From two wheels to eighteen — and everyone on foot — they fuel both tanks: the car and the driver.
Memorable meals with a gas pump out front
Around Fairhope and all the towns up and down the Eastern Shore, some of the most memorable meals come with a gas pump out front. As Mobile Bay Magazine put it, sometimes all you need is “a white paper napkin, not a white tablecloth.” I didn’t grow up with this. Up north it was delis; out west, taco stands and bagel shops — places dedicated to serving up one thing, good food. Once I caught on down here, it turned into a treasure hunt: homegrown food, made with real pride, tucked into the last places I’d have thought to look.
A few favorites, hiding in plain sight.
Fish River Pride (Fish River Food Mart)
10525 US Highway 98, Fairhope
Pizza, boiled peanuts, and gasoline have no business being this good together — but at Fish River Pride on Highway 98, they are. The ladies behind the counter make the pie fresh to order, the way regulars have liked it for years (one local swears “Ms Linda makes an amazing pizza”). I used to just stop for gas — they have a no-ethanol option — until the crew renovating our house started taking their lunch there, bringing back pizza and boiled peanuts to share. Now we understand.
Foley Depot Chevron
17960 US Highway 98, Foley
On the way to the Gulf Shores beaches — or to Tropic Falls at OWA — you really can’t miss it: a giant pink pig painted up like a butcher’s chart, standing out front of a Chevron and calling itself “Baldwin’s Best BBQ.” Bold talk for a rustic little gas station with DEPOT painted across the building. But I’ve always been impressed by how much you can get in there — it’s a comprehensive market — and locals will tell you the fried chicken, pulled pork, ribs, and vegetables are the real reason to stop (the Brussels sprouts have a following). It’s been written up around the state more than once — al.com, This Is Alabama, *Mobile Bay Magazine*. The pig, it turns out, isn’t bluffing.
Las Catrinas De Rosy
Inside a Shell station · Highway 181, Malbis
It started in a Fairhope hair salon. I mentioned how much I missed good Mexican food, and just like that I was being bullied — in the happiest of ways — every stylist pleading with me to try a little Mexican kitchen tucked inside a Shell station on Highway 181 in Malbis. It’s about an hour round trip from the house, so I was skeptical (though it’s an easy detour if you’re already heading to Pensacola, or out to Underwood’s pecan farm). Las Catrinas De Rosy is the real deal. Walk up, order, and out come birria tacos, al pastor, campechano, puffy tacos, chips and salsa — all handmade. The crowd is mostly local, a high percentage Mexican — which, if you know, is exactly how you know it’s the real thing.
Wawa
18968 Greeno Road, Fairhope
When Alabama’s first Wawa opened here in Fairhope, the line went around the block — people drove in from hours away to be there. If you’re not from the Mid-Atlantic that might seem like a lot of fuss over a convenience store. If you are, you understand completely. I’m a transplant, and the meatball hoagie tastes like New Jersey Italian-American — the kind of thing that quietly makes you miss home in the best way. Made-to-order hoagies, real coffee, and a gas pump out front. Welcome to the neighborhood.
That’s the short list. There’s more where these came from — check out the whole local guide here!
Come stay, come hungry, and we’ll happily point you toward the good tables — pumps optional.