The Wonders of Wayside Food Truck
Tucked behind the Back Lot Bar on Maiden Lane sits one of Austin’s best late-night places for quality grub. Wayside Food Truck is a gem of a spot, focusing on blowing minds with the ever so versatile waffle. Open until 2 AM most nights of the week, Wayside is slinging out dishes with flavors and textures that will leave you in awe. Chef and owner Ozzy B. was a local who would stop by the Back Lot and fell in love with the bar and its atmosphere.
Otherside Deli previously owned the truck right outside the Back Lot and they eventually moved to a storefront location, offering Ozzy the truck. Thinking of what could be both unique and delicious, Ozzy and his team came up with the idea of bringing quality waffles to the Austin food truck scene. The mindset behind Wayside is to provide killer late-night meals for a fair price. What Ozzy and the Wayside team have come up with is nothing short of a modern marvel.
The Many Ways to Waffle
With a diverse menu oriented around waffles, Wayside offers some out-of-this-world bites in many different forms. As a diehard fan of the classic chicken and waffles, Ozzy put his spin on the dish which is as delicious and satisfying as any chicken and waffles that I have had. Everything starts with the waffle, which is perfectly balanced as a salty and sweet vessel for any dish.
The focus with the Wayside waffles is to not overpower the food with a super sweet waffle but to utilize it like a Hawaiian roll. Hawaiian rolls are quite sweet and are a great way to incorporate sweetness into a dish and Wayside does the same thing with their exquisite waffles. At Wayside, one does not need to choose between sweet and savory. The mouthwatering dishes that come out of this humble truck tease the taste buds with such complexity in each item.
The BLT, a classic American sandwich, gets an innovative twist at Wayside as it is served on a waffle that has been topped with a thin skirt of cheese. Each facet of the sandwich comes together to form a bite like no other. The saltiness of the cheese and bacon are cut by the tomato, lettuce, and chipotle mayo, only to be rounded out by the sweet waffle holding it all together. The BLT is a precursor to the rest of the incredible food.
In addition to the BLT, I had the privilege of trying the Wayside Chicken and Waffle as well as the Loaded Potato Wedges. The Chicken and Waffle was the ideal late-night bite that could satisfy any palette in search of sweet, salty, crunchy, and soft deliciousness. Although the Chicken and Waffle were not as complex and unique as the other dishes I tried, it was simply phenomenal.
Last but not least was the Loaded Potato Wedges which are generously topped with chorizo, peppercorn bacon, jalapeño sauerkraut, grilled jalepeños, provolone cheese, and spicy mayo. These “fries” were a complex dish that came together harmoniously as the hot and crispy potato wedges served as the ideal base for the spicy and salty toppings.
Each ingredient worked in unison and created a dish that will keep me coming back to Wayside. All in all, I had a wonderful experience at Wayside Food Truck and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great meal and atmosphere that won’t break your wallet.