A DIY Austin Food Truck Tour

I teamed up with Ozarka® Brand Natural Spring Water to tell you why I L-O-V-E living in Austin, Texas! The food scene is just one thing that makes Austin unique. Follow along as I share some of our favorite food trailer finds! #FromHereForHere

One thing I absolutely love about living in Austin, Texas is the wildly diverse food scene. We have so many incredible locally owned, uniquely crafted, totally amazing eats. I just can’t get enough! One source of some of Austin’s finest eats are local food trailers and if you’ve ever been to Austin you know we have food trucks a plenty.

Of course, you can pay to take an organized Austin Food Truck Tour to hit some of the hot spots but why bother!? My hubby and I planned our own DIY Austin Food Truck Tour and oh my goodness was it fun! It’s a date night we will do again and again!

Today I’m sharing our DIY Austin Food Truck Tour so you can experience some of the best, at your own pace! Here’s an easy to follow map, with directions between the trucks (click to enlarge map.) I also highlight all of our faves below with truck specifics and my favorite menu items.

1| VERACRUZ ALL NATURAL

It’s tacos all day at Veracruz and if you live in Texas you know that is absolutely no problem! We kick off the Austin Food Truck Tour here because their breakfast tacos are the absolute best. Even if you start your tour around lunchtime, do yourself a favor and pretend it’s breakfast. Or do one breakfast taco and one lunch taco.

MUST ORDER: Any of the breakfast tacos. Their homemade tortillas, bacon and hot sauce make Veracruz the breakfast of champions – anytime of day.

Website | Menu | Map | Hours: Daily, 7am-3pm

2| MICKLETHWAIT CRAFT MEATS

Here in Texas we love us some BBQ and Micklethwait Craft Meats is a hidden gem. Well, not so hidden really because they often run out by the afternoon but you won’t find lines at dawn here. You will find everything made from scratch – not just the meats. They make their own bread and sides and boy are they good!

MUST ORDER: Brisket Frito Pie or maybe the Kielbasa. I can’t pick. But add a side of the Jalapeno Cheese Grits. My-oh-my.

Website | Menu | Map | Hours: Tues-Sun, 11am-Sold out 

3| EAST SIDE KING

Next is East Side King which features some of the best eats in town. This truck is sort of pan-Asian Fusion and has really unique ingredient pairings. I was pretty skeptical going in but it’s seriously my favorite now. I just can’t get enough. I love the original ESK best, but they also have another fabulous truck, Thai Kun at Whisler’s.

MUST ORDER: Everything. Forget what I said about pacing yourself. For real though, the Beet Home Fries are delish. I can’t stand beets but these fire roasted beets are crispy on the outside, soft in the middle and come with a tangy mayo that is crazy good.

Website | Menu | Map | Hours: Daily, 4pm-1:45am; Sat/Sun 2pm-1:45am

4| Hey!…You Gonna Eat Or What?

This little food truck is world famous for it’s Shiner Bock Monte Cristo. First, they stack this enormous sandwich with cheddar, provolone, smoked turkey and pit-smoked ham. Then, they roll it in a Shiner Bock batter and deep fry it. And if that isn’t enough, they dust it with powdered sugar and serve with a side of cherry-fig jam. Oh.my.word.

MUST ORDER: The Shiner Bock Monte Cristo. Period.

Website | Menu | Map | Hours: Thurs-Tues, 12pm-9pm

5| MS. P’S ELECTRIC COCK

This trailer boasts a funny name and fried chicken amazingness. It’s Southern-style, spicy, juicy and hot out of the fryer. Get it in buckets or with waffles. And definitely add a side of Dirty Black Eyed Peas. It’s hard to claim the title of Best Fried Chicken when you live in the South. The competition is fierce but Ms. P’s takes the cake.

MUST ORDER: Hen Scratch Slider. But, if you’re skipping the tour and just eating here, go for a great, big bucket.

Website | Menu | Map | Hours: Daily, 12pm-Sold out

6| GOURDOUGH’S

Finally, we end our Austin Food Truck Tour with breakfast. Since you’ve been eating all day it’s only fitting to go full circle, right? Or call it dessert. The donuts at Gourdough’s are enormous and decadent so they can totally double as dessert. They are so big you probably should share but believe me, you don’t want to.

MUST ORDER: Granny’s Pie is one of my faves: a big, fat donut covered in caramel, pecans, bananas & graham cracker.

Website | Menu | Map | Hours: Daily, 10am-12am

So that’s our DIY Austin Food Truck Tour. But another thing I absolutely love about living here is that you don’t even need to spend an afternoon hitting up food trucks to enjoy the best eats! You can find some of Austin’s best right here in your local grocery store! So put the kids to bed and have your own culinary tour on the patio tonight. Here are some of my faves:

Paqui’s Tortilla Chips (Austin, Texas) – Paqui is an Aztec word that means “to be happy” and you will be after eating them! These mouth-watering tortillas chips are made with high-quality ingredients, such as fire-roasted jalapenos, fresh cilantro leaves, buttermilk, pumpkin and other spices and flavors.

Snow’s BBQ Sauce (Lexington, Texas) – Everyone who knows BBQ in Texas knows that Texas Monthly magazine named Snow’s BBQ as the best in Texas! Full of complex Texas flavor, Snow’s Original BBQ Sauce is excellent on any cut of beef, chicken, or pork. Or use it like we do as a dipping sauce for just about everything!

The Jelly Queens (Austin, Texas) – The Jelly Queens hand make gourmet jams, jellies, spices and more in small batches using organic and, whenever possible, locally grown Texas ingredients.

Yellowbird Sauce (Austin, Texas) – Made with ♥ in Austin, Texas. Yellowbird sauces are totally natural, spicy pepper condiments. These are for the spice lovers in your family. Yellowbird sauces are so yummy and versatile, you’ll find yourself using them on everything!

Taste Elevated Sweet & Spicy Mustard Seeds (Castroville, Texas) – These little flavor-packed pearls are absolutely addicting. Add them to a charcuterie tray to surprise your guests, use as a condiment in lieu of mustard and use it to make homemade vinaigrettes!

Cookwell & Company Queso (Austin, Texas) –  They build their Queso con Salsa Escabeche around a blend of cheddar and blue cheeses combined with fire-roasted tomatoes, onions, diced jalapeños, and fresh-squeezed lime juice. It’s simply the best queso you can buy.

And of course, I can’t leave off Ozarka! Ozarka® Brand Natural Spring Water comes from springs right here in Texas. If you want to taste Texas, Ozarka is about as pure Texas as it gets. Whether you are off enjoying my DIY Austin Food Truck Tour or simply having your own Texas-fest in your backyard, be sure to grab a bottle of Ozarka.

So, before I let you get started on your Taste Tour, I want to share a few last minute tips for you food truck goers. It’ll be a long afternoon full of food, glorious food. I want to make sure you’re prepared!

• If you give the full tour a try, pace yourself and exercise some restraint. Just order one of two things at each spot and share. Otherwise you’ll make it all the way to Gourdough’s without any room in your tummy!

• Be prepared to wait. A food truck tour is a slow kind of thing. It’s easy to pace yourself and enjoy because the food sometimes takes a while. Dedicate an entire afternoon/evening. This is not something you can (or want to!) rush through.

• Many of the trucks don’t have closing hours. They stay open until they are sold out and for some that can be pretty quickly on holiday weekends. Be prepared to have to adjust your menu choice and possibly even walk away if they are completely sold out.

• Bring cash. Most places accept credit cards by using Square card readers. However, you never know when internet service will be spotty or one of those card readers will be finicky. Have cash on you, just in case.

• Always, always check the trailer’s website or social media before you go. Food trucks sometimes move and occasionally they close for private events. Make sure it’s where you think it is and the hours are good before you make the trek.

And there we have it. Get out there! Have fun and be sure to report back and tell me what you think!

Plus, be sure to check me out on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for more fun around Austin!

This DIY Austin Food Truck Tour post is sponsored by Ozarka® Brand Natural Spring Water as part of their #FromHereForHere campaign. The ideas and opinions are mine.