Taiwanese foods has its own distinct style and flavor that aren't always to find in many restaurants; Song La makes a terrific rendition of it from its food truck (for the next few days, at least) behind the UT Co-Op. The menu isn't huge, but all the mainstays are there: Taiwanese pork chop rice, braised pork rice, fried chicken, and fried chicken bites. Fried foods will always be graded on a curve because...fried food is delicious. But what Song La does well is to ensure that its fried pork chop and chicken are both crispy and aromatic. The crispiness comes from the potato starch--a common breading used in Taiwanese and Japanese cuisine--and the aroma comes from the Fivespice powder mixed into the breading. Both ensure that the meaty interior is nice and juicy. The pork chop bento also comes with two solid servings of vegetables to offset the guilt of the fried entrée, as well as a cube of braised tofu. For the price, it's a great value for a tastymeal. Due to UT's decision to turn the food truck lot into a parking garage, Song La will be relocating to a food truck park down by the river. It's a shame, but it's still worth a visit for those looking for good Taiwanese food. read more

Song La - Taiwanese Fried Chicken - Food Trucks Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Outstanding flavors! Like a dumpling and fried chicken all in one. Some of the juiciest fried chicken I can recall eating! Will definitely return! read more

Song La - Chicken bites. - Food Trucks Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Phenomenal food and an amazing price! All homemade, very generous portions, and tastes fresh! The Taiwanese style fried chicken here is out of this world and the go to for me! Not greasy at all, light, crispy, and fragrant! Shout out to the incredibly kind and friendly owner, she is a gem! read more

Song La - Chicken Bento Box - It's incredible! - Food Trucks Near Me - Austin, Texas

Song La is one of the best food spots my husband and I have found in Austin so far. These chicken bites are phenomenal, I can't even explain it. The seasoning and the fry on them are delicious and not at all overwhelming or oily. The chicken texture is excellent. The sauce is SO good. We saw other people with pork belly dishes that looked equally as great. We will be back many, many times to try the rest of the menu, but would come back for these nuggets alone! read more

Song La - Chicken bites - Food Trucks Near Me - Austin, Texas

We took a campus tour today and tried out this food truck. The bento box came with a good amount of foods including broccoli, cabbage, pickled daikon, tofu, and pork chop. The pork chop is crispy and savory on the outside but with very thin batter, not heavy at all. I really enjoyed the tofu and the veggies. Overall it's balanced meal with really large portion size and friendly price. read more

Song La - Pork chop bento - Food Trucks Near Me - Austin, Texas

I've only visited Austin a couple times now, so I'm obviously not the best source for what's considered "must-try" in the city. With that said, there are a handful of places I've tried and walked away from so impressed that I'll think about their food for months (even years) after I've left; those are the spots I'll look back at fondly while simultaneously looking forward to stopping by again. Song La is officially one of those places because of the immense levels of care, service, and flavor that go into each dish. Before I ordered, I was told by the lady running the truck that it would be a 40 minute wait. Long wait times trigger a sort of fight|flight response in me but I decided that if people were waiting this long for a meal, it had to be good. Plus we were in the Thicket and were just lounging around so I didn't mind waiting. Either way, I'm glad I did because Song La knows how to cook up some delicious chicken bites and pork belly. The fried chicken bites were absolutely perfect - I have nothing else to say. Nothing else really needs to be said other than "you should order the fried chicken bites because they are perfect". If I had to nitpick, I wish they gave me more sauce than the tiny container it came with because the sauce was also perfect. The pork belly bento box was delicious, and the serving size was much bigger than expected. Like the chicken, Song La nailed the pork belly and rice - no notes, nothing to add, get the pork belly too. Everything else in the box (veggies/egg) was tasty enough but not nearly as memorable. To top it all off, the lady running the truck was incredibly pleasant the whole time, even while she was very obviously stacked with orders. It was really impressive to see them push all these orders through consistently while also taking the time to talk with each customer and let them know the status of their orders. Easy recommendation - I now have a new core memory associated with Austin thanks to Song La. read more

Song La - Food Trucks Near Me - Austin, Texas

The food is consistently good! Made fresh. The portions are so generous. Very authentic and what you'd find at a Taiwanese night market. read more

Song La - Food truck - Food Trucks Near Me - Austin, Texas

Hands down one of my favorite food trucks near UT campus. Pre-COVID, the lines were always at least a 20min wait but that's because their food is all made to order. With COVID, they've switched to online pre-ordering which makes things immensely easier and convenient. The lady that works in the truck is also super nice and accommodating: Last time, for example, I decided to order more dishes and placed my online order right at the truck and it was ready within 15 minutes. Now on to the food. My go to is the braised pork rice which comes with my favorite fatty pork belly, an egg, Taiwanese cabbage, pickled daikon, and chili oil. From the top, the amount looks really unassuming, but once you dig in, there's actually so much food that it lasts me at least 2 meals. The cabbage is nice and soft and the pork belly is perfectly cooked. The Taiwanese fried chicken is also really good, with the chicken being very juicy and crispy. It also comes with their longhorn sauce, which can be described as a slightly sweet and creamy sauce, and goes very well with the chicken read more

Song La - Braised pork rice - Food Trucks Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Great food and great service. For only having one person working everything came out so fast. Love the fried chicken. read more

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Yummy food. Food came out fast and service was great too. I would def go back to this place.

Disclaimer: This is not my typical review. Specifically, this review is a complaint about Song La's relationship with Postmates. Postmates shows one set of prices for Song La on its website, allows Song La to charge whatever it wants to the customer, and doesn't allow the customer to accept/reject the new pricing. This is incredibly unethical behavior, which is a shame because the food at Song La is actually pretty good! But it's a terrible customer experience to a) pay more than expected for a given dish and b) have an entire dish missing from the delivery order! Song La: Stop working with Postmates. They reflect poorly on your business. read more

Song La - Food Trucks Near Me - Austin, Texas

Dang we ate too fast to take pictures! But this is definitely some legit Taiwanese street food. We had the fried pork chops which were so good we went back and ordered the fried chicken for late night eating. When we ate the fried chicken later that night I was sad we didn't order even more bc it was so good! Taiwanese fried street food has really distinct seasoning that I'm not sure how to describe so you just need to try it! Food took about 10 minutes to come out on a slow weekday night. I've already posted a review for Thicket park but I'll just summarize by saying it's one of our favorite places to eat with a toddler :) read more

Fresh, authentic, and delicious! Not to mention the portion size. One bento box is enough for two lol

Very tasty and perfectly fried pork chop Taiwanese style. The pickled cabbage was lacking a bit of the sourness but other than that it was very good read more

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Huge portions for the price. Super tasty and flavorful. The popcorn chicken tasted just like the ones I used to get in NYC. Nice to have an authentic Taiwanese spot in Austin. I had two meals with this bento set. I recommend getting the spicy Mayo to have with the chicken. Quick service during lunchtime. It's also located in a nice shaded outdoor food truck park. read more

Song La - Chicken with rice and side dishes - Food Trucks Near Me - Austin, Texas

Authentic and Delicious. I'm Taiwanese and lived in CA Bay Area This place definitely is impressively good and legit. Pork and Chicken bentos and all veggies - you must try! Order is slow so plan (order online) ahead!!! read more

Crazy it took me so long to try this place. It's ran by the sweetest Asian aunt. Food is fantastic, especially the fried tofu. Portions are surprisingly large, especially considering that it's from a food truck. You definitely won't go hungry after a bento. Food isn't crazy heavy or oily so you won't feel gross afterwards. Definitely worth a try read more

We got the pork chop bento and the braised pork belly bento. The meat was good and the rice was fine. I like that vegetables were included, but they were bland. I think they were just steamed plain without dressing or spice. I really dislike the plastic container that each dish came in. These big plastic containers can't be recycled and they are made from fossil fuels. Some restaurants are putting their food in compost-able containers, why can't this one? read more

The trucks in this food truck court are all generally solid and around the same price range, but Song La is the only one that ever has students flocking, and today I found out why. They ran out of braised pork rice before I arrived, so I had the pork chop box ($6) with added cabbage ($1), and it was exceptional for multiple reasons, including: 1. That small box fits more food than you would guess; there's a lot of Asian (and other) places around that also deliver unexpectedly in this way, and like those places, Song La fills half the box with rice, but fortunately the rice isn't dry, and they didn't skimp out on meat or veggies. 2. The meat was flavorful, had good texture, and was portioned well. 3. The cabbage! This was the most important factor in this 5 star review because it was great steamed cabbage that gave veggie balance, something that neither Don ($3 for steamed veggies) nor Pinch (bland veggies) can do well. Without the cabbage, the box would've been fried meat and rice, which resembles a massive snack more than a meal. In conclusion, I'm coming back. read more

Song La - Pork chop box, added cabbage - Food Trucks Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Best Taiwanese food you can find in ATX. Being from Taiwan, it's been a blessing to have found this food truck in Austin. Everything they serve is delicious and the owner is super friendly. Due to their popularity, there can be a wait. My advice would be to order on their website ahead of time. read more

Yaaaaaaaassssssss!!!!!!! Okay, I see you, boo! This is what I'm talkin' 'bout! This is THE BEST food truck in Austin. The amount of food and the variety of food groups (rice for carbs, chicken for protein, cabbage and broccoli for veggies) you get in one bento for the price ($8) is unbeatable! Their food tastes like authentic Taiwanese food (cries glorious tears). The braised egg ($1) was flavorful (it seemed to have marinated for an adequate amount of time); it's a must when you go. I also ordered the Taiwanese kimchi ($1.5), which I felt was a bit too salty and not sweet enough, and the Apple Sidra soda ($1.5). You can't go wrong if you go to this truck!!! Would 100% recommend!!! read more

We're now loyal frequent visitors of the Thicket and I'm sure I'm not making a controversial statement when I say not all food trucks are at the same level... Song La, along with a couple others, is in a different league than the rest of the food trucks. With that in mind, the expectations were different. The chicken bites, with the sushi rice, we're ver impressive. The batter was a welcome surprise and the pickled veggie added another layer of flavor. The pork was great too, although a little more difficult to eat outside with plastic utensils, in a plastic box. The reason for the four stars was that the spicy sauces weren't very spicy at all. I was expecting a good slap in the face or a another layer of flavor to each bite but they were nice, quiet contributors to the presentation but not as memorable as the other components. Either way, I definitely recommend them because I'm sure many of you probably welcome the lack of heat. read more

$11 for the FAMOUS braised pork rice. So much flavor. The lady working was so friendly and accommodating to make my order ahead of when I scheduled it. Would highly recommend but make sure to ORDER AHEAD! read more

Song La - Food Trucks Near Me - Austin, Texas

Amazing food and service! I ordered the bento box with chicken bites and it was absolutely delicious! I normally don't like steamed veggies but these were cooked perfectly and were delicious that I devoured them within minutes. The tofu was a tad bit on the oily side. The chicken bites were super tender and the seasoning they sprinkle on top was amazing! It definitely made it the best chicken bites I've ever had. They give you a fairly large portion size for the amount you pay. It was about 2 meals for me. Definitely worth it!! The other menu items looked very appetizing and I'll definitely be back to try the tofu fries and the pork braised rice sometime soon! If you're in the west campus area, I definitely recommend you stop by and try this place! read more

Song La - Bento box - Food Trucks Near Me - Austin, Texas

The food here is freakin DELICIOUS! I had leftover could not finish it all! You have to order and pay online and it could take a while for the food. I waited 30 min for the food to be ready but it was worth it! The only reason for 4 stars for having to order online and the wait. read more

Looking to get Taiwanese food? Come here. Tired of eating Don? Go here. Want to get a filling meal for a decent price? Definitely go here! I love Song La because the food is very close to what you would get abroad. The food is absolutely scrumptious! I had the braised pork and rice. Definitely reminds me of what my mom would make at home! Juicy salty melt in your mouth pork with some nice cabbage. The pickled yellow roots are delicious as well. I also got the mango boba and it was "adequate" but I would recommend sticking with the food. There are some other places to get boba such as Coco's or the other boba place next to it. 10/10 would recommend the food! Will definitely be back to eat the rest of the menu :D (whenever Don is closed) read more

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Can't go wrong! It's like eating food someone's mom cooked you. Their food is so authentic and perfect. Shirley is always so nice and friendly. Can't recommend this place anymore. read more

My favorite food truck in Austin. I've had nearly everything on the menu and all of it is tasty, high quality, and authentic. The chicken bites are perfect and I want to eat them forever and ever. They have an excellent website where you can place an order in advance so stop reading this and check it out. read more

The chicken bites are great and an excellent departure from the southern style fried chicken most of us out here are used to. Additionally the braised belly rice is a huge serving of warming savory comfort. It's always tough to pick which truck to eat from at Thicket but you will never be wrong if you pick Song La. read more

Song La - Braid belly rice and chicken bites. - Food Trucks Near Me - Austin, Texas

My favorite place for Taiwanese eats around campus! The employees are friendly, they remember me after going for a while. Would recommend ordering online ahead of time if possible, since they can get busy during the lunch hour. Good portions (can often save leftovers) and super tasty! My favorite dish is the chicken bites bento, which comes with chicken bites, broccoli, cabbage, tofu, rice, and daikon. read more

Song La - Chicken bites bento - Food Trucks Near Me - Austin, Texas

Ordered the pork chop box and added a braised egg- very delicious! The batter on the pork had a sweetness to it and it almost melts in your mouth. Definitely worth the wait! The lady was super friendly, too. read more

First things first, the food is delicious. I love their pork belly buns and the braised pork and rice. I'm a huge fan of fatty pork belly so I loved it. I've tried their fried tofu and also enjoyed it. I definitely think it's authentic (I'm Taiwanese). However, I don't really understand why it took so long to get our order. We went at a less busy time and there was no line. The food isn't made to order. For example, you would cook rice in big batches rather than making one bowl at a time in a rice cooker. The same idea goes with the braised pork and egg. The definition of braised is that it is stewed and cooked over a period of time. With this in mind, assembling the food should've been quick since the elements were already made. All they needed to do was cook the cabbage and add the pickled radish which doesn't take 20+ mins... especially at an unbusy time. read more

Song La - Food Trucks Near Me - Austin, Texas

Solid representation of Taiwanese lu rou fan. Huge portions and great pork belly taste. $14 and good for a meal and a half. New addition to Thicket Food Park after moving from campus, and one of my new go-to if I'm craving Taiwanese flavors. read more

Some of the best Asian food I've had in Austin. Authentic Taiwanese street food from a food truck behind the Co-op. I ordered the chicken bites bento box and asked for an extra savory egg (marinated and hard boiled). Chicken bites bento comes with about 10 large fried chicken nuggets, dusted with a flavorful (but not spicy) spice/seasoning. Sautéed zucchini, boiled cabbage, fried tofu, and pickled diakon come on the side. If you like eggs, do ask for a savory egg to be added for $.50. I eat a lot of Asian food, and this is some of the best. Everything was delicious and SO flavorful while being really simple. No flashy presentation or insane mix of 50 ingredients, just really good food. The garnishes just add to the experience - try the flash-fried Basil and complex, orange sauce for sure. If you don't want to wait for your food to be prepared, you can call or text them ahead of time. I'll definitely be back! read more

My favorite place to eat in West Campus! This food truck is REALLY GOOD and the place to go if you wanna get authentic Taiwanese food. If you've never tried braised pork rice before you should definitely give it a try at Song La. I've been trying to convince everyone to try it and they've all liked it so far :) They also give you a lot of food and is flexible if you want to substitute your sides from the bento. This is good for people that are not familiar with some asian dishes. They do run out of food fast though so order early or you can give them a call to place an order. read more

I spent a semester abroad in Singapore and went to a Taiwanese chicken place on-campus every week... the seasoning they use here is almost identical to the one they had over there. I can never quite put my finger on what the mix is, but it's definitely a mix that heavily focuses on salty and medium on the savory side. It's good. It's Taiwanese chicken and it's dope as hell. I've also been to two different night markets in Taipei that same semester and well.. yeah this place is pretty authentic, if you care about that sort of stuff. In addition, the tofu fries are quite good too. I made my order to go both times I've been here, and each time I open the tofu fries they're a bit soggy from the steam trapped in the foil. Now I know it's not their fault for putting the foil on to keep it hot, but I wonder if the fries are actually supposed to be nice and firm to dip in the sauce. They give you toothpicks to eat this with and what I usually do is skewer the tofu bites the long way and dip the sauce in that manner. The sauce by the way is HEAVENLY. It has some sriracha chipotle mayo themes in it and again, I can't quite pin the exact recipe, but it's a nice balance of sweet, sour, and savory. I've gotten both the chicken and tofu bites both times I was here and the total comes out to I think $10. My main complaint is that that's a bit pricey, though specifically I mean the chicken, which is around $6. The portioning size is about right for a food truck though, and despite what I just said, I'd still come back to spend the same amount of money for the exact same order. Also, owners are quite nice and make the effort to bring the food out to you. ...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand one more thing. I would not recommend the bubble tea. It's cheap yes, and the quantity is there....but it honestly just wasn't that good :\ Even so, 8/10, would definitely come back again and tell a friend. read more

Song La - Tofu fries and chicken bites - Food Trucks Near Me - Austin, Texas

I've wanted to try this place out since freshman year and I finally did. I got the chicken bites bento box which came with rice, boiled broccoli and cabbage, pickled radish slices, and tofu. The portion size was huge! It lasted me 2 meals. I liked how the broccoli was seasoned and not just plain, bland, and flavorless. I appreciated that there were a lot of vegetables. I would have preferred the chicken bites themselves to be a bit saltier/more seasoned but I think I like my food on the saltier side. I don't usually like pickled radish but it lent flavor to the chicken. I wasn't a big fan of the tofu but I don't normally really like it anyway. I also got the much raved about tofu fries but found them kind of disappointing. I like crispy things and the tofu fries were a little too soft for my taste. The seasoning sprinkled on top was kind of bitter? in a way. I liked the spicy mayo sauce that came with it and dipped my chicken in it as well. I can see why the tofu fries would appeal to some but it wasn't my cup of tea. The portion size for this was also huge; it was definitely not "snack size" and could easily be shared between 2 or even 3 ppl. Overall, good quality food and generous portions but maybe not suited to my preferences. read more

Song La - Tofu fries - Food Trucks Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Best Taiwanese food in town. Definitely recommend! Very delicious food! Try the braised pork rice!!

So I used to come here for the pork belly rice bowl, but ever since they got that new menu item for only $5 (not sure what it's called but it's like some sort of Vietnamese popcorn chicken thing from the gods), I can't stop coming here. The jasmine rice is always perfect as well as the chicken, which is fried just right and marinated so that it's super juicy and flavorful when you bite into it. They make it super fresh though, so try not to burn yourself when doing this (I did a few times because I couldn't wait). I bought that item once every day for like a week during finals ngl. In addition, the owners and workers are super nice, which is always a huge plus! So if you like amazing food at a really cheap price and you're close to UT, I strongly recommend coming here for a quick bite. You won't regret it! read more

Song La brings hope to the UT campus in terms of Asian food, along with the other current and former food truck asian places nearby. But forget even just campus, it makes pretty good taiwanese food in general. Pro tip: call and order ahead. They make everything fresh, so wait can be a while especially during lunch hour. You can just stroll up and grab your food then :). My go to is the pork braised rice - a homey braise of pork belly marinated in soy and spices with some pickled veg and rice. It's a lot of food for a great price. When that's sold out (as it happens frequently if you go later in the day), I like the pork chop bento. It's a five spice powdered flavored pork chop that's deep fried. It's crisp, juicy and hits those happy notes in your palate that involuntarily force you to smile. The rice box is just rice and a single slice of daikon with some longhorn sauce (a spicy mayo) but there's a lot of rice in there, so if you aren't really wanting vegetables, this thing should make you full and your wallet still full too. I wish the dinner hours were longer, but Song La's food is comforting and satisfying in the ways that Asian comfort food should be. read more