Foodie News

Five more "must-try" food trucks: From extraordinary Asian to 420 pizza toeverything on a stick

The Rice Box, bringing Asian comfort food to the foodies at Anvil.
Photo by Khiem Pham
Pi Pizza
Photo via Pi Pizza/Facebook
Stick It makes food you never knew could be served on a stick.
Photo via Stick It/Facebook
Lady Bird has perhaps the best grilled cheese around town.
Photo via Ladybird/Twitter
Pad Thai Box
Photo via Pad Thai Box/Facebook
The porkbelly burger by LadyBird Food Truck
Photo via Ladybird/Twitter

Cupcakes might be moving aside for macarons (or snickerdoodles), bacon fever has ebbed a bit (yes, put away that scarf) but one food trend that we still can't seem to get enough of is the humble food truck. And why would we want to? They're convenient, inexpensive and the food is challenging brick-and-mortar establishments with high-quality, creative and delicious offerings.

We're still partial to the 10 must-try food trucks we listed last spring, but for pizza, Chinese comfort food and more, you've got to try Houston's newest mobile restaurants.

There is never enough good pizza in Houston (I'm sorry, but it's true) so we are thrilled that Anthony Calleo has stepped up to fill in the missing link in the ultimate mobile drunk food foursome with Pi Pizza Truck. Found outside bars around town like Jackson's Watering Hole, Catbirds, Little Woodrow's and The Boneyard Drinkery, Pi tempts with outrageous combinations like chicken, bacon, honey and pineapple on The Grizzly Hawaiian and venison sausage and cherries in port wine syrup on The Outdoorsman.

Most offerings are available as a full pie or by the (enormous) slice, but the breakout hit is the by-the-slice-only 420 pizza — like a frito pie on a pizza, it's so crazy it just works.

We are thrilled that Anthony Calleo has stepped up to fill in the missing link in the ultimate mobile drunk food foursome with Pi Pizza Truck. Most offerings are available as a full pie or by the (enormous) slice, but the breakout hit is the by-the-slice-only 420 pizza — like a frito pie on a pizza, it's so crazy it just works.

Like pizza, there's always some Chinese food that's quick, cheap and available to be delivered to your door — but The Rice Box is not your ordinary Chinese food. It's only been on the road for a couple of weeks, but the comfort food classics served up in classic take-out boxes by John Peterson and crew have already earned raves.

The sesame chicken and dumplings is juicy, delicious and enough to feed two, although apparently Bun B prefers the General Tso. Look for them outside of Anvil every day except Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

One truck I can't wait to try is Stick It. Why? Well let's just say I don't drive for two hours to the Renaissance Festival to look at people wearing chain mail bikinis. I go for the food on a stick, and this concept by Ruth Lipsky really takes that to the next level with offerings like country fried steak on a stick, fish and chips on a stick and a gyro on a stick. I'm not sure how that works, but I want to try it. Look for the red truck at bars including Boneyard, Lizzard's Pub and Marquis II.

Making the rounds at arts organizations like The Menil Collection, The Orange Show and Lawndale Art Center, LadyBird has earned my eternal love for their epic eponymous grilled cheese creation, with cheddar, Texas goat cheese, Brooklyn ricotta, green tomatoes and a side of pickled okra remoulade. There's no menu online (yet), but Ladybird's Twitter feed boasts some impressive food porn, like a porkbelly burger and a jumbo lump crab and brie grilled cheese with avocado.

And just when you start to think everything from a food truck has to be gooey or fried, head to PadthaiBox, which serves "mobile brasserie take-out" with spring rolls, salads, Thai fried rice and yes, padthai in re-usable to-go containers. The trailer can often be found at Shepherd Square or outside Liberty Station.

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SWEET RESCUE

Dynamic duo rescues iconic Texas candy brand Lammes from closure

Courtesy of Lammes Candies

Lammes Candies’ neon lamb sign announces the Austin candy maker’s return after it appeared to be closing for good.

Lammes Candies looked like it had reached the end of its 141-year run when the Austin confectionery announced in April that it would close, citing “changing market conditions and the long-term sustainability of our operations.”

But its death was short-lived. Craig Cavileer and Kayla Wilkie-Kinne, the Fort Worth duo behind Delightful Development Co., have made their mark reviving Texas icons like the Fort Worth Stockyards. Now they are stepping in to rescue one of Austin’s oldest and most beloved candy shops.

Delightful Development has acquired Lammes, with the Lamme family remaining involved in the transition and preservation of the company’s recipes and traditions. The first sweets are already on their way back: Sherbet Mints, Longhorns, and Texas Chewie Pecan Pralines in legacy boxes.

“Our vision isn’t to change what Lammes Candies is known for,” Wilkie-Kinne said in the announcement of the sale. “It’s to bring back the legacy recipes, traditions and heritage that made Lammes so special for 141 years.”

For now, Lammes’ return is happening solely online. A separate Austin developer purchased the former Lammes building this spring.

Preorders open September 29 at noon, with nationwide shipping beginning November 1. A fuller relaunch is planned for spring 2027, although no brick-and-mortar plans have been announced yet. Texans will be able to buy products from retail locations around the state.

Lammes’ holiday Sherbet Mints are among the first sweets returning in a limited legacy-box run.Photo courtesy of Lammes Candies

For generations of customers, Lammes was tied not just to candy, but to holiday gift boxes, Valentine’s chocolate-covered strawberries, chewy pralines, and the familiar candy cane pole outside its Airport Boulevard shop.

Lammes’ history began downtown. David T. Lamme Sr. opened his first candy shop at Eighth and Congress in 1885, later moving to 919 Congress and establishing the Red Front Candy Shop. The company’s chewy pecan pralines date to the 1890s, when Lamme used pecans from trees along the Colorado River. The lamb logo was adopted so customers would know how to pronounce the family name.

Over the decades, Lammes grew from a downtown candy shop into one of Austin’s most recognizable legacy businesses. Its Airport Boulevard factory opened in 1956, marked by the neon lamb sign and striped candy cane pole. Three generations of the Lamme family ran the business there, helping make the store a recognizable stop for Austin holidays, gifts, and candy-counter classics.

The company eventually became known well beyond Austin for its Texas Chewie Pecan Pralines and Longhorns, made with chocolate, caramel, and pecans.

Cavileer and Wilkie-Kinne previously worked on the modern redevelopment of the Fort Worth Stockyards, including Mule Alley and Hotel Drover. Delightful Development has also purchased the historic Williamson County Jail in Georgetown, another landmark property being considered for adaptive reuse. Their new company was founded in 2025 to develop hospitality destinations and build on legacy brands in Texas.

“Lammes Candies is more than a confection and candy company,” Wilkie-Kinne said in the release. “It’s a significant piece of Texas history that Craig and I will honor, preserve, and celebrate with future generations of Texans and customers around the country.”

Lammes Christmas and Easter Sherbet Mints will also be available at select Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations nationwide. Details on future restocks and new releases have not yet been announced. Updates will be posted at lammes.com and on Instagram.

reopenings openings desserts candy