14 Food Items At Maverik Gas Station, Ranked

Maverik gas station is listed among the chain convenience stores with the best food, so you probably want to know what's worth eating and what's not before making the wrong choice. The worst food is a far cry from the best food available. Maverik acquired Kum & Go in 2023, so many of us found our old Kum & Go locations had been converted into Maveriks. If you're like me, you've probably been slow to warm up to it. I have sampled a few of its food items previously, and I find it to be at a lower level than some other chains with a wider variety and healthier options (my loyalty stands with QT). However, I decided to sample a wider variety of products to better grasp why some items have a cult following and to know which things to get and which to avoid in the future. Then, I ranked them, largely on flavor and texture, but also with pricing and calories coming into play.

For Maverik gas station newbies, the food section is called BonFire Grill. At least in my local one, the food items are all ready to go either under a heat lamp, on rollers, or in a refrigerated case. As such, they're fast and convenient, and there's no weird etiquette to know. I tried and ranked 14 of the most interesting food items I found at the BonFire Grill at Maverik. 

The worst item I tried from Maverik was the Cheesy Pepper Jack Tornado. Tornados are registered trademarked products and confused me by just how bad they are. They come in four flavors: cheese and pepperoni, pepper jack, ranchero beef steak and cheese, and Southwestern-style chicken. After this experience, I'm never trying them again, even if they're the cheapest and lowest-calorie option on the menu.

Tornadoes are basically taquitos. Based on the product's social media pages, they often come on rollers like hot dogs, but they were just under heating lamps when I found them, and didn't seem to hold up well to not eating immediately.

The exterior was soggy, likely because it wasn't freshly made and was tucked into a bag with condensation. The filling placed this in the last position for me, as it had the flavor and consistency of slightly spicy flour dough rather than cheese. Now, I understand why Tornados make the list of gas station hot foods to avoid at all costs.

The only thing that makes the Buffalo chicken burrito better than the Tornado is the fact that it actually has flavor. However, if I'm going to opt for one of the most expensive and calorie-laden among the prepared items at Maverick, it must be worth it in flavor and texture.

First of all, the fried Buffalo chicken pieces were full of gristle. The chicken's flavor was also off. If I didn't know it had Buffalo sauce on it, I'd think the chicken was going rotten. There are plenty of good Buffalo sauces out there, but this one isn't it. The burrito includes potatoes that are the consistency of soggy smashed tater tots. Paired with the Buffalo chicken, the potatoes tasted like they were fried in donut grease. So, all in all, the Buffalo chicken burrito is a complete flavor and texture failure that I'd not get again.

When I think of sliders, I think of hot sandwiches on small buns. Instead, these are cold sandwiches on large buns. Since it didn't have nearly as many problems as the Buffalo chicken burrito, it's slightly higher on my list. It has a higher price tag than many other items, but I think it would easily work for two lower-calorie meals. The flavor and texture don't make it worthwhile.

If you get a sandwich on a bun at Maverik, it comes on a delightful, sweet, yellow bun that reminds me of Hawaiian rolls. In this sandwich, though, it was unpleasantly wet with condensation. When it comes to the sandwich filling for these sliders, the cheese was so mild that it was fairly tasteless. Plus, the Black Forest ham had a smoky taste that reminded me of the smell of leather shoes. Considering that I liked the ham in menu items I ranked higher, I think the combination of ingredients just didn't work with it here. Adding condiments like mayo and mustard or microwaving it to make it a hot sandwich could have made it better. However, as is, I didn't care for it.

The Italian on ciabatta is something that I'd never want to eat again. I feel like it could have been good, but one ingredient ruined the whole thing. 

The sandwich comes with Black Forest ham, sliced hard salami, and pepperoni. Unfortunately, the pepperoni as a cold-cut has a weird, soft texture and a sort of raw-meat flavor. As I previously mentioned, the ham has an odd smoked flavor. The provolone cheese is weirdly soft and doesn't taste as expected. While the ciabatta bread is nice and soft, it's low on flavor. So, the only thing that redeems this sandwich is that the salami is good and slightly spicy.

Since you could take off the pepperonis and the salami is good, this sandwich ranks higher on the list than the ham and cheese, but only slightly. However, for the high price tag and high calorie count, I think it's not worth it when you have to deconstruct the sandwich. Maverik should keep its pepperoni on its pizza.

To be honest, I'm not a big hot dog fan. So, it would take a really good hot dog to make it high on my list. However, I thought they were worth a try because they're the only thing in my local Maverick on rollers, and they looked plump, fresh, and juicy. The bun comes pre-wrapped in a drawer underneath the rollers.

The hot dog itself is very, well, hot doggy. If you think of the flavor of a typical cheap hot dog, this is it. I've certainly had worse, but I've also had far better. It tasted like a hodgepodge of meats rather than all-beef, which would have been my preference. What it does have going for it is that it's larger than most hot dogs I've seen on rollers at other convenience stores.

What saves this hot dog from being lower on my list is the intriguing sweet and salty combination of the bun and hot dog. Like Maverik's sandwich buns, its hotdog buns are sweet yellow ones. I feel like adding sweet and savory condiments could also bring it up a notch. However, I'd never buy it on purpose, and there are far better things on Maverik's menu in a similar price range.

Now, we're getting into the territory of items that I probably wouldn't buy again, but there's little possibility if I were in the right mood. The 8-piece mini tacos remind me of something you'd buy frozen just to have when you don't feel like cooking. They're not the best thing ever, but they're not completely objectionable — similar to gas station taquitos. They're certainly more of a meal than a snack, even if they are mini.

I have a feeling that the mini tacos are best freshly made rather than sitting under the heating lamp for a while and then enduring transport time. By the time I got to them, they were soggy rather than crisp. They look like mini empanadas, but they seem corn-based. I don't know exactly what's in them because the ingredient sticker was missing from the box. Inside, there's some sort of salty mystery meat paste. I think that if you grab a packet of hot sauce or douse them in Cholula from the condiment bar, they'd probably be more enjoyable.

The hot honey chicken sandwich is another item that I'd probably never buy again, but the chance isn't absolutely zero. The only reason it rates higher than the mini tacos is that it didn't seem to lose as much potential quality based on time under a heating lamp and transportation time. It would have to be a mighty big craving to make me get this again, since there are far better items for less.

It wasn't quite what I expected, as most hot honey chicken sandwiches I've seen have a crisper crust and ooze hot honey sauce. While I was impressed that the chicken overflowed the sweet yellow bun, the chicken breading was soggy rather than crisp. It seemed to have a panko crumb coating and reminded me of low-quality frozen chicken fillets. However, it had a fairly high heat level with a pleasant buttery flavor going for it. Unfortunately, I didn't detect hot honey. Part of my lower rating is because of the soggy crust, but the other is that it was simply a spicy chicken sandwich with no hot honey detected.

I've heard that hot honey is great on pizza, so I opted to try the hot honey double pepperoni pizza slice. With this item, we're finally getting to items on the list that I'm more likely to buy again. It tasted nice and was priced reasonably, but it had a lot of calories for just one slice, and the crust wasn't the best.

Something I liked about this pizza is that it has both whole pepperonis and sliced pieces of pepperoni. Since the sliced pepperoni pieces are smaller, they crisp up in the oven, giving you two different pepperoni textures on the same pizza. I found that the hot honey made the pizza spicy but only slightly sweet, with the heat (and maybe the honey) also mixed into the crust. I also enjoyed the cheese, which had a nice, robust flavor and made me think I would have enjoyed the plain cheese pizza. 

I feel like the pizza would have a much higher ranking on the list if it hadn't been for the undercooked and doughy crust. However, since it's on the list of gas station chains with the best pizzas, I think it's worth a second try to see if the crust is better next time.

When I tried the Trail Hog sandwich, I was a little perplexed to find it was a pork patty sandwich rather than pulled pork, but it was far better than expected. I've tried this sandwich before, and it still stands up pretty well on a second try.

Basically, the Trail Hog sandwich is Maverik's take on the McRib, although I haven't had enough McRibs to compare. You get a BBQ pork patty on a sweet yellow bun. It tastes porky, smoked, and has a sweet hint of BBQ sauce baked onto the exterior of the patty. The texture is odd, since it's a molded meat patty, but if there's no pulled pork around and I'm in a BBQ sandwich mood, this would do. If you want it saucy, there are always packets of BBQ sauce over in the condiment section. I'd pick it over the pizza because I couldn't find any flaws in the way it was made, unlike the pizza. Plus, it's around the same price but with fewer calories, making it all the more attractive.

The club on ciabatta is simple, and the flavors of all the ingredients really work well together. It's not a traditional club since it lacks a third piece of bread, lettuce, and tomato. However, it does contain turkey, ham, bacon, and cheese. The lettuce and tomato would just make the sandwich wet, so I think this was a good choice to leave them off. Being one of the highest-priced items on my list brings it further down on my list than my other favorites, as I'm less likely to grab it than cheaper options. However, I don't think it will disappoint you if you're looking for a good cold cut sandwich.

Whereas I didn't care for the black forest ham in the other sandwiches, combining it with oven-roasted turkey breast, hickory-smoked bacon, and provolone cheese worked well here. The overall impression was smoky meat with a slight spiciness. Even though the provolone had a milder flavor than usual, it still worked well here. The ciabatta bread itself didn't have a lot of flavor, but it was nice and soft rather than being an afterthought. This one comes in at number five on my list because it's the first one with no weirdnesses or flaws, making it my first solid recommendation without reservation.

I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the bean burrito. I could see myself getting this again when I'm in a burrito mood and want a lighter one without potatoes. I had difficulty deciding whether this was in the No. 4 or 5 spot, but the lower price than the club on ciabatta ultimately won it a higher ranking.

The refried beans are robustly flavored with an almost meaty flavor and the perfect salt level. While most of the beans are creamy, some are left whole to give them a bit of texture. There's also a chili pepper flavor that makes it more interesting than the average bean burrito. I'm guessing that the chili pepper was part of the creamy, delicious cheese sauce that you find in pockets throughout each bite.

Maverik has become a cult favorite place to get burritos, and now I understand why after trying some of the better ones. My favorite burrito by far is the beefy cheese and potato burrito. I was dubious because the exterior was wet and greasy, but this burrito was hearty and delicious. The higher price tag and calorie count are well worth it because of the excellent taste. It's so filling that it feels like the type of meal you'd want after a long day of strenuous activity rather than something for every day.

While the tater tot-like potatoes didn't work for me in the Buffalo chicken burrito, they paired perfectly with the ground beef here. The meat reminded me of homemade taco meat with peppers and a little heat. While it was a bit salty, the overall flavor and textural combination were great. I also enjoyed a green chili pulled pork burrito on a previous visit that was a variation on this theme with pulled pork replacing the taco meat, but I think this one has it beat. I'll certainly be watching for other flavors to show up in the future.

The fact that the cheeseburger landed at the No. 2 spot for me was somewhat surprising since I don't think of myself as a cheeseburger person. However, this reminded me of the type of cheeseburger you'd get from a backyard cookout, with a delicious char-grilled flavor. If I had to choose a burger locally, now I know I'd go with Maverik's, oddly enough.

The cheeseburger comes on a sweet yellow bun, which combines nicely with the other flavors here. The cheddar and Swiss cheese below the burger are melty from the heating lamp, and complete the flavor profile. The only negative to it being on the more expensive side of Maverick's offerings is that it doesn't come with lettuce, tomato, and pickles, but there are condiments available on the condiment bar. While I'm usually a condiment lover, the flavor combination here is just fine without any. The fact that this has a more reasonable calorie count puts it above the beefy cheese and potato burrito on my list of more likely future purchases. However, the second-place position is also because I was just surprised by how much I liked it.

The yogurt berry parfait was the surprise winner of this whole taste test. I started with a simple taste test portion and accidentally ended up eating the whole thing. Since then, I've found myself plotting to get it again for myself and a family member for breakfast or lunch. A friend who had almost gotten one previously asked if it was really worth the mid-range price, and I have to say it is. It also has fewer calories than many Maverik food item choices.

Every part of this parfait is delicious, from the yogurt and fruit to the granola. The yogurt isn't the tart kind but a smooth and slightly sweet one with vanilla. The fruit on top — blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries — tastes fresh. I liked that the granola comes in a separate, easy-to-pull-out container on top. The granola is only lightly sweetened and has a delightful almond flavor. I tried a little of the yogurt, but the granola was so good I wanted to eat it separately. I dare say this is the best berry parfait I've ever had, and I'll definitely be getting it again.

To rank the food items at Maverik, I tried them all personally. To choose which ones to try, I looked for ones that appeared most often on delivery and pickup menus around the U.S. I also included one I'd tried and liked before. After that, I picked items from as many categories as I could, especially more unique items. 

To rank items, I considered several factors. First of all, food ranked higher if it had a nice flavor and tasted good enough to keep eating or to buy again. Texture was also important, with soggy, undercooked, and gristly foods ranking lower. There were a few times when price and calorie count mattered when items were close in rank for me, as I'd choose the cheaper or the lower calorie item over the more expensive or higher calorie option. And if something was both more expensive and higher calorie, it had to have a flavor and texture that made it worthwhile.