The magazine Southern Living has selected two Alabama locations to feature on its new list of the South’s Best Gas Station Restaurants. Blue Pacific in the Hoover Food Mart and Jasper’s Bayou Fresh Seafood both earned spots in the top ten.
Blue Pacific has become well known for its tasty Thai food; not exactly something you would expect based on its location.
Parked outside the Hoover Food Mart, you wouldn’t think that the city’s best Thai food awaits inside, but Birmingham residents across the city venture far down Highway 280 to dine on dumplings, Pad Thai, Panang curry, and a near urban legend-level pork noodle soup—each decorated with crushed peanuts, lime wedges, scallions, and even basil grown outside in a pot. Owner Sam Aroon and his wife Pranchit use the recipes from Pranchit’s grandmother’s restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand, including the stir-fry dishes Rad Nah and Phat Si-Ew.
Bayou Fresh seafood also defies the “don’t get seafood from a gas-station” stereotype, and provides some of the most delicious sushi in the state.
Small-town gas station sushi is universally accepted as synonymous with bad idea, but Bayou Fresh would like to serve you some shock and awe with a side of pickled ginger and wasabi. From sculptural sashimi to artful avocado rolls, the sushi you’ll find in this humble facility doesn’t require you to adjust your expectations for the location. Prefer your fish cooked? They also offer fried, blackened, and grilled options.
Other restaurants that made the list are the Biscuit Pit (Grenada, Miss); Billeaud’s Grocery (Broussard, La); Czech Stop (West, Texas); Saxapahaw General Store (Saxapahaw, N.C.); Kwik Check (Memphis, TN); Delta Fast Food (Cleveland, Miss); Pig Trail Bypass Country Café (Crosses, Ark); and Fish Net Seafood (John’s Island, S.C.).
Southern Living’s complete list can be read on its website here.
