Favorite SXSW Street Food Bites

Even if you have been living under a rock, Austin dwellers know the city was rocked by South by Southwest this past week. The huge music and film interactive festival took place at almost every club and hotel lobby in the downtown area and virtually every music venue in Austin. Needless to say, SXSW is the highest revenue-producing special event for the city of Austin (Colonel6's Blog).

For the hardcore SXSW attendees, eating throughout the day was a must. Eating on-the-go was a must as well. Who would want to miss their favorite band  play because of lazy waitresses at a dine-in restaurant? Food stands and trailers have become the perfect alternative. Yet, another question arises. Which popular food stands offered vegetarian options at SXSW? And, which stands came out on top?

Crepe Crazy, Photo Courtesy of Girl Eats World

The Austin Convention Center had a few food stands
inside like a grilled cheese stand creatively in the shape of one of those cheese-head hats that Green Bay Packers fans wear. But, most of the food seemed like something you would get in the terminal of an airport, which is actually quite vegetarian friendly. But, trail mix and Cheeto Puffs are hardly considered a meal.

Auditorium Shores, on the other hand, had more of a carnival-food feel. "Tacos Nachos Burritos" and "Corn Dogs and Funnel Cakes" were the names of some of the stands. But, the most popular stand with a never-ending line was Crepe Crazy. They served crepes that were sweet, fruity or filled with chocolate and ones that were savory. Unfortunately, the Veggie Pesto crepe was the only vegetarian savory crepe they offered.

Only a few food trucks lined Sixth Street, but many were parked on nearby streets close to venues that were having shows. A wide variety of foods were served from these trucks, from barbecue and tacos to hamburgers and french fries and there always seemed to be people munching on these tasty food truck eats. From what I saw, only the taco trucks seemed to have vegetarian friendly items like cheese quesadillas and bean tacos.

Sugary treats (all vegetarian!!) seemed to be the most sought-out food on the streets, namely Sixth Street. Hey Cupcake! had a steady line everyday and night of the festival. The Hey Cupcake! trailer seems to always have business. So, it was no surprise that the trailer with a giant rotating cupcake was a hit at SXSW. On St. Patrick's Day, they sold cupcakes with green icing at an inflated price and still had a long line. But, my favorite cupcakes were sold out of a window at a club, Flamingo Cantina. They were homemade by a lady who wasn't even marketing herself. Or, she didn't do a good job of doing so. It seemed sketchy, but my sweet tooth couldn't resist a $2 cupcake compared to a $3 Hey Cupcake! and a line to wait in.

Snow cones also seemed to be a hit at Jim Jim's on Sixth Street and Red River St. At $4 for a medium sized cup, these over-priced treats were actually worth paying for. Instead of a cup full of chunky ice with sugary syrup poured over the top, Jim Jim's serves snow cones that seem to be a mix between sorbet and Italian ice. What makes it even more worth the price? Walking miles around downtown in the sun for hours. But, none of sweet treat lines compared to the one at Crepe Crazy at Auditorium Shores.

Stony's Pizza line at SXSW 2011, Photo Courtesy of Keith Axline

The line surpassing the one at Crepe Crazy
was the line at Stony's Pizza on Sixth Street and Red River Street. A slice of cheese pizza is $3 and a fifteen-minute wait in line. But, it's all worth it. Every single slice is served piping hot and fresh out of the oven. Yes, they make the pizzas in the back of the fire engine red truck. I typically stray away from long lines, but I couldn't resist standing in this one. After seeing more than a dozen people pass by me with a Stony's pizza slice stuffed in their face, I had to try it myself. I ate my first slice of Stony's Pizza on the 17th of March. The 19th was the last day I attended SXSW. I had seven slices of Stony's Pizza in that time frame. Yes, seven over the span of three days. The pizza is delicious and the freshness makes it irresistible. In fact, fifteen minutes was the shortest wait that I had. But, any amount of time was worth waiting for one of these slices. And, everyone else seemed to agree. Almost everyone ran over to the truck after working up an appetite from seeing one of their favorite bands play and stayed in the line even if they were missing the beginning of another show. Stony's Pizza can definitely be considered a SXSW street food favorite, maybe even the best pizza in town.

Slice of cheese pizza from Stony's, Photo taken by Cian O'Donovan