Ya gotta eat, right? I don’t know about you, but nothing stirs my hunger quite like expending nearly zero calories as I hurtle down the highway on the way from my current A to a distant B. And while ducking onto an exit ramp to enjoy a leisurely meal would be nice, I’m generally trying to cut down the total road trip time, so if the tummy fill-ups can be tied into fuel-tank fill-ups (or battery charge sessions), all the better. But what to eat?
As you are no doubt aware, gas station fare is highly variable. At the low end of the spectrum, there are the “really, we’re just a gas station” stops that offer a sole wire rack loaded with bagged salty and sweet snacks of the Cheeto-Dorito-Pringles-Yodel-Ding Dong/Ring Ding families and their ilk, which are better than nothing. But do stay away from the flavor-dusted consumables, which, as seen in the top graphic, tend to be messy for car consumption unless you’ve got moist towelettes at the ready.
At the high end of the gas station food pyramid, you’ve got your Quick Trips and RaceTracs and the like, which offer delicacies of the hot-roller variety and possibly pizza by the slice and breakfast sandwiches if you’re early enough.
At the very pinnacle, there’s Bucc-Ee’s, the truck stop/super-sized gas station that doubles as a take-out restaurant, gift shop, car wash (depending on location), candy store, and source for all manner of outdoorsy accouterment. The real attraction, though, is the brisket, as Mercedes will tell you:
Also not to be missed at Bucc-Ee’s: the best restrooms on the road. If you can hold it until you reach the home of Beaver Nuggets, you’ll be glad you did.
While unquestionably delicious, the brisket sandwich does leave much to be desired when it comes to convenient eating while behind the wheel. Exactly how important on-the-go convenience is to your best and worst road snack choices is entirely up to you; I’m not setting any rules here. Interpret today’s Autopian Asks as you like:
What Are The Best And Worst Gas Station Snacks?
Top graphic images: Doritos; DepositPhotos.com
Oh, there really is no competition on this one. A pecan log roll from Stuckeys! Now, unfortunately there are almost no Stuckeys left (they used to be all over the south) and some of the ones that remain have had the gas pumps removed, so may not technically be a correct answer to the “gas station snack” question posed. However, for my whole life of road tripping (I’m into my 60’s now) that stop for one of these babies (and maybe a few more for later) was the snack highlight.
Ned Flanders approved.
I think Wawa is far superior to Buc-ees. The food is pretty much just as good, but with 100% less sensory-overload.
That and Wawa has less of a Wal*Mart aesthetic than Bussy’s.
I guess, but the bathrooms are always gross and there’s often a few Fentanyl enthusiasts hanging around the garbage cans. Royal Farms is more of the same, these days I usually look for a Rutters or a Sheetz
I’ll try the pizza if it looks decent or grab strawberry Pop-Tarts with no icing but they are kinda hard to find.I usually avoid anything on the Hot Dog rollers.I definitely won’t touch the donuts that have been brushed over by everyone else’s hands.
The Unfrosted Strawberry Pop-Tarts are a guilty pleasure of mine. I first tried them in a bunch of Humanitarian Daily Rations I got for cheap.
I would recommend something to drink with them though.
Don’t forget to go to Uranus Fudge Factory on Interstate 69 in Anderson, Indiana. Be sure to get it to go as it’s always best to get your fudge packed before you get back on the road. Also, try the red velvet fudge… it’s heavenly!
That’s in St. Robert, Missouri.
Road trips are when I eat Corn Nuts. I generally need to see a dentist soon after.
There’s multiple locations now to get fudge from Uranus
I had Corn Nuts for the first time in my 30’s and my immediate reaction was I can’t believe there are lunatics that willingly put these rocks in their mouth.
Corn Nuts rule. I found them in an airport on a scout trip to yellowstone back in 1990 or so. Only started seeing them widely at gas stations over the last 20 years I think. Fritos twists are a good, tooth-friendly alternative.
Are you trying to be as filthy as possible with this comment, or is it me … ?
I was just parroting some of the shop’s marketing speak. Same stuff they plaster on the billboards.
https://www.uranusgeneralstore.com/
I had no idea other locations existed outside of the one in Missouri.
I once had respectable Indian food at a Chevron in L.A., just on the other side of the 405 from UCLA. https://laist.com/news/food/is-las-best-new-indian-food-served-at-a-west-la-gas-station
Laist’s website is down for some reason. I have heard some of the best Indian food you can get is at truck stops in the middle of nowhere run by Sikhs.
I read that too because so many truck drivers are Sikhs.
Any kind of stick- or paddle-shaped meat.
Anything that’s Flamin’ Hot, especially Funyuns (and, yes, that’s despite the orange glow it leaves on your fingers–just lick it off)
Hot and spicy pork rinds
Grab and Go: Cheddar Cheese Combos and a 16 ounce sugar free redbull
Best: Pretty much any MTO hoagy at Wawa
Honorable mentions:
Swirl World at Race Trac
Square Donut at Family Express
Dark Roast (I forget the exact name) at QuikTrip… don’t ruin it, just drink it straight
Elmo’s Buffalo Chicken Sub at Lassus Handy Dandy
Peanut M&Ms – satisfying and they don’t make a mess
I read through 50+ responses looking for this kind of sanity.
Good answer.
Buc-ee’s stands alone but the best has to be one of their breakfast burritos. Delicious and the wrap ensures you can have 1 handed mess free consumption while driving.
Slim Jims, corn nuts, skittles and the biggest Mt. Dew I can find are necessities.
gas station sushi…live on the edge
I really, really don’t eat in my cars, but I’ll make the exception for a UDF milkshake, preferably peach when they are in season.
I forgot how good those were. I’m in Ohio enough and drive by UDF frequently, but usually choose other c-stores for some reason.
I agree with the UDF milkshake but prefer chocolate chip ( with white milk )
I’ve got a shameful weakness for cookie dough balls. They’re always horrible compared to the bowl of dough you make at home from a recipe, and they’re just plain horrible in general, but I can’t help myself. Much to my chagrin, yes, they can sub for a proper meal.
Unless I’m in Hawai’i, in which case my only thought is for the musubi.
worst: Libby’s Potted Meat Food Product on a saltine.
Brown sugar and cinnamon Pop Tarts with a bottle of whole milk
Bucket of shrimp?
Two buckets of shrimp?
[Ambulance sirens]
As a connoisseur of all things candy, I do love the opportunity to visit any off-the-beaten-path, obscure gas station and check the bottom rows of the candy aisle for stuff you just will not find anywhere else. Way better to take the chance on the bizarre candy than on the sushi.
If you’re ever traveling I-44 in Missouri, there’s one called Redmon’s Candy Factory that’s between Springfield and St. Louis. You can’t possibly miss it (because there are road signs for the 20 miles immediately before and after it in either direction). It has some cool obscure candy, not to mention bulk candies at reasonable prices.
I do the same, but with weird soda and chips. I also make sure when I’m on vacation to make time to peruse a grocery store in whatever location to see what I’m missing out on
Icelandic Hot Dogs!
I tried them and they made me sheepish.
Honestly the best thing I ate in Iceland. I still get a craving once in a while
Combo’s! And the number of people I’ve met that have never had them is too damn high.
Beaver Nuggets!!!
Sunflower seeds are a road trip essential. They are an involved snacking experience that keeps you awake and engaged. Nobody with a fistful of sunflower seeds in their mouth ever fell asleep behind the wheel.
Gardetto’s Rye Chips are a test of self-control. Obviously they are the best part of a bag of Detto’s, but just as there is no light without shade, there can be no rye chips without those weird little bumpy baguette things. I’m convinced that anyone who buys these rye only bags would have failed the marshmallow test as a child and would betray you at the first chance for personal gain. It is too indulgent. Too decadent. It is a chip for the bourgeois, not the common, hardscrabble clay of America.
Your slander of Gardetto’s: Just The Good Part sparks extreme umbrage. I would cast down my string-backed driving gloves and demand satisfaction, but I got a bad blood pressure reading this morning and don’t trust my incredibly decrepit German car to get me to urgent care.
Thanks for the tip on sunflower seeds, BTW. I’ve been chewing gum when I need to fight drowsiness but I like that idea better.
I just don’t trust anyone who can’t be bothered with the rest of a snack mix. It’s a slippery slope to complete hedonism. What’s next? Are you going to demand a sleeve of only pink Starburst? Why not try heroin since you only want good feels all the time?
No. We are made of sterner stuff than that. We can handle a seasoned mini pretzel. It will make the next rye chip all the more savory.
Snap into a Slim-Jim!
On a european road trip, the peerless Bifi Roll:
https://www.bifi.com/en/products/18
I won’t qualify it as best or worst, it just is.
Combos Baked Tortilla Jalapeno Cheese. Minimal detritus, decent flavor, doesn’t give me bubble guts. Sadly I haven’t seen them on a peg in a while. The pretzel cheddar/pizza comes in second.
If I want a sweet snack, Hostess Chocolate Donettes for all the same reasons, a little messier than the Combos, but manageable as long as you Homer them down.
If I want actual food I’ll pull over and stretch my legs walking into a sit down restaurant.
Combo gang!
I just cheeked their corporate website, and the Tortilla snacks are not listed 🙁
Barbell protein bars, Chomps beef sticks and yogurth parfaits were my choices for a fullfilling snack to save my big appetite for a nice dinner. Stay away from pop or any drink with caffeine unless you want to use the bathroom every hour or so.
The roasted almonds from Buc-ees, honorable mention.
Oh and the worst to me are the boiled eggs sitting on the fridge for I dont know how long.
Speak for yourself, a hardboiled egg and a cheese stick is probably the healthiest thing you can get at most gas stations.
I like boiled eggs, they just dont look appetizing on a gas station 🙁 at home on a sandwich, yes lol
I was looking for the egg comment. Egg in a bag is WAY worse than pickle in a bag!