Over the past few years, I feel as if the food truck concept has been romanticized. Social media, movies, and news organizations hail them as quirky mini restaurants on wheels with delicious and creative food. Brightly colored food trucks with social media handles plastered on them have become commonplace on our nation’s streets.

With the success of food trucks, it didn’t take long for event organizers to ask a question: What is better than a food truck? Easy! How about a couple dozen food trucks?! Thus, the birth of food truck festivals.

The second annual Myrtle Beach Food Truck Festival was held this past weekend. The backdrop for the fest was the ocean (this is not my photo).

This past weekend, the second annual Myrtle Beach Food Truck Festival took place. As someone who has found himself swept up in the hype of food trucks I described above, it didn’t take much convincing when Sidney asked me if I wanted to go. So, on Saturday, our little family, plus my in-laws, ventured to downtown Myrtle Beach. Hearing about large crowds and a food shortage that plagued last year’s event, we made sure to show up right when the festival opened at 11 a.m.

Sid and Sloan at the second annual Myrtle Beach Food Truck Festival.

Because we showed up right when it started, we had an unobstructed path to browse the 30 (yes, THIRTY) food trucks that had parked on the site of the old pavilion, right next to the boardwalk. The selection covered all genres from sandwiches to burgers to burritos to pastas to fried foods to noodles to desserts to anything else you could imagine. Alcoholic beverages were available, a band was playing, and kid activities were offered. It was a neat setup.

I enjoyed BBQ chicken macaroni and cheese from the Downtown Curbside Kithcen.

Here is what we ended up deciding on:
Me: BBQ chicken macaroni and cheese from Downtown Curbside Kitchen (based in Charleston)
Sid: Buffalo chicken flatbread pizza from Charleston Flats
Brenda (mother-in-law): Classic grilled cheese sandwich from EZ Cheezy
Mr. Sid (father-in-law): Sausage dog
Sloan: Bucket of Fries
Shareables: Funnel cake and deep fried Oreos

This is the food truck I got my mac and cheese from, Downtown Curbside Kitchen.

As I put together a plan for my food festival experience, I envisioned splurging and purchasing at least two different entrees. However, the mac and cheese dish I got came with homemade chips and a mini Moon Pie, draining my enthusiasm (and stomach space) to buy something else. I still ate half of Sidney’s pizza and a good portion of Sloan’s fries though.

Sidney’s buffalo chicken pizza from Charleston Flats.

Our desserts, fried batter at its finest, also made me think twice about visiting a second food truck. It was for the best. I got to sit comfortably with my girls and in-laws as we chowed down and sipped adult beverages while enjoying the band.

These deep fried Oreos were on point.

For the most part, the food was good. Not exceptional cuisine by any means, but it did hit the spot. As I alluded to above, pop culture attributes food trucks to offering mouth-watering and unique food. I would say that once you take off the rose-colored glasses, the “unique” part of the description is usually more true than the “mouth-watering” part.

This is the E.Z. Cheezey Grilled Cheese food truck that Brenda got her sandwich from.

We had a good time at the Myrtle Beach Food Truck Festival and would go back again. I think arriving early was a key to our enjoyment and I can imagine we will be early birds again in 2019. Don’t Blink.