Street food is beloved around the country, and even the world. It’s quick and cheap to purchase, portable enough to eat on the go, and oftentimes, it tastes even better than food served at a restaurant. Whether it’s via cart, stand, or truck, practically every city in America boasts street food. In New York City, there’s hot dog stands and trucks of every cuisine. While in Texas, there’s BBQ trucks, and in California, tamale stands and other authentic Mexican food trucks line the streets. In some of these cities, you’ll spot more food trucks and stands than you can count just by taking a short walk.
Not only is street food quick, delicious, and convenient, but there’s also a rich history behind how these stands and trucks got their spot on the curbside. Let’s break down what street foods some major cities are known for, and the history of how they came to be.
New York City
When you think of street food in New York City, your mind probably goes straight to hot dog stands. The arrival of hot dogs in New York City can be traced back to a singular man: Charles Feltman. According to NYC Eats, Feltman immigrated from Germany and began a push cart business on Coney Island in 1871, originally selling pies to beach goers. Unfortunately, the pies were not very popular, so Feltman turned to “frankfurters,” a type of sausage from Germany. He called them “red hots,” and the business took off. Eventually, Feltman opened additional locations, and others followed in his footsteps in the hot dog business, such as Nathan Handwerker (the man behind Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs!).
Now, more than 150 years after the first hot dog stand, New York City boasts over 4,000 street carts. Along with hot dogs, most stands also sell cold drinks and pretzels. Hot dogs aren’t the only type of food dominating the streets, though. There are also plenty of carts and trucks that sell authentic food from other countries, like Birria-Landia, which sells Mexican food.
Birria-Landia started in Jackson Heights, a neighborhood in Queens known for its diverse cuisine, ranging from South American to South Asian restaurants. Brothers José and Jesús Moreno opened up the truck in 2019 after years of working in the food industry. Hailing from Puebla, Mexico, the brothers serve authentic Mexican cuisine at Birria-Landia, with a speciality in birria tacos: a type of taco soaked and served with birria, a stew made from either beef or goat meat and consommé broth.
“Birria tacos have a long history, and people used to cross the border just to get them,” José Moreno said. “Eventually, they came to San Diego, then LA. Little by little, birria became popular, and I realized it was something I should try. But opening a restaurant in New York is a big investment, so I thought, how about a food truck?”
Birria-Landia gained popularity quickly, and soon, people were lined up down the block waiting to get their hands on birria tacos. To Moreno’s surprise, Birria-Landia was being reviewed by major newspapers, and soon, it became clear that they had to open more locations. Today, there are trucks in almost every borough.
It wasn’t always easy, though. Moreno says that one of the many challenges he faces as a food truck owner is the fact that it’s like operating a “moving kitchen.”
“We have to deal with propane gas, moving vehicles, and even risks of accidents,” Moreno said. “When buses pass by, the whole truck shakes, and there’s always the small risk something could happen.”
But Moreno appreciates the flexibility that comes with working from a truck. “If you don’t like a corner or the foot traffic isn’t great, you can always move to a better spot,” Moreno said.
New York City’s diverse population allows for its streets to be lined with vendors of all different backgrounds serving authentic food from their countries, as Moreno does at Birria-Landia.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is also a city whose streets are populated with curbside food, spanning a variety of cuisines across 4,000 food trucks. Mexican food makes up a large portion of Los Angeles’ food trucks, which makes sense considering that 35% of Los Angeles’ population is of Mexican heritage.
Some deem Los Angeles to be the city with the best Mexican street food, like Luis Flores, a food and travel TikToker. He said that when it comes to the best street food, it’s a tie between Los Angeles and New York City, but Los Angeles is superior in one thing: Mexican food. “LA has the best Mexican street food, while NYC has the best street food all around,” Flores said.
Specifically, Los Angeles boasts tamale stands. Tamales are a traditional Mesoamerican dish made with masa, which is corn dough, and steamed in a corn husk or banana leaves.
Mr Menudo, a tamale truck located in the heart of Los Angeles, is known for its guajolotongo. It’s a combination of tamales, chilaquiles, and telera. Chilaquiles are fried corn tortilla chips in a sauce, and telera is a sandwich roll. Mr. Menudo tops the dish with a generous helping of crema, or Mexican sour cream.
Who says you have to leave the country to get authentic Mexican food? The streets of Los Angeles have plenty of food vendors and trucks that serve classic, quality dishes.
Texas
Texas is home to the barbecue truck, which can be found in so many of its cities, like Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio. But even before there were trucks, barbecue was a staple food of Texas.
Barbecue was most likely introduced to the state in the early 1900s, when Mexican American and African American cotton pickers ordered ribs and sausage from the German butcher shops, according to Rob Walsh, a food writer for the Houston Press. This smoked meat was similar to the meat prepared in their own traditional pit-style of cooking.
Barbecue trucks became popular in the ‘90s, specifically in Austin. Soon, trucks were popping up in other cities, like San Antonio, where Tx Front Yard BBQ is located.
Tx Front Yard BBQ is an eatery on wheels that sells barbecue classics, like turkey legs that fall off the bone and creamy mac and cheese. The menu also features loaded brisket baked potatoes and seafood platters with sausage, shrimp, and crab legs.
Barbecue has been a long standing staple in Texas, and it can be purchased and eaten right on the street. What’s better than digging into some ribs and potatoes on a walk?
Every city’s street food is different in its own way, but one thing remains true throughout: the history of how that food got to be on the street can stretch back decades upon decades, and they’re not leaving the streets anytime soon.
Philadelphia
It’s no surprise that Philly cheesesteaks are one of the most popular street food items in the city of Philadelphia. The original Philly cheesesteak was created by brothers Pat and Harry Oliveri, who ran a hot dog stand in south Philadelphia in the 1930s. Since then, the sandwich has taken off and become popularized even outside of Philadelphia. Today, Philly cheesesteaks can be found in Philadelphia restaurants, as well as on its street via trucks and stands.
Lunchboxxx is a food trailer that travels in and around Philadelphia serving up hearty, delicious Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. The steak and onions melt in your mouth.
Because Philadelphia’s population is so diverse, it makes sense that its street food selection is as well. There are plenty of different cuisines available on Philadelphia’s streets, like Indian, which can be found at Bombay Kitchen. The truck serves traditional Indian street food, but with a Philly twist: the menu features Indian chicken cheesesteak sandwiches and tikka masala.
Minneapolis
Minneapolis is a city with no shortage of food trucks on its street. Food trucks can often be found parked outside of breweries, ready to serve customers dishes to enjoy along with their pints. They serve classic American dishes, like barbecue, wings, and sandwiches.
One of Minneapolis’ most popular food trucks is Animales Barbecue. It serves classic barbecue foods, but on wheels. The menu features elote-style corn, mac and cheese, and smoked ribs. Plus, the barbecue sauce is a hit. If you’re looking for wings cooked to perfection and tossed in any sauce of your choosing, Flo’s Eats is the truck to go to. Its steak and cheese fries are a must-have.
Seattle
Seattle is known for its diverse food scene, which expands into its street food. A wide array of different foods are sold on the city’s streets, from Hawaiian cuisine to traditional Native American dishes. Its expansive street food scene is a reflection of its rich culture.
One of the only places you can grab Fijian cuisine in Seattle is at Tolu, a food truck that sells modernized versions of traditional Fijian dishes. It’s owned by three brothers who combine Indo-Fijian and Native-Fijian flavors with Pacific Northwest cuisine. The menu features Tolu tacos, which are a puffed fry bread filled with protein and the family’s blend of masala and Indo-Fijian spices. The whole operation is on wheels, making it super convenient to eat its delicious, authentic food on the go.
Chicago
Like New York City, Chicago is home to the hot dog: specifically, the Chicago-style hot dog. It consists of an all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun. It’s then topped with yellow mustard, white onions, sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomatoes, pickled short peppers, and celery salt. Chicago’s streets reflect the city’s pride in its style of hot dog, as the city’s streets feature hot dog stands and carts.
Widely regarded as serving the best hot dogs in America, Gene and Jude’s is just one of Chicago’s many hot dog establishments. Of course, one of its mottos is “No Ketchup,” as ketchup is not allowed anywhere near a Chicago-style hot dog.
Chicago also has an expansive Mexican street food scene. El Puestito is a family run food truck that serves authentic Mexican food, like esquite soup and pollo asado, and all sauces are made in the truck. The menu also features quesabirrias, or birria quesadillas, with homemade consommé.