On any given Friday evening in the Lehigh Valley, you can eat wood fired pizza from a converted trailer in Emmaus, authentic tacos from a truck parked outside a brewery in Bethlehem, and gourmet poutine from a mobile kitchen at a festival in Allentown. Welcome to the Lehigh Valley food truck scene, which has quietly become one of the most exciting ways to eat in the region.
The OG: Lu Taqueria
If there is a food truck that locals consider the original, it's Lu Taqueria. Before food trucks were trendy, Lu was parked on the streets of Allentown serving some of the best tacos in the entire Lehigh Valley. The gringas, crispy quesadillas stuffed with perfectly seasoned meat and melted cheese, are the stuff of local legend. People track Lu's location on social media with the intensity usually reserved for following a favorite band on tour.
Lu Taqueria didn't just sell tacos. It proved that a food truck could build a devoted following in the Lehigh Valley and compete with, or outperform, brick and mortar restaurants.
The Award Winners
The Flying V took home "Best Poutine" in Lehigh Valley Style's 2025 awards, which is no small feat in a region that takes its comfort food seriously. Their loaded fries, topped with cheese curds and rich gravy plus creative additions, have become a festival staple.
The Sticky Pig, a family owned operation out of Allentown, brings serious barbecue to the food truck game. Slow smoked meats, house made sauces, and portions that would make a pitmaster nod in approval. They hit events across Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, and their schedule fills up months in advance.
Global Flavors on Wheels
What makes the Lehigh Valley food truck scene special is its diversity. Greek Street serves gyros, Greek pierogies, and baklava that would make a Thessaloniki grandmother proud. Geakers Tacos offers a uniquely Pennsylvania combo of tacos, cheesesteaks, and pork roll sandwiches, because apparently we can't pick just one regional specialty.
Slide On By has built a following with gourmet sliders and elevated hot dogs alongside freshly squeezed lemonades. Cactus Blue, the mobile arm of the Emmaus Tex Mex restaurant, brings the full flavor of its brick and mortar menu to parking lots and festivals across the Valley.
The Brewery Connection
The food truck boom has been fueled in large part by the craft brewery explosion. With more than thirty breweries in the Lehigh Valley, and many of them without full kitchens, food trucks became the natural solution. On any given weekend, you'll find trucks parked outside Bonn Place, Lost Tavern, Yergey, and a dozen other taprooms.
It's a symbiotic relationship that benefits everyone. Breweries get great food without the overhead of a kitchen. Food trucks get a built in audience of hungry beer drinkers. And customers get to pair a hazy IPA with a wood fired pizza or a plate of smoked brisket, which is really the best of all possible worlds.
The Greater Lehigh Valley Mobile Food Alliance
The food truck community here has gotten organized. The Greater Lehigh Valley Mobile Food Alliance, known as GLVMFA, supports and promotes the mobile food industry across the region. They coordinate events, advocate for reasonable regulations, and help new vendors navigate the business side of running a truck.
The organization reflects how seriously the Lehigh Valley takes its food truck culture. This isn't a fad. It's an established part of the dining landscape with roughly two dozen active trucks, trailers, and carts operating in the greater Allentown area alone.
Finding the Trucks
The best way to track your favorite trucks is through social media. Most vendors post their weekly schedules on Instagram and Facebook. Festival season, which runs roughly from May through October, is peak food truck time, with events like Musikfest, Celtic Classic, and dozens of smaller community festivals drawing mobile vendors from across the region.
But food trucks aren't just a warm weather thing anymore. Many operate year round, popping up at winter markets, brewery events, and private catering gigs. The rolling kitchens of the Lehigh Valley have become a permanent part of how we eat.
