There was a time when we had to drive to our food.
Now it parks right outside the office, in the lot at the store, on the grass at Columbus Commons or at any number of festivals across central Ohio.
As summer kicks into gear, we’ve reached the peak of food truck season, too. Not to knock old-school festival food because we love a good funnel cake as much as the next person, but food trucks sure have raised our expectations for what’s handed to us over eye-level countertops.
Here are 10 food trucks that are in a lane and league of their own.
Cupzilla
Unlike the all-you-can-eat, cook-it-yourself Korean barbecue that’s more familiar around Columbus, Cupzilla offers more demure and much more reasonably priced meals. Its menu features cups, not bowls, rice or noodles, veggies, and pork, tofu, or barbecued or fried chicken.
Where is Cupzilla? Check facebook.com/cupzillakoreanbbq for Cupzilla’s schedule.
DrunkFood
They had us at the name. DrunkFood, which describes its menu as “gourmet junk food,” spans the globe with its offerings. There’s Nashville hot chicken, Korean fried chicken, guajillo-marinated shrimp tacos and the genre-crossing Soul Rolls, which are greens, yams and mac and cheese in egg-roll form.
Where is DrunkFood? Check instagram.com/drunkfoood for DrunkFood’s schedule.
El Sabor de la Vida
Tucked in the parking lot next to Used Kids Records at 2500 Summit St. in the University District, a wide-ranging Latin menu that includes tacos, tortas, arepas and empanadas is offered. The truck there also has a number of vegetarian options.
Where is El Sabor de la Vida? Check instagram.com/614_elsabordelavida for the truck’s schedule.
Fetty’s Street Food
The menu of this truly global food truck covers a diverse range that includes Thai chicken curry, Indian saag paneer and South African bunny chow. The latter is a butter chicken curry that’s served in a hollowed-out loaf of bread. Other highlights include Thai egg rolls, kung pao potstickers and a pumpkin curry congee.
Where is Fetty’s Street Food? The truck is a regular at Downtown’s Columbus Commons Food Truck Thursdays. For the rest of its schedule, visit instagram.com/fettys_street_food.
Komodo Loco
There’s a good reason Lisa Enriquez’s calendar included a recent stop at the Columbus Asian Festival. Her Komodo Loco food truck serves both Vietnamese and Mexican food, as well as a few items that bring the two cuisines together. The fusions include banh mi with grilled pork al pastor, Vietnamese iced coffee with three kinds of milk (tres leches) and horchata boba tea.
Where is Komodo Loco? Check instagram.com/komodo_loco for its schedule.
Lovely’s Lao Street Eats
In addition to more familiar Thai dishes such as pad Thai and pad see ew, Lovely’s is one of the few places – perhaps the only one – in Columbus to offer Laotian food. Its menu includes Lao chicken wings, Lao sausage, papaya salad and nam khao, a fried rice with curry, coconut, pork and chiles.
Where is Lovely’s Lao Street Eats? It’s often on hand for a weekend night market at Racha Tea, 561 S. Hamilton Road in Whitehall. Its schedule is updated regularly at instagram.com/lovelyslaostreeteats.
Pattywhacks
They’re not reinventing the wheel, but the college friends behind the year-old burger truck are trying to improve on it. Their menu is pared-down and simple, with double- and triple-patty smashburgers with standard options such as American cheese, lettuce, tomato, grilled onion, and house-made pickles and sauce. Beef-tallow fries and brownies round things out.
Where is Pattywhacks? The truck is stationed at 1299 Brice Road in Reynoldsburg.
Ray Ray’s Hog Pit
After a brief run in two standard restaurant settings during 2025, James Anderson has returned Ray Ray’s Hog Pit to its roots: carryouts, walk-ups, drive-throughs and its popular food truck in Franklinton. Anderson, who was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2020, does it all, including smoked ribs, brisket, jerk chicken, pulled pork and hot-link sausages. And they’re all available in one serving called the Meatsweats Box.
Where is Ray Ray’s Hog Pit? Its food truck is open Wednesdays through Sundays at Land-Grant Brewing Co., 424 Town St. in Franklinton. For other locations, visit rayrayshogpit.com.
Street Thyme
A running joke for the burger truck is that its only gourmet rating is “four Michelin tires,” but Street Thyme does go way beyond the basics. Its 10-burger menu includes the PB&Jae, which includes applewood-smoked bacon, American cheese, truck-made jalapeno jelly and melted peanut butter; and a Apple Bacon Brie burger with caramelized Granny Smith apples and onions, applewood-smoked bacon, brie and tarragon-chive aioli. Street Thyme also makes its own pickles, black-bean burgers, sauce and spice blends.
Where is Street Thyme? Seventh Son Brewing, 1101 N. 4th St. in Italian Village every Thursday through Sunday and at Antiques on High, 714 S. High St. in the Brewery District, on Wednesdays; streetthyme.com
Taesty’s Southern Style
Although he closed a spot at The Little Grand Market food hall in 2025, Tae Spell operates two Taesty’s Southern Style food trucks and a carryout-and-delivery location in Circleville. The Taesty’s menu includes dry-rub wings, Carolina pulled-pork sliders, macaroni and cheese, loaded fries, and baked beans with ground beef.
Where is Taesty’s Southern Style? It’s a regular at Columbus Commons Food Truck Thursdays. For other locations on its schedule, visit taestys.com.
Follow Dispatch dining reporter Bob Vitale on Instagram at @dispatchdining. You can reach him directly at rvitale@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Best food trucks in Columbus? 10 places locals love
Reporting by Bob Vitale, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Bob Vitale, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
