This former launderette is now a popular eatery that has crowds queuing up around the corner. The chefs Rene Ortiz and Laura Sawicki serve up traditional Mediterranean dishes with a spin – we love the mussels with serrano ham and green chilli butter.

Playing on its previous life as a drugstore, this restaurant still has all of its original cabinets, which add to the Fifties flavour of the place. The menu focuses on comfort food, including blueberry pancakes with brown butter.

The question of where to find Austin’s best Mexican food is contentious. But for many, the vibrant flavours of the breakfast tacos, light quesadillas, citrusy fish and spit-grilled meats mean Veracruz wins every time. It’s so well-loved that a bricks-and-mortar branch has now opened in nearby Round Rock. Pretty spectacular considering the trailer began life flogging snow cones.

When the craving for fried chicken calls, locals head to Ms P’s. These silver, bullet-like trailers can be found in a few locations around the city, serving up crunchy, dangerously moreish food. The chicken is prepared using a two-step brining process before being seasoned with 12 different spices and fried in peanut oil.

The menu at this sunny trailer is all about seasonality and local produce – organic meat and fruit from the farms nearby, as well as the bread from local bakeries. Try the sweet toast with ricotta, blackberry jam, peaches and granola, or the steak and potatoes with braised pork belly and poached eggs.

El Primo operates out of a small white truck in a car park. The Mexican chef whips up tacos, burritos, tortas and quesadillas, more authentic and full of flavour than you’ll have had before. Share a table with builders, schoolchildren, hipsters and chefs as you devour smoky tripas (tripe), or chicken and beef-tongue tacos drizzled with homemade green chilli sauce.

Barbecue pilgrims flock to this tiny trailer, which is run by pitmaster Tom Micklethwait. The meat is smoked fresh every day in a small smokehouse a few feet away. Using long, temperature-regulated smoking techniques, Micklethwait has become renowned for its juicy brisket and five types of sausage, served with tangy barbecue sauce.

Bryce Gilmore’s restaurant sits on the site of his original trailer, which had exactly the same name. Odd Duck serves creative, colourful dishes made using local produce. Brunch on the corn scramble with fried soft-shell crab and mango relish, or try the wagyu ribeye with oyster mushrooms and beef-crackling potatoes for dinner.

The options at this laid-back east Austin spot are all delightfully shareable. Take the mussels with sauerkraut, lardons and smoked pork broth or the grilled octopus with caper berries, chilli and mint. Come brunch, there are dishes including hot chicken with dill crème fraiche and banana bread with camomile butter to squabble over.

Unreasonably good-looking kitchen staff whip up a daily changing menu from locally sourced ingredients in this elegant yet casual dining room. They ferment pickles and preserves in house. Dishes including heirloom tomato salad, beef tartare with plantain leaves and smoked beetroot granita are wheeled out on carts in a dim sum-style service.

People once made a living on Craigslist being paid to stand in line for this legendary barbecue joint. The only person who has ever skipped the queue is Barack Obama, who promptly bought lunch for a couple of patrons. Considered the best barbecue on earth, Franklin serves up glistening brisket, pulled pork and succulent ribs. Dolly Parton hits will almost certainly be playing on the speakers.