The best gas station food in Richmond
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Wise Choice in Goochland. Photo: Karri Peifer/Axios
If you're looking for the best roadside food in town, true Richmonders know where to go: Wise Choice Convenience Store in Goochland, just over the Henrico County line.
Driving the news: The store attached to an Exxon station is known for fried chicken, bologna burgers and 5am breakfast sandwiches — all made fresh daily and priced affordably.
- A three-piece chicken dinner with two sides and a roll is $9.69, and weekday specials (like cheesesteak Wednesdays and livers and gizzards Tuesdays and Thursdays) come with a side and drink for under $7.
Wise opened in 1987 to feed Southern fried favorites to local shift workers and semi-drivers, per Virginia Living, but in the digital age became something of a regional sensation.
- The internet is littered with reviews like: "You wouldn't think you'd find such delish food at a convenience store/gas station, but this place rules the roost!" and "The smoked chicken is the best I've ever had! I drive from Roanoke at least twice a year to get it."
Pro tip: Hit them up between meals as the lines get long around lunchtime.
Getting there: Take the Rockville exit off I-64 west (the first exit off after Short Pump and 288). Hang a left, and it's a half-mile down the road on the left.
Honorable mentions:
- 🧆 Scott's Shawarma's second location in Innsbrook for fantastic shawarma and Middle Eastern food attached to a Mobil station.
- 🍛 And Market Cafe for traditional Indian and optional Exxon at the pump, also in Innsbrook.