This Beloved Beach-Filled State Is A 'Food Truck Nirvana' Featuring 25 Of The Top 100 Best Trucks In 2025

Whoever first thought, "Hey, what if I just drive around my restaurant in my truck?" deserves a medal for their contribution to humanity's collective culinary satisfaction. Food trucks are not only a cool, always-hip way to chow down on tacos, burgers, pizza, whatever, but they're also a clever way for food-makers to keep a business going and save money on rent (except for parking spots, slots at events, or certain partnerships). And out of the entire United States and its ever-growing plethora of food truck hubs in cities like Austin and Portland, one state stands at the top of the list as a "food truck nirvana" by having the most top-rated food trucks of them all: Hawaii.  

Not only is Hawaii Yelp's No. 1 state for food trucks, it contains 25 of the best 100 food trucks across the country. California came in a close second with 22,followed by Oregon and Texas with 15 each. But only Hawaii is a Pacific Ocean paradise renowned for beaches, surfing, lava-formed peninsulas like that at Laupāhoehoe on Hawaii island, the tallest beachside cliffs in the world at Kalaupapa Lookout, and tons of drool-worthy fish tacos sold from trucks. It's also one of the three most expensive states, along with California and Oregon — it's an island in the middle of the ocean, after all. But where else are you going to get Mexico-born, Zicatela-style tacos with avocado-jalapeño sauce from Tony's Catch on Kauai? It just might be a trade-off worth making.

Looking at Yelp's top 100 list of food trucks across the U.S., one very obvious pattern emerges for those in Hawaii: Fish tacos. Even within the top 10, both of Hawaii's food trucks serve tacos: Tony's Catch on Kauai (No. 1) and Taco Libre, also on Kauai (No. 3). Ratings tell the tale, with both locations hovering at 4.9 and hundreds of reviews each. Just to put things in perspective, even the lowest-rated Hawaiian food truck in the top 100 – Del-icious Burgers on Oahu, ranked No. 99 — still has a rating of 4.8. 

Some offerings center on international cuisines, like Kusina Ni Jayboy (Filipino) and HI Thai Food (Thai, of course) on Maui. Others like Kilo's Kitchen on Maui feature hybridized choices that include Hawaiian favorite loco moco. And speaking of Maui, 10 out of Hawaii's 25 top-100 picks are located on that island. Maybe it's the sand, the waves, the wind, and a general sense of bliss, but no matter what it is, the reviews don't lie.

Those looking to drop by one of these many top-rated food truck offerings can do so on any of Hawaii's four main islands: Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii. Lighter fare might settle well in your stomach if you're planning to do something active like surfing, swimming, or the adventurous (if dangerous) trek and climb down Makaleha Trail on Kauai. But because Hawaii encourages lounging on the beach like few other places, you can always stuff your face to your heart's content, laze around, and soak up the sun in this very unique, special global destination.