Food trucks
Food trucks are mobile vendors serving food throughout the Birmingham area. "Taco trucks" began proliferating in the scene in the early 2000s, while SpoonFed Grill touched off a "gourmet" food truck trend in 2009.
Food trucks are food service businesses licensed by the municipalities in which they operate, and permitted and inspected by the Jefferson County Department of Health, which requires them to operate in conjunction with a permitted brick-and-mortar food service establishment such as an affiliated restaurant or catering kitchen, or a multi-tenant "commissary kitchen," where foods are stored and wastes are discharged.
In addition to serving street food or rotating lunch periods between businesses with large numbers of workers, most food trucks are available for hire for private events, functioning as caterers.
In January 2013 Deep South magazine included four of Birmingham's food trucks: Dreamcakes, Los Dos Hermanos, Shindigs, and SpoonFed Grill, in their listing of the "Best Food Trucks in the South." By 2022 the Jefferson County Health Department reported that nearly 150 food trucks had active licenses.
List of food trucks
The following list includes typical locations, along with Twitter handles or semi-permanent locations:
- 1918 Catering, Jason and Jamal Brown (facebook), 2020–
- 2 Men and a Pig (2 Men and a Pig website), 2005-
- A-Train Station, Careese Agee (facebook), 2020–
- Aww Shucks, Phillip and Avrie Powell (website), 2020–
- Bayou Bros. (facebook), 2019-
- Broad Street Peaux Boys (@BroadStPeauxBoy), August 2017-
- Cantina on Wheels (@cantinaonwheels), 2011-
- Cheezin (@cheezinbham), 2015-
- CoCo Crabs, Ni'Cole Connor (facebook), 2021–
- Cousins Maine Lobster (website)
- The Current, Ben Menkin (facebook), 2021–
- Dirty Red, Neleshia Dale (facebook)
- Dreamcakes (@dreamcakesbham)
- Drift Kitchen, Eric Bennett and John Easterling (instagram), December 2021–
- El Pollo Ranchero, 1500 9th Avenue North Bessemer
- Encore Rouge, (instagram), 2017–
- Eugene's Hot Chicken (@ChickenEugene)
- Fat Charles BBQ (Charles Pilot), 2021–
- Four Garcias
- Fresh Off the Bun (@FreshOfftheBun)
- Fryer Truck
- Full Moon Bar-B-Que (@FullMoonBBQ)
- Granny's Fish 'N Grits (facebook)
- G.R's Smokehouse (website)
- A Hole in One (@AHoleInOne)
- Hyderabad Dum Zone, Venesh Kumar and Srivalli Sai Kanchi, 2019- (facebook)
- I Love Bacon, 2017-
- Hey Bebe (Facebook)
- Hot Tag (@HotTagFood)
- Lazy Boy BBQ (@LazyBoyBBQ)
- Little London Kitchen, June 2019- Bea and Matthew Morrissette (littlelondon.kitchen)
- Master Tacos
- Me Gusta Truck (website)
- Melt (@meltbham)
- Mika's Breakfast & Lunch (Tamika Rue 2023–)
- Neal's On Wheels (@Neals_on_Wheels)
- Notorious P.I.G. (@bhmbbq)
- On A Stik, 2020– (facebook)
- Panoptic Food Truck, 2020– (facebook)
- Pa Que Ronald
- Peanut Truck, 2022– (Alabama Peanut Co. (instagram)
- Porky's Pride Smokehouse, Nick Carpenter (website)
- La Huerta Tacos y Huaraches (Facebook)
- Los Primos (formerly Taqueria Pineda), Alex Nunez and Analy Pineda, 1417 Pinson Valley Parkway
- The Recipe (Facebook)
- RendezVous Kitchen, 2020– (Britini Liberton and Jamie Parks facebook)
- Savor Mas, 821 Green Springs Highway, Homewood
- Saw's Street Kitchen (@SawsStKitchen)
- Shindigs (@ShindigsTrucks)
- SlapHappy BBQ (@SlapHappyBBQ)
- Slice (@SliceBirmingham)
- Snapper Grabber's Coastal Kitchen (@SnapperGrabber)
- Street Bowlz (Facebook)
- Taco Boys (2019–, Instagram)
- Taco Mariachi (2020–), 1848 Crestwood Boulevard
- Taco Morro Loco (Facebook)
- Tacos El Guero, Yieney Garcia, 4656 U.S. Highway 280
- Tacos Dos Hermanos, Daniel and Jaime Guzman, Innovation Depot, 1331 1st Avenue North
- Tacos Mi Butique, 1800 Pinson Valley Parkway, Tarrant
- Tamale Queen / Snowies Shaved Ice, Gina Moran,
- Taqueria El Parrandero, Green Springs Highway at Valley Avenue
- Taqueria Guzman, Daniel and Jaime Guzman, 215 West Valley Avenue (2006-)
- Taqueria Juarez, 1459 Montgomery Highway (Vestavia Hills)
- Taqueria Las Garza, 261 Green Park South, Pelham
- Tot Spot (Facebook)
- Two Fat Men
- Underground Vegan, Khalilah Sowell (2020–)
- Los Valedores, William Paredes, 309 Oxmoor Road
- Wyld Child, Leo Hill
dessert / beverage trucks
- 80 Pops (@80Pops)
- Bendy's Cookies & Cream (facebook)
- Cookie Destiny (facebook), 2019-
- GeGe's Tasty Cakes (https://www.facebook.com/tastycakes00/ facebook), 2024–
- Heavenly Donut Co. (website)
- Kona Ice of Birmingham
- Lemonade Junkeez (Facebook)
- My Planet Punches & Treats (Facebook)
- NOLA Ice (@NOLAIceBham), 2011-
- Ono Ice, Rebecca Davis 2012- (@OnoIceBham)
- Pandy's Sno Biz
- Pinky (K & J's Elegant Pastries)
- Pints & Popsicles Ice Cream (Facebook)
- Red Diamond SweetRide (Facebook)
- Sugar & Ice Dessert Truck (Facebook)
- Temper Coffee (Christine Brons & Marcel Stamps), 2023–
- Travelin' Tom's Coffee Truck
- Who Dat Snoballs & Food (Brandy Williams), 6552 Newbridge Drive, Bessemer
- Whole Latte Drip, James Agee
Food trailers
- Baba Java Coffee
- Battle Axe’s Feast (Drew & Sierra Kramer website)
- Burney's Mean Greenz (Henry Burney & Sharon Wedgeworth ), June 2023–
- City Bowls, 3036 Healthy Way, Vestavia Hills
- Corn Cab (Facebook)
- Crazy Cravings (Rashauna Carter)
- Devil Dawgs Concessions (website)
- El Mas Sabroso (Facebook)
- Gumbo to Geaux (website)
- Krazy Good BBQ (Facebook)
- Nawlins Style Po'Boys (website)
- Old Town Pizza (@OTPCullman)
- O My Turkey Leg (website)
- Pazzo Big Slice Pizza (Facebook)
- Sweet Claire's Caboose (website)
- Taco Boys (Facebook), 2019–
- Taco Tech (Facebook)
- Tan Chingones (Facebook)
- Taqueria Charros (Facebook) 2963 John Hawkins Parkway
- Taqueria el Rosario 280 (Facebook)
- Travis Chicago Style (Facebook, article) Bessemer Flea Market, Platinum of Birmingham, Regions Lakeshore Operations Center, Saturn (1975-)
- Wandering Coffee Co. (Facebook), 2019-
- Wasabi Juan's (website)
Other street vendors
- Dixie Dawgs-N-Coneys
- Greg's Hot Dogs, outside Regions Plaza
- Knotty Bham
- Steel City Pops
- Walter Simmons, outside Birmingham Central Library
- Donnie "Candy Man" Goodin, along Highland Avenue
Former food trucks and street vendors
- Lucy's Coffee and Tea
- Mancha's
- Off The Hook (Rayford Cook)
- Paradise Chow (Phillip and Marsha Mims), –2021
- Rickshaw (Chris Joe), 2023–2024
- SpoonFed Grill, 2009-2014
Food truck regulations
By 2012 the Birmingham City Council began responding to private complaints by brick-and-mortar restaurateurs in the City Center by drafting a proposed ordinance to restrict operating hours and locations. The proposal has been debated in Council committee hearings, but has not come up for a vote. Public hearings were renewed in November 2013.
In response to the threat of restrictive regulation, several truck and food cart vendors joined together as the Greater Birmingham Street Food Coalition in early 2013 and proposed an alternate, less restrictive ordinance for consideration. The coalition has also developed a "Food truck lot" at 211 Richard Arrington, Jr Boulevard North.
The Council passed its Birmingham food truck ordinance in December 2013, and amended it in July 2014 to remove some restrictions that applied to groups offering free food to the homeless.
In 2024 the Birmingham City Council updated its Technical Code and began requiring inspections of food trucks conducted by the Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service and Birmingham Fire Station No. 6. It also initiated a prohibition on operating food trucks underneath the grandstands at Legion Field. The new requirements were shared during a public informational session at Sloss Furnaces on September 16.
Later that year the Council amended its ordinance again to reduce the permit fee and to allow food trucks to operate from any metered space in the city so long as they complied with other requirements, such as maintaining a 150-foot distance from other restaurants.
See Also
Commissary kitchens
- Chef's Workshop, 3439 Lorna Lane, Hoover
- Kemp's Kitchen
- Yellow Bicycle Co., 195 Vulcan Road, Homewood
- 1918 Catering, 197 Vulcan Road, Homewood
Food truck lots and events
- Birmingham Food Park
- Food Truck Friday
- Red White and Brew
- Third Avenue Food Court
- Trucks by the Tracks
References
- McWhorter, Andy (August 5, 2011) "The Rise of the food truck". Birmingham Weekly
- Horn, Jason (November 6, 2011) "Birmingham food truck directory". Magic City Post
- Carlton, Bob (December 6, 2012) "Lawyer for food truck operators urges Birmingham City Council to reconsider mobile food ordinance." The Birmingham News
- Carlton, Bob (January 18, 2013) "Food truck operators form Greater Birmingham Street Food Coalition to promote, protect industry." The Birmingham News
- "Best Food Trucks in the South" (January 31, 2013) Deep South
- Crawford, Cindy F. (September 27, 2013) "Riding the food truck trend." Birmingham Business Journal
- Godwin, Brent (November 12, 2013) "Ordinance could shake up local food truck scene." Birmingham Business Journal
- "Your Ultimate Guide to Birmingham’s Food Truck Scene" (July 6, 2016) StyleBlueprint
- Velasco, Eric (October 4, 2017) "Let's Taco 'bout Taco Trucks: A guide to the city's thriving taco truck scene." The Birmingham News
- Robertson, Terri (January 9, 2019) "3 new food trucks to check out in Birmingham, including Bayou Bros." Bham Now
- Parker, Illyshia (March 10, 2023) "Growing food truck scene outpacing available commissary kitchens." Birmingham Business Journal
- Lewallen, Ayron (September 16, 2024) "Beginning Jan. 2, All Birmingham Food Trucks Must Undergo Fire Inspections." WVTM/The Birmingham Times
- Gaddy, Daniel (December 3, 2024) "Food Trucks May Roam: Birmingham Council Expands Range for the Traveling Kitchens." BirminghamWatch
- Wright, Barnett (December 4, 2024) "City of Birmingham Takes Steps to Keep up With the Proliferation of Food Trucks." The Birmingham Times
External links
- Birmingham Food Trucks website
- Birmingham Food Truck list at roaminghunger.com