Five Tampa gas station restaurants that are worth the pit stop

Chicago Paulies in Tampa, Florida on July 20, 2023. Credit: Ray Roa / Creative Loafing Tampa Bay

Gas station restaurants are nothing new. They first sprouted from roadside “filling stations,” offering simple snacks, cold drinks, and barbeque to weary travelers driving long distances. The Great Depression made way for entrepreneurs like Harland Sanders (of Kentucky Fried Chicken) and Gus Belt (of Steak ’n’ Shake) who famously began selling their greasy goods directly at or adjacent to gas and service stations.

And later, in the Jim Crow era, filling stations with eateries served as vital, one-stop shops and safe havens for Black patrons at a time when mainstream restaurants refused them service.

Today, lots of folks love a good sit down restaurant with linens when the time and occasion allows, but there’s something to be said for getting really good convenience store food that hits the spot while filling up the car for the next errand. Two birds, one stone.

There are plenty of great gas station food spots right here in Tampa Bay. Here are five great spots in the 813 serving up hot plates and taking names, giving Tampa folks the best bang for their buck.

Chicago Paulie’s (1301 N Howard Ave.)

This spot already snagged national notoriety, coming in at No. 6 sandwich shop in the country according to Yelp, and there’s no question that Paulie’s got something really special going on here. Hungry folks will find seriously authentic Chicago dogs, Polishes, Maxwell Street style, Italian Beef sandwiches ranging in heat, and more—all well within $10-$20. So what makes a place like this work so well?

“Fill up your body, fill up your car. It’s just convenience,” Paulie, the owner, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “We truly love everybody. We make our food like we would for our family. That’s why our tomatoes are almost perfect.”

Is there anyone else doing dogs like these?

“There are a lot who try,” Paulie said, “but I’m a Chicago dude making Chicago food. It’s not anything about anyone else. You can read and follow an Italian recipe but it just don’t taste the same.”

Chalawaan Thai Delish in Tampa, Florida on Aug. 21, 2026. Credit: Annalise Mabe / Creative Loafing Tampa Bay

Chalawaan Thai Delish (5018 N Armenia Ave.)

Layla Martinez opens up shop at Chalawaan Thai Delish on Armenia, prepping the kitchen for a busy day. This location has been open just six months inside a Citgo tucked all the way in the back. Martinez is the friendly owner behind the counter, and she recommends a few different plates, citing the Panang Curry as a current favorite. The dishes here come with a default mild spice, but can be upped in heat. The fresh-to-order food is hot and the curries are spicy, creamy, sweet, and fresh.

Martinez had this to say about her spot’s popularity, and it’s hard to argue: “The food, the friendliness, the big portions, and the fair prices,”—to which one can’t really argue.

Tazz Takeout (4990 E Busch Blvd.)

Ahead of a dinner rush on the corner of Busch Boulevard and 50th Street, Tazz, the owner, helps a gentleman who says they’ve got the best chicken around, and that he can taste that the oil is fresh. It’s true—Tazz never reuses it. The same customer also says he comes all the way from Carrollwood to Busch Boulevard to get these wings, and that his kids love the lemon pepper flavor.

Tazz’s phone rings off the hook as his line cook chops and flips thinly sliced steak for Philly Cheesesteaks. Tazz has been in Tampa for four years, but originally hails from Palm Beach county where he’d been doing the hot ‘n fresh food thing since March 12, 1992, 18 hours a day.

“We do it fresh. Fresh ingredients. We cook with love—that’s the main thing. When you cook it and you do it because you love it, that means a lot,” he told CL.

And keep your eyes peeled because Tazz’s son is opening up another location on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and 50th right around the corner.

A close-up food photograph by Annalise Mabe showing a serving of enchiladas at Mangonadas in Tampa, Florida on Aug. 22, 2026. Served inside a white foam takeout container, rolled enchiladas are smothered in a rich, pool-like red chili sauce and topped with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, a heavy layer of crumbled white cotija cheese, drizzled white crema, and fan-sliced fresh green avocado. Enchiladas at Mangonadas in Tampa, Florida on Aug. 22, 2026. Credit: Annalise Mabe / Creative Loafing Tampa Bay

Mangonadas (6823 N Habana Ave.)

Is there a Taco Tuesday in Tampa that can beat three tacos for $6.99, including steak, pastor, and chicken? Mangonadas shares a wall with a Chevron, and it’s got a full sit down area for anyone who wants to have a seat and eat inside the air conditioning. “Everything is fresh. We use authentic Mexican spices: comino, annatto, canela. It tastes like Mexico,” the employee behind the counter told CL.

Mangonadas’ full menu offers up big plates of enchiladas, generous sides of refried beans and rice, plenty of tacos to choose from, large burritos, and brightly colored tropical drinks that can also be taken to-go.

Nana’s Kitchen and Grill (9702 E Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.)

Nana’s Kitchen and Grill is known for its authentic and flavorful Philly Cheesesteaks, and even before 11 a.m., a woman behind the counter was making one fresh. The spot in East Tampa opens at 7 a.m. and has a tiki-lounge feel with a high-top long table in the middle of the shop plus lots of outdoor seating and chairs. The menu of scratch-made comfort food also includes old time burgers (never frozen), seasoned fried fish, and snow crab trays, all served with genuine hospitality.

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This article appears in Sept. 17 – 23, 2026.

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