30 street food worth the trip across United States, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All United States guides.
Franklin Barbecue ★ 5.0 · Austin
900 E 11th St, Austin, TX 78702
Franklin Barbecue in Austin is Aaron Franklin's 2009 East 11th brisket pilgrimage, the James Beard-winning shop that codified central Texas barbecue and a queue from 09:30am.
Tip: Queue from 09:30am or pre-order online for pickup; the brisket sells out by 14:00 on most days.
Mariscos Jalisco ★ 4.8 · Los Angeles
3040 E Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90023
Raul Ortega's Mariscos Jalisco in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles has fried the LA shrimp taco dorado from the same Olympic Boulevard truck since 2001.
Carnitas El Momo ★ 4.8 · Los Angeles
2411 Fairmount St, Los Angeles, CA 90033
Romulo Acosta's Carnitas El Momo in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles cooks Michoacan-style carnitas in a copper pot. Weekend lunch only, sells out by 14:00.
John's Roast Pork ★ 4.8 · Philadelphia
14 E Snyder Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19148
John's Roast Pork in Philadelphia is the 1930 South Philly counter at Snyder and Weccacoe, James Beard America's Classic 2006 with the city's defining roast pork sandwich.
La Barbecue ★ 4.7 · Austin
2401 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78702
La Barbecue in Austin is Ali Clem's Cesar Chavez post-oak barbecue, a Michelin-recognised shop with a James Beard-recognised owner, sliced brisket and house-sausage queues.
Tip: The kitchen runs Wednesday through Sunday only; order online ahead to skip the queue at 11am open.
Veracruz All Natural ★ 4.7 · Austin
2505 Webberville Rd, Austin, TX 78702
Veracruz All Natural in Austin is Reyna and Maritza Vazquez's Webberville Road taco truck, a Food Network Top 5 tacos pick and the Austin migas breakfast-taco benchmark.
Tip: Order the migas taco on a homemade corn tortilla; arrive before 09:30am to dodge the office-worker rush.
InterStellar BBQ ★ 4.7 · Austin
12233 Ranch Rd 620 N, Ste 105, Austin, TX 78750
InterStellar BBQ in Austin is John Bates and Brandon Martinez's North-side smokehouse on RR 620, a Michelin Star 2024-25 BBQ shop in the former Noble Pig location.
Tip: The smoked-prime-rib special on Sundays sells out by 13:00; pre-order online for pickup.
Distant Relatives ★ 4.7 · Austin
3901 Promontory Point Dr, Austin, TX 78744
Distant Relatives in Austin is Damien Brockway's modern African American BBQ trailer at Meanwhile Brewing's South Austin yard, a James Beard semifinalist with cookery-roots plates.
Tip: Sit at Meanwhile Brewing's beer garden and order the BBQ to the table; the kitchen runs to 17:00.
Mum Foods Smokehouse & Delicatessen ★ 4.7 · Austin
5811 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78723
Mum Foods in Austin is Geoffrey Ellis and Travis Crawford's pastrami smokehouse on Manor Road, a Michelin-recognised deli serving the city's award-winning pastrami sandwiches.
Tip: The Rachel sandwich made The Infatuation's 18 Best Sandwiches in America list 2024; order it as the entry point.
167 Raw Oyster Bar ★ 4.7 · Charleston
downtown · 193 King St, Charleston, SC 29401
167 Raw on King Street runs a counter raw bar with New England DNA. Lobster roll, tuna burger, oysters from Canada to the Lowcountry, served on a marble bar in a narrow room.
Tip: First come, first serve. Wait list opens around 17:00 nightly. Lunch is the easier sit.
Leo's Tacos Truck ★ 4.7 · Los Angeles
1515 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90019
Leo's Tacos Truck on La Brea, Los Angeles has carved al pastor off a trompo since 2010, with three permanent truck locations and a 02:00 closing time.
Tire Shop Taqueria ★ 4.7 · Los Angeles
4077 S Avalon Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90011
Tire Shop Taqueria in South LA, Los Angeles operates from the lot of an actual tire shop on Avalon. Suadero and al pastor tacos until 01:30, cash only.
Sweet Martha's Cookie Jar ★ 4.7 · Minneapolis
saint-paul · Minnesota State Fairgrounds, 1265 Snelling Ave N, Falcon Heights, MN 55108
Sweet Martha's Cookie Jar at the Minnesota State Fair has scooped warm chocolate-chip cookies in the Twin Cities since 1979. Buckets overflowing.
Prince's Hot Chicken ★ 4.7 · Nashville
south-nashville · 5814 Nolensville Rd, Ste 110, Nashville, TN 37211
Andre Prince Jeffries's Nolensville Road shop in Nashville runs the original 1930s hot chicken recipe in counter format. James Beard America's Classic winner.
Tip: Quarter dark, Medium heat, plain white bread with pickles. Medium has more flavour than Hot for first-timers.
Hansen's Sno-Bliz ★ 4.7 · New Orleans
4801 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70115
Hansen's Sno-Bliz in New Orleans is the 1939 Tchoupitoulas Street snowball stand at Bordeaux, the country's oldest sno-ball stand and a 2014 James Beard America's Classics winner.
Tip: The stand is open March to October only; cash only, and the cream-of-nectar with condensed milk is the canonical order.
Tommy DiNic's ★ 4.7 · Philadelphia
51 N 12th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Tommy DiNic's in Philadelphia is the 1980 Reading Terminal Market counter that won Travel Channel's Best Sandwich in America 2013 with its roast pork, rabe and sharp provolone roll.
Matt's BBQ ★ 4.7 · Portland
mississippi-williams · 4233 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR 97217
Matt Vicedomini's pit-smoker on N Mississippi at Prost Marketplace in Portland, central Texas-style brisket sold from a cart since 2015.
Tip: Arrive by 11:30 or risk a sellout. Cash and card. Sides are sized smaller than the brisket.
Tacos El Gordo ★ 4.7 · San Diego
chula-vista · 556 Broadway, Chula Vista, CA 91910
Tacos El Gordo on Broadway in Chula Vista, San Diego, the canonical Tijuana-style adobada trompo carving handmade corn tortillas until 4am on weekends.
La Taqueria ★ 4.7 · San Francisco
2889 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
La Taqueria in San Francisco is Miguel Jara's Mission counter and a James Beard America's Classic, with the modern Mission burrito and a doubled-corn taco template.
Tip: Ask for the dorado-style burrito; the kitchen sears it on the plancha for a crisp edge.
Pike Place Chowder ★ 4.7 · Seattle
1530 Post Alley, Seattle, WA 98101
Pike Place Chowder in Seattle is Larry Mellum's 2003 Post Alley counter: eight national chowder cook-off wins, the New England with manila clams, served in a sourdough boule.
Snackboxe Bistro ★ 4.6 · Atlanta
buford-highway · 6035 Peachtree Rd Suite C111, Doraville, GA 30360
Snackboxe Bistro in Doraville, Atlanta runs Laotian street food: sai oua sausage, papaya salad and sticky rice from chef Linda Khamphouseane. Michelin Bib Gourmand 2024.
Tip: Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The crispy rice salad (nam khao) is the cult order; sticky rice comes with most plates.
Terry Black's Barbecue ★ 4.6 · Austin
1003 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704
Terry Black's Barbecue in Austin is the Black family's Barton Springs Road BBQ, a Michelin Plate winner from the 94-year-old Lockhart family lineage, with brisket sliced to order.
Tip: The line moves fast and the kitchen runs to 21:30 most nights; ask for fatty brisket and a side of pinto beans.
Cuantos Tacos ★ 4.6 · Austin
1108 E 12th St, Austin, TX 78702
Cuantos Tacos in Austin is Luis Robledo's East 12th food truck, a Mexico City-style trompo taco operation on nixtamalized tortillas, Michelin-recognised in the Austin guide.
Tip: Order at least three tacos; portions are small but the masa and the al pastor are the right reason to come back.
Discada ★ 4.6 · Austin
1700 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78702
Discada in Austin is the East Cesar Chavez taco truck serving a single 24-hour-marinated, plow-disc-cooked taco, Michelin-recognised and the Texas Monthly best-tacos list.
Tip: One taco only; order four to share, the meat is six-hour slow-cooked beef and pork.
Micklethwait Craft Meats ★ 4.6 · Austin
4602 Tanney St, Austin, TX 78721
Micklethwait Craft Meats in Austin is Tom Micklethwait's BBQ smokehouse on Tanney Street, a Michelin Bib Gourmand kitchen relocated from the 12-year Rosewood trailer in 2025.
Tip: The kitchen runs Thursday to Sunday; pre-order online to skip the brisket-and-sausage line.
LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue ★ 4.6 · Austin
5621 Emerald Forest Dr, Austin, TX 78745
LeRoy and Lewis in Austin is the South Austin brick-and-mortar of Sawyer Lewis and Evan LeRoy's BBQ since 2023, a 5,000-sq-ft smokehouse known for beef cheek and Texas sides.
Tip: Beef cheek is the kitchen's signature beyond brisket; order it before 13:00 or it runs out.
Banh Mi Ba Le ★ 4.6 · Boston
dorchester · 1052 Dorchester Ave, Boston, MA 02125
Jennifer Nguyen has rolled banh mi at Ba Le on Dorchester Avenue in Boston since 1996. Boston Legacy Business Award 2025; baguette baked fresh daily, the city's defining banh mi shop.
Tip: BBQ pork is the classic combination, $7 sandwich. Cash and card both. The bun bo Hue is the under-ordered noodle order.
El Taco de Mexico ★ 4.6 · Denver
714 Santa Fe Dr, Denver, CO 80204
El Taco de Mexico in Denver is the Santa Fe Drive Mexican counter since 1986, a James Beard America's Classics winner with cabeza, lengua and tripa tacos and a green chile burrito.
Tacos Tierra Caliente ★ 4.6 · Houston
2003 W Alabama St, Houston, TX 77098
Tacos Tierra Caliente in Houston is the West Alabama taco truck in Montrose, with al pastor from the trompo, carne asada and the West Alabama Ice House next door for beers.
Tip: Three al pastor with pineapple and a side of consomme is the canonical order. Bring tacos into the ice house for beers.
Crawfish and Noodles ★ 4.6 · Houston
11360 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77072
Crawfish and Noodles in Houston is Trong Nguyen's Bellaire Boulevard Viet-Cajun crawfish room since 2008, the country's defining lemongrass-garlic-butter crawfish boil.
Tip: Crawfish season is late February to early June. Off-season the kitchen pivots to blue crab and Dungeness; both are worth ordering.