Song La

After trying the braised pork rice today, I knew I had to write a review pronto. My roommate owed me a meal, so we went during the hottest time of the day in «feels like 108» weather for a late lunch. It was worth it. The braised pork meal here is genuinely one of the best Chinese/​Taiwanese street foods that I’ve had, and that’s including the various similar options in Houston’s expansive Chinatown. For $ 7, you get a layer of rice, a boiled tea egg, a layer of stir-​fried cabbage, AND some of the most homey braised pork you’ll ever eat. The sauce from the pork drenches the rice immediately, so you’re going to want to eat it ASAP for the best experience. I genuinely want to go back tomorrow for another one.
You know, I thought Don (now located in the same trailer park) gave you a lot of bang for your buck, but I was somehow able to make a snack out of the leftovers from Song La. Maybe it’s because we shared an order of tofu fries beforehand, which are also delicious and a must if you are a fan of tofu, or maybe the serving size is just that insane. I had been to the trailer once a few months ago actually. I tried the fried chicken bento box last time around and wasn’t very impressed. The vegetables served in the «lunch box» weren’t great, and while the fried chicken nuggets were good, they really didn’t stand out too much from those at other places.
Lastly, the owners of the truck are apparently very friendly. They know my roommate on a first name basis since he goes so often, and he says they always give him free drinks. If you’re going with a friend, I would easily suggest ordering what we had today: two braised pork rice meals and an order of tofu fries to share. Unless you don’t eat pork, there’s really no competition between what you should be ordering here in my mind. If you’re a college student and are thinking about going to Coco’s or Tap House to order anything similar to what they have at Song La, I strongly insist that you reconsider. One thing though — if you’re coming during peak lunch hours, expect a good wait.

Me and my husband went there yesterday for authentic Taiwanese food. Food was GREAT. Owner was very friendly. We both thought the food was perfect. Reminds me of my home country Taiwan. We will be back to eat more, soon!

Oh how I love this place! I also wish everyone else didn’t love it so much as well, since the wait for food can get horrendous.
The food truck is located behind the University Co-​Op and super convenient for lunch for UT students and employees. I’ve gone for lunch at different times with wait times ranging from 7 minutes to 40. Everything is made fresh to order, so avoiding the peak 12−2pm timeframe will reduce your wait.
The bento box is a great deal. I’ve gotten both the chicken and the pork bento boxes before and love them both equally. Both are fried bits of meat on top of a bed of rice served with fried tofu and veggies on the side. The veggies I’ve gotten have been steamed broccoli, cabbage and pickled beets. I really really like those pickled beets. Both meats have been equally delicious, tender and well seasoned. Once, they gave me a little container of these fried red pepper flakes in oil that were absolutely amazing as well. I absolutely love the food here!

I am glad there is finally an authentic Taiwanese food truck.
As a native Taiwanese, I love this place. Feel like home whenever I eat their homemade meals.
–bento box is great. Price is reasonable $ 8. Very good portion. Fried chicken is very tasty.
The bubble tea is a-​okay. Very diluted. Flavor is not as strong. Bubbles were okay too.
Suggestions:
–more selections would be nice.
–longer hours would be a big plus.

After trying the chicken bites once, I knew I had to come back. If you get the chicken bites alone, you’ll revel at the quantity it comes with, and not to sacrifice quality at all, because these bites are delicious. The Song La sauce is a powdery sprinkle that’s surprising mild – not overly salty. It gives the overall bites a sweet charm, and it’s perfect with a bowl of steaming rice. I’ve also gotten the bento box with the chicken bites. The quantity of bites is less here, but it comes with marinated fried tofu (wonderfully mild also), boiled broccoli, boiled cabbage, and a few bites of yellow pickled radish.
The downside of good food is that their popularity is sometimes the only disadvantage. The wait can be quiet long, but the service is always friendly. I’ve been twice before they closed when they ran out chicken bites! If you plan on coming for dinner and want chicken bites, I suggest you coming at or before 6PM.

For Taiwainese street food, this is pretty decent. I’m not sure if its authentic personally since I don’t know what «authentic» Taiwanese street food is like, but I’ve heard that this is as close as it gets. I’ve had the ground pork rice bowl and it was really good. The meat is a little fattier than I would prefer, but it was tasty.
I’ve also tried the bento box with the chicken nuggets and that was delicious. Unhealthy, but super delicious. Boba is okay, would not recommend, but that’s because they cannot possibly provide fresh boba while keeping it cost effective, so don’t count that against them! Liked the green tea ice cream – it’s not that sweet, which is more authentic to the Asian style.
The guy who takes your orders is super nice and always friendly and will even bring your to-​go order to you if you’re standing far away. So for a food truck, excellent service!

Been waiting to try this place and finally got too! Fortunately for me the day I went chicken was their bento box entrée, so I went all out and got that AND tofu fries. All in all very satisfied. The nuggets are juicy and really flavorful. The tofu fries go great with whatever sauce it comes with. Veggies are not too salty or soggy, also cooked very well. Not much else to say! Looking forward to trying the pork belly buns. Happy with this place and will go here for authentic Taiwanese food!

Song la fulfills my ultimate braised pork over rice craving. In fact, I didn’t even realize I had these cravings until I started coming here. I once tried to satiate these cravings by going to cocos but it just didn’t work out. There is something special about the way Song La’s fatty braised pork juice covers the rice that makes it particularly satisfying. On a nice spring/​summer/​fall/​winter day (we’re in Texas what are seasons anyway), do yourself a favor and saunter into this collegiate food truck park. Grab a seat and mingle with the freshmen. Grab some legit Taiwanese food and just enjoy living life and feeling young and eating fatty delicious carby goodness.
(I’m not a huge fan of their milk tea though, just a disclaimer. It’s too sweet, not enough tea, and not enough creaminess. I usually walk over to KFT during the wait. But the tofu fries and chicken is great! And you can’t go wrong with the bento box!)

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.

After a trip to Taiwan the past summer, I was worried that there wouldn’t be any place in Austin that could provide me with the same great food that I had in Taipei. Thankfully, Song La has proved my worries wrong. After sampling almost everything on their menu, I can quite gladly say they deliver some delicious, quality Taiwanese food!
I’ve tried their bento box (便當飯), fried chicken nuggets (鹽酥雞), minced pork over rice (鲁肉饭), and fried tofu (炸豆腐). They’re all quite tasty, and I would recommend anyone going for their first time to try the bento box (便當飯) for a ‘diversified’ meal (the entrée comes with rice, veggies, and an egg or tofu). The last thing on their menu I have yet to try is their pork belly bun (刈包), and I look forward to trying that on my next visit.

These guys are really nice and make some tasty food.
Their braised pork rice is a must have. It comes with a generous portion of melt in your mouth chopped up marinated pork belly, braised and served over rice with cabbage and a hard boiled egg. The egg was really hard boiled. I would ask for it soft boiled next time. Don’t skip out on their chili oil.
Tasty food at a good price seems harder and harder to find in this town. Song La does it well.

Finally got to try this place! The first time I was too impatient to wait for the food, the second time it was closed, and I guess the third time’s a charm! Anyways, it was a very cold day and I mustered up the courage to walk over and order a bento box for lunch. I ordered the chicken bites bento and sat there and waited for about 20 minutes. Once my name was called I literally ran back to the office and started eating. The chicken was perfection. Perfectly seasoned and fried. I have to compare this to Coco’s Popcorn Chicken sans the jalapeño and onions that Coco’s comes with. One of the sides in my bento box was sautéed mushrooms and onions (or at least I think it was) and it was really good too and then there was a tofu side which you know, tasted like tofu. If you’re around the UT area and don’t mind a wait, I highly recommend this place… it’s also very affordable!

Nothing short of amazing. Delicious authentic Taiwanese food, inexpensive, fantastic service, what more could you ask for? Hands down this is the best Taiwanese food I’ve had in Austin. The braised pork over rice was flavored properly, tender and well portioned. The chicken bites were some of the best I ever had and they give you a lot of it. Our food was cooked to order and came out piping hot. The lady who I’m assuming was the owner was very friendly and went above and beyond as far as service goes. I only wish this place was in a more convenient spot. I’d eat here all the time if it weren’t for UT traffic and paid parking. Other than that highly highly recommended across the board.

Well-​deserving of a 5-​star rating
Extremely friendly owners, huge portions, authentic Taiwanese food. We waited just under 20 minutes and there wasn’t a line before us, but the food is worth waiting for.
We ordered:
pork braised rice — so good, lasted me 2 meals. this came with pickled radishes, cabbage and a hard boiled egg
boba tea — i really liked this. it had a strong tea flavor and i asked them not to make it too sweet, and it came out perfect.
chicken bite bento box — the spices on the chicken are really good and it’s not oily or greasy at all. came with two sides (today was cabbage and broccoli), pickled radishes, and an egg
Probably one of the best food trucks I’ve tried in Austin — i’m ready to go back already!

BOMB food at Song La. Authentic Taiwanese food at its best! I felt like I was transported to Taiwan! Came here on a Friday night, around 6pm. sadly a few items were already sold out! Will have to come back earlier next time to try the other goodies.
The chicken bites are delicious! Lightly breaded & fried to golden perfection. Juicy & flavourful chicken! You get a good amount for $ 6. The fried tofu, also delicious! They are made & seasoned the same way as the chicken. The bento box (changes daily) was the chicken bites (yes we technically ordered 2 chicken bites) were so good! Comes with a side of cabbage, radish, veggies and rice. The perfect take out meal.
The wait was a little longer than expected for a food truck, but it was well worth the wait. Everything is made fresh here! Love it!

Dear Song La,
Errol M made you sound so delightful, and myself being Taiwanese and loving the food so much, set out on a quest to ensure my stomach and mouth could have a taste of your deliciousness.
Here is a list of things that I really really love:
1. Ordering 1 of everything on your menu and being taken seriously and with a smile!
2. Your bento box of food is deceptively full and FILLING. I had to take my braised pork rice dish home for dinner, but it wasn’t a sad feeling, but more of hope and excitement of my next meal to come.
3. Chef Shirley hand delivered the tofu fries and sauce to our sweet group, fresh and out the frier. When she said «Careful, theyre hot!» She wasn’t joking!
4. Your bear greeting us with holiday cheer is just too adorable.
5. I notice this is where all the cool UT kids come eat, so I now also feel cool and in my prime.
6. Thank you for letting me speak Chinese with you all.
7. Your selection of sodas is amazing, but I still have to go with the tapioca!
8. No need to worry about cash only, they have a square reader to bring us to the 21^st century of today’s cool methods of payment!
Cons:
1. The line, the wait, the torture! If I were hungry, and because I came right before lunch, there was only 1 person ahead of us. Camping out like it were Black Friday! Once we ordered, so many other people came in and placed their order, they’re popular and even run out of food towards the end of the day. Be warned, order fast, and savor the taste!
Overall, so pleased I had the chance to try them out. Now let me roll myself home from all the cheap and huge portion sized food I’ve devoured.

Man, what a solid truck. I’ve been here three times and each time, I walked away very full and slightly guilty conscienced, but very, very, happy.
First time, I tried the pork over rice dish and I was hooked! Very generous serving. Could probably have for two meals, but I’m very bad at leaving left overs. Very flavorful, juicy meat. You can tell it was cooked with quality meat and with love. Lots of Bok Choy on the side, which is GREAT because it really does help me feel less guilty. And it’s rare to find a dish with enough veggies these days! I feel like you always gotta pick one or the other, BUT I WANT BOTH and this place gives it to ya! Egg is delicious and even their pickled radish is delicious! Obviously, I ate everything.
Second time, I went for a «snack» and ordered the pork belly buns… While it may seem a little pricey at first for 2 buns… Once you see the thickness of the pork belly on your buns, you think it’s worth every penny. It’s suuuuper good. It has a light sprinkle of peanuts on it, for those that are allergic. Super tender, on the sweeter side, but very subtle. And I was definitely full afterwards even though I didn’t intend on getting full…
Third time, I tried the bento box, which rotates entrees. Mine came with chicken nuggets. It’s a really good bang for your buck! I think it’s $ 8 but you get like. 2 veggie sides, tofu and radishes. The veggies are simple, but I really enjoyed that. Again, it made me feel healthy. :) my veggies were lightly seasoned cooked cabbage and a medley of green beans, carrots and corn. I don’t even think the medley was from a frozen bag?! If it was, they did a really good job of masking the freezer burn flavor. It was super tastey. The chicken bites were also very good, but I dunno if I’d say they’re the best? What made them super good was that they taste so fresh! The batter crispness is undeniable, but it may have been a little light on salt for me, but I have a super heavy palate when it comes to that. I normally get the 5 at tap house and then dip it in more sriracha.
Tldr– seems like everything is amazing at this place.

1^st Attempt (Fail)
Me: Walk to the trailer at 7:35pm on a weekday.
Shirley (owner): Sorry we closed at 7:30pm.
Me: Ok =[
2^nd Attempt (Fail)
Me: Came at 7:00pm on a weekday.
Shirley: Sorry we ran out of food. *apologetic face
Me: Ok T. T
3^rd Attempt (Success)
Me: Came at 12:05pm on a Saturday.
Shirley: Hey there, we got food!
Me: Ok =D
Shirley: It’ll be about a 20 minute wait though.
Me: *Looking at the long line… no worries!
20 minutes later I have my food (Pork Braised Rice and Chicken Bites)
Me: Wow this is a lot of food!
Me: *shoving my face
Thoughts
I came in judging Song La pretty hard, thinking the food was going to be an «eat once, think it’s ok, and never come back again» kind of experience. It wasn’t.
Song La’s food definitely pays homage to traditional Taiwanese comfort food. It’s simple, yet generous. It’s like Darude’s «Sandstorm», the song is simple yet you just wanna break out into your 90s rave gear and dance.
The Pork Braised Rice reminded me of the small food stands in Taiwan. The braised pork belly wasn’t salty but it still gave the rice flavor. The steamed veggies and egg were delicious!
The Chicken Bites are a must get! Tender and seasoned with love… I can’t emphasize how much I enjoyed them.
I didn’t realize how much food I had ordered. Looking around most people seemed to get the bento box which I shall try next time. Tofu Fries are also on my list. I happily took home the leftovers and had them for dinner.
The milk tea didn’t really speak out to me (boo I know I’m mentioning something negative… but their food is amazing and I will keep coming back for more).

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!

I’ll make this fast: Song La is a delightful couple, they’re living the dream, my Bento Box was superb, their website is cool, and when I casually mentioned they’re getting great buzz, they said excitedly, «We just became a spotlight business on Unilocal!» What’s not to love here?