Gone are the days when food trucks only doled out ice cream and quick and dirty fast food (emphasize on the dirty). Now, you can step right up to roving restaurants that serve up interesting, delicious cuisine, from tacos and tater tots to oysters and Prosecco. Of course, some towns have better offerings than others, which is why we've created this list. Let it help you plan your next getaway...if you're looking to get away to a city offering BBQ ribs or smoked red pepper soup on the street. And you definitely should be.
Austin, TX
It stands to reason that one of the nation's best food cities would also be populated with plenty of awesome food trucks, and indeed, you can't drive down a block of Austin without spotting a brightly colored peddler of tacos, donuts, BBQ meats, and more. There are are multiple food truck parks, like The Picnic and Rainey Street Food Trucks.
Check out: Veracruz All Natural, Micklethwait Craft Meats, Dee Dee, Bombay Dhaba, Baton Creole, Conscious Cravings, Arlo's, Jewboy Burgers.
Nashville, TN
Visitors and locals alike need their fuel between catching shows and exploring history in the country music capital, and they won't have to look far. Rolling deliveries of smoked meats and comfort food are everywhere.
Check out: Smokin' Buttz BBQ, Steaming Goat Food Truck, Cousins Maine Lobster, The Kamasouptruck, Yayo's OMG, The Grilled Cheeserie, Smokin' Bowls, Laovin It
Los Angeles, CA
How major is the L.A. food truck scene? Their trucks have been known to start an entire movements, as seen with the Korean taco explosion of the last decade that arguably began with the Kogi truck. Get ahead of the trends by hightailing it to the west coast.
Check out: Kogi, The Lobos Truck, Leo's Tacos Truck, India Jones Chow Truck, All Flavor No Grease, Mariscos Jalisco, The Urban Oven, Guerilla Taco
Portland, OR
Naturally, the hipster mecca of America has an amazing food truck scene, which are often arranged in "pods" so you can hit up a few at once. The really stunning thing about PDX trucks? They produce unexpected mobile fare like fancy gourmet pastas or pastrami sandwiches.
Check out: Gumba, MF Tasty Food Truck, Potato Champion, Viking Soul Food, Gracie's Apizza, Kim Jon Grillin, Doghouse PDX, Pastrami Zombie
Washington, D.C.
All those senators and congresspeople and pages and diplomats need to eat quickly between those long session drafting legislation, and they are rewarded for their noble quests with tons and tons of trucks waiting outside their offices.
Check out: Abunai, Swizzler, PhoWheels, BBQ Bus Smokehouse and Catering, Rito Loco, Puddin'
Cleveland, OH
The rock and roll capital is packed with roving offers of BBQ, southern comfort, and unbelievably gigantic burgers topped with foie gras, mango, fried goat cheese balls, battered oysters, chunky peanut butter, and so much more (not all at the same time... unless that's what you're looking for).
Check out: Hatfield's Goode Grub, Betty's Bomb-Ass Burgers, Boca Loca Burrito Factory, Off the GRIDdle, Wild Spork,
Chicago, IL
The Windy City has given us deep dish pizza and hot dogs piled with chopped veggies, and their food trucks serve up all that and so much more—with a particularly delightful offering of sweet treats, too.
Check out: Yum Dum Truck, Alo's Tacos, DMen Tap, The Fat Shallot, A.Sweet Girl, Aztec Dave's Truck, Beavers Donuts, 5411 Empanadas, Chicago Pizza Boss, Tamale Spaceship
Detroit, MI
While some cities boast 100+ food trucks speeding around their streets, Detroit is rocking a relative handful of trailers—but what they don't have in quantity they make up for in quality. Head there now so you can scope the scene before it explodes.
Check out: El Guapo Fresh Mexican Grill, Hero or Villain, Buck-N-Dink's BBQ, D.Motown Deli, Salt and Sugar Co., Detroit 75 Kitchen
Atlanta, GA
This city's truck scene is all about mixing it up: a Creole-Tex Mex dish, or Mexican-soul food, Cuban pastries, and tongue-in-cheek vegan food (without any literal tongue involved, okay?).
Check out: The Blaxican, Buena Gente, Yumbii, Slutty Vegan, King of Pops, Sunshine Alchemy, Local Green, Deep South Biscuit Co.
New York, NY
Yes, NYC has some of the greatest, most forward-thinking restaurants in the world. And some of them are on wheels! Or started out on wheels, and were so successful they opened a chain of brick and mortar spots around the country soon after launch—we're looking at you, Luke's Lobster.
Check out: Tony Dragon's Grille, Halal Guys, Korilla BBQ, Cinnamon Snail, Wafels & Dinges, Uncle Gussy's, Luke's Lobster, Chicken Scampi, Kimchi Taco,Jiannetto's
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