5 things you should be buying at Buc-ee’s

By now, we all know about Buc-ee’s and its allure. Yes, it has massive brisket and pulled pork sandwiches and Beaver nuggets and cheap gas.

The thing is, most of the food items Buc-ee’s is known for are not its best food. The brisket is fine. The pulled pork is fine. The Beaver Nuggets are .. well, something. But the Texas-based convenience store offers a lot of other food items that are way more delicious.

For the sake of this story (and because Buc-ee’s has so much available), I limited it to food items (including treats) that are grab and go. You can use a tablet to special order food, but since most Buc-ee’s are super crowded most of the day, I know a lot of us just want to get in there, get our items and leave.

So here is my list. The great thing about it is others will have different opinions. That’s how life works:

A chicken sandwich from Buc-ee’s. (Haley Laurence)Haley Laurence

5. Chicken sandwich

Buc-ee’s fans started complaining earlier this year about the lack of chicken sandwiches at some of the stores. Some stores had ‘em, some didn’t, but what we all found out was that people really, really like the sandwiches. So when I saw a couple of ‘em at the Athens location recently, I knew I had to try one.

I was really skeptical about this one. There are a lot of great fried chicken sandwiches in the fast food world, and it’s hard to compete. And at first glance, I wasn’t impressed. It doesn’t look like much, especially for a $6.99 sandwich. It’s just a piece of fried chicken, some sweet aioli-ish sauce, and that’s it. At first bite, I said, “Eh, this is just fine.”

But even though I bought some other food on that trip, I kept going back to that chicken sandwich and eventually had it all eaten. Why? Because in a place like Buc-ee’s where they pile on the meats, toppings and sauces, this was actually nice and simple. So if you’re in the mood for a simple sandwich, this is it.

4. Any gummy candy

Enough people simply do not talk about how great Buc-ee’s candy is. The Beaver Nuggets get all the accolades, but you should be skipping over those and heading toward the huge display of gummy candy instead.

I know right now you’re saying, “But Haley, I can get gummy candy in any gas station in America.” (I even heard a mom telling her kid that during a recent Buc-ee’s visit.) And the mom is right. You can get them somewhere else – but they’re just not going to be as good. There’s a fifty-fifty chance they’ll be stale and they’ll probably be a tad overpriced. But all of Buc-ee’s candies taste fresh and flavorful, plus they’re in a Ziploc container that actually works so you can keep ‘em fresh for a while. I’ve tried almost all of Buc-ee’s offerings and my two favorites are the mini gummy butterflies and the watermelon sour belts.

3. Cinnamon roll

I am not here to argue that this is the best cinnamon roll in the state. It is not. Go to the nearest bakery or get out your recipe book and make you some homemade cinnamon rolls. Those cinnamon rolls will be better.

But Buc-ee’s still has a mighty fine cinnamon roll, and it’s available at all times of the day. The cream cheese icing is delicious (and of course Buc-ee’s doesn’t skimp on it), and the cinnamon is distributed throughout the bread. If you’re headed home, it’s a little better if you microwave it (kinda like a honey bun). But it still holds up well if you eat it right when you get back to the car.

Also, and I’m sure you’re tired of me saying this, but the thing is massive, so you can share if you want.

2. Club melt

This is Buc-ee’s best sandwich. (Sorry, brisket.) This sandwich is pretty massive, filling and is tastes good, too.

The sandwich is piled with meats – ham, turkey and bacon – then topped with cheddar cheese, spicy mayo and a sundried tomato pesto. In true Buc-ee’s fashion, there’s usually a ton of spicy mayo on the sandwich, so if you’re not a fan of saucy sandwiches you should avoid this one (or special order it).

I’m not sure why this sandwich is so good – it’s just the perfect combination of flavors on a soft bun. Definitely don’t overlook this one.

It’s $8.99, but it’s basically a meal.

1. Chicken burrito

Buc-ee’s burritos are truly some of its best food items. I have yet to have a bad or even mediocre burrito from there. The convenience store has both breakfast and lunch/dinner burritos, and all of ‘em are worth the price.

You’re usually taking a chance when you order a burrito anywhere because a lot of times the fillings are unevenly distributed. So you’ll just get a bite of one ingredient at a time. I’ve never had this problem at Buc-ee’s, and I appreciate that.

My go-to is the chicken burrito. Chicken, bell peppers, onions, rice and black bean corn relish are wrapped in a tortilla. The best part is probably the chipimiento sauce inside, which adds some spice to the dish.

The burrito isn’t cheap – it’s $8.49 – but it’s huge and more than enough for a meal.

Runners up for the best burrito are the Texas cheesesteak burrito (this one has a lot more fans than the chicken burrito, but I still stand behind my ranking) and the breakfast beast burrito, which is filled with bacon, sausage, eggs, potato and cheese.