Top Food Trucks in Nashville
Twenty years ago, food trucks were a rarity in the U.S. Now, our country is home to nearly 35,000, which collectively pull in $42.7 billion annually. This has been a delectable development here in Middle Tennessee, where our diverse and talented resident chefs have established mobile eateries with a decidedly international flair. Our staff voted the following selections as the Top Food Trucks in Nashville and throughout the surrounding areas. Whether you’re craving vegan Asian fusion eats, classic Nashville hot chicken, or a sweet serving of freshly rolled ice cream, we have the trucks to follow from early spring to the end of fall.
Hot Chicken
Nashville Chicken and Waffles
Spicy, perfectly crunchy hot chicken served over rich, fluffy waffles or alongside crisp waffle fries is a Southern staple. Luckily for all of us, Nashville residents and visitors alike can snag this favorite while they are on the go! Each order of sweet and spicy goodness is prepared while you wait, guaranteeing that each bite is fresh, steaming, and only as spicy as you choose.
We also highly recommend Nashville Chicken and Waffles’ macaroni and cheese. If you had a loved one who made you incomparable mac ‘n cheese as you were growing up, this indulgent side dish will light up the most nostalgic recesses of your mind with a warm, effusive glow.
400 Degrees Hot Chicken
3704 Clarksville Pike | Nashville
Chef Aqui Hines is a devotee of Prince’s Hot Chicken, which is why her famous hot chicken recipe is a loving homage to the original. The seasoning here runs from plain to painful, with the 400-degree level of spice reportedly inducing tears in even hardened adults. Still, true gluttons for punishment have been rumored to ask for custom-created spice levels. If you breezed through 400, kick it up to unreal levels of heat by request. When you order, you’ll choose your degree of heat, and your cuts of chicken will be breaded and fried to crispy, fiery perfection. Frequent flyers recommend calling ahead to order your chicken and favorite sides. Otherwise, due to the from-scratch methods Hines maintains, you can expect to hang out for a bit while your meal is lovingly prepared. Pork chops, cauliflower, beans, and fries are our favorite sides, but we’ve never had a bite here we didn’t enjoy.
Mexican/Street Tacos
Maíz De La Vida
1100 Stratton Ave | Nashville
Heirloom corn prepared with traditional methods sets the cuisine of Maíz De La Vida apart, and the results are beyond authentic: they’re historic pieces of heritage. Stone-ground masa yields tender tortillas, huaraches, and sopes, which form the foundation of each delicious meal at this unique Mexican food truck. Each purchase you make will support the efforts of farmers who are working to preserve heirloom maize species for generations to come.
Chivanada
917 Woodland Street | Nashville
Chivanada brings the comforting flavors of Cartegena, Colombia to the streets of Nashville with their offerings of perfectly crispy, tender, cheesy, meaty empanadas. These savory turnovers are beloved throughout the world, and it’s easy to see why. Stop by for lightning-fast service, imported drinks, lively music, and the best empanadas outside of South America.
Yayo’s OMG
Throughout Middle Tennessee
Yaya’s gourmet tacos are a love letter to the Mexican and Southern Californian classic tacos that all natives of those regions miss terribly if they have settled far from home. The Food Network has covered Yaya’s tacos and they love them as much as Nashvillians do! The mahi mahi, skirt steak, and anything made with chorizo are outstanding, “can’t miss” offerings.
Tako Loco
140 Donelson Pike | Nashville
Authentic Southern California-style Mexican food is nearly impossible to find anywhere else, which is why Tako Loco’s perfect, no-frills tacos have a dedicated fan base whose members return week after week to slake their cravings. Their mulitas, carnitas, roasted onions, authentic beans and rice, and thick quesadillas are our favorites!
Asian/Asian Inspired
Chang Noi Thai-Lao
1469 Witherspoon Drive | Brentwood
Nashville loves flavor-packed Asian fusion cuisine, so it’s no surprise that Chang Noi Thai-Lao is consistently busy. Curries, fresh spring rolls, noodle dishes, and colorful vegetables are the mainstays of this truck’s menu, though vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free customers will also find delicious meals here. Their Thai tea is a perfect accompaniment, so we never skip this treat at Chang Noi Thai-Lao.
ChangKham Asian
Throughout Middle Tennessee
ChangKham Asian street food fusion will make you sushi that will knock your socks off, flavorful curry, fried chicken kara-age, or roasted pork over vegetables and rice. You may not feel as though you can choose once you’ve encountered the mouth-watering sights and smells emanating from the truck’s warm interior, but never fear—you’ll be back again and again, so you’ll have the chance to try everything at least once!
Jamaican
Jamaicaway Restaurant
900 Rosa L Parks Blvd Suite 120 | Nashville
Jamaicaway will either satisfy your longing for the dishes you know and love or introduce you to flavors you’ll return to for years to come. The whole red snapper, curried meat dishes, jerk chicken, savory collard greens, plantains, and cheesy mashed potatoes are phenomenal. There are also delicious vegan options offered with no modifications required, making this a great destination for meat-eaters and vegans who want to dine together.
Jamaican Enz
825 Murfreesboro Pike | Nashville
Are you dreaming of homemade Jamaican food rather than restaurant fare? Jamaican Enz is your spot! This truck is owned and operated by one solo chef who prepares traditional meals with a skill and authenticity that’s hard to find outside of Jamaica. Classics like jerk chicken, mashed potatoes, rice and peas, and macaroni have to be enjoyed in their purest form if at all possible—and now it is.
Falla The Smoke Jamaican Food
943 28th Ave N | Nashville
Have you ever had a meal that was so divine that you couldn’t form complete sentences for a few minutes after you dove in? You’re about to. Each plate from Falla the Smoke will be piled high with enough mouth-watering delights to feed two or three people, but you’ll have to exert some serious self-control to keep yourself from tucking into a full plate on your own! Oxtails, jerk chicken, pasta, and classic sides—everything on the menu is absolutely divine.
Sandwiches/Burgers
The Rolling Recipe, LLC
When you want classic southern fusion in a convenient sandwich form, there’s no better truck than The Rolling Recipe. Shrimp po’boys, Nashville bourbon cheesesteak, grilled mac and cheese on sourdough, fat club sandwiches, and pulled pork on a soft roll—if you’re not hungry now, trust us when we say you will be when you get close enough to smell what The Rolling Recipe is cooking!
The Grilled Cheeserie
This beacon of comfort food is one of Nashville’s most famous food trucks. Their elevated grilled cheese, build-your-own melts, house-made garlic dill pickles, and creamy tomato soup marry beautifully with the elevated buttermilk cheddar, caramelized seasonal jams, and heritage bacon. The result? Delightfully tantalizing takes on some of our nostalgic faves.
Loosewheels Food Truck
511 North Main | Columbia
Loosewheels serves enormous portions of perfectly prepared southern cuisine: namely, burgers, smothered cheese fries, onion rings, poutine, meatloaf melts, and more! Bring a kingly appetite or prepare to share with a loved one. Though, with reviews raving that these are “the best burgers on planet Earth,” maybe it’s best to hang on to your leftovers.
Vegan
Vansauwa’s Tacos and Vegan Eats
When new vegans or carnivores imagine vegan food, sweet and spicy Caribbean street food packed with bold flavors and impeccable textures may not be what comes to mind. Vansauwa’s Tacos wants to change that, and we know they can. Vegans, order your jerk tacos made with jackfruit! Meat lovers, you can choose from shrimp or chicken. Either way, we can say with confidence that these are the best island fusion tacos you can find in middle Tennessee – and beyond.
Rice, Rolls & Whoknows
It’s beyond rare to discover street food that’s vegan, yet so delicious that even the pickiest meat-eaters wouldn’t think twice about digging in! The plant-based meals at Rice, Rolls & Whoknows are created to bring healthy, fresh, piping hot, exciting street food to Middle Tennessee. Try it once, and you’ll be dragging your friends along on your next trip.
Wise Girls LLC
1343 Northwest Broad Street | Murfreesboro
Usually, vegans are left out when their friends or family head out for burgers and melts at a food truck, but Wise Girls invites plant-based foodies to put those days behind them. The texture of the burger, flavor of the fresh bread, and melt-in-your-mouth profile of the plant-based “cheeses” on offer will satisfy your every burger craving without asking you to compromise your health or morals. You’ll be dreaming of this meal for days and nights to come, though, and another trip to the truck will be the only cure!
BBQ
Rib Doctor BBQ
3501 Murfreesboro Pike | Antioch
You’ll see the billowing smoke from the BBQ and smell the enticing aroma of masterfully prepared pork and turkey ribs well before you arrive at the Rib Doctor BBQ truck, just as it should be. Classic southern sides of baked beans, macaroni and cheese, and greens along with all the fixings are all you need to accompany your choice of outstanding BBQ cuts, and Rib Doctor BBQ guarantees you’ll have yourself a legendary meal.
Single Tree BBQ
2805 Old Fort Pkwy | Murfreesboro
If you’ve been all throughout the state searching for the very best BBQ, don’t sleep on Single Tree! The pulled pork and brisket sandwiches, smoked cheddar jalapeño sausage, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, and potato salad are all truly perfect. Whether you’re introducing friends from out of town to true Tennessee BBQ or treating yourself to your favorite classics, Single Tree is certain to put a smile on your face before, during, and after you tuck in!
The Gambling Stick
501 Gallatin Ave | Nashville
The Gambling Stick crafts Appalachian heritage BBQ with local, ethically sourced, seasonal, farm-to-table ingredients, pasture-raised meat, and native Tennessee cherry smoke. This isn’t just an ethos; it’s a method that yields a deep, rich, complex flavor profile. You’ll enjoy each delicious meal even more knowing that the resources used to make it will go back to the land, people, and traditions that have made this region the place we love so much.
Dessert
Bradley’s Creamery
What’s better than ice cream? Why, handmade ice cream packed with locally sourced ingredients, of course! In addition to their scheduled route, Bradley’s Creamery truck can be found at festivals, school events, and corporate events. This confection is undoubtedly a Tennessee favorite. Although this may be a bold claim, it’s true that most who are lucky enough to snag a cup or cone declare this the best ice cream they have ever tried!
The Tennessee Cobbler Company
Nothing says Southern dessert quite like a cobbler. For our money, the best cobbler can be found at The Tennessee Cobbler Company’s truck! Order yours a la mode or without, but definitely bring someone to help you eat this generous portion of handmade, warm cobbler. The fruits beneath the topping change with the season. We have loved honey apple pecan, peach, and berry over the last year, and we can’t wait to see which flavors are available next.
Rolled 4 Ever
When the muggy heat of summer settles over Tennessee again this summer, head out for an evening and pick up some icy cold rolled ice cream at Rolled 4 Ever. Choose your ice cream, your fillings, and watch as your creation is stretched thin over chilled stone, then scraped into a tight spiral tube. The process is entertaining, result is both refreshing and completely delicious. We predict this will be a truck you return to whenever you need to beat the heat or satisfy a sweet craving.
Franklin’s Fruit Tea
Middle Tennessee’s signature take on southern sweet tea is fruit tea. Franklin’s Fruit Tea is a family-run business producing small-batch artisanal fruit teas for the discerning palate, and the results are special enough to serve as a dessert all on their own. Because this business has been the winner of the Ruthies Award for Best Fruit Tea three years running, it’s almost impossible to find a better tea in the state. With flavors like half & half, wild berry, strawberry, and peach papaya pineapple, there’s a flavor for everyone at Franklin’s Fruit Tea.
Unique Eats
King Tut’s
King Tut’s brings the cuisine of the Nile Valley to Nashville via Cairo and New York with help from the Greek tradition. With an emphasis on high-quality ingredients, traditional preparation methods, and creative twists on the expected flavor profile, this food truck offers outstanding falafel, shawarma, gyros, and vegan meals.
The Inka Trailer
Peruvian cuisine is unique, hard to come by, and supremely delicious. Experience another culture’s interpretation of global flavor ingredients as you enjoy choripapas, ceviche, pork belly ramen, fish tacos, and beef-fried rice. In fact, these are just a few of the eclectic dishes you’ll find at The Inka Trailer, ensuring that there’s something for everyone in your group!
Gypsy Crepe Company
Everyone loves a Parisian-style stuffed and folded crepe, but few of us are as enthusiastic about preparing our own at home. Gypsy Crepe Company prepares home-style crepes from scratch, then completes them with either sweet or savory fillings. Classics like strawberry and Nutella are juxtaposed against southern flavors like BBQ pork, creating exciting pairings of main and dessert options. Diners are also invited to design their own custom crepes from elements found throughout the menu!
