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Austin food truck reviews

8,082 Views | 58 Replies | Last: 10 yr ago by BurnetAggie99
txjortsagent
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I looked for a thread about food trucks on here and couldn't find much. Below are some of my recent experiences at trucks in Austin. Post yours below, and I'll try to remember to add them to the original post here along with your username. Also feel free to add your thoughts on my reviews below and I'll add them as well. Basically trying to give us all a table of contents on the Austin area trucks.

Mighty Cone (Barton Springs Road):

I had the shrimp/avocado cone and loved it. Both the shrimp and the avocado are fried but not greasy. Shrimp tasted very fresh. This one had a mayo cole slaw in it along with an orange sauce. One of the best experiences I've had in Austin. Son had the venison sausage which came with a mango jalapeo slaw and a Dijon type mustard. It was just average. (Txjortsagent)

Hey Cupcake (Barton Springs Road):

Damn good cupcakes. The cake itself is moist and full of flavor. The icing is the key here and it's good. I had the Luv Cake which is strawberry cream cheese icing on chocolate cake....it was to die for. Sons had chocolate on chocolate and chocolate on white cake. All very delicious. (Txjortsagent)

Tommy Want Wingy (South 1st at Live Oak):

Highly disappointing to me. Everyone kept telling me I had to go there, but it was always closed. I finally found it open, and a lot of people were there for it. I ordered the buffalo hot wings. They come out looking like lollipops. All of the meat is on one end and you can hold the bone underneath to bite the meat off the top. When I bit into mine, I first thought it was undercooked. Very fatty. Very soft. Honestly it almost gagged me. I'm used to Wings N More where the wings are lean and crispy. These wings were honestly some of the worst I've had in quite some time. Do not recommend at all. (Txjortsagent)

Biscuits N Gravy (S. 1st at Live Oak):

Good breakfast. Biscuits and gravy there were above average. Mini pancakes were awesome. Recommended (Txjortsagent)

Blue Ox BBQ (E. Riverside behind Buzz Mill Coffee Shop):

We have a lot of good bbq in and around this city nowadays, and this place fits right in. Plus there is rarely a line so you can get your food quickly. Often times, Buzz Mill has a live music act outside by the trailers. At Blue Ox, the pork ribs are well above average. Surprisingly, I didn't care as much for their pulled pork. The brisket is very good as well, rubbed with espresso grounds from Buzz Mill. Go at the end of the dinner rush in the evening, and just tell them what you want and what you want to spend. They'll hook you up big time. (Txjortsagent)

Cow Bell (E. Riverside beside the Amli property about three blocks east of the interstate):

Great burgers and sliders. Sliders came on mini Hawaiian rolls. Meat had a nice smoke flavor. Sliders came with ketchup and grilled onions. My sons have requested them over and over. The MMA comes with mayo, mustard and avocado and is really good. Their "breakfast" burger had a fried egg, ham and bacon. Buns are always fresh as are the veggies. One of the best burgers in Austin and a must-stop for food truck lovers. (Txjortsagent)

Salsa y Kimchi (E. Riverside by Amli property three blocks east of interstate):

The teriyaki chicken torta was good. The teriyaki sauce mixed with sriacha had an interesting but tasty finish. I haven't had any of the bowls there, but the folks around me were having them and raving about them. (Txjortsagent)

Way South Philly (6th and Waller in East Austin):

Damn good philly. I've always loved the Phillies at Jersey Mike's and Delaware Subs, and this one ranks up there with them. I get the Clubber Lang, which is marinated in Frank's Hot Sauce and served with a healthy portion of jalapeos and onions. Definitely a good spot for a philly. (Txjortsagent)

Louisiana Creole (name unknown...found beside Way South Philly at 6th and Waller):

Beignets on a stick were very good. Jambalaya looked good but haven't had any of their real food yet. (Txjortsagent)

Hey...you gonna eat or what? (Barton Springs Road):

Shiner Bock Beer Battered Monte Cristo....enough said. Helluva sandwich. Reuben was also good, but get the monte cristo. (Txjortsagent)

Tapas Bravas (Barton Springs Road):

Meatball slider was small, expensive and good. Not a lot of bang for your buck though. (Txjortsagent)

More to come!
Potcake
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Not many trucks up our way but when we do truck, it's Garbos lobster roll truck. We get them on Saturday nights when they're at Draught House. They move all over town though. Spendy but nothing better than a Connecticutt style roll, cup of clam chowder and a good IPA. Lobstah, chowdah, beeah
Senator Blutarski
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Until a couple of months ago, I lived a few blocks behind Draught House, and we would hit up the trucks all the time.
My favorite was Garbo's for the Connecticut, also.
My wife loves East Side King (Tori Meshi and the Brussels Sprouts salad).

Also a big fan of:
Chi'Lantros pork tacos and kimchi fries.
Peached Tortilla's Banh Mi.


rather be fishing
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Went to Mickelthwait Craft Meats this afternoon for a late lunch. Brisket was good, but not fantastic. Their kielbasa sausage was really awesome.

I'll put another +1 for Garbo's, love their food (wish the wife would eat seafood).

Peached Tortilla is also fantastic.

Gourdough's is also good for fancy dessert doughnuts.
HTownAg98
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They now have a restaurant on Merilltown Road. The fried belly clams are amazing.
AggieStout
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peached tortilla is pretty good, they recently opened an actual location off of burnet.
TxAgg07
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I'll second Hey Cupcake! When I went I got a sampler pack that had 6 mini cupcakes. Gives you a chance to try a few different ones. All were excellent!
512Ag
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Chi'lantro is probably my favorite truck. Or Surf 'n Turf Po Boy, although they now have a storefront (on Lavaca) and a truck (on Barton Springs)

If you're waiting in line at Franklin BBQ or if you just like coffee, Legend Coffe Co. on site at Franklin has some great options. I recommend the Cassandra.

Full disclosure: My sister-in-law and her boyfriend own Legend Coffee Co.
Ashley96
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I'm not really a fan of Hey Cupcake! My favorite cupcake place is a b&m store in NW Austin called Cupprimo. I love Chi'Lantro. Their kimchi fries are delicious!
Bitter Old Man
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I ate at one of the Lobster Roll Trucks - Cant remember which - the food was fine, it didn't change my life. My problem was paying $18.00 for something served to me out of a truck on a paper boat, that I had to eat while sitting on the ground. You can get some damned good food for $18 for lunch at a place with chairs and someone to bring it to you.
el aggie
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But that food will not have large chunks of lobster in it. I don't think you want to eat cut-rate seafood.
D&C 2002
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Chi'Lantro is one of my favorite trucks. They have several that work all over town and you can check the website to find out where they will be for lunch and dinner. They are opening a restaurant sometime this year which I am really looking forward to!

East Side King is simply awesome, although I don't really think of them as a trailer anymore. They still have the trailer at the Liberty Bar but I usually hit the indoor location at Hole in the Wall or their place on S. Lamar.

Micklethwait has been hit and miss for me, but I'm not nearly done with them. It's pretty handy to pick up some brisket and sausage on the way home, when they aren't sold out. I have been disappointed with their sides but I'll continue to get some meat to go.

Patrizi's is currently my favorite food trailer. I honestly don't know how/why they are doing this out of a trailer! The food is just excellent and I love the atmosphere at The Vortex with the Butterfly Bar and all the outdoor seating. I could eat here at least once a week and not get tired of the food.

Thai Thani is a little trailer next door to East Side Cafe and in the corner of the gas station parking lot. Not the best Thai food I've had but it's probably one of the better Thai trailer places I've been to and it's close to the house.

Biscuits and Groovy - I thought it was terrible and way over priced. The biscuits and gravy are basically what you get with your chicken tenders at Chicken Express - which isn't an all together bad thing just not what I expected for a trailer who's main thing is biscuits and gravy. When paying $9 for some cleverly named entree at a food trailer I expect to get something special, not frozen biscuits and "just add water" gravy. I felt ripped off and indigestion.

Peached Tortilla is legit. Pretty similar to East Side King but their schtick is asian/southern US fusion. Will likely eat here many more times.

Three Little Pigs is pretty good. They have a surprisingly diverse menu which only about half pork dishes. They've always been out of the really good (and popular) stuff when we've been there so I'll keep trying.



rather be fishing
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quote:
East Side King is simply awesome, although I don't really think of them as a trailer anymore. They still have the trailer at the Liberty Bar but I usually hit the indoor location at Hole in the Wall or their place on S. Lamar.

Micklethwait has been hit and miss for me, but I'm not nearly done with them. It's pretty handy to pick up some brisket and sausage on the way home, when they aren't sold out. I have been disappointed with their sides but I'll continue to get some meat to go.
Two comments here:

Have had East Side King 3 times now at Hole in the Wall and their ramen is nowhere close to as good as Ramen Tatsuya.

Next, We showed up to Mickelthwait at 2:30 pm and they still had a good amount of meat. The line was still winding down the stairs at Franklin when we drove past. We had to park a block up the street, but walked up and ordered and got our food within 15 minutes of being there. The brisket isn't as good as Franklin, but it's decent and the wait period is so much better.

I do want to get up there in time to get a beef rib at some point, I've heard very good things about it.
D&C 2002
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quote:
Have had East Side King 3 times now at Hole in the Wall and their ramen is nowhere close to as good as Ramen Tatsuya.


Oh, I completely agree! Looks like their new location on S. Lamar is now open, too. Would have mentioned that place but didn't think they qualified as a food truck/trailer. I have had the ramen at ESK but that's not what I usually get there. I generally stick with the classics - brussels sprout salad, beet fries, por qui buns, tori meshi....
htownag08
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quote:
Chi'Lantro is one of my favorite trucks. They have several that work all over town and you can check the website to find out where they will be for lunch and dinner. They are opening a restaurant sometime this year which I am really looking forward to!

Their restaurant is already open - we went last night and it was awesome. It's over on South Lamar.
AggieStout
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So biscuits and groovy wasn't good? Man i had high hopes for that place and put it on my list to go to. Pic of the food look amazing but if the biscuits are no better than store bought then i might pass on them
txjortsagent
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Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ right behind Star Bar on W. 6th is damn good. I had the Carnitas taco and it was incredibly tender and flavorful
Bitter Old Man
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Anytime you review a taco place outside a bar, you need to include a disclaimer on whether it was after closing time and if you were drunk or not...
Mookie
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I had a grilled cheese from burro cheese kitchen next to Amy's on south congress this weekend that was awesome.
txjortsagent
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quote:
Anytime you review a taco place outside a bar, you need to include a disclaimer on whether it was after closing time and if you were drunk or not...


Haha! Touch, sir. Was not drunk. Just damn good.
Harkrider 93
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quote:
I had a grilled cheese from burro cheese kitchen next to Amy's on south congress this weekend that was awesome.
Burro Cheese Kitchen is great. I call it the Donkey Show. I told them they should play a donkey call everytime someone tips.
Gramercy Riffs
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quote:
Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ right behind Star Bar on W. 6th is damn good. I had the Carnitas taco and it was incredibly tender and flavorful
Valentina's is damn good. We've had them cater numerous events (they're one of our clients).
att hello
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quote:
I ate at one of the Lobster Roll Trucks - Cant remember which - the food was fine, it didn't change my life. My problem was paying $18.00 for something served to me out of a truck on a paper boat, that I had to eat while sitting on the ground. You can get some damned good food for $18 for lunch at a place with chairs and someone to bring it to you.

$18 will barely pay for an appetizer at Pappadeaux, much less a higher end seafood place. I think I paid $17 to start off with the seafood fondue the other day.
Bitter Old Man
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Well, you and I obviously have different lunch budgets...

My point isnt whether or not lobster is an expensive protein. Its that paying $18 to sit on the curb and eat out of a paper boat doesn't provide much of a value proposition for me. I'm just guessing that when you order your seafood fondue, a waiter brings it to you, at a table, with chairs, and linens, in a building with a roof and HVAC, then he refills your drink, thats in a clean glass. Or am I wrong, was it served to you by a sweaty guy in a T shirt out of the side of a van? A guy that hasn't washed his hands in a while, because there's a limited supply of water in those trailers and they don't want to waste it....
Btron
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quote:
I'm not really a fan of Hey Cupcake! My favorite cupcake place is a b&m store in NW Austin called Cupprimo. I love Chi'Lantro. Their kimchi fries are delicious!
Cupprimo is the bomb!
Hey Cupcake is a joke
Potcake
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quote:
Well, you and I obviously have different lunch budgets...

My point isnt whether or not lobster is an expensive protein. Its that paying $18 to sit on the curb and eat out of a paper boat doesn't provide much of a value proposition for me. I'm just guessing that when you order your seafood fondue, a waiter brings it to you, at a table, with chairs, and linens, in a building with a roof and HVAC, then he refills your drink, thats in a clean glass. Or am I wrong, was it served to you by a sweaty guy in a T shirt out of the side of a van? A guy that hasn't washed his hands in a while, because there's a limited supply of water in those trailers and they don't want to waste it....

That lobster roll is a lot tastier if washed down with a pint at the Draught House
How did you come by your username BTW?
Bitter Old Man
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I think that's pretty self-evident...
Potcake
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Had a couple of pops at Buddy's Place then to The Aristocrat (Poodle Dog), had a couple drinks and got two clam chowders and two lobster rolls from the Garbo's truck to go. Chowder is still top notch and so are rolls but the rolls had less fennel and lobster was just piled on top of roll rather than in it. Hope this isn't because they now have a 2nd truck snd a B&M location and are cutting corners. Also, the chowder was priced separately, no longer a combo price.
Vestal_Flame
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quote:
I ate at one of the Lobster Roll Trucks - Cant remember which - the food was fine, it didn't change my life. My problem was paying $18.00 for
something served to me out of a truck on a paper boat, that I had to eat
while sitting on the ground. You can get some damned good food for $18
for lunch at a place with chairs and someone to bring it to you.

I think that you ate at the food truck court just south of Westlake on 360, and I share exactly that impression of the lobster roll. Meh. Competent but not great at a price where it ought to be great. I have not gone back to that food court precisely because I felt like the value proposition represented by most of the vendors is, "We make these suburban people feel like they're hip, for standing in long-ass lines" rather than, "this food is so damn good that people will stand in long-ass lines."
Vestal_Flame
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I am going to take BOM's side on this, because he is right. I think that the place is called Dock 'n Roll, and it abbreviates to DNR for a reason. The place survives primarily on the relative paucity of good restaurants of any stripe in Westlake and the paucity good seafood in Austin. I do not ever care to eat at DNR again.

It is fair to note that my wife and I are people who care a great deal about good food. We're the sort of people who, if you ask us about a recent trip, will start by telling you about the best meal that we ate. We married at Green Pastures, because our primary ambition for our own wedding was to seat our guests and deliver to them a meal that they would praise for years.

I don't mind inconvenience for food. I don't mind driving a 100-mile round trip in horrific traffic from Sunnyvale to Chez Panisse to eat dinner alone, just for the food. They do sorcery with a cut of spring lamb that is hard to imagine if you haven't experienced them and hard to forget if you have.

The drive to Lockhart from Austin was worth it when I was a student for the magic with the beef that happens there.

Standing in line at Franklin or Flip Happy Crepes was entirely and repeatedly worthwhile. And standing in the freezing ass cold at the original Gino's East in Chicago was a privilege that, like flip-happy crepes, I mourn having lost.

I also don't mind paying for food, if it is really good. I hate paying for large portions. I want small portions of really competent food.

All of that said, inconvenient or expensive food should also be great. Frankly, there are now many places in Austin that make good to great food either inexpensive or convenient. Even in Westlake, the pizza at The Grove is magnificent. The pasta at Siena is phenomenal. The crepes at Baguette et Chocolate are worth driving out to Bee Cave.

BOM is right about DNR. I felt robbed and wanted my time back after I bit into their lobster roll.
Vestal_Flame
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BTW, I think that this is a great thread. Thanks, Jorts.
Vestal_Flame
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My personal favorite food truck is "Fresh off the truck" (Asian Fusion) at Mueller. Their chicken Katsu plate just kicks ass. Perfectly fried breaded chicken. In the same truck court, Elixir (the studebaker) sells pastry items from Quack's, and I am therefore a regular. My daughter likes the "Short Bus" subs, which is Aggie owned, IIRC.
TRD-Ferguson
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Short Bus is Aggie owned? Did not know that. Had lunch there last week. Good to know!
NoneGiven
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Dock And Roll is terrible. Lobster on a hot dog bun. F that place and westlake dining.

Garbo's on the other hand is delicious.
Cowboy Curtis
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quote:
Dock And Roll is terrible. Lobster on a hot dog bun. F that place and westlake dining.

Garbo's on the other hand is delicious.

Agree. Also in the Midway food park:
-Widespread Dave's 5 grilled shrimp for $9
-Celia Jacobs $4 Reese's peanut butter sized cheesecake
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