When you’re a kid, the best food is picnic food. The taste of the outdoors, the sense of adventure, the feel of being ‘in the moment.’
As an adult, you can live without the ants in your sandwiches. But that’s okay because there’s something better to eat, and it has the same appeal as the childhood picnic: food truck food.
Even the healthiest food truck food feels wrong in a very right way. A meal from a truck? That’s the culinary equivalent of a nap on a sunny park bench! A truck meal is a snatched moment, a tasty triumph for the urban hunter-gatherer. The appeal and versatility of the food truck have helped the industry to survive even as bricks-and-mortar eateries have gone under.
Image Credit: gorodenkoff/ iStock.
The rise of food trucks
“Food trucks were well-equipped to withstand pandemic restrictions, as they’re naturally to-go and socially distanced businesses,” says Luz Urrutia, chief executive of small business charity, Accion Opportunity Fund. “Many food truck owners stepped forward to seize opportunity during a time of great uncertainty.”
While food truckers lost sales like any other business, many beat the odds by paring down to focus on their core service and appeal. Now, the trucks have a head-start in the post-Covid economy. They may disappear back home every night, but food trucks are here to stay – so ZenBusiness has found the best one in every state and city (according to Yelp recommendations) and America’s best food truck in every category. And we’ve sourced some top tips from food truck owners for chefs looking to start a food truck business.
Note: Food truck data was not available for Arkansas.
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Alabama
- The Peppered Pig
- Specialty: Burgers
Image Credit: The Peppered Pig / Neomam.
Alaska
- Mochileros Street Food
- Specialty: Latin American
Image Credit: Mochileros Street Food / Neomam.
Arizona
- Crazi’s Hot Chicken
- Specialty: Chicken
Image Credit: Crazi’s Hot Chicken / Neomam.
California
- Los California Tacos
- Specialty: Tacos
Image Credit: Los California Tacos / Neomam.
Colorado
- Tacos Navarro
- Specialty: Mexican
Image Credit: Tacos Navarro / Neomam.
Connecticut
- Los Garcia Mexican Fusion
- Specialty: Mexican
Image Credit: Los Garcia Mexican Fusion / Neomam.
Delaware
- Russell’s Quality Food
- Specialty: Barbecue
Image Credit: Russell’s Quality Food / Neomam.
Florida
- Tacos Las Californias
- Specialty: Tacos
Image Credit: Tacos Las Californias / Neomam.
Georgia
- Tex’s Tacos
- Specialty: Tex-Mex
Image Credit: Tex’s Tacos / Neomam.
Hawaii
- La Birria Food Truck
- Specialty: Tacos
Image Credit: La Birria Food Truck / Neomam.
Idaho
- The Funky Taco
- Specialty: Tacos
Image Credit: The Funky Taco / Neomam.
Illinois
- The Happy Lobster
- Specialty: Seafood
Image Credit: The Happy Lobster / Neomam.
Indiana
- The Famous Taco
- Specialty: Tacos
Image Credit: The Famous Taco / Neomam.
Iowa
- Tacos Degollado
- Specialty: Mexican
Image Credit: Tacos Degollado / Neomam.
Kansas
- The Flying Stove
- Specialty: Burgers
Image Credit: The Flying Stove / Neomam.
Kentucky
- Rolling Oven
- Specialty: Pizza
Image Credit: Rolling Oven / Neomam.
Louisiana
- Rollin Fatties
- Specialty: Mexican
Image Credit: Rollin Fatties / Neomam.
Maine
- Taco del Seoul
- Specialty: Korean
Image Credit: Taco del Seoul / Neomam.
Maryland
- Mediterranean Halal Food Cart
- Specialty: Halal
Image Credit: Mediterranean Halal Food Cart / Neomam.
Massachusetts
- Mei Mei Street Kitchen
- Specialty: Asian Fusion
Image Credit: Mei Mei Street Kitchen / Neomam.
Michigan
- El Oasis
- Specialty: Mexican
Image Credit: El Oasis / Neomam.
Minnesota
- Taqueria el Sueno
- Specialty: Mexican
Image Credit: Taqueria el Sueno / Neomam.
Mississippi
- One Guy Steak and Chicken
- Specialty: American
Image Credit: One Guy Steak and Chicken / Neomam.
Missouri
- Pigwich
- Specialty: Sandwiches
Image Credit: Pigwich / Neomam.
Montana
- Cajun Phatty’s
- Specialty: Cajun/Creole
Image Credit: Cajun Phatty’s / Neomam.
Nebraska
- Dos de Oros
- Specialty: Mexican
Image Credit: Dos de Oros / Neomam.
Nevada
- Daddy’s Tacos NV
- Specialty: Mexican
Image Credit: Daddy’s Tacos NV / Neomam.
New Hampshire
- B’s Tacos
- Specialty: Tacos
Image Credit: B’s Tacos / Neomam.
New Jersey
- No Forks Given
- Specialty: Burgers
Image Credit: No Forks Given / Neomam.
New Mexico
- Birrieria Y Tacos Alex Tijuana Style
- Specialty: Tacos
Image Credit: Birrieria Y Tacos Alex Tijuana Style / Neomam.
New York
- Neno’s Gourmet Mexican Street Food
- Specialty: Mexican
Image Credit: Neno’s Gourmet Mexican Street Food / Neomam.
North Carolina
- Papi Queso
- Specialty: American
Image Credit: Papi Queso / Neomam.
North Dakota
- Taco Bros Food
- Specialty: Mexican
Image Credit: Taco Bros Food / Neomam.
Ohio
- Tacos Locos
- Specialty: Tacos
Image Credit: Tacos Locos / Neomam.
Oklahoma
- Waffle That
- Specialty: Comfort food
Image Credit: Waffle That / Neomam.
Oregon
- Bing Mi Food Truck
- Specialty: Chinese crepes
Image Credit: Bing Mi Food Truck / Neomam.
Pennsylvania
- Octopus Falafel Truck
- Specialty: Falafel
Image Credit: Octopus Falafel Truck Neomam.
Rhode Island
- Sazon Bandit
- Specialty: Caribbean/Spanish
Image Credit: Sazon Bandit / Neomam.
South Carolina
- Dashi
- Specialty: Asian Fusion
Image Credit: Dashi / Neomam.
South Dakota
- Swamp Daddy’s Cajun Kitchen
- Specialty: Southern
Image Credit: Swamp Daddy’s Cajun Kitchen / Neomam.
Tennessee
- Taqueria Jalisco-ANIA
- Specialty: Mexican
Image Credit: Taqueria Jalisco-ANIA / Neomam.
Texas
- Tacos Tierra Caliente
- Specialty: Tacos
Image Credit: Tacos Tierra Caliente / Neomam.
Utah
- Taqueria el Rey de Oros
- Specialty: Mexican
Image Credit: Taqueria el Rey de Oros / Neomam.
Vermont
- Beansie’s Bus
- Specialty: American/Traditional
Image Credit: Beansie’s Bus / Neomam.
Virginia
- Redwood Smoke Shack
- Specialty: Barbecue
Image Credit: Redwood Smoke Shack / Neomam.
Washington
- Burger Seoul
- Specialty: Burgers
Image Credit: Burger Seoul / Neomam.
West Virginia
- Dem 2 Brothers and a Grill
- Specialty: Barbecue
Image Credit: Dem 2 Brothers and a Grill / Neomam.
Wisconsin
- Fresh Cool Drinks
- Specialty: Thai
Image Credit: Fresh Cool Drinks / Neomam.
Wyoming
- Nipa Hut
- Specialty: Filipino
Image Credit: Nipa Hut / Neomam.
Methodology
The list of cities was based on this list of US cities with a population of over 100,000.
For each city, we used Yelp to locate “food trucks” and sorted them by ‘recommended.’ The top food truck for each city is the highest-ranked result (as appeared on the 1st page of search results) with at least 20 reviews and a star rating equal to or higher than 4.5.
The top food truck for each state and each cuisine is the highest-ranked result (as appeared on the 1st page of search results) with at least 20 reviews and a star rating equal to or higher than 4.5. To compile the top 10 Food Trucks in the US, we isolated the winners from the top trucks by city/state rankings that had the most reviews.
You can find more information about food trucks across the U.S. at ZenBusiness.
This article originally appeared on ZenBusiness.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
Image Credit: BluIz60 / istockphoto.
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