The 12 Best Gas Station Food Finds In America

One of the last places you'd think about wandering into for some tasty grub is a gas station. This is totally understandable — most gas stations are filled with foods you should never eat, like questionable hotdogs dripping with day-old meat sweat and soggy pre-made sandwiches, suffocated in plastic wrap. Sometimes, it almost seems like gas stations have sadistically conspired to sell some of the most unappetizing food imaginable in a bizarre ploy to immediately extinguish any inkling of hunger. However, there are exceptions to every rule — in the same way that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, we also shouldn't judge a restaurant by its proximity to enormous underground tanks of go-go juice.

What matters more than anything is the actual quality of the food — and the good news is that there are plenty of surprisingly delicious gas station restaurants scattered across the country. From lovingly-prepared Spanish tapas with impressive wine selections to handmade pizzas made from homemade dough, some filling stations go above and beyond. They provide their gas-guzzling clientele with some truly nourishing, delectable dishes. Here are some of the best gas station food finds in America.

Open since 1981, El Carajo has been surprising unsuspecting diners with its lovingly prepared tapas and sommelier-selected wine list for decades. Judging by the outside of El Carajo — which has gas pumps on the lot — you'd never guess that the restaurant inside has some of the best Spanish food in the area (via Only in Your State). Diners at this hidden gem are treated to a warm and cozy atmosphere in the bar and dining area, thanks to the restaurant's charming old-world aesthetic. Most of the time, being inside of a gas station feels rushed and purely transactional. El Carajo's alluring ambiance invites guests to slow down and bask in the tempting pleasures of its tapas and wine. El Carajo's mission seems to serve as a reminder about what's really important in life: taking the time to truly enjoy what's around you in the present moment.

Sherry lobster bisque, sweet dates and chorizo wrapped in crispy smoked bacon, and baked ribs glazed in barbecue sauce are just a few of the shockingly delicious plates that El Carajo whips up from its kitchen. Diners often rave about the skewers and sangria, amazed at the high quality of the food. The restaurant even has a bakery menu with handheld fares, like ham and swiss croissants or chorizo and provolone sandwiches on brioche. If you find yourself roaming the steamy streets of Miami with an empty tank when hunger strikes, El Carajo is your oasis.

Located inside of a convenience store on the lot of a Sunoco, Island Burgers & Bites serves up thick and juicy cheeseburgers, chicken tenders, Philly cheesesteaks, and more. In most cases, the instinct would be to avoid sandwiches in a setting like this, as survival mode kicks in and your mind floods with reasonable questions: how long has that been sitting out? Is this still safe to eat? At Island Burgers & Bites, though, the cheeseburgers are fresh and handmade, and the milkshakes are hand-spun (via Wilmington and Beaches). As you look through the menu and see dishes coming out of the kitchen, it becomes abundantly clear that Island Burgers & Bites is a real-deal restaurant that takes much-deserved pride in its mouth-watering grub.

Guests continually express amazement at how huge and flavorful the burgers are, considering it's coming out of a kitchen inside of a convenience store. For the extra ravenous, we'd recommend the double bacon cheeseburger with pimento cheese — which is highly worth the upgrade for only a buck. With its affordable prices, generous portions, and fresh ingredients, there's no doubt that Island Burgers & Bites makes some of the best food you'll find at a gas station.

With its crispy seasoned skin and succulent meat, fried chicken tends to be a real crowd-pleaser. That said, the limp and deflated farm foul peddled in gas stations is often an entirely different breed, typically doomed to the metallic confines of a half-broken heat lamp. In business since 1959, Royal Farms Fried Chicken has been working hard to steer clear of that nightmarish culinary neglect. It has raised the bar for convenience store fast-food by offering fresh, never frozen fried chicken, hand-breaded Idaho potato wedges, and other menu items like subs, wraps, and breakfast sandwiches.

With over a dozen different sandwiches and wraps to choose from, the food at Royal Farms is made to order, which adds a level of freshness to the fare seldom seen in an atmosphere like this. Spice lovers are bound to dig the tangy buffalo chicken sandwich, which pairs hand-pulled chicken, buffalo sauce, lettuce, celery, and blue cheese on a roll. Fried chicken meals complete with sides are also available in an assortment of sizes, ranging from a simple two-piece combo all the way up to a 50-piece pack fit to feed a crowd. At the end of the day, there's a reason why so many guests love Royal Farms Fried Chicken: the restaurant makes a genuine effort to cook up some solid food — and it shows.

Situated in what's billed as "the world's largest truckstop" that's been around since 1964, Iowa 80 Kitchen offers a large dining room where guests can order a hot meal 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With a movie theater, barber shop, dentist, workout room, and eight different eateries to choose from, it's a one-stop shop for travelers looking to relax and recharge in more ways than one. 

Diners at Iowa 80 Kitchen can choose from an all-you-can-eat buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or order dishes off the menu. For breakfast, you'll find diner classics like pancakes, chicken fried steak with white pepper gravy, and a breakfast burrito loaded with cheesy scrambled eggs, chorizo, and tater tots. The lunch and dinner menu is even more expansive with patty melts on grilled rye, homemade meatloaf, and grilled chicken alfredo. Diners are consistently impressed with the reasonable prices, fast service, and high quality of food. No matter what time of day it is, you can always wander into Iowa 80 Kitchen and score yourself a top-notch plate of diner food — and that's always a commendable feat in our book.

It's no secret that barbecue is a big deal in Texas. Known for its juicy brisket that's often simply seasoned with salt and pepper, Texas barbecue offers a master class in showcasing the "less is more" culinary approach that can reap surprisingly delicious results in the right hands. You're in good hands at Rudy's Country Store & BBQ in Arlington, Texas, where the menu offers everything from brisket breakfast tacos to jalapeno sausage links.

Fans of Rudy's barbecue praise its tender, juicy brisket, which can be bought in half-pound increments. However, the succulent offerings don't end there: barbecue ribs, roasted chicken, pulled pork, over half a dozen sandwiches, and plenty of different sides to choose from also grace the menu. If you're in the mood for some dessert, Rudy's also has some treats to satisfy that sweet tooth, like banana pudding, pecan pie, and peach cobbler. Pro-tip: if you dig the flavor of the rubs and sauces at Rudy's, be sure to score some for yourself to keep at home on its website. Don't let the gas pumps out front spook you away from this one.

Located in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the menu at Taqueria Mexicana Mi Tierra is way more extensive than you'd expect, considering it's housed inside a gas station convenience store. Here, you'll find classic Mexican fare like enchiladas, tostadas, tamales, and more — all made with a fresh touch that's seldom seen in a place like this. While the area where it's situated in may not exactly evoke the most exciting energy, the food itself is vibrant, delicious, and celebratory — clearly, there's plenty of passion in the kitchen at Taqueria Mexicana, and it shows.

Diners often rave about the tamales, praising the savory filling and luscious texture of the corn meal. Chimichangas, quesadillas, burritos, and more make tasty appearances on the menu. If you want some classic American-style diner food, though, you can always opt for a bacon cheeseburger. What puts Taqueria Mexicana Mi Tierra over the edge is the vast amount of menu items it offers, and the food it prepares with loving execution.

You haven't fully lived until you've had pizza for breakfast. While it might not be the healthiest choice to kick off the day, life's too short not to indulge once in a while. Casey's Pizza understands how good a cheesy pie can be in those quiet hours just after sunrise — so much so that the company currently offers four variations of breakfast pizza on its menu. Each pie is layered with shredded cheese, eggs, and your choice of a cheesy sauce or sausage gravy. From there, you can choose different toppings like bacon, sausage, or roasted veggies. Sud-lovers will be pleased to see a beer cheese breakfast pizza on the menu, made with beer cheese sauce, bacon, ham, creamy scrambled eggs, onions, and peppers, along with shredded cheddar and mozzarella. When it's too early to switch into party mode, this beer cheese pizza is the next best thing. It was conceived as a way to celebrate Casey's breakfast pizza on its 21st anniversary — but we hope it stays on the menu.

If you're not in the mood for breakfast, Casey's offers single-topping pies, too. Plain cheese, pepperoni, sausage pizzas, and more are on the menu for anyone who likes to keep it simple and stick to the classics. Of course, there are specialty pizzas, too, like a barbecue chicken pizza with bacon, a smoked brisket pizza drizzled with ranch, and a Hawaiian pizza loaded with cured meats and pineapple.

Simple and hearty, the country-fried steak on the menu at Haywood 209 Cafe is crispy yet tender and smothered in creamy gravy. Normally, this is a dish that you'd get at some classic freestanding diner, but at Haywood 209 Cafe, the restaurant is attached to a convenience in the parking lot of a gas station. If you pay no mind to the exterior and take a bite of Haywood's food, however, it's clear that the restaurant does an excellent job conjuring the same drool-worthy dishes you'd find in any other beloved local hometown diner.

On the breakfast menu, you'll find buttermilk pancakes, biscuit sandwiches, loaded omelets, and more. If you want to keep it light and simple, there's even steel-cut oatmeal available with fruit and nuts. The lunch and dinner menu is even fuller, offering dishes like a 10-ounce hand-cut ribeye steak, southern fried chicken, and popcorn shrimp. Guests are frequently shocked at how tasty the food is — especially the fried chicken, which manages to be crunchy on the outside but perfectly juicy on the inside (via Tripadvisor). There's no doubt that Haywood 209 Cafe scores high marks for pumping out food this good under such humble conditions. The world would be a better place if every small-town gas station had a diner this good.

As its name suggests, The Power Stop Bar & Grill isn't an ordinary gas station. Founded by two brothers in 2009, The Power Stop Bar & Grill offers fuel, a convenience store, and a huge food menu with breakfast served all day long. There are over 20 burgers and other dishes, cocktails, and even an arcade with pinball machines and other classic games. In other words, this isn't really the kind of place where you just make a pit stop for some gas — it's set up for you to enjoy some seriously tasty grub and have some fun.

Guests at The Power Stop applaud the juicy, flavorful burgers here, insisting that they're some of the very best in town (via Tripadvisor). Handmade with a half-pound of locally-sourced beef, each burger is cooked to order and comes with your choice of classic fries or the curly kind. Expect to see classics like a bacon cheeseburger, but also be prepared for an assortment of more creative additions, like a cheesesteak with green chili sauce. To keep things interesting, the restaurant is also known to run limited-time specials, like cheesy Italian beef sandwiches made with ribeye steak and giardiniera. Throw in chicken wings available in a dozen different sauces, jalapeno poppers, and desserts like Oreo churros, and it's clear that The Power Stop is going above and beyond to hook diners up with something special.

When it opened in 2003, Chef Point was successful right off the bat — so much so that only a year later, the owners had to expand the restaurant's space to accommodate its growing fanbase of devoted diners. Chef Point is so popular that it was even featured on an episode of Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," hosted by Guy Fieri.

Plenty of diners swear by the Monte Cristo sandwich, which comes with gently fried whole wheat bread. It's stacked with layers of turkey, ham, swiss, and American cheese, dusted with powdered sugar, and a side of strawberry jam for occasional plunging. More pleasant surprises: fried green tomatoes with fresh mozzarella, and roasted duck in a homemade maple orange sauce — clear signals that this isn't your average gas station grub.

When it comes to lunch and dinner, pasta takes center stage at Chef Point. Chicken marsala, blackened salmon over angel hair pasta, classic chicken parmesan, and others grace the menu in all their delicious glory. There are some treats from the grill, too, including a porkchop bathed in a burgundy wine mushroom sauce and garlic pepper-crusted salmon. You'd be hard-pressed to find gas station food more elevated or well-executed than this. The food at Chef Point transcends its modest surroundings with deliciously sophisticated culinary flair. 

With a couple of locations near the Southwest Florida coast, Next Stop Brunch is a small but mighty operation on a mission to redefine tasty, convenient brunch grub. Its simple yet well-curated menu offers delicious, affordable food like cheesy egg sandwiches on grilled rolls, chorizo breakfast burritos, and club subs stacked with turkey, ham, bacon, and cheddar cheese.

Some diners love the grub so much at Next Stop Brunch that they've awarded the restaurant a perfect five-star rating, singing praises for its friendly service and seriously delicious food. Another specialty on the menu is the tropical chicken salad with grapes and walnuts — it achieves a lovely balance of fruity tang and subtle nuttiness for some highly pleasant textural variation. For a quick sweet treat, do your mouth a favor and grab a cold coffee with sweetened milk, along with a cookie or a muffin on your way out the door.

There's something extra righteous about discovering a great taqueria in an unlikely spot — and that's exactly what we have with El Serranito Taqueria, which shares space with a gas station convenience store. The menu at El Serranito is loaded with popular favorites like quesadillas, burritos, and tortas. In a slight but clever twist, El Serranito offers its quesadillas on corn tortillas, which boasts more flavor and crunch than the usual flour tortillas that you often see used in this context (note: flour tortillas are available on the menu for those who prefer them).

Diners tend to say that El Serranito has the best Mexican food in the city and it's easy to see why. Offering al pastor — a savory, complex blend of fruity fire-grilled meat and juicy pineapple chunks — is a wise way to lure in diners with its distinctively delicious aroma on the grill. Another winner: the Asada steak burrito, made even tastier with a fresh side of tomatillo salsa. The truth is that at a place like El Serranito, you can't really lose, no matter what you choose.