The East Coast is great - and we mean really great. From spicy sunny Florida and its gourmet-friendly cities to fresh and invigorating Maine in the North, the Atlantic coast of the U.S. boasts a treasure of mouthwatering street foods. Great news for you, intrepid foodie explorer! If you're designing a road trip with stops for street food you should try when visiting the East Coast, this is your map.
Florida
Miami isn't known only for world-class dishes in top local restaurants. While the top restaurants in Miami are truly magnificent, street food will satisfy your budget and appetite for variety, although fine dining is always an option in The Magic City. However, if you make a stop in Miami on your road trip, be sure to visit
- Pilo's Street Tacos and The Taco Stand, where you can savor delicious Mexican food paired with beer and margaritas that best complement it.
- Yatai Street Food, with its Asian fusion cuisine and poke, bao buns, and sushi burritos.
- La Sandwicherie at Miami Beach, try their warm croissant bread with delicious sandwich sauce and a plethora of fresh ingredients.
- The Original Daily Bread Marketplace, if you're a fan of healthy fast food, Middle Eastern style.
Bonus tip: Don't leave the Sunshine State without trying Key Lime Pie and Florida orange juice, as locals from Pro Movers Miami advise. This is one of their favorite steps after a hard day of carrying, packing, and moving bulky furniture.
Georgia
When you arrive in Georgia, the meaty street goodies are at your disposal on every corner of Atlanta, from BBQs to chicken delicacies and more.
- Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken, the menu is quite self-explanatory, but the chicken is juicy, tasty, moist, and crispy beyond compare.
- The Food Shoppe is home to Jambalaya, Creole potatoes with shrimp, or Anglea's bread pudding.
- Adama Street Food spices vegan and kosher Middle Eastern street food with southern love.
- 9th Ave Street Food is where street meets gourmet, and you can find renowned Jerk Chicken Philly, among many other original flavorful foods.
Bonus tip: Satisfy your sweet tooth with a Southern peach cobbler before crossing the border.
South Carolina
Don't satisfy yourself only with peanuts (although they're amazing every way they prepare them in South Carolina.) Treat your gluttonous desires with some of the best street food you should try when visiting the East Coast and Columbia.
- Mack's Cash Grocery has the best hotdogs, hamburgers, and cheeseburgers in Columbia, if not the whole S.C., and lives up to that statement.
- A Peace of Soul Vegan Kitchen delights vegans and turns people into vegans, so beware of their eclair crunch cake.
- Which Wich on the Main has fabulous sandwich options, amazing bread, and a plethora of unique, fresh, and tasty toppings. Worth the drive into downtown Columbia.
Bonus tip: Try traditional South Carolinian Frogmore stew. It's not a stew, and it's frog-free. Still delicious.
Virginia
Although best known for seafood like crab and oysters, Virginia will amaze you with its cured country ham and some of its cherished street food spots.
- Otto Turkish Street Food is a family-owned street food restaurant in Charlottesville that will amaze you with whatever you pick from the menu.
- A World of Good in Norfolk lives up to its name. Don't miss Greg's Onion rings, Korean hot dog, and Cambozzola burger!
- Foo Dog in Richmond is a unique Asian restaurant whose menu is eye-catching, super creative, and hearty, all at once.
Bonus tip: Stop by for some off-the-street Chesapeake crab cakes and cherry pie with vanilla ice cream, too. They're a must!
New York
Pay a visit to some of the best Brooklyn food trucks lined up for your palate's enjoyment or see what Manhattan has to offer because food carts and street food are what made NYC.
- Los Tacos No.1 is the most popular taqueria in NYC, and for an excellent reason - found on their menu.
- Carnegie John's famous hot dogs overshadow even their most famous burgers.
- Berber Street Food is an African Cafe offering Afro-Fusion foods, most notably delicious Mozambique taco with roti bread.
Bonus tip: When visiting NYC, remember that New York-style pizza is a staple dish, just as hot dogs and pastrami on rye.
Massachusetts
While fresh seafood is Boston's trademark, there's so much more flavor found in street food you should try when visiting the East Coast and this famous historical city.
- The Spaht Food Truck serves mouthwatering Dominican late-night food like chimis, fried carnitas, fried plantains and more.
- Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe has flatbread pork with lamb and lamb noodle soup with hand-pulled noodles to die for.
- Saus Boston makes fries so good they don't need a sauce but are even better with spicy sambal dip. Try their lobster roll, sausage hotdog, and chicken sandwich, too.
Bonus tip: Start your stay with classic Boston baked beans and finish it with Boston cream pie.
New Hampshire
Apple cider donuts are one of the classic New Hampshire foods you mustn't miss on your East Coast food trip. When it comes to street foods, you're in for more than one treat.
- Prime Time Grilled Cheese LLC in Manchester is a family business that serves arguably the best grilled cheese you'll eat in your life.
- Main Street Gyro in Nashua is a place to discover and explore the deliciousness of middle eastern and Mediterranean street food.
- Oba Noodle Bar in Exeter serves some of the tastiest duck noodles and Oba ramen in N.H.
Bonus tip: Don't leave New Hampshire without trying their venison, typically a part of the so-called boiled dinner, a delicious vegetable and meat dish.
Maine
- MAIZ is Colombian street food serving the best arepas in Portland, hands down. Best part? They're gluten-free.
- Slab, a Sicilian Street Food, prides itself in massive pizza slices with a perfect crust, unique salads, and quality drinks to complement the food.
- Mami - Try their Karaage, fried chicken Japanese style, or if you're extra hungry, have a Big Mami burger.
Bonus tip: Still there? Besides delicious street food you should try when visiting the East Coast, take the time to try lobster rolls, sweet ployes, and fluffy whoopie pies, authentic foods that made Maine.
