street food

noun

plural street foods

: prepared food of a kind that is typically sold to customers on a street or sidewalk and that is often designed to be carried and eaten while walking

Pizza is quintessentially a street food: a quick lunch or a quick snack often eaten standing up or on the go.

—Don Lesser

Traditionally eaten as street food, empanadas are ideal for snacking on the go but are just as satisfying to sit down to for a simple dinner.

—Melissa Roberts and Maggie Ruggiero

Satays, which are skewered and grilled morsels of beef, fish, chicken, pork, or vegetables, are street food in Southeast Asia, devoured day and night with gusto.

—Karen MacNeil

Examples of street food in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Taqueria El Rey's new brick-and-mortar location will offer a menu of its popular Mexican street food, tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. —Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 18 Oct. 2024

The Truc Bach neighborhood has trendy cafes (Ma Xo and Fu Hoo Cafe), popular drinking holes (Lang Thang and Standing Bar), great street food, and an old-style tram displaying nostalgic artifacts from the post-war subsidy period. —Chris Humphrey, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2024

Khao Bird Khao Bird has fast become my favorite spot for Thai food in the city, bringing a vibrant, authentic taste of Siamese street food to Borough Market. —Lela London, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

Saturday's seasonal pop-up at FDR Park includes more than 70 vendors, hawking everything from street food to jewelry and clothing. —Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

street food

noun

: prepared food of a kind that is typically sold to customers on a street or sidewalk and that is often designed to be carried and eaten while walking