The Gas Station Chain That Boasts The Best Coffee Around

Coffee saves — and other than first thing in the morning, the second-most-crucial time for coffee's lifegiving faculties is on the road. Still, your steaming pick-me-up should be more than just utilitarian. In Tasting Table's ranking of 18 gas station coffee bars, QuickChek's java setup came out on top.

"What makes a good cup of coffee" is a decidedly subjective prompt. A knockout cuppa joe to a diehard redeye lover is going to taste a lot different from the go-to bev of an iced vanilla latte drinker. Happily, QuickChek has something for fans of all creeds. QuickChek swept the competition by offering a cafe-worthy selection of coffee drinks. As we noted in our review, "A huge selection of brewed coffees is always available, including different regional varieties, flavored brews, and extra-caffeinated coffee," as well as "espresso drinks via a touch-screen ordering system. You can choose from hot, iced, frozen coffees, and even matcha." Plant milks and rotating seasonal beverages are also on the menu.

Yelp reviews of a New Jersey QuickChek rave about the coffee station. "The coffee here is consistently delicious," writes one traveler. "I think it's some of the best coffee around. They have a nice station set up with lots of different kinds of milk, creamers, sweeteners, and flavors." Another roadie echoes, "The mornings seem to be steadily busy ... There's never a shortage on coffee, it always tastes great, and for those of us who like the flavored coffee they always have options to choose from."

The QuickChek website lists iced drinks from classic iced coffee to the experimental Iced Blueberry Bursting Boba Refresher. Its hot drinks are just as enticing, ranging from plain Americanos to blueberry muffin coffee and honey-kissed oat milk lattes with caramel cold foam. 

The one downside to this competition-beating coffee is its slender availability. As of 2025, there are only 166 QuickChek locations, 145 of which are in New Jersey, according to data analytics firm ScrapeHero. The remaining 21 locations are in New York. Although, these figures are reflective of a pretty impressive repeat fanbase, considering the QuickChek official Instagram account has over 6k followers. In fact, in New Jersey, QuickChek and other regional gas station giant Wawa are locked in a spirited "which side are you on" debate among locals (which has inspired some pretty iconic memes). The comments section of one Reddit thread declares, "QuickChek til I die!," "I will die on the Quickchek hill," and "Wawas are always hit and miss. Quick chek is surprisingly consistent."

Once you've finished your coffee, QuickCheks also offers a smoothie bar along with its espresso bar, free air, no-charge ATMs, and many locations also offer charging stations for electric vehicles. Call it The Gas Station of the People. If you run out of road trip snacks, QuickChek is also known for its freshly-made sub sandwiches (which definitely beats those questionable gas station hard-boiled eggs).