Illustration by Kourtney Zimmerman
New York City has its bodegas. Louisiana and Mississippi have their gas stations.
Once upon a time, this magazine published a regular column titled “Gas Station Gourmet,” in which writer and former editor Dale Irvin explored the off-the-beaten-path (or, more realistically, potholed road) Gulf South eateries hidden in unassuming fuel stations and roadside pit stops—a culinary mecca for both the road trip weary and the familiar famished local alike, each in search of something filling, cheap, and tasty.
Inspired by this erstwhile column for our Road Trips Issue, our editorial team took to the public forum—multiple social media platforms—to ask Country Roads' discerning readers to recommend their favorite pull-over-worthy delicacies and destinations. You, dear readers, responded with an outpouring of enthusiasm for more than 150 suggestions from across the region. Typically, when we write up a cuisine review in Country Roads, we focus on one particular establishment that takes great pains to deliver the full experience of environment, service, and culinary presentation. But there’s another way to experience sensational food in this part of the world, and today we’re here to celebrate it. Read on for the most surprising, the most consistently represented, and the most beloved gas stations, convenience stores, and pit stops y’all can’t stop talking about.
"You bought fuel at the gas station. Some for your truck, and some for your body." —Andy Roberts
Beaucoup Boudin
Boudin is, arguably, the most paradigmatic Louisiana gas station grab. Our readers know this, and were eager to provide their go-to sources for this iconic Cajun treat.
Among the headlining submissions were DezMeaux’s Boudin in Opelousas and their boudin-stuffed wings (“I'd throw another human in front of a zombie for those wings!” writes Sarah Wise. “My boss says they change lives and he's not wrong!”); Juneau’s Cajun Meats in Marksville; the Y-Not Stop in Mansura; Billy’s Homemade Boudin and Cracklins, with locations in Scott, Opelousas, Krotz Springs, and Lafayette (featuring their beloved pepper jack-boudin balls); Stelly’s Supermarket in Lebeau, serving up boudin, fried chicken, and plate lunches since 1920; Nonc Kev's Specialty Meats in Rayne; St. Gabriel Grocery & Deli (you’re gonna want the crawfish boudin poboy, fully dressed); Chops Specialty Meats in Broussard (“Best boudin in the area,” per Tim Westcott. “They are not afraid to season it well.”); and Eddie’s One Stop in Erath (go for the boudin-pepper jack egg rolls).
There is just one more. It feels fitting to close out this section with a ringing endorsement for Billeaud’s Meat & Grocery in Broussard from reader Lelania Ridgley, who was unequivocal in her submission:
“The best thing to come out of this store since 1889 is the BOUDIN!! It is the best I’ve ever tasted and I’ve tried everyone else’s ‘favorite’ and always come back to Billeaud’s! Always!! The flavor is the best part of this treat. It’s the perfect amount of seasoning and heat, without blowing out your palate, and the texture is super on-point. From the perfect grind of the pork, to the just-right amount of rice; making it soft without being that dreaded mushy mess like so many others. The crisp snap of the casings makes it easy to eat or to cut up into pieces for everyone to share. I cannot say enough words as to how amazing Billeaud’s boudin is; you just need to try it first yourself, and you will understand my dedication to their product for over fifty years of my life!”
Photo by Molly McNeal
Everything Fried
A good portion of gas station grub must, probably according to some secret backroads culinary bylaw, be fried. We present for your consideration: Menard's Cajun Grocery in Duson (best to order the fried chicken); a very specific On the Run gas station in Hammond, in which is housed Bayou Boudin (one reader can’t get enough of their chicken cracklins with hot honey sauce); Curtis Grocery in Florien (reader Amy Johnson waxed eloquent about their catfish platter: “Hand trimmed, perfectly crispy, with a ground-to-order cornmeal batter. Served with homemade hushpuppies, fries, and coleslaw.”); Leebo’s in Ball (try the chicken tenders and biscuits); Art of Roux in the Golden Eagle Express gas station in Hattiesburg (featuring, among other delicacies, hand-battered fried shrimp poboys); Brook’s General Store in Mount Hermon (make the trip for the legendary fried chicken); Porky's Boudin & Cajun Meats in Livingston (for the pork cracklins); The 76 Gas Station in Brookhaven, Mississippi (famous fried chicken strips and shrimp); and, last but not least, this gem from reader Danielle Kelley Tolbird, who wrote in about Praise Da Lard Cracklins in Woodville:
“Not at a gas station, but across from a gas station at the only flashing-light, four-way stop in Woodville is a tin shack emblazoned with PRAISE DA LARD. Outside is a pig trough painted pink like a pig, complete with an aluminum tail, snout, and ears. It’s been converted into a flower pot. Inside the roughly 15x15 space are the freshest and most delicious cracklins you’ll ever taste. You may be crying praises (wee, wee, wee?) as you traverse the blacktop, grease staining your steering wheel, all the way home.”
And sometimes? Sometimes the most delicious gas station deep fried concoction is straight up invented out of necessity. Andy Roberts' heartfelt homage to the "Bird Dog" was one of those.
“What is it? It’s a chicken tender in a hotdog bun from one of Ronnie Jett’s many gas stations [Jett’s Food Marts] in East and West Feliciana. You could say it’s an OFF-OFF menu item. They don’t even know they sell them. You have to order some tenders from the counter, and buy a bag of hotdog buns from the shelf. Created to satisfy the discerning palate of a cold and tired six-year-old deer hunter a decade ago, the Bird Dog was born. When they are fresh, it’s a thing of beauty. The soft bun protects your fingers from the hot crunch of a perfectly cooked chicken tender. When they are cold and tough, you remember: so are you. The bun soaks up whatever is going on in your gut from the night before, or whatever is on your hands… dirt, hydraulic oil, or purple PVC pipe glue. You bought fuel at the gas station. Some for your truck, and some for your body. The only garnish allowed on a true bird dog? Louisiana Hot Sauce. Plain or Hot. Those are the choices.”
[Read this: "Road Eats: Six Roadside Restaurants Worth Stopping For"]
Photo by Molly McNeal
Down-Home Classics
When considering whether a meal at a roadside turnoff is worth the cardiovascular collateral damage, if it ain’t boudin and it ain’t fried, it’s gotta be some classic Louisiana, Mississippi, or plain-old Americana fare, cooked with just the right amount of grease and flavor to leave you wanting more and blithely ignoring the consequences.
Our readers had some serious opinions on this. We’ve got Louisiana staples, like Stazione Deli in Morgan City (poboys with Louisiana seafood); Southern Eats / Shell Gas Station in Jackson, Mississippi (three-meat gumbo that’s “as close to New Orleans-style taste as you can get/find here in MS,” writes Yolanda Clay-Moore); Kings Truck Stop & Casino in Port Barre (nine different poboys to choose from, along with tried-and-true Cajun standards like gumbo, crawfish étouffée, red beans and rice, and fried alligator); Seafood Express in Meridian, Mississippi (fried seafood plates and crawfish); Cajun Station in Eunice (known for their plate lunches with rabbit and ponce, jambalaya, chicken sauce piquante, crawfish étouffée, and gumbo); Blake’s Deli on LA-3185 at the Shell Gas Station in Thibodaux (featuring a swoon-worthy poboy loaded with roast beef, ham, and swiss cheese); Country Corner off Perkins in Baton Rouge (boiled crawfish); and Suire’s Grocery & Restaurant in Kaplan (you’ll be wanting the turtle sauce piquante).
Then there are the burgers. Gas stations and convenience stores can so often be the sweet spot between the lackluster fast food joint and pricey artisanal sandwiches, and our readers came prepared with recs: Citgo in Washington; Stop-N-Shop in Oakdale (their burgers are known for their juiciness and flavor); Blue Junction in Ville Platte (their “blue burger” consists of two patties with cheese, bacon, grilled onions, and peppers on toasted buns); Jac’s Market & Deli in Youngsville (BBQ burgers to die for); the Hackberry Recreation Center in Hackberry; Queb’s Country Store in Opelousas (try their popular Spicy Cajun Burger); Riché’s Y-Not Stop in Broussard (made-to-order burgers with a wait rarely exceeding ten minutes); and Cajan’s Eatery in Scott, occupying a building more than one hundred years old (Diana Richard wrote in about their Dixie Burger, featuring “homemade fresh ground seasoned beef and topped with grilled onions, homemade chipotle sauce, lettuce, pepper jack cheese, pickles, bacon, and tomato.”)
Let’s also spare some space for the many barbecue joints dotting God’s country—such as an innocuous Shell Gas Station on E County Line Road in Ridgeland, Mississippi housing Incredible BBQ And Soul Food (chicken wings and ribs galore), Smoking Joe’s BBQ in a Chevron Gas Station in Lafayette (get the ribs, always the ribs), Grayson’s Barb-B-Q in Clarence, Blessed Barbecue in the Marathon Gas Station in Jackson, Mississippi (order the ribs with the sauce on the fries), Kangaroo Crossing in Pelahatchie, Mississippi and Deuce’s Taste of the South in Broussard (brisket and pork, Texas barbecue-style).
Photo by Molly McNeal
Genre-Defying Dining
It takes some gumption to push the envelope in the tradition-beholden Gulf South—to do something a little extra, a bit unusual. Whether it’s taking a beloved menu item and adding a twist, or bringing an entirely different cuisine into the hallowed culinary halls of Cajun and Creole culture, we applaud the roadside pioneers.
Let’s start with the dining establishments that surprised us with something a little unexpected: there’s Jett’s Food Mart in Jackson, Louisiana, which serves up a beloved seafood stuffed potato (packed with shrimp, crawfish, and cheese, along with other toppings) and Rascal's Cajun Express in Rayne, bringing the heat with their boudin nachos (we’re so serious—crispy chips smothered in southwest queso and topped with diced jalapenos and green onions).
“As a dedicated rural life-liver, I really appreciate not having a fast food restaurant just pop up in our small towns, or a chain pop up in our small towns. I want to keep things local, and small." —Tara Morris
Then there are the folks bringing us foodstuffs from afar—whether that be across the country or across the world. Our Mississippi readers love the loaded white queso Philly cheesesteak sandwich at Main Street Deli & Market in the BP Gas Station in Tupelo, and a more traditional Philly cheesesteak at United Deli & Grocery in Columbus. People are pulling over for the Indian cuisine at Punjabi Dhaba, inside a Shell Station in Hammond (one reader is partial to their palak paneer) and Chacha's Dhaba in Pearl River (just get the butter chicken or goat curry, and thank us later); the famed Athena Express at the Chevron in Lafayette serves up Greek goodness; and then there are the two famed Mexican spots—Sibley’s Grocery and La Frontera, both in Denham Springs.
[Read Lucie Monk Carter's review of Punjabi Dhaba from our August 2019 issue, here.]
Lucie Monk Carter
Punjabi Dhaba in Hammond.
Good Ol’ Fashioned Comfort Food
There is one final category that serves as a sort of catch-all for food that makes you feel like home away from home, which matters exponentially when you’re on the road for hours in search of something familiar. What could be better than some good ol’ fashioned comfort food—be it a full country breakfast with buttermilk biscuits, or a sturdy, unassuming plate lunch that fills you down to your toes?
"It's really special when you find one of these places along a route you often take to a vacation spot or to visit out-of-town family, and it becomes a special road trip treat. I find myself looking forward to the drive more than arriving at my destination because I know we'll stop at one of these places we've heard about through word of mouth and devour some absolutely delicious food that you can't find anywhere else.” —Shelby Aydell
For breakfast or baked goods, our readers suggested Jett’s Food Mart in St. Francisville (featuring the best gas station breakfast biscuits and burritos one reader has encountered); David’s Tiger Express in Central (mentioned a couple of times as a consistently good breakfast); French Market Express in Natchitoches (the bakery inside regularly has a line out the door—if you can stand the wait, ask for the cinnamon toga); Papa V's BBQ & Deli in Tupelo (biscuits and gravy, “just like your grandma made,” writes Molly Lovorn. “Silky smooth gravy with sausage over a homemade biscuit will take you back in time. Top it with crispy fried chicken or a country fried tenderloin.”); and Lucky 13 Express in Lettsworth (which boasts a huge selection of freshly made desserts, their banana pudding being the most sought after).
Finally, for a plate lunch you just might want to write home about, head to Golden Grove Truck Stop in Gramercy (one reader recommends their fried pork chop, cooked cabbage with rice, and cornbread); Anacoco Mercantile in Anacoco (be sure to grab a scoop of Maw Maw’s Peach Cobbler with your mains); Moo-Noo’s Grill in Erath; Charlie’s Saints Street Grocery & Deli (a 79-year-old institution); and Vautrot's Mini Mart in Church Point.
Photo by Molly McNeal
In Their Own Words
We wanted to hear more from our readers about why they wrote in, and what the culture of truly delicious gas station gourmet means to them.
For Aubrey LaHaye, 33, of Lafayette, discovering delights in the gas station reminds him of his childhood—the “taste of home.” He grew up in rural Acadiana, where there weren’t very many options for fast food. The best food you could buy, ready-made, was usually sold at local convenience stores and gas stations, “because that’s where the people that know where to cook hang out,” he said. “What’s more convenient than stopping and getting gas, getting something to drink, a little snack,” but there’s also a quality plate lunch in the back? For the record, he gladly recommended DezMeaux’s Boudin in Opelousas.
Now, LaHaye lives in Lafayette, but he travels extensively for work throughout the state.
“Unless you’re treating somebody to lunch, you don’t want to have to go find a place to sit down to eat, or eat a decent meal, and get something that’s not fast food, whenever you could swing in at a gas station, like a Billy’s, where you could get some food that’s actually going to fill you up and be good without spending a ton of money,” he said.
Though he’s lived here his whole life, LaHaye says Louisiana’s best-kept-culinary-secrets continue to surprise him, but he attests that the food doesn’t get any better than where he grew up, “so you have to watch your expectations.”
“Now, detrimental to my health?” he laughed. “Probably.”
Shelby Aydell, 24, of Baton Rouge, highly recommended Punjabi Dhaba, and told us about how she finds these stops through loved ones eager to pass on their suggestions.
“I always learn about them from family or friends who happened to stumble in,” she said. "It's really special when you find one of these places along a route you often take to a vacation spot or to visit out-of-town family, and it becomes a special road trip treat. I find myself looking forward to the drive more than arriving at my destination because I know we'll stop at one of these places we've heard about through word of mouth and devour some absolutely delicious food that you can't find anywhere else.”
Tara Morris, 44, runs the farm Three Twelve Beef in Slaughter and manages leased land across three different towns in the Felicianas with her husband. She wrote to us about Jett’s in Jackson, Louisiana with plate lunches where “the soul food vibes are unbeatable.”
“First and foremost, having a Jett’s available in all three of those towns is really handy for us to not just get something gross,” she said. They appreciate the option to buy something local that’s both healthy and tasty, with a similar price to fast food.
Morris also travels for her part-time job at a nonprofit, where she hosts farm and educational tours. Every time she winds up in a rural area, she asks the farmers who she should book for lunch. They always say the best is from gas stations. “It fills a rural gap, and it’s excellent food,” she said.
“As a dedicated rural life-liver, I really appreciate not having a fast food restaurant just pop up in our small towns, or a chain pop up in our small towns,” she added. “I want to keep things local, and small,”
And, she quipped, if a small business can join together a place to get lunch, with a place to stop and get gas, and add on the opportunity to network with your neighbors while everyone is there grabbing a bite—well, that certainly looks a lot like keeping community alive.
Gas Station Gourmet Route
Missed your opportunity to submit to Gas Station Gourmet? Have no fear! We received such a strong response we’re going to keep a good thing going. Please keep sending us suggestions for later issues—we’ll read them all. You can submit your recommendations at subscribe.countryroadsmagazine.com/yum.
