The Unassuming Texas Gas Station That Offers Diesel Fuel With A Side Of Nepalese Cuisine

There's something thrilling about finding five-star eats in the most surprising, often no-frills spots. The best donuts you've ever had — at a car wash? Life-changing tamales — in a convenience store? Mouthwatering smash burgers — at a laundromat? You've been adventurous, ventured off the beaten path of tried-and-true restaurants, and your reward is unbelievably good food, made even better by the unconventional ambiance. Texas in particular seems to have a knack for this kind of wonder. We rounded up 12 unexpected gas station eats in the Lone Star state, and one of the most intriguing entries on the list is Momo Spot, where your car can fill up on gas while you fill up on Nepalese cuisine worth writing home about.

Momo Spot sits tucked in a Texaco gas station on North Belt Line Road in Irving, Texas, near Dallas. There's a large population of Nepali-Americans there, though everyone is a fan of this grub. Nikesh Shrestha opened the eatery in the 2010s — he picked the gas station location because the rent was affordable and momos are a perfect on-the-go dish. Momos are one of the many different forms of dumplings around the world. A beloved street food in Nepal, they can be steamed or fried and filled with just about anything. Chicken and vegetables are popular fillings, as is buffalo meat in Nepal. While stellar Nepalese food in a gas station feels novel in America, momos on the run are ubiquitous in Nepal.

Momo Spot defines its food as Newari, which is a specific cuisine in Nepal from the indigenous Newar people of the Kathmandu Valley. It's known for a focus on fermented foods, buffalo meat, vegetables, fresh herbs, and lots of spices. At Momo Spot, you can get vegetable, chicken, or buffalo thukpa, a Tibetan noodle soup; curries, chow mein, and fried rice dishes; chicken wings and catfish; and specialties like pira aloo, a Nepalese potato curry; or malekhu maccha, which is fried, smoked, and curried fish. The gas station eatery also offers pani puri, a popular Indian street food of deep-fried hollow bread balls stuffed with masala and then filled with hot water right before being eaten to create a moist, steamy bite. For the eponymous dish, momos, varieties include steamed or pan-fried chicken or vegetables, plus chicken or vegetable sadekho cooked in mustard oil; and chicken or vegetable with chili peppers.

On Yelp, reviewers praise Momo Spot for delicious iterations of these delights, also shouting out the friendly service and generous portion sizes. In addition to the momos, they highlight the chow mein and curry. Some write there is a language barrier, but that the food is so good they'd be willing to learn Nepali. It's a true diamond in the rough to find genuine Nepalese — Newari, in particular — cuisine in a humble gas station. Consider this one of our favorite hidden restaurants around the world.