Champions!

For one glorious weekend in September, Europe came to Saarbrücken.

Not its politicians or diplomats, but its cooks: the 26 best street food traders from all over Europe, cooking under the trees, in the last of the September sunshine.

Three rows of trucks, with the sound of boules being played on the gravel next door (we’re very close to the French border) – and the smell of Europe in the air.

The winners came from 19 countries, travelling for days by truck, plane and ferry. Iceland nearly had a meltdown with their butter at the German border. But the only thing that mattered was the food.

And there was a lot of it.

Jamaican goat curry. Welsh lamb biryani. American barbecue and pani puri with fresh mint – from Italy. Icelandic flat iron steak. Norwegian smash burgers. Organic sourdough lángos with Swedish nettles. Japanese egg roll with Scottish langoustine. Polish pączek. Carrot cake with bacon, walnut and maple syrup.

And that’s only a fraction of it.

For ten years, traders have battled through national competitions across Europe, cooking for more than 100,000 people along the way, to reach the European Street Food Awards finals.

And in Saarbrucken the best of them were all in one place.

Cooking for the public.

Cooking for an extraordinary jury of chefs, critics and food obsessives.

And cooking for the title of European Street Food Champion 2026.

It was one hell of a weekend.

And this is how it went down.

Champion?

1st place – Cegin HalfnHalf (Wales)
2nd place – Le Paczek (Poland)
3rd place – Nenna’s (Sweden)

People’s Choice?

1st place – Texas Smoke Guerilla (Germany)
2nd place – Fire & Flank (Wales)
3rd place – Bao Latvia (Latvia)

Best Snack was Traveling Taco (Sweden) with their Elotes. Oscar picked field-fresh corn from his family farm, topped it with browned butter infused with guajillo chilli, hard cheese from his local cheese shop, Tajín, and finished it off with crispy jalapeños. Simple but elegant.

Best Main Dish was Texas Smoke Guerilla (Germany) and their Double Trouble Ribs. Beef and pork ribs, slowly smoked over beechwood and double glazed with a signature BBQ sauce for a sticky, smoky and caramelised finish. Served with a smoked potato, homemade sour cream, fresh crunchy coleslaw and crispy Billionaire Bacon.

Best Sandwich was Babi Krakow (Poland) featuring their pampuch stuffed with tempura shrimp, siracha mayo, celery and half-sour cucumber.

Best Dessert was Desserts Inc (Germany) and their New York Cheesecake, made with really REALLY high fat cream cheese from a local farm in the little town of Lievelde. It’s the definition of handmade cheesecake. Danielle wiggles every one to check if it’s nearly done.

Best Vegetarian was Fire & Flank (Wales) for their Vegan Steak & Fries. Redefine™️ 3D-printed vegan flank steak, created to replicate the texture and experience of a great steak, finished over high heat for a beautifully caramelised exterior. Served with crispy seasoned fries and house chimichurri — packed with fresh herbs, garlic, chilli, oregano and red wine vinegar. A modern take on steak and fries that brings the same bold Fire & Flank flavours to a plant-based dish.

Best Burger was Rock Burger (Italy) with their Led Zeppelin. A home-made bun, Piedmontese veal and Suino Nero (Piedmontese heritage black pork) burger patty, Langhe Nebbiolo DOC braised Belgian endive, crushed Piedmont IGP hazelnuts, Castelmagno PDO cheese, Crudo di Cuneo DOP crispy ham chips.

The Spice Award was Joy & Gladness (UK) with their Flavour-Locking Lamb Cutlets. Joy & Gladness’ succulent lamb cutlets are generously seasoned with their signature deep rub. Beautifully cooked to lock in the juices, the lamb was finished with a sticky honey jerk glaze, creating the perfect balance of sweet, smoky and spicy Jamaican-inspired flavours.

Best Looking (for the most handsome van, truck or trailer) went to Piovono Polpette da Nonna Ppina (Italy)

Extra Mile – awarded to the European trader going above and beyond in their pursuit of excellence – Sushi Brothers (Latvia)

Entrepreneur Of The Year – awarded to the European trader demonstrating next-level business sense. Bao Latvia (Latvia)

Best Street Food Event – Die Street Food Familie (Germany)

Sustainability Award – Our winner makes everything from scratch. And uses home grown where possible. Coriander, fenugreek, chilli, even Sichuan pepper from the garden. With a compost heap. They run a zero-waste kitchen. And solar-charged batteries on the truck. And in their 10 years of business, they’ve never once served a meal on single-use plastic. Not once. The winners of our Sustainability Award? Borderless Kitchen (Switzerland)

Future Food Legend – Siggi Chef (Iceland). Sigurdur Gunnlaugsson calls himself Burger Jesus – we’re expecting even MORE big things from Siggi in the future.

See you next year!