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

Attendees can refuel from all the music and dancing by sampling tasty Indian street food and delicious drinks of all kinds, and take in the assortment of vendors plying their wares. —Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 8 May 2024

Today, cicadas are a popular street food and ingredient in countries like Thailand and Mexico, among others. —Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2024

Kung Fu Noodle For banh mi sandwiches, street food bites, stir fry noodles, sushi, rice bowls and bubble tea, head to Kung Fu Noodle in Birkdale Village. —Alexandra Maloney, Charlotte Observer, 8 May 2024

As the street food spread through the Arab world, ingredients shifted with larders and tastes: Palestinian cooks tend to prefer solely chickpeas in their falafel; the Lebanese often combine garbanzos and foul. —Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2024

There's also a selection of shareable plates, including elevated street foods, seafood options, mesquite beets and maitake mushrooms in salsa verde. —Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 17 Apr. 2024

Inspired by night markets across Asia, a variety of organizations are putting on a version here with street food, music, dancing and a talent show. —Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2024

For months, Warren had been the driving force behind a crackdown on street food vendors selling goods without proper permits. —Priscella Vega, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2024

As The Star reported last year, the intersection of Central Avenue and 18th Street had transformed into a lively hub for Mexican street food, where mobile vendors sold elotes, burritos and raspados until midnight or later. —David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 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