Saw a family of 5 eating at a gas station diner in Iowa last week

We were driving through on a road trip and stopped for coffee at this place off I-80. Turns out they had a whole hot breakfast buffet for like $4 a person, fresh eggs and biscuits. Has anyone else run into hidden cheap eats at random truck stops that beat regular restaurants?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_miles1mo ago

That "chicken fried steak" you mentioned is actually called country fried steak out here, just a small correction.

rubyshah1mo ago

Walked into a random truck stop in Nebraska once thinking I'd grab a sad packaged sandwich and ended up with the best homemade chicken fried steak I've ever had. The lady running the place said her husband was the cook and he'd been making that recipe for 30 years. I still think about that gravy sometimes. It's wild how those greasy little spots off the interstate can totally surprise you.

king.robin1mo ago

Actually I have to push back on that "correction" a little. The terms chicken fried steak and country fried steak are used pretty interchangeably where I'm from in Texas. Regional labels aside, the real point is that truck stop food can be LEGIT. I've had the exact same experience in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma and it changed my whole perspective on gas station grub. That gravy you mentioned is the key - some places just nail that peppery cream sauce and you can't fake it. The spot I found had a rotating pie case too with meringue that looked like a cloud. Those family run places off the beaten path are keeping real American cooking alive.