This year Austin will celebrate its fourth annual SouthBites Trailer Park on Driskill Street. SouthBites highlights the city’s unique food truck culture and invites food trucks from across the country to show off their food.

Story by Megan Prendergast

This year Austin will celebrate its fourth annual SouthBites Trailer Park on Driskill Street. SouthBites highlights the city’s unique food truck culture and invites food trucks from across the country to show off their food. The event runs from March 11 to March 19 and is open to SXSW registrants and the general public. This year, the park welcomes back a few SouthBites regulars, such as Chi’Lantro and Burro Cheese Kitchen, and says hello to a couple of new SouthBites food trailers, including Salt & Straw and Roti Rolls.

Here are a few noteworthy food trailers that you should keep on your radar during SXSW.

Doughmakers

Hailing from Houston, Doughmakers serves handmade, small batch doughnuts that are an interesting mix between the popular cake-style doughnut and the deep fried version. Popular doughnuts include the classic cinnamon sugar doughnut, which is fried to perfection and loaded with a hearty coating of cinnamon sugar, and the orange pistachio doughnut, which wonderfully balances citrus and nutty flavors. The honey butter fried chicken doughnut topped with a huge crispy fried chicken breast, is another popular choice.

East Side King

This Asian fusion food truck is an Austin staple, and it continues to take the city by storm. A few of the most well-known dishes include the beet home fries, which are deep-fried roasted beets served with kewpie mayo, and the fried Brussels sprouts salad, which is served with sweet and spicy sauce and topped with fresh shredded cabbage, alfalfa sprouts, fresh basil, cilantro, mint, onion and jalapeno. The poor Quis buns, which are steamed buns loaded with roasted pork belly, hoisin sauce, cucumber kimchi and green onions, are another popular item. East Side King happily caters to vegans, vegetarians and gluten-free folks, so there’s no need to stress about dietary restrictions here.

Juice Austin

Juice Austin serves fresh juices, superfood smoothies, and colorful, healthy salads. The truck aims to provide the Austin community with fresh, plant-based food and drink and promotes healthy living. If you’re a fan of green juices, be sure to try the Kale to the Chief juice, an intense juice packed with kale, romaine, spinach, cucumber, celery, lemon, apple and ginger. If fruity juices are your thing, try the K.I.S.S juice, a simple blend of strawberry, apple and lemon.

Roti Rolls

Based in Charleston, Roti Rolls serves rotis, warm doughy flatbreads stuffed with a variety of fresh, local ingredients from South Carolina farmers. A few fan favorites include the Mother Clucker, a roti filled with grilled chicken, heirloom tomato and corn pico, shredded cheese and candied onions, and the Hot Chick, a roti stuffed with vegan a chickpea patty, pickled seasonal vegetables, lemon gastrique and green goddess sauce. The Creole mac & cheese, another popular menu option, is loaded with Creole mustard, sambal and other spices to give it an extra kick.

Salt & Straw

Salt & Straw opened its first location in 2011 in Portland, Oregon. The ice cream shop has since expanded to locations across Portland and Los Angeles, California. The shop partners with local farmers, artisans, and producers to create delicious handmade ice cream, including a small selection vegan options. A few popular flavors include honey lavender, sea salt with caramel ribbons and freckled woodblock chocolate.

Other food trailers at SouthBites include Boteco ATX, Burro, Chi’Lantro, The Happy Lobster, Kerlin BBQ, Nomad Street Cuisine, Petite Rouge Cafe Camionette, and Veracruz All Natural.

For more information about SouthBites happenings this year, click here.