best little coffee trailer in texas

Patika Coffee is a small trailer downtown on Congress between 2nd and 3rd streets, and after visiting once, I'm convinced that it's the best little coffee trailer in the entire state of Texas.

Danny and I made plans to have a super-date (that's what we call dates that last an entire day) and I wanted to kick it off with some good coffee. You know, the kind that's way better than anything you could make at home. I didn't want to settle for something that would only satisfy our need for caffeine. No, what I had in mind was something that was enjoyable and that would start our super-date in the right direction, leading to a day that was rich in flavor. Naturally, I do what I always do and looked online for a trailer where all our coffee dreams could come true. I read on Yelp! that this particular trailer had the "best cappuccino" either in Austin or that some people had ever drunk (!), and we simply had to find out for ourselves if it was true. We both ordered one: Danny's a large with an extra shot, mine regular with soy milk.

As we waited the few minutes it took for our drinks to be ready, I mentioned that I had read on Twitter that at this trailer they use the A/C runoff water to quench the thirst of their potted plants. Genius! These mint plants were thriving in this hot Texas summer thanks to the simple set-up. The guy working said he uses the mint for mojitos!

Our cappuccinos were ready quickly, and they were beautiful. This is exactly how they should look! We took our first sips and our minds were blown. These were the smoothest, most delicious coffee beverages in the world. I didn't even want to put sugar in mine (but to just top off the experience, I did add just a half a pack of raw sugar... hey, it's how I like my coffee). They were hot enough, but didn't make me wait half an hour to take a sip without scalding my mouth. We took them to go, but they didn't last long! Danny had nearly finished his on the walk back to the car, and while I usually don't manage to finish an entire cup of coffee, this was too good to put down.

 

This was exactly the fuel we needed to start the super-date and we ended up having a wonderful day. I bet it all had to do with the cappuccinos. ;)

This trailer gets a 5 out of 5 without a doubt. Go there as soon as you can and take me with you!! And get an iPhone 4, these pictures are again from my phone. They may be just as good as my little camera.

Guest Review:

Coffee-or-liquefied happiness?

Little trailer. Big dreams. Patika coffee on 2nd and congress reminds me of the main character in "The little engine that could" at the end of the story: Still cute and lovable but now also strong and popular.

A small trailer-barely sleeping two if used for it's traditional function-in a downtown location, Patika would normally be a small niche provider, quenching the thirst and sleepiness of the financial district's early morning elite. That may have been the end-all of their services if not for one very important factor: It's the best fuckin' cup-o-joe I've ever had. You heard me, "Fuckin'". Shoot, I mean, "You heard me, 'Best...ever'.

Shocking to say the least, yes. But not unchallenged. I myself read a review, not unlike this one (Less provocatively written, sure), that said, in an annoyingly undetermined tone, "That was the best cappuccino I ever had." and I thought to myself...psch, you ain't ne'er been ta Guatemala! Well, allow this snooty reviewer to remind you that I have indeed been to Guatemala and basked in the aromatic glory of world class coffee, and, well, Patika's got 'em beat.

That cappuccino was so dang light and fluffy, I really could have died. I'll be going back soon and you should too. Or don't and let your life continue in it's current course of crappy coffiness. 

Love,
-Danny

kudos, iphone

Callie and I made plans to go to lunch (trailer style, of course) on South Congress one day, and we really had our work cut out for us when we tried to decide where to go. If there are 1600 food trailers in Austin, 800 of them seem to be on, or around, South Congress. Luckily, it was a Tuesday afternoon and the pickings were slim. I used a variety of online tools to help me find a trailer that was open and chose Crepes Mille as our destination. I met Callie at Dominican Joe's coffee shop, a typical place to find my friend, and we set out for our crepe fest. Upon arrival we both realized the 'cash only' sign required a trip to the Automated Teller Machine. Luckily, there is one on the same corner that charges the low, low convenience fee of $4. This prompted the conversation of how one could get themselves an ATM and start raking in $4 every time someone used it. If you have business advice for us concerning this, please contact me!

 

 

I have driven past this trailer a few times a week for the past year at least, and I always love seeing the sign. It's such a happy, hopeful, colorful sign! It fits right in with the rest of the South Congress vibe. The menu follows the same pattern of joyfulness and is helpfully broken down into savory vs. sweet and meat lovers vs. vegetarians. This is probably one of the clearest trailer menus I've ever read, to be honest, and I really appreciate that. It made the stress I usually feel when it comes to deciding on a meal far less debilitating. Since I had slept in till 11 that day, I was still in the breakfasty or brunchy mood and I ordered the vegetarian omelet savory crepe. Callie struggled to make up her mind, but eventually settled on creating her own easy crepe. She opted for the classic nutella and banana sweet crepe. We understood at that point that sharing would probably be our best bet, which is exactly how I prefer my trailering. I also got a Thai coffee since I can't seem to resist them once my boyfriend introduced us.

Now, I know crepes. I studied French in high school, visited a few French cities on my study abroad trip, and shared a room with a French girl, Manon, while I lived in Sydney. I have had some great meals tucked into those delicious thin pancakes, but this crepe omelet was out of this world. Everything about it worked and meshed together flawlessly. The egg, cheese, spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions were all cooked and seasoned perfectly and it was as if the crepe itself was hugging it all together with love. I did end up splitting mine about half way with Callie... mostly since I ended up eating half of hers as well. The nutella melted so wonderfully inside that warm crepe and the banana actually added a nice touch (remember, this is coming from a person who is just recently starting to like bananas). The only thing about this meal that was better than the food was the great conversation and verbal processing we had going on. ;)

 

These crepes themselves are a bit different, seeing as their makers are Thai instead of French, but in my opinion they might be better. Don't tell Manon! I loved this place, but the only thing lacking was the atmosphere. We were sitting right on South Congress, but I didn't feel blown away by the ambiance. However, it was only a Tuesday afternoon and I might be expecting too much. Perhaps in the evenings it's a bit more impressive. 

Crepes Mille gets a 4.75 out of 5 trailers. I loved their food, the service was pretty quick, and the location is hot (in the good way and the bad way). I can't go all the way to 5 since the atmosphere was alright and I would have loved to chat more with the girl working. I will definitely go there again to try some of the curry crepes though. Maybe on a Thursday since there is a rumor that if you buy two savory crepes you get a sweet one free! Who's in?

Oh! Small detail: all the photos were taken with my iPhone 4 since I forgot my real camera. Impressive, right? Thus: Kudos, iPhone. 

Guest Review:

Since moving to Austin two years ago I've been wanting to eat at Crepes Mille on South Congress for several reasons. First of all, who doesn't like crepes except maybe communists and Paris Hilton. Secondly, I've heard friends suggest Crepes Mille many times so when Miss Shanks said we'd be dining at this trashy-trailer-eatery I was very excited. That excitement was met with equal apprehension however when I checked the weather and saw a scorching forecast of 105 degrees that day. No worries though, trailer-eatery-eaters... the atmosphere of Crepe Mille caters to Texas' scorching sun and they provide a comfortable, covered eating area. Another great things about CM's atmosphere is that it's located in the heart of South Congress; look North and be flooded with Texas pride as you gaze at the beautiful state capital or to the South for an overwhelming reminder that Austin locals are, welp, just plain weird :). As far as the food goes I ordered a "simple crepe" with Banana and Nutella which turned out to be pretty good, but I would definitely recommend the breakfast crepe (which Shalyn got) over mine. Overall I think Crepe Mille is a fun trailer eatery to share with friends who are visiting Austin and want to grab a quick bite while venturing around South Congress. I'm not sure I'll ever have a craving to visit CM for a random meal, but it's definitely a trailer eatery to experience at least once if you're a local Austinite.

Callie

banana backup

This is a secret, so don't tell...promise? This is a rainy-day post. One of those "I haven't been to a trailer in a while and feel like I should post SOMETHING so people don't create an angry mob to come kidnap me and force me to eat at a food truck so they will have something to read about while they sit in front of their computer at work" kinda things. So in reality, these events took place at some unspecified time in the past but are still relevant to the blog and therefore will be posted and treated with the same amount of respect as other posts. I'm glad we are all in agreement on this.

Bananarchy is a clever name for a food trailer serving frozen banana treats, don't you think? Well, this truck is all about clever. From its fantastic location right at Lamar and Barton Springs to the references to the multitudes of Arrested Development jokes, this trailer knows clever. My favorite part was the game of Bananagrams on the counter. We stood there chatting with one of the owners, trying to decided which revolutionary dessert we were going to order, and all I could do was play the magnetic poetry game with the letter tiles. "HANKS" was already spelled out for me... all I had to add was the S!

Justin and I finally decided to go with the most popular 'Afternoon Delight' option since it seemed to be the best frozen banana offering. I believe it would have won the gold medal in the all-around portion of the competition. This fair trade banana is dipped in all three (chocolate, vanilla, and peanut butter) and topped with nuts and graham crackers. They kindly stick a spoon in the end of the banana for easy-handling. We had to get a whole-sie since the half-sies were all gone for the day, so we split this guy:

I hope I'm not stealing Justin's words when I say it tasted like a frozen candy bar treat. Like an ice-cream snickers or something. It wasn't an over-powering banana flavor, which I appreciated since I usually hate bananas. It had that popsicle-like quality of making my teeth hurt from being so cold, so I avoided taking big, center bites. I liked the outer coating of dessert better than the banana itself, so I stuck to side nibbles with little nugget of fruit included. Justin isn't a big dessert person (THANK GOODNESS) and started to peel chunks of chocolatelyness off like bark off a tree to eat just the banana itself. The both of us combined barely got through half of this monster, so unless you're ravenous I'd suggest going for the half-sie. Also, if I go again I will build my own and probably do a chocolate/oreo mix because that sounds really good to me right now. Having all the dips and nuts/graham crackers on this one might have been too much for me. Honestly... the shape was too much for us too. I don't know if we are mature enough to not giggle while holding and biting into these desserts. We definitely spent half our time sitting there laughing at each other/ourselves, but how could you not?! Life is funny. Especially when your treat is in the shape of a human body part. Sometimes you just gotta laugh.

I give this trailer a 3.5 our of 5 trailers, but this is considering my personal dislike of bananas (which kinda isn't fair to them). The treat was delicious, but too big and too expensive for me to make it a regular stop. The seating area is behind the trailer, away from the busy Lamar road which was nice and the owner was good-humored and sweet. I had fun, but I probably won't go unless someone else really craves a frozen banana.

Guest Review:

Ordering at Bananarchy, you just can't help but make an Arrested Development reference to the nice woman (and owner) working the booth. She has heard it all, and luckily has good spirits about it. We ordered the Afternoon Delight, and the maturity level of the meal just plummeted from there. After she handed us a huge frozen banana, dipped in peanut butter and chocolate and covered in nuts and graham cracker, we sat down and tried to decide just how to eat such a monstrous thing. I let Shalyn do the honors of taking the first bite, and we both laughed like 3rd graders. I had never had any sort of frozen banana before, and I was pleasantly surprised by its popsicle-like consistency. I am not a huge fan of sweets, and I think that hindered my overall enjoyment of the banana. The chocolate and peanut butter really overpowered all the other flavors that it could have had, and I was left feeling like I just ate a slightly healthier Reese's cup. Overall it was good but not great, yet on a hot summer day with the right flavor combos I think it would be awesome!

Green

concrete jungle where dreams are made

I have a very sweet friend/roommate that moved to NYC this summer for a fellowship with News21 and I have missed her like crazy. I started this blog after she left and have been sad that she could not join in on the adventures... until now! She visited a food trailer up in The Big Apple and wrote up a review for us. Cheers for my very first out-of-town guest posting! Love you, Abbey!

Guest Blog #1:

I had the pleasure of guest blogging for my favorite trailer reviewer while I was in New York City this summer. The place I picked was so nice I ate there twice, while I was perusing the Brooklyn Flea Market, which was one of my favorite hipster activities in New York.  (There are a lot in Brooklyn)

So while shopping for vintage maps of New York and old brass jewelry in Williamsburg, Milk Truck’s adorable color combo and delicious smells caught my attention. Milk Truck dishes up. . . ready for this? Gourmet grilled cheese. There were a million people in front of it waiting for cheesy deliciousness.  I ordered from the sweetest girl and sipped a cardamom iced tea while I waited, thinking how excited Shay would be if she were with me.  There was a good ten-minute wait but everyone in line seemed so happy. We all knew hot cheese was waiting on the other side of those ten minutes. That would make anyone happy.

My sandwich was heaven. I had the Three Cheese Grilled Cheese (why settle for one?), which was a melted mess of Gruyere, blue cheese and cheddar. With caramelized apples. On the best bread ever.  The second time I went I told myself I should branch out but I couldn’t resist. I had to share the amazing Three Cheese with my sisters, who were filled with love at the taste of it.  Milk Truck’s website says it just wants to make people happy and I think they’re successful!

I’m still dreaming of that sandwich. I didn’t have the milk shakes, but apparently they’re amazing (via the girls behind me in line). If you’re ever in New York, go to the Brooklyn Flea (and some other places in Brooklyn) and find Milk Truck. Don’t be scared of the line-it’s totally worth it!

http://milktruckgrilledcheese.com/index.html
http://www.brooklynflea.com/

tmi

I sent out a last minute email to my faithful followers (be one! email trailertrashandtreasures@gmail.com) to see who was interested in dinner Thursday night and Kate emailed back promptly. I asked if she had a preference of which trailer we visited, but she was flexible as long as she could have some vegetarian options. I took this opportunity to eat at a vegan trailer since most of my companions enjoy eating their meats and it seems to be a rare occasion when one wants to eat sans animal products. I suggested The Vegan Yacht since I had missed it the last time I was at the East Side Drive In, but they turned out to be closed for dinner that night. I will say one more thing about The Vegan Yacht: their website is phenomenal and is how I quickly found out they would be closed that evening. Props to you guys for that. I will be visiting you someday soon.

Since we were already in the area of East 6th street, I looked up another vegetarian eatery nearby on my iPhone apps (ATXFoodCart and Eat St). I found a place inside Cheer Up Charlies called Me So Hungry. We also saw the little trailer gathering at the corner of 6th and Waller and it was definitely a light-bulb moment for me. I have seen the tweets and had a vague general understanding of where some of those trailers were located, but now I KNOW. Way South Philly, Lucky J's, Rockin' Rolls, and Spartan Pizza are all in a nice, shady lot right there. We did walk by to check out their menus, but Kate and I share an issue. Here is where the TMI comes into play. We have both been suffering from stomach problems related to digestion lately and have tried to make an effort to figure out the exact cause. She is farther down the path than myself and is trying a no-meat diet to give her system a break. I'm trying no-dairy. Wish us luck. Under these current circumstances, the trailers offering heaps of meat and fried wonderfulness weren't on our agenda last night. We continued on to Me So Hungry.

Walking into Cheer Up Charlies was unnecessarily confusing. The gate we wanted to walk into had a sign that asked us to enter through the front gate, so we reversed direction and walked through the bar instead. Then that was confusing since it was very empty and had a we-are-closed-what-do-you-think-you're-doing-here vibe. We just walked through anyway, ignoring the vibe. Actually, maybe I was making the vibe up since there were a few people already sitting outside. We joined these people and walked up to the vibrantly green trailer to look over the menu. There were a few white boards displaying specials and another menu with the regular items. The regular menu had seen better days. There were lots of "editing" marks all over the signage which made it difficult to determine prices and ingredient lists. They could definitely benefit from an updated menu since online it is so much clearer. Kate and I decided to split the 'Sprung Rolls' on special  (2 for $5) and a sandwich ($6). We had trouble deciding which sandwich to get and the guy working the trailer aided us in the process. We ended up getting the Banh Mi sandwich with the sweet portabella and the vegan Sadie spread.

The seating options were limited and since every table had an occupant, we shared a picnic table with one other guy. He struck up conversation with us while we waited for our dinner and invited us to a party across the street at Fast Folks. Our food was ready pretty quickly and after Kate sufficiently photographed it, we split it evenly and chowed. We started with the rolls. They were full of freshness and after a couple of bites we realized they were also kinda spicy. By the time I finished the roll my lips were fiercely burning and Kate looked like she was in pain as well. I enjoy food that packs a punch of peppery deliciousness, but these were right at my level of intensity. I was very grateful that our sandwich was on yummy french bread since it helped to take the sting away. The sweet portabella was an excellent choice as well. It played nicely with the Banh Mi collection of ingredients and I didn't miss meat at all. It was a good idea for us to share since the portion was larger than I could have handled alone.

I really liked this meal as a whole. I wish I could have understood the menu a bit more clearly, but we got delicious food anyway. I will definitely go back to Cheer Up Charlies to visit this trailer and to grab a few drinks & hang out. Especially if I'm feeling vegetarian that day. Me So Hungry gets a solid 4 out of 5 trailers.

All the photos are by the lovely and talented Miss Stafford, my eating companion. :) Well... except for this one.

 

Guest Review:

I was so excited to try out this vegetarian trailer during my week long attempt to become a vegetarian (I don't love meat but how the heck do you get protein??). I liked the veggie sandwich Shalyn and I split, but loved the wrap! The sandwich was a little bit too saucy and that's just not my favorite. The wrap was so fresh and light. Full of yummy veggies and a sweet and spicy light sauce. Definitely recommend that one. The atmosphere was also nice! Such pretty light and trees all around. I think it was a little empty when we were there but would be such a fun atmosphere for a big group of friends and strangers.

Kate

italian stallion

Arancini, Italian meaning fried rice balls covered in breadcrumbs. Arancini, also a trailer in south Austin with a cute mustache on their sign. The second (trailer) Arancini serves arancini daily Tues - Sat, along with a mix of other Italian dishes on a constantly refreshed and seasonal menu. In this South First trailer park you can also find Grill Haven, Azafran, and Heads Up Tacos.

 

The mustache was a major factor in getting my attention, but once I looked at their menu online the gimmick was forgotten and replaced by a need to eat. Their food. Immediately. So, as I do, I gathered a group of my best trailer eaters and we set out on another culinary adventure. We circled the impressively displayed menu (I felt like I was at one of the beach-side restaurants in Sydney again!) and thoroughly discussed what we should order. It took us an embarrassingly long time to figure it all out, but we made it through the ordering process and ended up getting one of almost everything. The guys working in the trailer were helpful and hilarious and even posed for a photo.

Now, their menu changes daily so I can't recall the exact names/ingredients in each item we ordered, but this is the jist: 2 orders of Arancini (because it's the namesake afterall), Fried Brussels Sprouts, Fried Artichoke, Pasta with mussels, Meatball Slider, Summer Melon, Tomato, and Fresh Herb Salad, and Grilled Stone Fruit Brushetta. Yep, we were hungry. And everything was so reasonably priced and sounded so good that we couldn't hold ourselves back! They gave us each a number and we took a seat in their wonderful outdoor eating area. They even had misters to help us stay cool, which at first was weird because we were getting kinda wet, but then we really appreciated them as we sat there longer. The area is all BYOB and we wished we had brought some wine to accompany our meal. Next time that is definitely happening.

When our food started to come out, it was sorta overwhelming. He brought the trays to our table for us and there was just SO MUCH FOOD. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we felt like kings. The food just kept coming, too! Our table was full of delicious (mostly fried) treats and we all shared, family-style. It was all fantastic, every single bite. We even enjoyed the Brussels Sprouts which was a big shock to most of us. My favorite was probably the cheesy rice balls (Arancini) because I have a soft spot in my heart for anything involving a cheese and rice combination. And that fruit salad! Wowie! It was the only thing on the entire table that made you feel slightly healthy for eating it, but the taste fit right in with all the other dishes. It was art in food form. I could eat that everyday, no joke.

As the destruction shows, we loved this place. The staff was wonderful and had a great sense of humour while still deliverying an amazing meal. The food was out-of-this-world impressive and we stuffed ourselves until we couldn't take another bite. The seating area was cute, clean, cool, and conducive to friendly conversation. This trailer knocked it out of the park and gets the highest rating I can offer, 5 out of 5 trailers. No doubt. Let's grab a bottle of wine and eat there again ASAP!

Guest Reviews (in the order I received them):

P Diddy's back in the house, and this time he went Italian!

As we headed out to this place I was definitely expecting your typical Italian menu; however, this place way surprised me with it's random compilation of menu that somehow came together quite well. The set-up was perfect and I would say it's must-do in the evening as the lights would be lit-up and set the mood for sure. On to the food, my favorite was FOR SURE the deep fried brusselsprouts with capers! sidenote: I hate brusselsprouts, no matter which way you cook them.....except for this way. Somehow the typical bitterness had been sucked out by the magic-ness of all things deep fried. The watermelon salad mixture was refreshing and tasty and we all concurred that it was like 'summer in your mouth'. The roasted stonefruit's on skewers on this whippy sweet cheese on brushcetta was my second favorite; I'm all about the sweet and savory and it definitely satisfied. It was definitely one of the most random meals I've had at a food trailer but it was still delicious and had a great ambiance...but then agin, I was with the lovely Shayface- who's super-cala-fraga-listic-expi-alle-doshess-awesomeness can't be beat. :0) 

Courtney

For the first time in my life, I was easily convinced to try brussel sprouts and they did not disappoint. My mom would be so proud. However, they were only my second favorite item, coming up behind the Arancini. After a quick lesson in Italian (are-an-chee-nee) we waited a short time and out came these perfectly fried balls of breaded mozzarella, bacon, and Italian spices. I don't know much about what makes Italian food "authentic", but I do know when something tastes good, and these were great. They also pair very nicely with a cold Dos Equis. So go check these guys out, BYOB, and enjoy some delicious Italian trailer food.

Green

Arancini (Thumbs Up)

I could eat at Arancini’s every single week. No joke! It is so good that you may slap yourself, twice! The fried artichoke hearts are awesome and complimented with a creamy dressing that will make you want to lick the container (literally).  In fact, they should sell the dressing by itself. However, my favorite was the summer melon, tomato and fresh herb salad. The watermelon and cantaloupe were sweet and cherry tomatoes were perfect on a hot afternoon. If you aren’t drooling over something else on the menu, try the pasta of the week. I opted to have the pasta with mussels and cherry tomatoes. It exceeded my expectations. The mussels were fresh, the pasta was perfect and again, the tomatoes were awesome.  This pasta dish was so tasty that I didn’t want to share. I’m glad that no one asked for another bite.

Menu standouts: meatball sliders and the fried Brussels sprouts with capers.

Fell Short: Tuscan fries. Not good, not bad, but nothing to write to home about. Only order these if you’re in the mood for fries. With so many other items on the menu, I would definitely try something else. 

Alisha

Arancini

First of all, let me point out the wicked moustache that proudly displays the Arancini name...how can you not stop and check it out? It's so wonderful! Anyway, I have been looking for a good place to have Italian food for awhile, and Arancini definitely had what I was look for and more. While their menu looks fairly simple, each dish comes with its own unique blend of flavors, which was actually quite surprising and so good! First, the Summer Melon, Tomato and Fresh Herb Salad, tasted like summer in my mouth! The watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew was perfectly sweet, and when combined with the tarragon, basil and chives, you get this earthy sweetness that just so unique and so different that you can't imagine how herbs and fruit can be paired so wonderfully. Next, my favorite was the Grilled Stone Fruit Bruschetta with Mascarpone, Honey and Lavender! I could eat this everyday day, it was so light and so fresh. I usually don't enjoy grilled fruit, but how they grilled the plums, nectarines, and apricots was truly amazing and with the drizzle of honey...I nearly died each time I took a bit. I cannot describe how good this tasted, it was definitely comfort food at its finest. In the end, the food was so delicious that everyone had stopped talking and started enjoying all the food on the table. I love when food can silence you...leaving you in total bliss. 

Menu standouts: Fried Brussels Sprouts with Capers and Meatball Sliders. 

Shee

And this one is just for funsies... and Courtney. :)