The Best Food Trucks in Texas
Everything’s bigger and better in Texas, including the food trucks. Serving options ranging from hamburgers to halal, food trucks offer culinary innovations at a small fraction of restaurant prices. These trucks allow chefs boundless opportunities by eliminating the need for the high overhead costs associated with a traditional restaurant, fostering adventurous and unique menus. Accordingly, chefs-turned-entrepreneurs have expanded within America’s major cities, and many of these visionaries call Texas home. It’s no wonder that Texas food handlers licenses are in such high demand. The following list includes the best food trucks in Texas, jointly ranked by customers and experts. If you find yourself in one of these cities, stop by these trucks for the perfect snack, dessert, or to-go meal!
If you think waffles are only a breakfast food, you better think again. The Waffle Bus, located in Houston, Texas, prides itself on its vast, waffle-intensive menu. Owner Phi Nguyen’s creations include sweet and savory alike, making it impossible for even the most stubborn pancake-devotee to not walk away with a changed heart. Some of the Waffle Bus’s greatest accolades come from its signature “Fryder,” which makes use of two crispy waffle fries to encompass a heap of delicious fried chicken. If you’re not in the mood for a full meal, the truck also offers items like a strawberry irish creme brulee waffle, which tastes every bit as good as it sounds. The food truck has been featured on Food Network and the Cooking Channel and is the recipient of several food awards, so you know you’re getting the real deal when you hop on-board the Waffle Bus.
Once you visit Gourdough’s, you’ll never want to do so much as look at an ordinary glazed donut ever again. This Austin food truck synthesizes the best of donuts and dessert. One menu item boasts a combination of brownie batter, fudge icing, and brownie bites, making its name, “The Black Out,” extremely fitting. If you’re looking for an exquisite culinary rollercoaster, the Fat Elvis donut is made up of grilled bananas, bacon, peanut butter, and icing. Gourdough’s also serves ice cream to go with its various donuts, making the treat that much sweeter. Gourdough’s has been so successful that the truck is expanding into several brick-and-mortar storefronts, including a space on the San Antonio Riverwalk. While you’re in Austin, be sure to check out the city’s share of delicious Texan tacos, because Austin wouldn’t be Austin without its tacos.
Another Austin favorite includes the Peached Tortilla. The truck’s founder, Eric Silverstein, quit his job as a litigator to bridge together the tastes of his childhood in both Tokyo, Japan and Atlanta, Georgia. Hitting the streets for the first time in 2010, the truck fuses together the best of Southern and Asian cuisines. The truck’s menu includes everything from BBQ brisket tacos to a pad thai bowl, both local favorites. Don’t worry, if you visited Austin and didn’t have the time to stop by the truck, the Peached Tortilla has a storefront in the Austin-Bergstrom airport. You can enjoy the same delectable menu offerings on your way home, but you might have to hold back the urge to ask your pilot to turn the plane around so you can get seconds.
In the market for an unpretentious, yet delectable treat? Trailercakes, the cupcake gem of Dallas, should be your first stop. The truck owners, Heather and Leora, sought to create an irresistible cupcake while evoking 70’s nostalgia. Many of the truck’s popular cupcake flavors incorporate throwback references, such as “Welcome Back, Kotter” (white cake, chocolate frosting, and chocolate sprinkles), “Stairway to Heaven” (chocolate cake, peanut butter fluff filling, and chocolate ganache filling), and “Pebbles and Bam Bam” (white cake, marshmallow fluff center, white frosting, and fruity pebbles). Heather and Leora started up Trailercakes after winning a bid for an eBay Airstream trailer, which the duo proceeded to beautifully renovate. The Trailercakes team nicknamed their beloved trailer “Bubbles” after its seller on eBay, and Bubbles is now a popular guest at events all over the metroplex. You can usually find the truck at its stationary location, but be sure to check Trailercakes’ Twitter to track Bubbles’s location just in case before trying to stop by!
On the topic of dessert, you don’t want to miss the Honchos (The House of Churros) food truck in San Antonio. Since its founding in 2016, the truck has experienced nothing but success. The truck started off as a mission to make the popular Spanish dessert the “right” way, with a goal to sell the best churros in the entire world. Other than their churros, the truck has mastered their sauces, serving options like coffee sauce, grape jelly, peanut butter, condensed milk, and their signature Honco sauce. Honchos fanatics recommend the truck’s new “frozen churro,” which includes a churro stick covered in the ice cream and sauce of your choice. If you’re really into their dipping sauce, you can order a box of 15 mini churros and 6 sauces for just $15. Like many of the other aforementioned trucks, Honchos’s success has allowed it to expand, and a new location is coming soon to Alamo Heights!
The above food trucks are founded upon their owner’s ability to take an already-delicious Texan staple food and turn it into a unique, cross-fusion culinary sensation. If you enjoy traditional waffles, donuts, cupcakes, and tacos in the mildest sense, you’re guaranteed to leave these trucks and Texas with your heart and stomach satisfied.
