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Cylantros Venezuelan Cuisine

Fill Up on Biscuits, Wings, and Tacos at These Atlanta Gas Stations

Fresh and fluffy biscuits, piled-high hamburgers, hot wings, parking lot barbecue, taquerias, and pecan logs

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A road trip isn’t necessary for people to grab snacks or a quick meal from a gas station. The South has a long history of offering local cooks and mom-and-pop food businesses opportunities to sling everything from fresh biscuits and doughnuts in the mornings to fried chicken and barbecue in the afternoons at counters inside filling stations. Gas station parking lots, too, often serve as pop-up smoked meat destinations during the warmers months, with folks setting up barbecue rigs offering plates of ribs, smoked turkey legs, and pulled pork paired with Southern sides for sale.

Atlanta is brimming with great gas station eats, including fluffy biscuits, piled-high hamburgers, wings, barbecue, tacos, and pecan logs and boiled peanuts. Here, Eater highlights just a few gas stations around town offering all of the above, and more. Fill up on more gas station food coverage here.

Are there other great gas station foods in and around Atlanta Eater should check out for a future update? Send the details to atlanta@eater.com.

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TDT BBQ

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Located inside a Shell station in Mableton, TDT BBQ serves up sandwiches and heaping plates of ribs, pulled pork, sausages, wings, and chicken all smoked on site. There’s even smoked vegan meatloaf, smoked salmon, and cobbler for dessert. Plates and sandwiches come with a choice of sides, including baked beans, green beans, and mac and cheese. Make sure to watch for specials on the menu.

Taqueria Margarita

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Just off of 1-20 in Austell, Taqueria Margarita resides next door to a Chevron station in the city west of Atlanta. Head in before or after filling up for fresh tortillas stuffed with chorizo, al pastor, or barbacoa, burritos, chimichangas, and gorditas. The tiny taqueria even sells tamales and menudo on the weekends.

Cylantros Venezuelan Cuisine

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Located next to a Shell gas station, this popular Venezuelan spot serves a variety of generously stuffed arepas, cachapas (cheese-filled sweet corn pancake), and empanadas on the menu, along with nourishing soups, sides of sweet plantains and yuca fries, and tres leche and flan for dessert. It all makes for an easy and filling meal while on the go. For those with time to spare, grab a seat on the small patio out front. Cylantros also includes a location in Kennesaw (beside a Shell station) and in Roswell.

S&J Kitchen

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People seeking a good gas station biscuit, biscuit sandwich, or biscuits and gravy for breakfast would be wise to check out the restaurant counter at this Texaco station. The biscuits here aren’t skimpy, and neither are the breakfast plates, complete with grits, bacon, and eggs that can come cooked to order.

El Serranito

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The hand-painted sign on the window at this BP food mart says it all: “Street Tacos”. Pop in to order tacos, including shrimp, pork stomach, and al pastor, as well as huaraches, tortas, and tostadas with sides of rice and beans. Make sure to hit up the salsa bar for hot sauces. Dine in at the counter or take it to go.

Legend Cafe

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This gas station-adjacent restaurant serves excellent hot wings paired with beef, chicken, shrimp, or vegetable fried rice and lo mein. Wings come with a choice of sauces, including extra hot lemon pepper and spicy teriyaki. Not in the mood for wings or fried rice? There’s also fried fish and shrimp combo plates and cheesesteaks on the menu.

Marietta Donuts

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Check out this East Cobb gas station-adjacent doughnut gem before hitting the road. It’s no frills here with just a couple of seats, but the doughnuts (both yeast and cake varieties) are freshly fried and extremely satisfying. There’s also sausage kolaches — think pigs in a fluffy blanket — a Texas roadside favorite. 

CHE BUTTER JONEZ

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Occupy the Hood activist Malik Rhasaan and Detric Fox-Quinlan opened a permanent location of their popular food truck, Che Butter Jonez, as a restaurant in 2021. Located next door to a Chevron station on Cleveland Avenue, the restaurant continues to serve one of the food truck’s most popular menu items: the That Sh!T Slambing burger. The menu here changes daily to keep things fresh, but typically includes halal beef, lamb, and chicken dishes. If it’s on the menu, opt for the New York halal plate served over rice or one of the breakfast sandwiches with halal beef bacon, bologna, or turkey sausage topped with egg and cheese.

Mt. Paran Country Store

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Established in 1906, the Mount Paran Country Store includes just two standalone gas pumps, a convenience shop complete with a slush puppie machine, and a counter serving some of Atlanta’s best biscuits wrapped up and ready to go for breakfast in the morning. But don’t skip the hamburgers, barbecue pork sandwiches, or chicken salad and chili here. Despite now being surrounded by multi-million dollar homes in Buckhead, Mount Paran Country Store hasn’t lost its charm. Grab breakfast or lunch and take a seat on the benches or picnic tables outside. Keep an eye out for roaming neighborhood chickens.

Wings R Us

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Gas station wings are absolutely a real deal in Atlanta, and this gas station-adjacent joint serves up some seriously spicy drums and flats on the menu. Pair those wings with crinkle fries or fried okra, or go all in and order wings and a cheesesteak.

Auto Spa Bistro

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Auto Spa Bistro might be one of the city’s best bets for food at a car wash. Drop the car off for a complete wash, wax, and full detail, then grab breakfast, lunch, or dinner inside the restaurant on site. The menu includes everything from omelettes, salmon croquettes, and Belgian waffles in the morning to fish tacos, a turkey burger, and Cajun Alaskan salmon in the afternoon and evening. Vegan options are available. Folks can even make a reservation on busier days, so there’s no wait for a table.

Krispy Krunchy Chicken

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With multiple locations at gas stations throughout metro Atlanta, people can fill up their tanks and grab good Cajun-style fried chicken or wings from this Louisiana-based franchise. Order a single meal or family feast paired with sides that include jambalaya, boudin bites, and chicken cracklins. Breakfast here offers empanadas stuffed with eggs, cheese, and chorizo and BEC biscuits. Most locations are open late.

Las Tortas Ahogadas Jalisco

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Located in Forest Park next to a BP gas station, Las Tortas Ahogadas is where to head for tacos, flautas, chilaquiles, and burritos at any time of day. The restaurant currently closes at 4:30 a.m. to restock, before reopening again at 11 a.m.

Parking lot and gas station barbecue

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It’s not unusual during the spring and summer months throughout Atlanta (or Georgia) to see smokers set up in parking lots at gas stations, the neighborhood ACE Hardware store, or a vacant lot on the side of the road. From Texaco and Exxon stations around town to a Valero at a busy intersection in Edgewood at Memorial Drive, make a beeline any time you see a pop-up barbecue operation serving up slabs of ribs, smoked chicken and turkey legs, and messy, but oh-so-good pulled pork sandwiches.

NFA Burger

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Billy Kramer, the man behind the popular Billy’s Burgers and NFA Burger pop-ups, opened a permanent location of NFA Burger inside a Chevron market on Chamblee Dunwoody Road in 2019. If the long lines at lunch are any indication, Kramer’s burger counter is as popular as his pop-ups. Head in for NFA’s classic double and triple cheeseburgers as well as the monstrous quad burger. All are topped with American cheese, pickles, mustard, and Kramer’s sweet and salty “sassy” sauce.

Taqueria Taquito Express

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This counter-service taqueria chain is located inside several gas stations around Atlanta. The menu includes everything from burritos and tacos to tortas and tamales. The queso blanco on the menu is pretty basic, but it makes for a quick melted cheese fix while on the go. The nachos are the move, which come loaded with shredded chicken, queso dip, cheese, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and jalapeños. 

Salsa Taqueria & Wings

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Located next to a Shell gas station on Buford Highway in Brookhaven, this friendly counter-service taqueria serves a halal menu of Mexican-American comfort foods, including beef and chicken birria tacos, tamales, wings and fries, tortas, and burgers. Make sure to check out the weekend specials, too.

Taquería Oaxaqueña de la Gueleguetza

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It should be obvious by now that Atlanta has a thriving gas station taqueria scene. But few of these establishments offer a tlayuda on the menu. Some folks would rather this tiny Tucker spot next to a Chevron be kept a secret. Beyond the top-notch tacos, ordering a tlayuda is a must — a pizza-like Oaxacan dish consisting of toasted tortilla typically topped with refried beans, cheese, meat, and lettuce. It’s best eaten fresh, so grab a seat in one of the three booths or take it outside and eat in the parking lot while propped up against the car.

Espiga De Oro Bakery

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Attached to an Exxon station in Duluth, this panaderia features a pastry case filled with freshly baked cookies and sweet breads (pan dulce), including besitos, conchas, piedras, and pan de valentina ojos. Grab a tray and load up on pastries and breads, then order lunch from the counter. The tortas on the menu are a must, as are the pupusas and gorditas.

Stuckey's Express at JP Travel Center

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Road trips in the South should always include a stop at Stuckey’s to stock up on pecan log rolls while traveling or for the pantry at home. While the origins of this vanilla nougat confection dipped in caramel and rolled in pecans is unknown, many credit Stuckey’s for perfecting it by adding maraschino cherries to the mix, making it an instant Southern road trip classic. Check out the selection of old fashioned candies and popcorn before hitting the road again.

TDT BBQ

Located inside a Shell station in Mableton, TDT BBQ serves up sandwiches and heaping plates of ribs, pulled pork, sausages, wings, and chicken all smoked on site. There’s even smoked vegan meatloaf, smoked salmon, and cobbler for dessert. Plates and sandwiches come with a choice of sides, including baked beans, green beans, and mac and cheese. Make sure to watch for specials on the menu.

Taqueria Margarita

Just off of 1-20 in Austell, Taqueria Margarita resides next door to a Chevron station in the city west of Atlanta. Head in before or after filling up for fresh tortillas stuffed with chorizo, al pastor, or barbacoa, burritos, chimichangas, and gorditas. The tiny taqueria even sells tamales and menudo on the weekends.

Cylantros Venezuelan Cuisine

Located next to a Shell gas station, this popular Venezuelan spot serves a variety of generously stuffed arepas, cachapas (cheese-filled sweet corn pancake), and empanadas on the menu, along with nourishing soups, sides of sweet plantains and yuca fries, and tres leche and flan for dessert. It all makes for an easy and filling meal while on the go. For those with time to spare, grab a seat on the small patio out front. Cylantros also includes a location in Kennesaw (beside a Shell station) and in Roswell.

S&J Kitchen

People seeking a good gas station biscuit, biscuit sandwich, or biscuits and gravy for breakfast would be wise to check out the restaurant counter at this Texaco station. The biscuits here aren’t skimpy, and neither are the breakfast plates, complete with grits, bacon, and eggs that can come cooked to order.

El Serranito

The hand-painted sign on the window at this BP food mart says it all: “Street Tacos”. Pop in to order tacos, including shrimp, pork stomach, and al pastor, as well as huaraches, tortas, and tostadas with sides of rice and beans. Make sure to hit up the salsa bar for hot sauces. Dine in at the counter or take it to go.

Legend Cafe

This gas station-adjacent restaurant serves excellent hot wings paired with beef, chicken, shrimp, or vegetable fried rice and lo mein. Wings come with a choice of sauces, including extra hot lemon pepper and spicy teriyaki. Not in the mood for wings or fried rice? There’s also fried fish and shrimp combo plates and cheesesteaks on the menu.

Marietta Donuts

Check out this East Cobb gas station-adjacent doughnut gem before hitting the road. It’s no frills here with just a couple of seats, but the doughnuts (both yeast and cake varieties) are freshly fried and extremely satisfying. There’s also sausage kolaches — think pigs in a fluffy blanket — a Texas roadside favorite. 

CHE BUTTER JONEZ

Occupy the Hood activist Malik Rhasaan and Detric Fox-Quinlan opened a permanent location of their popular food truck, Che Butter Jonez, as a restaurant in 2021. Located next door to a Chevron station on Cleveland Avenue, the restaurant continues to serve one of the food truck’s most popular menu items: the That Sh!T Slambing burger. The menu here changes daily to keep things fresh, but typically includes halal beef, lamb, and chicken dishes. If it’s on the menu, opt for the New York halal plate served over rice or one of the breakfast sandwiches with halal beef bacon, bologna, or turkey sausage topped with egg and cheese.

Mt. Paran Country Store

Established in 1906, the Mount Paran Country Store includes just two standalone gas pumps, a convenience shop complete with a slush puppie machine, and a counter serving some of Atlanta’s best biscuits wrapped up and ready to go for breakfast in the morning. But don’t skip the hamburgers, barbecue pork sandwiches, or chicken salad and chili here. Despite now being surrounded by multi-million dollar homes in Buckhead, Mount Paran Country Store hasn’t lost its charm. Grab breakfast or lunch and take a seat on the benches or picnic tables outside. Keep an eye out for roaming neighborhood chickens.

Wings R Us

Gas station wings are absolutely a real deal in Atlanta, and this gas station-adjacent joint serves up some seriously spicy drums and flats on the menu. Pair those wings with crinkle fries or fried okra, or go all in and order wings and a cheesesteak.

Auto Spa Bistro

Auto Spa Bistro might be one of the city’s best bets for food at a car wash. Drop the car off for a complete wash, wax, and full detail, then grab breakfast, lunch, or dinner inside the restaurant on site. The menu includes everything from omelettes, salmon croquettes, and Belgian waffles in the morning to fish tacos, a turkey burger, and Cajun Alaskan salmon in the afternoon and evening. Vegan options are available. Folks can even make a reservation on busier days, so there’s no wait for a table.

Krispy Krunchy Chicken

With multiple locations at gas stations throughout metro Atlanta, people can fill up their tanks and grab good Cajun-style fried chicken or wings from this Louisiana-based franchise. Order a single meal or family feast paired with sides that include jambalaya, boudin bites, and chicken cracklins. Breakfast here offers empanadas stuffed with eggs, cheese, and chorizo and BEC biscuits. Most locations are open late.

Las Tortas Ahogadas Jalisco

Located in Forest Park next to a BP gas station, Las Tortas Ahogadas is where to head for tacos, flautas, chilaquiles, and burritos at any time of day. The restaurant currently closes at 4:30 a.m. to restock, before reopening again at 11 a.m.

Parking lot and gas station barbecue

It’s not unusual during the spring and summer months throughout Atlanta (or Georgia) to see smokers set up in parking lots at gas stations, the neighborhood ACE Hardware store, or a vacant lot on the side of the road. From Texaco and Exxon stations around town to a Valero at a busy intersection in Edgewood at Memorial Drive, make a beeline any time you see a pop-up barbecue operation serving up slabs of ribs, smoked chicken and turkey legs, and messy, but oh-so-good pulled pork sandwiches.

NFA Burger

Billy Kramer, the man behind the popular Billy’s Burgers and NFA Burger pop-ups, opened a permanent location of NFA Burger inside a Chevron market on Chamblee Dunwoody Road in 2019. If the long lines at lunch are any indication, Kramer’s burger counter is as popular as his pop-ups. Head in for NFA’s classic double and triple cheeseburgers as well as the monstrous quad burger. All are topped with American cheese, pickles, mustard, and Kramer’s sweet and salty “sassy” sauce.

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Taqueria Taquito Express

This counter-service taqueria chain is located inside several gas stations around Atlanta. The menu includes everything from burritos and tacos to tortas and tamales. The queso blanco on the menu is pretty basic, but it makes for a quick melted cheese fix while on the go. The nachos are the move, which come loaded with shredded chicken, queso dip, cheese, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and jalapeños. 

Salsa Taqueria & Wings

Located next to a Shell gas station on Buford Highway in Brookhaven, this friendly counter-service taqueria serves a halal menu of Mexican-American comfort foods, including beef and chicken birria tacos, tamales, wings and fries, tortas, and burgers. Make sure to check out the weekend specials, too.

Taquería Oaxaqueña de la Gueleguetza

It should be obvious by now that Atlanta has a thriving gas station taqueria scene. But few of these establishments offer a tlayuda on the menu. Some folks would rather this tiny Tucker spot next to a Chevron be kept a secret. Beyond the top-notch tacos, ordering a tlayuda is a must — a pizza-like Oaxacan dish consisting of toasted tortilla typically topped with refried beans, cheese, meat, and lettuce. It’s best eaten fresh, so grab a seat in one of the three booths or take it outside and eat in the parking lot while propped up against the car.

Espiga De Oro Bakery

Attached to an Exxon station in Duluth, this panaderia features a pastry case filled with freshly baked cookies and sweet breads (pan dulce), including besitos, conchas, piedras, and pan de valentina ojos. Grab a tray and load up on pastries and breads, then order lunch from the counter. The tortas on the menu are a must, as are the pupusas and gorditas.

Stuckey's Express at JP Travel Center

Road trips in the South should always include a stop at Stuckey’s to stock up on pecan log rolls while traveling or for the pantry at home. While the origins of this vanilla nougat confection dipped in caramel and rolled in pecans is unknown, many credit Stuckey’s for perfecting it by adding maraschino cherries to the mix, making it an instant Southern road trip classic. Check out the selection of old fashioned candies and popcorn before hitting the road again.

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