Native American Food Truck Off the Rez Plans Permanent Outpost at New Burke Museum

A museum worth visiting ... for the food? Off the Rez food truck — which has been serving acclaimed Native American cuisine around the city since 2011 — recently revealed that it will open a permanent location at the new Burke Museum on the University of Washington campus October 12. According to the announcement, the outpost, called Off the Rez Cafe, will have the truck’s signature menu items, along with some new offerings. Off the Rez tells Eater Seattle that it will offer coffee, espresso, and a few breakfast items as well. There will be a patio — with a pivoting window wall that allows for both indoor and outdoor dining — and seating for 30.

Off the Rez is the first and only Native food truck in Seattle, well known for its golden, fluffy fry breads, served either solo or topped with meats such as barbecue pulled pork, along with a few sweet varieties. Owners Mark McConnell and Cecilia Rikard make those breads by hand, taking the traditions from McConnell’s mother, who grew up on the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, Montana.

Now, Off the Rez Cafe will be part of a new era for a Seattle institution. The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture traces its roots back to the 1800s as the oldest museum in Washington, showcasing large-scale dinosaur fossils, among other artifacts. This October, it gets a brand new facility at UW — with a food option that visitors should be excited about, if the dude-ified reaction on Twitter is any indication.

• Off the Rez [Facebook]
• Burke Museum [Official]
• All coverage of Off the Rez [ESEA]