu also offers a variety of refreshing juices and smoothies.
Regular customers know the drill – order online or place your order via the point of sale. Completed orders are placed through 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 Cafe and Beer.
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