Suarez Quality Meats

Do not scorn the gas station. In Texas, the gas station is the oasis in the asphalt sea. It is the flotsam you cling to in the ocean tempest. It is the frontier depot keeping your caravan supplied with gas, Five Lokos™️, and questionable male enhancement products. The gas station is hallowed.

In Marfa, the Stripes station is probably the most reliable spot for grub at all hours. It's the only gas station I remember Anthony Bourdain visiting on his show(s). En route to the panhandle, you'll encounter towns with no bar, no diner, but a bustling gas station with a full parking lot.

But if you're looking for a great meal, you're typically looking in the wrong place at a gas station. Unless you end up at Suarez Quality Meats, that is. Located on the outskirts of Laredo, this little joint is cooking up Mexican specialties with surprising proficiency. Maybe it was the fumes, but halfway through my meal I considered whether it was worthy of a Michelin Bib Gourmand. It was that good.

The costilla plate set me back a whopping $10.99 and featured crispy, smokey beef ribs paired with a side of perfectly seasoned pork beans. The barbacoa taco was spot-on and needed two tortillas as foundational support. You'll be hard-pressed to beat this value.

I left refueled and ready, wondering how many other nondescript places like this were hiding in Laredo. I bet it's more than a few, though most probably aren't located in a gas station. But you never know. There are many gas stations. Do not scorn the gas station.