Big Truck Tacos

Big Truck Tacos launched in February 2009 as one of the first significant food trucks in Oklahoma City. Owners Cally Johnson and Kathryn Mathis bought a used refrigeration truck, converted it into a working kitchen, and parked it in different OKC neighborhoods on different days of the week. The operation was technologically savvy for its time — the truck's location and menu were announced via Twitter, customers tracked the truck through the @BigTruckTacos account, and lines started forming as soon as the truck pulled into each day's spot.

The food truck era of Big Truck (2009-2010) coincided with the broader American food-truck cultural moment that was happening in Los Angeles, Austin, Portland, and New York. The Oklahoma City version was substantially smaller than those bigger-city food truck scenes but Big Truck was at the front of OKC's emergence. The trucks built a genuinely loyal customer base of 23rd Street office workers, Uptown OKC residents, and food-curious locals who would drive to wherever the truck was that day.

After 14 months of food-truck operation, Johnson and Mathis opened the permanent 23rd Street location in April 2010. The truck continued to operate concurrently with the brick-and-mortar restaurant for several years before being retired; the original truck is now displayed on the restaurant's patio as a permanent decorative element and is one of OKC's more-photographed restaurant features.

The Big Truck taco menu rotates regularly but the core anchor tacos have been stable for years. The Pickup (slow-cooked carnitas, salsa verde, pickled onions, cilantro, cotija) is the most-ordered taco in the restaurant's history and is the standard first-time-customer recommendation. The Fish Wrangler (beer-battered cod, slaw, chipotle aioli, lime crema) is the second-most-ordered and represents the restaurant's coastal influence.

Other anchor tacos: the Steak Frites (grilled steak, garlic aioli, parmesan, frites), the Drunk Pig (slow-roasted pork shoulder marinated in beer and orange juice, served with mango salsa), the Beachy Bird (grilled chicken, tropical fruit salsa, queso fresco), and the Mr. Potato Head (a vegetarian potato-based taco with chipotle and various sauces). Most tacos are priced $4 to $5; a typical meal of three tacos plus a drink runs $15-$20.

Beyond the tacos, the menu includes loaded nachos, queso (the OKC bar-snack queso tradition is robust here), street corn (elote-style with cotija and chili), guacamole made to order, and a serious breakfast taco program served from open until 11am daily plus all-day on weekends. The breakfast tacos with chorizo, eggs, and queso are the standard OKC weekend brunch alternative for diners who don't want full sit-down fine dining.

The drink program is intentionally simple and matches the casual menu. Margaritas are the signature — the standard frozen lime margarita is large and competently made; the housemade flavored variations (jalapeño, mango, prickly pear) are popular for hot Oklahoma summer afternoons on the patio. Margarita prices run $8-$12 depending on the variation.

Mexican beer is the standard accompaniment — Tecate, Modelo, Pacifico, Negra Modelo, plus a couple of seasonal craft options from Oklahoma City breweries. Beer prices run $4-$7. The bar can execute basic tequila-based cocktails but the program is not designed for serious cocktail culture; visitors expecting craft-cocktail-bar quality should set expectations to casual-restaurant level.

Non-alcoholic options include the standard soft drink lineup, plus housemade horchata (a creamy cinnamon rice-milk drink that's authentically Mexican and well-executed) and an aguas frescas program that rotates seasonal fruit flavors. The horchata is genuinely good and is the standard non-alcoholic recommendation for first-time visitors.

Big Truck is in OKC's Uptown 23rd District — a walkable commercial strip along NW 23rd Street between Western Avenue and Robinson Avenue that has become one of OKC's most lively independent commercial corridors over the past decade. The neighborhood is a 15-minute drive north of downtown Oklahoma City and is the natural pairing for visitors who want a less commercial, more local-feeling OKC afternoon.

Within walking distance of Big Truck Tacos: Cheever's Cafe (the city's top fine-dining brunch restaurant, three blocks east), the Tower Theatre (an independent cinema in a restored 1930s building), multiple independent boutiques (clothing, gifts, vintage, jewelry), Hatch Early Mood Food (popular brunch spot), several smaller restaurants and bars, and the OKC Streetcar that connects Uptown 23rd to downtown.

The natural day-plan that includes Big Truck: lunch at Big Truck (around noon), browse the Uptown 23rd shopping in the afternoon, walk to Cheever's for an early dinner (5pm-6:30pm), then either catch a film at the Tower Theatre or take the streetcar back to downtown for evening activities. The Uptown 23rd corridor is one of OKC's better walkable neighborhoods and rewards exploration.

Big Truck is open daily from 11am to 9pm, including weekends. No reservations are taken; seating is first-come-first-served. Weekday lunches (11am-1pm) are busy with NW 23rd office workers but turn over fast. Weekend lunches (11am-2pm) are busier and can have 10-15 minute waits for outdoor patio seats. Dinner service is calmer than lunch; the 5pm-7pm window is usually walk-in friendly.

Ordering: walk in, line up at the counter, study the menu posted on the wall, order at the register, pay (cash or card), get a numbered table marker, and find a seat. Food is brought to your table when ready. Tipping is welcome but not required (it's counter service); $2-3 per person is appropriate if you tip.

Parking is available in a small lot directly behind the restaurant and in metered street parking on NW 23rd Street (free on Sundays). On busy weekend afternoons the small lot fills and street parking can require a 1-2 block walk. Big Truck is genuinely good for solo diners — the counter-service model and the small dining-room scale work well for one person — and is equally good for groups up to 8 or 10 (book outdoor patio seating in advance for larger groups).