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Truckin’ Through Tyler: Food Truck Roundup

How Tyler residents are embracing life-on-the-go, even when it comes to food.

By Liana Lozada on July 23, 2019

Tyler TX
iStock/bonezboyz

Tyler residents are embracing life-on-the-go, from meals on wheels to services on demand. Food trucks have given the area a caravan of diverse food and catering options, which have not only helped revitalize downtown but have also spread Tyler’s tastes into nearby cities. 

Café 1948, parked in downtown’s Plaza Tower, evolved from solely coffee to crispy toasts using organic and ethically sourced products; Say Cheese’s grilled cheese goodness recently expanded into Nacogdoches. Ice cream sandwiches, Mexican staples and even a good haircut can all be summoned or searched for with a quick look at a cell phone.  

So what’s with the wheels-only allure? It’s simple, really: Service trucks take the nostalgic, indulgent and ingredient-driven foods we love and put a fun, elevated spin on them, creating a shameless FOMO local demand that a brick-and-mortar just can’t fill. 

Add some pure Texas-style hospitality and mom-and-pop backstories to the truck formula, and you’ve got a rolling food trend we don’t see slowing down.

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Curbside Taco: The flavors of Mexico and Latin America fill the streets of Tyler thanks to Curbside Taco, considered the first permitted food truck in town. Three signature corn tortilla tacos cornerstone the straightforward but exceptionally executed menu.  

Pokey O’s Dessert Truck: Pokey O’s dessert truck serves custom built, made-to-order ice cream sandwiches with rotating flavors like snickerdoodle, maple pecan and fudge nut brownie. The dessert truck’s flexibility makes it exceptionally popular for catering and events. 

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Café 1948: Café 1948’s vintage airstream plates artisan-style toasts topped with cheeses and nut butters, and pairs them with expertly crafted caffeinated concoctions like the popular Matcha rose latte. 

Say Cheese: The Say Cheese food truck fills Tyler’s tummies with ooey-gooey grilled cheeses. Go classic with The Plain or get a taste of Texas with The Lonestar (shredded chicken, bacon, ranch and pepper jack cheese). 

Bonus Truck: Dapper: Dapper is the wild card in Tyler’s truck scene. This full-service, appointment-only barbershop on wheels features cleverly named styles and cuts such as The Otis and The Cash, as well as free drinks and a booking-friendly mobile app. 

Tyler TX
Tyler / Photo by Samuel Richmann

Award-Winning Eats

Dig into our nationally recognized food products

Strada Caffè: Espresso Bar and Bistro sits just outside downtown Tyler, serving light breakfast and lunch items like salads, sandwiches and pastries alongside award-winning coffees and teas. Strada Caffè coffee beans are roasted by Cuvee Coffee. This celebrated roaster is known for its high-quality ingredients and fair-trade practices. Cuvee Coffee’s Black & Blue Nitro won BevNET’s Best of 2015. 

Years of devotion and slowly handled, hickory-smoked methodology have made Greenberg Smoked Turkey a statewide tradition. Nearly 200,000 orders come into Greenberg Turkey every holiday season. The queen of media herself, Oprah Winfrey, raves about the birds, naming them among her “Favorite Things†in fall 2013. 

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Named as one of the “Top 50 BBQ Joints in Texas†by Texas Monthly, Stanley’s Famous Pit BBQ has been smoking meats for the masses since 1959. We know Texans take their BBQ seriously, so Stanley’s East Texas ribs and pulled pork ought not to be missed. The pit joint also prides itself on its lesser known offerings like house-made guacamole and breakfast bowls.

Janie’s Cakes has been baking all-natural pound cakes for Tyler residents and beyond since 1993, using the owner’s great-grandmother’s recipes and dollops of love. The ingredients are preservative-free and straightforward – farm-fresh eggs, creamery butter and pure cane sugar. And Oprah has named these as one of her “Favorite Things,†too – twice!

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