The Most Popular Food Vans in the UK, Revealed
26/06/2024 09:14 Share
The Most Popular Food Vans in the UK, Revealed
From Indian street food and Pan-Asian delicacies to traditional fish and chip shops, the UK is a nation of food lovers that wholeheartedly embrace every cuisine.
And with everyone looking to make the most of their summer, more Brits are certain to be looking to eat al fresco while out and about in the sun. That’s where food vans come into the picture, offering a quick bite to eat without the hassle of booking a table or sitting indoors.
But where should you head for your tasty lunch-on-the-go? And how can you tell your bog-standard burger van from an artisan street food vendor?
To help point hungry customers in the right direction, we have conducted research on social media to reveal the UK’s most popular food vans that every foodie needs to visit.
Continue reading, below, to find out more.
Our methodology
Before we get into the actual food vans themselves, we just wanted to provide a quick explanation of our culinary calculations.
First of all, we collated a list of all the foods vans in the UK that have either won or been a runner-up in the British Street Food Awards over the last five years. We then recorded how many followers each nominee had on Instagram and Facebook, telling us exactly which of these illustrious food vans you love the most on social media.
After all, looking longingly at well-photographed dishes is as close as we can get to trying before buying!
So, without any further preamble, let’s get into the results.
Which food vans are most popular on Instagram?
Whether it’s recipes from Gordon Ramsay himself or pictures of your friend’s recent restaurant outing, scrolling through Instagram is a sure-fire way to get your hunger pangs going.
And, with over 21,000 followers, Wanderers Kneaded in Edinburgh is at the top of the list. This mouth-watering pizzeria has become a firm fixture of Meadow Place in recent years, delighting both followers and customers with its array of amazing wood fire pizzas.
Next on the list is Flying Cows in Coventry, a specialist burger van with over 19,000 followers on Instagram. Generously topped burgers and skin-on fries are the orders of the day here, with pictures that are just begging to be sampled in real life.
We then head to Manchester to round out our top three most Instagrammable food vans, with Unagi’s selection of sushi making an impression on social media. This Pan-Asian specialist has racked up over 17,000 followers on Instagram with its amazing sushi menu.
To see the other Instagrammable food vans in the top 10, take a look at the table, below.
|
Rank |
Name |
City |
Instagram Followers |
|
1 |
Wanderers Kneaded |
Edinburgh |
20,100 |
|
2 |
Flying Cows |
Coventry |
19,400 |
|
3 |
Unagi |
Manchester |
17,500 |
|
4 |
Pizza Leonati |
Eastbourne |
12,000 |
|
5 |
Bao Bros 23 |
Huddersfield |
10,600 |
|
6 |
LJ Hugs |
Bath |
10,100 |
|
7 |
Fire and Flank |
Cardiff |
10,100 |
|
8 |
Homeboys |
Nottingham |
9,800 |
|
9 |
Bao Selecta |
Cardiff |
8,300 |
|
10 |
Oi Dumplings |
Huddersfield |
7,600 |
Which food vans are most popular on Facebook?
Instagram isn’t the only social media platform where people spend time pining after delicious dishes – Facebook is also a treasure trove of photogenic food, just waiting to be claimed!
In terms of food vans, it’s Big Bula in Leicester that takes the top spot. This Polish street food vendor has amassed over 14,000 likes on Facebook with eye-popping pictures of huge pittas, tortilla wraps, and hot dogs.
The places on the podium are then filled out with two Cardiff food vans, Jol’s Food Truck and Janet’s Authentic Northern Chinese, who boast over 9,800 and 9,700 Facebook likes, respectively.
To find out which other food vans are popular on Facebook, see our top 10 table, below.
|
Rank |
Name |
City |
|
|
1 |
Big Bula |
Leicester |
14,000 |
|
2 |
Jol’s Food Truck |
Cardiff |
9,800 |
|
3 |
Janet’s Authentic Northern Chinese |
Cardiff |
9,700 |
|
4 |
Homeboys |
Nottingham |
5,600 |
|
5 |
Flying Cows |
Coventry |
5,000 |
|
6 |
Smoking Lobster |
Cardiff |
3,800 |
|
7 |
The Bournville Waffle Company |
Sheffield |
3,100 |
|
8 |
Oi Dumplings |
Norwich |
3,100 |
|
9 |
LJ Hugs |
Bath |
2,600 |
|
10 |
The Bearded Taco |
Birmingham |
2,500 |
If you feel inspired to start your own food van business and get in on the social media hype, take the first step on your journey with Vansdirect. We offer a wide range of affordable new van lease deals from the most prestigious manufacturers on the market.
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