By Jasmine Gill
Imagine sitting outdoors eating delicious Texas BBQ, zinging your taste buds with exotic Thai spices, or having mimosas for brunch with your friends — all in one place. Sounds like heaven, right? Luckily, you can find this hidden gem right here in College Station at the Wayside Food Park.
Inspiration for the food park came to Derek Barre, owner of the DBQ Barbeque food truck and co-owner of Wayside Food Park. “I opened DBQ five-and-a-half years ago here in town,” says Barre. “I really wanted to be in one spot and provide seating but the city’s code did not allow for that. It was a learning process for me and the city as well. Now [Wayside Food Park] is the first of its kind in College Station.”
Wayside Food Park opened in the Northgate Bar District in December 2017. It has multiple food truck options including Time For Thai, The Beef and Reef, Tea Bar, Sticks N’ Pops, DBQ Barbeque, Bacon Gate, Food Fight, and Fire Truck Crepes.
The park also has a bar, where you can find $3 beers and $6 half bottles of wine. On the weekends, you can find a mimosa bar during brunch hours. Coffee is also served.
“This is one of the nicer food truck parks I’ve been to,” says Barre. “Most are deserted lots where people put a truck and call it a day.”
The Wayside Food Park is about a half-acre lot. Around 75 percent of the lot is covered by an open-air pavilion, according to Barre. The pavilion is surrounded by a horseshoe of assorted food trucks and a bar area. There is seating for about 150 people, indoor restrooms, TVs, and free Wi-Fi. More than just a food park, the space provides the full outdoor experience.
“It’s basically an open space to come out and enjoy,” Barre says. “People can leave their stuff on the tables and play lawn games. We have corn hole, yard dice, giant jenga, tic-tac-toe, and a giant Connect 4. We are pet friendly; lots of people bring their dogs out. Overall, it’s a nice outdoor experience. It’s shaded and never gets terribly hot. We have heaters during the winter. We try to get as much live music as we can. You can study out here for a few hours or you can bring a group and just enjoy. The experience is what you make it.”
The park opens at 11am and stays open all day until 8:30pm Monday through Thursday, according to Barre. Since each food truck is independently owned and operated, each truck has their own hours, however 11am to 2pm and 6am to 8pm are the prime times to find most. On Sundays, it is open from 11am to 3pm. On Fridays and Saturdays, they are open from 11am to 3am. In order to see if a specific truck is open at the park, the best place to check is each food truck’s social media pages.
Free parking is available on Northgate during lunch hours of 11am to 2pm. Free street parking is available the rest of the day. The park is also available for events. You can reserve the whole park or reserve an area for seating. There is also still space available for more food truck vendors. For more information on the food park, visit www.waysidefoodpark.com.
