The ultimate guide to Denton food trucks

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Matt Wood / Senior Staff Writer

Back in April, the traveling food trucks of Denton were given a home located outside of East Side Denton — the Austin St. Truck Stop. Owner of Oak St. Drafthouse and Cocktail Parlor and East Side, John Williams, leased the lot after seeing the success of truck stops in Austin and Fort Worth. The space now regularly hosts four to five food trucks on the weekends out of seven possible vendors.

With about 2,700 Facebook likes and a frequently-filled dining area, the space has found success in Denton’s propensity for the eclectic and independent, an idea embodied by the very idea of the food truck business.

To help you navigate this food truck frenzy, we’ve compiled a list of the seven vendors of Denton’s truck stop and given you a taste of what each one has to offer. Schedules vary a bit depending on the weekend though, so check in with your favorites to make sure you don’t miss them.

Say Kimchi

Price: $6 – 10

“American Foods with a Korean Twist”

Blending the domestic with the international, Say Kimchi offers Korean flavors infused in the form of American food staples. The perfect example: Kimchi french fries. They take fresh-cut fries and top them with Kimchi — spicy, marinated pickled cabbage — as well as onions, cilantro, Sriracha and special sauce to create a mouth-watering fusion dish.

Hot dogs and tacos are also offered with similar toppings. For a more traditional route, build your own dish with rice and your choice of meat and sauce served up in a cup. Just look for the anime cup of rice smiling at you on the side of the tangerine van. It’s hard to miss.

Lean Machine

Price: $7 – 8

“Bringing the food truck revolution to Denton”

In the toss-up between choosing delicious or healthy food, Lean Machine refuses to compromise. The truck’s concept came from owner Gabriel Kirkpatrick and his family’s history of heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol. Determined to promote healthy eating without sacrificing flavor, Kirkpatrick helped design a menu that only features lean meats and health-conscious ingredients.

The result is a variety of sandwiches, salads, tacos and quesadillas that can all be topped off with fresh spinach, tomatoes, onions and beans. Kirkpatrick said the menu centers on tried-and-true family recipes, and that each one is both savory and low in calories.

The Waffle Wagon

Price: $4 – $8

“Serving up sweet, savory waffles”

The Waffle Wagon explores the untapped potential of the humble waffle. Rachel Black, owner of the truck, uses thick, crunchy waffles as a base for both sweet and savory toppings. Classics like chicken and waffles are present, but the wagon also offers twists such as the BLT waffle and the brunch burger.

To satisfy a sweet tooth, get the mixed berry and chocolate chip waffles. And if you feel like going back to basics, don’t worry. You can get a plain waffle with syrup all the same. The truck is also a fixture at the Denton Community Market on Saturday mornings, but be warned – the lines can get lengthy due to popularity.

Kendrick’s BBQ

Price: $2 – 6

“Cooking up yummy BBQ”

The smell of Kendrick’s barbecue might be all the convincing necessary to head straight for this truck. The flame-painted truck cooks up wings, hot dogs and sausage links to placate any ravenous meat lover, but the crowning jewel is the brisket sandwich, its most popular item.

It’s filled with tender, sliced brisket slathered in homemade barbecue sauce that will inevitably end up on your shirt, but at that point you’ll be too euphoric to realize it. Consume carefully, though: the rich meal will likely lead to a killer food coma.

The Pickled Carrot

Price: $8

“Serving the Denton community one Banh Mi at a time”

As far as local-born food trucks go, you can’t get any more Denton than The Pickled Carrot. Run by UNT alum Cuong Mai, the truck offers Banh Mi Vietnamese sandwiches and either salad or noodle bowls. The Banh Mi is definitely the crowd favorite, according to Mai, which he said he attributes to its appeal as an easier-to-eat street food.

For the uninitiated, Mai suggests the most popular item: the pork Banh Mi with all the fixings. This includes a toasted baguette roll with pickled carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, jalapeños, Sriracha and daikon, a type of winter radish. When it all comes together, it’s a richly-flavored sandwich that’s packed with seasoned pork and has the perfect mix of vegetables to introduce anyone to the wonders of Vietnamese cuisine. For the experienced, Mai recommends adding pate to your sandwich, his personal favorite customization.

Dough Boys Pizza

Price: $8

“Gourmet food truck pizza”

Arlington-based Dough Boys Pizza prides itself on being the first pizza food truck in Texas as well as using fresh ingredients. Supposedly, the truck’s three founders were hoping to build a Godzilla-sized pizza robot that would launch pies out if its chest, but due to limitations such as physics and the bounds of reality, they settled on a truck.

Despite the absence of a radiation-born behemoth, the truck stands tall as one of the enduring eateries in a fairly new game. Since 2011, they’ve offered personal eight-inch pizzas for $8 and claim to take less than five minutes to make each order. Manager Josh Dickerson said the most popular item is the brisket pizza, although he’s more of a meat lover himself.

Flatlanders Taco Company

Price: $3 – 4

“Delicious handcrafted tacos”

Born out of Grapevine, Flatlanders has come to the Denton area to sell its personal brand of gourmet tacos. Regular taco fillings like brisket, pork and chicken are all accounted for, but options to expand your palate include crawfish, chickpeas and mushrooms. Each taco is a carefully crafted recipe designed after seven years of cooking experience in Mexico.

Each taco is also served with a thin layer of black bean spread as a base, a tradition the establishment swears by. The truck is even planning on setting up a brick-and-mortar restaurant in the near future, so whether you’re a long-time fan or looking for a new take on tacos, look out for Flatlanders.

Featured Image: Two food trucks open for business at the Austin St. Truck Stop on Saturday. The Pickled Carrot, left, Dough Boys Pizza are two out of seven regular vendors at the stop. The truck stop is located behind Eastside Denton. Photo by Matt Wood – Senior Staff Writer

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