These 4 California cities have some of the nation’s best food trucks, rankings show

Food trucks can show up anywhere, becheaper than restaurants and be “hubs for culinary creativity.”

It’s no wonder the concept has grown in recent years and become hot spots for foodies.

Those living in California or visiting there are in luck.

Food & Wine released “The 10 Best Food Truck Cities in the U.S.” on April 19 and Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Oakland all made the list.

Food & Wine said it compiled the list of favorite food truck scenes after its editors created a survey. Each respondent was “asked to rate airlines, airports, cities, cruise ships, hotels, restaurants, and bars on a number of characteristics” based on trips over the previous three years. The magazine didn’t share how many readers participated in the survey, completed from October 2021 to December 2022.

The resulting readers’ choice awards — also called the Global Tastemakers — consisted of the “best culinary experiences from around the world.”

“Affordable prices, inventive dishes, and a bit of social media hype helped make food trucks a staple of the American culinary landscape,” Food & Wine wrote in its report. “People love food trucks because of their diverse culinary offerings, often served in close proximity to one another.”

Los Angeles was recognized among Food & Wine readers for its sunny weather, Mexican and seafood options, a bagel food truck and Kogi BBQ. This food truck in Hollywood serves Korean-Mexican dishes such as kimchi quesadillas and calamari tacos.

Another California spot was highlighted for its local and sustainable food options for vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters. A notable food truck in San Francisco is an Algerian food truck called Kayma.

A coastline city also made the list. Food & Wine readers ranked San Diego as one of the top cities in the U.S. for food trucks.

“Sunny days and gorgeous sunsets make it easy to post up almost anywhere to enjoy a meal or snack,” the magazine wrote. It mentioned Kiko’s Place Seafood for ceviche, fish tacos and burritos.

And lastly, Oakland was included for its “immigrant-run food trucks” like Yummy Yummy Hibachi, which whips up hibachi burritos. Or there’s Big Boyz SmokeHouse & Kitchen, a food truck that serves pork ribs and beef brisket.

Here’s the full list of the 10 best cities in the U.S. for food trucks, according to Food & Wine:

1. Portland, Oregon
2. Los Angeles
3. Austin
4. New York
5. San Francisco
6. Honolulu
7. San Diego
8. Houston
9. Oakland
10. Raleigh

McClatchy News reporter Simone Jasper contributed to this story.

This story was originally published May 4, 2023 at 4:22 PM with the headline "These 4 California cities have some of the nation’s best food trucks, rankings show."

Helena Wegner

McClatchy DC

Helena Wegner is a McClatchy National Real-Time Reporter covering the state of Washington and the western region. She’s a journalism graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She’s based in Phoenix.