Food Shark in Marfa, TX

Over the weekend I drove out to Marfa with some goods friends to attend Nick and Cait’s wedding. The ceremony took place at the top of the courthouse overlooking the city. It was beautiful. In fact, the entire weekend was. Lots of good food, family, friends, and a perfect culmination in the form of a reckless dance party. As host, Marfa did a great job.

Of all the desert towns in West Texas not worth slowing down for, Marfa is a bit of an anomaly. I think most Texans are familiar with the tiny city’s cultural significance and alien affiliations. But if you’re not, here’s the short version… 

Marfa had a sleepy existence outside an abandoned military training base until the ’70s when minimalist artist Donald Judd moved out there and started buying up land and refurbishing old military buildings for his art installations. His presence and the start of The Chinati Foundation sparked the small community of artists and galleries that Marfa is known for today. (The nearby Prada Marfa is probably the most well-known of the art installations.) 

Other than the art, there’s the Marfa Lights: a possibly supernatural/alien phenomenon of unexplained lights that sometimes appear along the horizon. (And although I went to the viewing platform outside of town, I didn’t see them while I was there.)

Because of its desert locale, No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood were filmed in & around the city, as well as the 1956 classic Giant (which I know I should have seen, but haven’t).

So you’ve got art, aliens, movie history, their lack of a police department… oh, and Food Shark.

No contest, Food Shark is Marfa’s most renowned place to eat. It’s a food truck, parked in the center of town under an unassuming pavilion. Their school bus outfitted with indoor seating is parked right beside it. The list of newspapers, blogs, and travel magazines that have written about Food Shark is longer than an episode of Biggest Loser. Before eating there, I had already heard and read so much about it that my expectations were beyond high. It has the word SHARK in the title. It even sounds magical.

And was their magic in the desert? Oh yes. In the form of a falafel. Food Shark serves “Mediterranean-by-way-of-West Texas” cuisine. This translates into a nice assortment of hummus, veggie wraps, falafel & daily specials like beef curry, lamb kebab, and posole verde.

The chalkboard sign out front advertises the daily specials (which are also available daily on their site until 3 PM).

One of the specials on our visit were shredded pork tacos. Super tender meat, super fresh veggies. (I especially liked the radish slices on top.) The red sauce and accompanying side of salsa were spicy, but not painful.

On the daily menu is the Marfalafel. Delicious falafel and veggies with tahini, harissa sauce, and hummus. Completely amazing. The falafel were nice and crispy on the outside and nicely seasoned—a little lemony, a little garlicky, lots of herbs. Food Shark hummus is a little sweeter and milder than the super garlic varieties your find a lot at the grocery store. The tacos were great, but if you’re going to eat one thing there, you should probably go with that. Especially if you’re not going to be in Marfa again for a long, long time.

The fact that one little food truck can generate so much publicity says a lot about how small Marfa really is. However, it’s also a testament to how good their food really is. Don’t come within 100 miles without stopping at Food Shark.

Food Shark
Under the pavilion on Highland Ave. | Marfa, TX
432.386.6540

Tags: falafel, food truck, hummus, Marfa, mediterranean food, pork, tacos