Key Takeaways
- Southern chefs love Buc-ee’s brisket and fried chicken sandwiches for their bold, road-ready flavor.
- Beaver Nuggets and salsa verde peanuts bring a crave-worthy crunch to snack time.
- Kolaches, house-made chips, and brown butter rice crispy treats round out the must-try picks with sweet and savory Southern charm.
At first glance, Buc-ee’s may seem like a standard (albeit very big) gas station, but once you spend a few moments inside a Buc-ee’s shop, you’ll realize that this Texas-based business (which now boasts locations all over the South) isn’t your average convenience store.
Here, you can buy camping equipment, T-shirts, stuffed animals, outdoor grills, and a wide array of beloved road trip snacks. We asked a group of Southern chefs for the best snacks at Buc-ee’s, and these seven recommendations received special shoutouts.
Brisket Sandwich
Brisket is a way of life in Texas, and Buc-ee’s takes pride in showcasing its home state’s signature smoked beef. “My favorite item at Buc-ee’s is the brisket sandwich. It’s a great-tasting Texas classic with the convenience of being a grab-and-go option for a road trip. Plus, Buc-ee’s is never stingy with the amount of brisket,’ says Alex Melendez, executive chef of Thompson Houston in Houston, Texas.
Melissa Araujo, James Beard 2025 semifinalist and chef/owner of Alma Café in New Orleans, also opts for the brisket sandwich during Buc-ee’s stops, telling us that “it’s smoky, juicy, and packed with flavor, making it a solid and satisfying bite on the road.”
Fried Chicken Sandwich
Another Buc-ee’s sandwich that earned accolades from our surveyed chefs is the fried chicken sandwich. “As a Southerner, I know a thing or two about how good gas station food can be; it’s often better-tasting and served with more customer [care] than many dine-in restaurants. On my latest road trip I decided to give the Buc-ee’s fried chicken sandwich a try, and I’m happy that I did,” raves Jennifer Booker, a cookbook author and chef/owner of Bauhaus Biergarten in Springdale, Arkansas. “This sandwich is made up of a crispy fried chicken fillet seared on a soft sweet bun, slathered with aioli, and topped with tart pickle slices. It’s worth the drive.”
Beaver Nuggets
Arguably one of Buc-ee’s most famous snack items, Beaver Nuggets consist of corn puffs tossed in a range of different coatings and toppings. The Original nuggets come with a sweet honey-like glaze, but you can also find Salted Caramel Beaver Nuggets, Cinnamon Sugar Beaver Nuggets, and even White Cheddar Beaver Nuggets, which Mark Frazie, executive chef of Frazie’s Meat & Market in Atlanta, Georgia, describes as “like if Captain Crunch and Cheese Puffs had a baby.”
Kolaches
A yeasted-dough pastry brought to Central Texas by Czech immigrants in the 19th century, kolaches can be found at bakeries and gas-station snack counters throughout the region, so it stands to reason that Buc-ee’s would serve its own rendition. Luckily, their kolache efforts generally prove successful in the opinion of Barrett Black, pitmaster at The Original Black’s BBQ in Central Texas…