The 10 Best Cities Visited In The Great Food Truck Race

Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race looks to get back on track with Season 14. With the three episodes of the competitive cooking show underway, the show marks a return to sunny California where seven winning teams from the past come back to compete in an All-Star edition to determine the Ultimate Food Truck Champion. As always, the grand prize is $50,000.

The seven returning teams in Season 14 include Aloha Plate, The Lime Truck, The Middle Feast, Mystikka Masala, NOLA Creations, Seoul Sausage, and Waffle Love. While this season is limited to the Bay Area, in the past the show has visited some of the best cities America has to offer.

10 Atlanta

As one of the finest American cities, Atlanta, Georgia hosted the competitive week 6 of The Great Food Truck Race 2. The trucks arrived at the iconic Centennial Olympic Park where they were given seed money and allowed to tour the city in search of famished customers.

Second-pace finishers Hodge Podge found success after setting up shop at the famous Atlantic Station Mall, while a speed bump challenge forced each team leader to leave their post and visit the famed High Museum of Art. Of course, local Georgia peaches were used in many of the cooking challenges.

9 Austin

Known for its outstanding Texas barbecue, the booming capital city of Austin hosted the show during the third week of Season 5. However, much of the time was spent at the annual gelato festival, where “Dinner Dates” Let There Be Bacon and Middle Feast found the most success selling their cuisine.

However, the biggest hurdles came during the Speed Bump challenge that required the teams to engage in a match.com dating event, as well as the Roadblock challenge that forced teams to swap trucks and cook another competitor’s menu.

8 Chicago

As a Top 10 U.S. destination, Chicago, Illinois served as the host city for The Great Food Truck Race 4. In week six of the competition, the competitors were given a Truck Stop challenge that forced them to cook deep dish pizzas that were judged by Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel.

Adding to the regional cooking challenges, the chefs had to add Chicago-style Polish sausages to their menu in their second Truck Stop challenge. The final kicker came when the cooks got to meet Chicago Bears football legend Mike Ditka at his iconic restaurant, where the losing team had to spend five hours washing dishes.

7 Las Vegas

Described as America’s adult playground, it’s a surprise that any of the trucks were able to avoid the bad parts of Las Vegas during Seasons 2, 9, and 12. While Sin City was the starting point in Season 2, Vegas was explored more as the series progressed.

In Season 9 Episode 2, seven food trucks rolled into Las Vegas and were given a high-roller shrimp challenge where they were forced to sell their unique dishes on downtown Freemont Street, where the Mobile Moo Shu truck won a prime parking spot on the Vegas Strip. In Season 12 week 4, the elegance was increased when the trucks got to cook for The Venetian Resort Hotel head chef Olivier Dubreuil.

6 Los Angeles

The greater Los Angeles area extends to such iconic cities as Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Venice, and more, most of which were visited at least once on The Great Food Truck Race. While L.A. usually marks the starting line, some of the region’s most iconic landmarks have been explored.

Examples include The Hollywood Sign, Six Flags theme park, the Venice Beach Boardwalk, the Santa Monica Pier, Ocean Avenue, Palisades Park, and more.

5 Miami

Several tropical beach cities have been visited throughout Florida on the show, including the beloved Season 10 “Summer Beach Battle” that included stops in Daytona Beach, Tampa, Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale, and Key West.

While Key West is right up there, Miami is the best Florida city visited on the show. In addition to the gorgeous white sands of South Beach, the Cuban-inspired cuisine that the competition revolved around challenged the chefs to up their game and go out of their comfort zone.

4 Nashville

While many great cities in the American south have been toured on the show (Memphis and Fayetteville), few top the culinary hotspot of Nashville, Tennessee. Known for its brand of Nashville Hot Chicken, the music city capital played host during Season 8 Week 4 of the series.

While visiting the Grand Ole Opry and other famous regional landmarks, the chefs were tasked with creating their own unique Hot Chicken recipe, a challenge that was won by Texas team Mr. Po’ Boys.

3 New Orleans

Home of such delectable Cajun and Creole-inspired dishes as gumbo, jambalaya, catfish etouffee, beignets, and more, New Orleans is a top-three food destination in America.

The boozy party town and home of Mardi Gras played host to The Great Food Truck Race 1 Week 4. The chefs were allowed to serve The Big Easy patrons after hours during the city’s bustling nightlife. Later, they were sent to the docks to create their own catfish dishes, where the losing team had to filet 700 pounds of catfish before returning to the road. New Orleans also hosted the premiere of Season 8.

2 New York

As one of the most culturally diverse cities on the planet, New York is easily one of the best American destinations visited on The Great Food Truck Race. As the final destination in Season 1, the food trucks got to tour all five boroughs, including Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island.

With every culinary expression under the sun, the finale included a Truck Stop challenge at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, where Vietnamese-inspired team Nom Nom Truck took home the gold.

1 San Francisco

Known for its fresh, high-quality seafood plucked from the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, The Golden Gate City is one of the best cities in the world, much less America. The city was briefly visited in Season 4 Week 1 when the food trucks got to set up shop at the iconic SOMA StrEAT Food Park.

Returning to the city for the first time since Season 4, the current Season began in San Francisco, where seven return winners will tour the Bay Area to determine the ultimate grand champion. Nearby locales such as Napa Valley, Redwood Forest, and Ocean Beach are on the itinerary this season.