The Blues City Journal's Guide to a Food Coma at Saturday in the Park

Alright, picture this: It's July 4th, 90 degreed in the shade and you've been inside of Grandview Park all day long.

You've been to the Main Stage and then, the Abe Stage, left the rugrats at the Kids Zone and bid adieu to the missus as she grabbed your wallet on her way to Saturday in the Park's Arts Alley.

Time for some grub, don't you think?

Thankfully, you hid Andrew Jackson in your left shoe as you made your towards SITP's fabled Eats Street.

There are 25 different food vendors alongside the Main, the Abe and the Kids Zone. What are you gonna eat?

Yeah, that's a trick question because Saturday in the Park is your yearly excuse to chow down.

Where else can you grab some barbecue ribs, an ear of Mexican corn and, maybe, a funnel cake if you're still feeling peckish.

Fella, you have just entered the Blues City Journal's Guide to a Food Coma.

Will you need a truckload of antacid in the morning ... but, today, you will feast.

THE BARON OF BIRRIA

Eduardo Ruiz has bravado when it comes to birria.

Each day, Ruiz, owner of Big Red Tacos, 1301 Pierce St., will make a braising liquid out of a mix of herbs, seasonings and up to three different kinds of dried chiles.

He then slow cooks beef into the reddish broth for up to six hours, creating a marinated meat that is deeply flavored and fork tender.

This process -- called birria -- originated in the Mexican state of Jalisco before it became a cult favorite food in Southern California.

But today, he won't be at his 1301 Pierce St. eatery.

Instead, he and his family will be parking their Big Red Tacos food truck at Saturday in the Park

Growing up in Riverside, California, Ruiz wanted to bring birria -- a particular favorite of his family -- to Siouxland.

"That was how most people learned about birria," he explained. "It was food made in a backyard on the weekends, and every family had their own recipe."

Always a bit of a backyard chef, he began experimenting with different recipes for birria by using international ingredients.

It was in the fall of 2025 that he decided to open a restaurant in Sioux City's mid-city district.

During a midafternoon rush, he was able to cook six different orders at the same time.

"As long as I have rock and roll playing in the background, I'll be OK," he said. "I always cook to the beat of the music."

What's on the menu?

While the namesake Big Red Taco (meat, cheese, onion and cilantro in a birria-soaked shell) is hard to beat, patrons can also get their birrias inside of a burrito, a torta or on top of nachos.

Now, it is here that things get a little weird.

Birria fixings can also be found on a pizza and even in a Red's Philly Cheesesteak sandwich with plenty of queso.

Want your south-of-the-board birria to have a Far East twist? Big Red Tacos also has a Japanese-inspired Birria Ramen (meat, cheese, onion and cilantro served inside of a Tapatio Ramen cup), a Vietnamese-inspired Birria Pho (meat, rice noodles, green onion, Thai basil and a Sawtooth leaf in a seasoned broth) and a simple-yet-tasty Korean-inspired Birria Fried Rice.

Ruiz said birria-marinated meat is always be the star at Big Red Tacos.

"There is nothing you can't do with birria," he said. "It tastes great with everything."

THE HEROS OF GYROS

Greek To Me! has been co-owned by brothers Chris and Tony Antonopoulos since 2011. Now with two storefront locations in Sioux City and South Sioux City, the restaurant’s food truck will be present at Saturday in the Park on July 5.

Greek To Me! serves “Greek Food and More,” with some menu items including gyros, salads, burgers and Greek nachos. Inspiration to open the restaurant came from a combination of the Antonopoulos’ Greek heritage and experience in the food business.

“My dad used to own Harvey’s restaurant in Riverside,” Tony said. “Myself and my dad were just kind of looking to open up a Greek restaurant that serves gyros and, you know, a fast-food type place.”

Greek To Me! will be one of several vendors at Saturday in the Park. The restaurant’s food truck, based out of Omaha, will make its second ever appearance at the festival this year.

“The whole atmosphere, everything’s awesome,” Tony said. “Knowing that we took something that didn’t exist and built it up to that, and we’re serving gyros at Saturday in the Park, you know, it’s the best feeling.”

The food truck operates at numerous other events, parties and special occasions. Started by Chris and his brother-in-law, Matt Baughman, the food truck is currently providing food to attendees of the College World Series in Omaha.

“[Baughman] always said he wanted to start a gyro food truck, and this was before he knew about the restaurants, my family,” Chris said. “I was like, ‘Well, hell, me and my brother have two restaurants in Sioux City that are Greek,’ and he’s like, ‘seriously?’ so that’s kind of how that started.”

With Saturday in the Park being one of the largest annual events in Sioux City, Tony is looking forward to once again being part of the festivities.

“Not everybody in this city knows what Greek To Me! is,” Tony said. “When we go to festivals where there’s, you know, tens of thousands of people, they get to try our food and we get to get our name out there more.”

THE BEST FOOD ON A STICK

Call it truth in advertising: The Corndog Company's Epic corndog is absolutely "epic."

What else can you call a quarter-pound all-beef footlong hot dog that's been hand-dipped in a freshly-made cornbread-style batter before being drizzled in ketchup, mustard and honey?

"Honey is the key," Diego Ruiz explained. "Everybody loves our honey."

Ruiz, along with his mom Rita Lopez, is the Sioux City franchisee for the Utah-based Corndog Company chain of food trucks. The Corndog Company is just one of the food trucks participating at this year's Saturday in the Park

The Corndog Company also has the Mini Corndog (featuring a one-eighth pound all-beef frank), a Cheese Bomb (made with cheddar, pepperjack and mozzarella cheeses) as well as deep-fried Oreos, Snickers and Milky Way candy bars.

"It's a full meal," Ruiz said. "Once you have an Epic or a Mini, people would like a Cheese Bomb as an appetizer and a deep-fried dessert as a sweet treat."

The full list

MAIN STAGE

Made it Myself Shaved Ice -- Shaved ice, lemonade slushies, bottled water

Drinq Box -- Island drink smoothies, fresh-squeezed lemonades, meat nachos, mini donuts

Mac's Tornados -- Funnel cakes, pretzel bites, fried Oreos, lemonades

Stapleton Tornado -- Funnel cakes, corn dogs, cheese curds, lemonades

Mr. Corn -- Roasted corn, elote, Agua Fresca, slushies, fruit cups, mango on a stick., Frescas Con Crema

Godfather's Pizza -- Pizza by the slice, whole pizzas, monkey bread, soft drinks, bottled water

Smokin's R's BBQ -- Ribs, smoked mac and cheese (topped with meat), BBQ nachos, pulled pork, pulled brisket, homemade country sausages, Cole slaw, baked beans, homemade sweet tea

Marco's -- Indian tacos, super nachos, walking tacos, taco blizzard, elephant ears, smoothies, soft drinks

Tornado Funnel Cakes -- Hand-dipped corndogs, cheese curds, fresh-cut ribbon fries, lemonade, raspberry lemonade

Papa John's -- Pizza slices, whole pizzas, Coke, water

Greek 2 Me -- Gyros, rice bowls, baklava, soda, water

The Corndog Company -- Hand-dipped corndogs, deep-fried desserts and cheese pops

Blue Taquilla -- Large offering of authentic Mexican foods.

Sazon Jalisco -- Tortas, tamales, ceviche and more

The Parthenon -- Gyros, Greek salads, spanakopita, lemonade, iced tea, Coke, bottled water

Taqueria Fiesta Latina -- Asada tacos, pupusa, quesabirrias, birria noodles, quesadillas, Coke

Big Red Tacos -- Birria in tacos, burritos and even ramen. 

Hungry Boys -- Authentic Mexican tacos, burritos and quesadillas.

KIDS ZONE

Made It Myself Shaved Ice (second location) -- Shaved ice, lemonade slushies, bottled water

Greek 2 Me -- Gyros, rice bowls, baklava, soda, water

Taqueria Fiesta Latina -- Asada tacos, pupusa, quesabirrias, birria noodles, quesadillas, Coke

ABE STAGE

Outside Scoop- Specialty ice creams

Smokin's R's BBQ -- Ribs, smoked mac and cheese (topped with meat), BBQ nachos, pulled pork, pulled brisket, homemade country sausages, Cole slaw, baked beans, homemade sweet tea

Hungry Boys -- Authentic Mexican tacos, burritos and quesadillas,

Taqueria Fiesta Latina -- Asada tacos, pupusa, quesabirrias, birria noodles, quesadillas, Coke

Former Journal intern Eric Kiekeben contributed to this story.