Over the summer, students might have noticed the addition of a new food truck a few blocks from campus. The truck, belonging to Big L’s Soul Food, advertises myriad menu items on an LED sign awash with fluorescent blue flames. I decided to pay a visit alongside senior Josh Sedarski, who was curious about the new culinary option.
“I had it in the back of my mind, but it wasn’t until just now that I finally had an excuse to go,” Sedarski said.
The food truck is parked in an unassuming lot next to Sparkling Image Detail, a car detailing shop just steps away from other Midway haunts such as Pho Pasteur and Ginkgo Coffeehouse. Their Facebook page, Big L’s Soul Food Cafe, was originally created in January of 2015, but the truck did not seem to appear in its current Midway location until this year. The page primarily showcases menu items, as well as tantalizing clips of sandwiches and cuts of meat sizzling on the grill. Earlier posts also advertise collaborations with Arnellia’s, a former night club in St. Paul. Arnellia’s is regarded as the first night club in Minnesota to be owned by a Black woman and served as a local staple for live music for 25 years.
Having visited Big L’s once before, I decided to order the jerk fries with steak, which I had seen advertised on their menu during previous visits. Sedarski went with two jerk tacos, also with steak. The total for both meals came to a little over $25 — fairly affordable considering the large helpings of food that we received.
It seemed as though Big L himself was the only employee present. During all of our interactions while ordering and receiving our meals, he had a noticeably positive attitude and expressed being grateful for our business, even while single-handedly preparing a huge amount of mobile orders that had been placed through DoorDash (seemingly a sizable portion of the restaurant’s patronage). We waited in the parking lot for a short while until our orders were ready, at which point we chowed down, using a small concrete platform as a makeshift bench.
The jerk fries came in a huge portion and were slathered with lots of flavorful fixings, including cilantro, onions, a hot and tangy barbecue sauce and a generous helping of steak. My first few bites were an explosion of layered, complex flavor. The barbecue sauce asserted itself through the acidity of the onion and fresh cilantro, and the fries were perfectly crispy and golden.
Sedarski was also impressed by the quality of the food.
“That very first bite was entirely captivating, it’s like this catalytic burst of flavor rushing into my mouth. It was as if every single taste bud on my tongue was activated,” Sedarski said.
Restaurants, while fulfilling the practical need to eat, can also provide a way for Hamline students to engage in the surrounding neighborhood.
“When I’m on my own and I get the opportunity to go off campus, usually it’s for food. Little treats, if you will,” Sedarski said.
Midway certainly has no shortage of restaurant options, representing a diverse range of cultural cuisines and ensuring that there is almost definitely something for everyone.

“I think each of the Midway restaurants are uniquely charming, flavorful, they serve their own niches very well, and I think that Big L’s is no exception. I think it is a wonderful addition to the wealth of flavor, character, and presences that each of the restaurants in Midway offer,” Sedarski said.
Ultimately, the truck’s tagline — ‘Food that makes you dance!’ — rang true as we finished devouring our meals and returned to campus after a thoroughly uplifting experience.
“‘Food that makes you dance’? I could not have put it better myself,” Sedarski said.