King Kups Food Truck in McKinney Serves up West Coast Birria and Spicy Elote

A recent post on social media showed an image of birria tacos with a question: “Where can I find tacos like this around here?” A comment soon followed from a trusted friend: “King Kups IYKYK.”

The next day we discovered a new favorite, King Kups Cali-Mex food truck, and now we know.

The truck lives in a mostly permanent home on the nondescript northeast corner of U.S. Highway 75 and Virginia Parkway in McKinney, right behind a small Exxon station. It would be easy to miss if you weren’t looking for it. There is a nice covered area between the truck and the gas station with three picnic tables and a foosball table to entertain customers while they wait.

The pro move here is to place your order and head into the gas station to grab a beer (or two) and eat your food fresh and hot at those same picnic tables.

Owner Frank Hernandez has a big, friendly personality. Prior to running this food truck, he was a nightclub DJ, and he told us one thing DJs love to do is go have late-night tacos after work.

“We used to seek out different places in the area to get tacos and, after a while, we kind of became taco experts,” he says.

Hernandez also worked with a lot of California DJs, who would tell him how different the tacos were out West. So, when he visited the West Coast, he took note. After a while, Hernandez decided the late-night music scene wasn’t for him and he opened this food business with his daughter. Due to limited capital, all they could afford was a small food truck.
Their original focus was on elote. Hernandez had experienced many variations on his trips to California. King Kups — at first, serving only cups of elote — was soon born.

The elite cups ($6) here are truly works of art. They come in a tall, clear plastic cup to show off the many layers of fresh corn, butter, lime juice, hot sauce, mayo and crema. Real Parmesan and cotija cheeses (not powdered) are used because they melt better and add more flavor. Attack it one layer at a time if desired, or dump it into a bowl and experience them all at once. Our favorite upgrade is crushed-up Takis or Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

In his travels, Hernandez also acquired a birria recipe. Slow-simmered shredded beef soaks up broth, and is folded into a flour tortilla with cheese. It makes for a heavy, rich taco that has a bit of a crunch from the griddle.

Two tacos come to an order ($7) and are easily enough for even a big appetite. Each order comes with a side of consomme good enough to be served on its own as a soup. Kind of like barbecue sauce on good brisket, the tacos easily stand alone without it, but are definitely a little better when dipped.

King Kups also has carne asada diced into small cubes, pink in color from spices, as is the chicken. Both can be added to any of the tacos, quesadillas and more.

By more, we mean the fries, which are a must-try here, piled high with cheese and meat. There is also a large plate of nachos smothered in a cheese sauce and topped with meat. Elote can be used instead of meat on entrées for those with a more adventurous appetite.

The quesadillas are a slam dunk, grilled on the same griddle and in a similar way as the tacos. Sometimes in the slower season (winter) or if you get really lucky, you can catch some creative birria dishes such as birria ramen, or a one-of-a-kind birria wonton, which we have not tried but can’t wait to.

Now, there is some nuance to dining at a restaurant on wheels. At times the wheels are used to roll the restaurant away. Therefore, it's wise to check King Kups social media sites to make sure the truck will be at home before you make the journey. Hernandez and family are very good at posting updates when the truck will be out at a catering event or festival.

Sometimes the birria takes a little longer to be ready, and that will be included on the posts as well.

Also, be on the lookout for Queen Qups, a mobile Mexican fruiteria and snow cone truck. It will offer Mexican-style fruit with spices like Tajin and specialty drinks like mangonadas, as well as creative snow cones. It can't get here soon enough.

King Kups, 202 N. Central Expressway, McKinney. Check social media for current hours.