Midway Food Park: Good Food and Family Fun

Busy day at Midway Food Park (Photo credit: Midway Food Park)

Editor’s Note: Midway Food Park shuttered in 2018.

Texas weather can be crazy, but living in Austin does provide you with a hefty share of beautiful days throughout the year. A good place to take advantage of those pretty days is the Midway Food Park, which offers a variety of fresh cooking and has plenty of room to stretch your legs and let the kids run all their energy out before they get home.

Midway Food Park is right off 360, about a mile shy of Westlake just past Barton Creek Mall (1905 S. Capitol of Texas Hwy). It’s also a stone’s throw from the Greenbelt, if you’re looking for more outside activities afterward. It has ten food trucks, a nice playground, an air-conditioned restroom trailer, plenty of parking and ample space to grab a table or spread out a blanket and eat picnic-style.

Welcome to the Midway! (Photo credit: Midway Food Park)

The first thing I noticed about this place was the parking. Where most food trailer parks suffer, the Midway is fortunate enough to provide customers with a giant parking lot that sits adjacent to the park in front of a large warehouse.

Something else that stuck out to me was how well kept the park is. The grounds are clean, lights and decorations and signs hang proudly among beautiful Live Oak trees (one of which is fully wrapped with lights for nighttime visitors), and there is recycling on site.

Nighttime at the Midway (Photo credit: Midway Food Park)

Another advantage of going to the Midway is the food options your group will have. Everyone can roam and ponder the menus until they find what they want. It’s BYOB, there is a massive fire pit for the chillier nights, and they even have enough space to offer live music on the weekends (normally Friday and Saturday starting at 6 PM). Check their website or Facebook page for upcoming acts.

Attractive signage beckons visitors (Photo credit: Midway Food Park)

Below are a few of my favorite food trucks at the Midway. The only drawback to the park would be some of the random times certain trucks open and close. My best advice would be to follow your favorites on Facebook and Twitter to be in the know (they usually update daily on their hours and any new menu items).

Dock and Roll

Lobster Roll and Tater Tots from Dock and Roll (Photo credit: Dock and Roll)

Dock and Roll is one of the most popular food trucks at Midway, and for good reason. You’ll find lobster here that’s as good or better than that of not only other food trucks, but the entire city.

Service can take awhile at times, due to popularity and cook times. But they’re always very friendly and the food delivers every time, validating any previous wait and then some. I highly recommend their Lobster Roll and the Chicken Fried Bacon.

OneTaco

The breakfast tacos are solid here. Go for the Machacado (scrambled eggs, spiced meat, pico de gallo) or the Green and White for a healthy option (egg whites, avocado, and jalapenos). There’s also no going wrong with the I Love Bacon taco (egg, bacon, potatoes, cheese, and more bacon). They offer organic coffee from Austin Java to pair with your breakfast.

For lunch and dinner, I’d recommend the Gowalla taco (guacamole, bacon, steak and queso fresco on a corn tortilla) or the Relax taco for vegetarians (refried black beans, avocado slices, queso fresco, and sesame seeds).

I Love Bacon Taco from OneTaco with avocado added (Photo credit: Midway Food Park)

Coolhaus

Coolhaus has you covered for dessert. Their hours are some of the most spotty, but they’re very good about keeping you in the loop on Twitter. Their Goat’s Milk Caramel ice cream will top off your meal perfectly – mascarpone-based ice cream with goat’s milk caramel and hints of rosemary.

For the guys, they have the Beer and Pretzels ice cream (dark stout ice cream combined with salty pretzels).

Any of their ice cream “sammies” are solid options and will leave you smiling and satisfied.