9 Foods You Should Buy At Kwik Trip, And 9 To Avoid

The road stop of choice while cruising through the Midwest, Kwik Trip is more than just a gas station convenience store; it's a culinary experience. Since the roll out of its 'hot spot' islands in 2003 and its open air refrigerator cases in 2005, Kwik Trip's fresh food reputation has earned it the same grab-n-go reverence as roadside legends Buc-ee's, Casey's, and Wawa. It even landed a spot alongside them on Chowhound's list of gas station chains with the best food.

Attributing its success in part to a business model that manufactures 80% of its products at its LaCrosse, Wisconsin corporate campus, Kwik Trip prides itself on keeping prices low. But more importantly, some of the food it puts out is really, really good. As a Milwaukee resident who zigzags through the dairy states often to visit friends and relatives, I have consumed a ridiculous amount of Kwik Trip fare, so I consider myself a qualified connoisseur on the subject. I've dabbled in pizza, chicken, donuts, and fresh fruit.

I've tossed back burgers, salads, and breakfast sammies. But there's so much more to try. So in the interest of helping readers make informed and satisfying Kwik Trip food choices, I sampled items from its hot spot, cold case, and bakery shelves to create this definitive (if not exhaustive) list of foods you should buy at Kwik Trip, and ones to avoid. Prices may vary.

If you've lived in the South, chances are you've experienced some kind of waffle sandwich. Most likely it involved fried chicken, possibly some pulled barbecue pork — and chances are, it was pretty tasty. The marriage of sugar and salt is something we're definitely here for at Chowhound. We've even heaped high praise on the McDonald's McGriddle breakfast sandwich. In my opinion, however, the Maple Waffle Sandwich from Kwik Trip is better.

The waffle had some surface crunch without sacrificing fluff and offered just the right amount of sweetness. Inside, the sausage was savory and maple-infused, the egg was fresh, and the cheese was minimal, delivering a breakfast sandwich experience I plan to repeat on my next morning drive.

Although I wasn't turned off by this grab-n-go item, it wasn't one of the best fast food chain breakfast burritos I've ever eaten. I wouldn't order it again. Packaged in a waxed paper sleeve and warmed under heat lamps, the tortilla was a little soggy and resembled the texture of an unevenly cooked frozen breakfast burrito. It also outsized the filling in ratio — taking up more than its share.

Inside, the mixture was what I'd expected, but lacking heft. I know an overstuffed, exploding burrito is not practical for behind-the-wheel consumption, but a little more of everything might have elevated this one. I couldn't taste the potato, and the bacon had good flavor. The egg was muddled in and there wasn't enough of it.

This Kwik Trip sammy gets a lot of buzz. A pork patty with barbecue sauce on a hoagie roll, Kwik Trip's Pork Rib Sandwich isn't my normal order, but I'm glad I gave it a whirl. Frequently likened to McDonald's cult classic McRib Sandwich, Kwik Trip's Pork Rib Sandwich was a surprise winner.

Wrapped in paper that converts to a durable lap plate while driving, the sandwich was hot and steamy but not messy. Inside the soft hoagie roll, the meat had char marks to mimic riblines and imply the patty had been grilled. The pork had a smoky, balanced flavor and enough texture to differentiate it from breakfast sausage. On the Daily Deal menu for $1.99, the Pork Rib Sandwich had a great price tag.

I'm a buffalo sauce fanatic, so I wanted to like Kwik Trip's Boneless Buffalo Chicken Wings, even if I had to forgive imperfections. But this offering disappointed me. At $5.99, which is what this item cost during my trial, I'd expected a slightly higher level of quality than some of the lesser priced options. What I got was a box of seven mediocre "wings" that I will avoid in the future.

As I typically pursue bone-in wings over boneless (due in large part to the fact that I'm not entirely sure which part of the chicken a boneless wing comes from), I didn't like the fatty, chewy bits. The batter did not retain much crunch under the lights. The buffalo sauce was also a miss.

For anyone not fluent in Midwest donut vernacular, there's a difference between an iced and a glazed donut. Icing is thicker and sits atop the donut like frosting, whereas glaze is thinner and provides a shell-like coating. In this part of the country, Kwik Trip's Glazers are legendary, with loyalists claiming they rival Krispy Kreme's in flavor. But the denser, cake-like dunkers, in my opinion, are better.

Fluffy and rich in vanilla flavor, the cake part of these donuts was moist, which prevented unwanted crumbs. But it was the glaze that landed this product definitively on my "buy" list. Sweet and crisp on the teeth without causing sugar shock or a filmy coating on my tongue, it was perfect.

When I'm on a long car trip, I get tired of eating fast food. Passing the miles with salty snacks often leaves me looking for gas station options that might be a little healthier and kinder on my stomach. So I really wanted to like Kwik Trip's Mixed Berry Yogurt Parfait — I just didn't.

Served in a plastic cup that holds the topping separate from the yogurt, which sits atop the berries, this offering was definitely portable. Unfortunately, it wasn't good. The granola was basically a handful of rolled oats that didn't offer much in the way of flavor or crunch. The yogurt was thin and watery, with zero vanilla flavoring, and the fruit was unidentifiable, ranging in size from too small to too large.

A menu item that comes and goes, Kwik Trip's Patty Melt is something I'm really glad I tried. With the difference between a burger and patty melt being primarily the bread, Kwik Trip's offering in this category is kind of like one of its grilled cheese sandwiches with a burger tucked in.

On the Patty Melt I tried, the white bread foundation was buttery and griddled to perfection, with slices of American and Swiss American cheese holding the burger nicely in place without stealing the show. The seasoned quarter-pound beef patty had enough texture to keep this from being a greasy experience. And a nice layer of grilled onions delivered the aromatic qualities I'd attribute to a diner-made patty melt. This is one to buy for sure.

I struggled with which column to put Kwik Trip's Chicken Patty sandwich in, because it kind of reminded me of Burger King's Original Chicken Sandwich, which Chowhound declared No. 1 in a ranking of every Burger King Chicken product and I enjoyed thoroughly during my formative years. But in the end, I decided this one just didn't have the same magic.

There's not much to say about the bun, other than that it supported the patty just fine and didn't cause any distractions. The chicken patty itself was pressed thin and formed into a perfect circle, with minimal crunch and not much taste. It also came with a slice of American Swiss cheese, which just wasn't right for breaded chicken.

Though I've had Kwik Trip's chocolate chip cookies on several occasions, I'd never experienced its brownie cookies before, and I was pleasantly surprised by how good they were. No, they're probably not in the same league as Alton Brown's fudgy, twice-baked brownies, but they were substantial in size and definitely shone bright at their $1.99 for four price point.

At first glance, they looked like they might be hard and crunchy, but when I broke one in half and took note of a chewy middle, I knew this baked good had real potential. These cookies were fudgy and moist, with significantly less artificial cocoa powder flavor than I'd expected. Their exteriors resembled the crust of a baked brownie square and held the cakey insides together nicely.

I could tell by looking through its clear plastic wrapper that the crispy rice bits were going to be dense and hard on my teeth, and I was right. If the ratio of marshmallow and butter to rice cereal would have been slightly higher, it may have elevated the experience. But I found this one to be dry and gritty.

I also did not like the strawberry flavoring. Distributed somewhat unevenly throughout the cereal, it was unnatural tasting and took away some of the marshmallow joy. I'm not sure if Kwik Trip makes its own marshmallows or not (Chowhound has a great recipe for making marshmallows with just three ingredients, by the way), but the fluff in these bars just didn't do it for me.

Honestly, this cold case salad was one of the sleeper hits of my Kwik Trip convenience food adventure. Though I'd anticipated a base heavy on the Miracle Whip (a divisive, Depression era condiment designed to make mayonnaise more affordable) — I was pleasantly surprised by this salad's foundation. Light and creamy, with a hint of dijon and maybe some pickle juice, the mayo base had a little sugar but was not overly sweet or oily.

In the mix, evenly diced potato, egg, onion, celery, and pickle chunks intermingled brightly and made for a good overall texture. A scattering of celery seeds added to the authentic experience, taking me back to the potluck potato salads of my youth.

This was a major dud. Upon purchase, the salad looked promising, with shredded Parmesan cheese occupying one of two inset plastic trays and diced chicken occupying the other. I figured the dressing and croutons were layered beneath the top compartment, but when I opened the package, there was nothing but lettuce. Apparently you have to purchase them separately, which I didn't know.

Determined to give Kwik Trip's Caesar Salad With Chicken a fair shot, I mixed the lettuce with the chicken and cheese and tried it dry. To my disappointment, the lettuce tasted like produce preservative and the chicken bits were small and fatty. I'd blame it on the lack of dressing, but even topped with restaurant quality Caesar dressing, it would've been a miss.

This wasn't the first time I've scarfed a slice of Kwik Trip pizza on-the-go. When a pit-stop falls somewhere between meals, my husband and I will often share a slice. And we always fight over the last couple of bites. In profile, Kwik Trip pizza is a little like a hand-tossed style Pizza Hut or Poppa Johns slice. It's served hot in a triangular box, it has a sturdy undercarriage, and it hits the spot.

This occasion was no different, with the slice being a Supreme (pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, onion, and pepper), and the verdict being a thumbs up. The toppings were substantial and high-quality, the sauce was zippy and sweet, and the cheese was gooey enough.

KT has been selling pre-packaged meals in stores since 2000, so I figured I'd give one a try. Passing over several pasta options and feeling adventurous, I selected the Homestyle Meatloaf and heated it up according to package directions.

Though I'm not a huge meatloaf fan, I can appreciate a good one. Priced at $5.99, which I considered reasonable for the portion size, I really wanted to like it. Unfortunately, I just didn't. The meat texture was dry, mealy and lacking in seasoning, and the topping was basically ketchup. It was accompanied by a side of mashed potatoes, which were typical instant potato quality and actually decent, but not good enough to lift up the meatloaf.

I thought this was going to be tough to get down when I examined it through the clear plastic wrapper — the French roll looked like a little dry and I didn't see a lot of meat and cheese girth. But I'm always on the lookout for a road trip sandwich.

To my surprise, while this was definitely not the best sandwich in the state of Wisconsin, it was actually quite good. Layered with ham, salami, pepperoni, and colby jack cheese, it delivered everything you'd want in an Italian sub. The only thing missing was dressing and condiments, but Kwik Trip had me covered with its free toppings bar. I topped it with mayo, lettuce, pickles, and tomato and had a perfectly enjoyable sandwich.

I hadn't eaten a corn dog in a while and was excited for this opportunity to get back on that culinary horse, but Kwik Trip's offering was a let-down. I took my first couple of bites without ketchup or mustard to assess the texture and the experience was uninspired.

The chew was overly soft, with no crunch in the breading or snap in the dog, and the batter was bland. Cornbread can be made with all kinds of creative ingredients, but the batter surrounding my dog was flat, unsweet, and not particularly corny. Inside, the hot dog itself lacked seasoning and did nothing for me, either.

A cross between a Poptarts toaster pastry and a drive through fruit pie, Kwik Trip's Strawberry Strudel Crisp was unabashed sweet-treat joy for me. A crescent-shaped pastry did the heavy lifting here, offering a just-crisp-enough introduction to this beauty. Glazed, golden, and lightly dusted with powdered sugar, the surface was exactly what I'd hoped it would be.

Inside, the strawberry mix had just enough corn syrup to thicken the fruit pie filling and prevent a runny bite, which is optimal because no one needs that kind of stress when hitting the road. There was also a cream-cheesy layer that mingled nicely with the fruit and offset the sweetness with some salt.

I'll try pretty much anything wrapped in a tortilla and deep fried, so I had high hopes for this fiery taquito from the Kwik Trip roller bar. Unfortunately my hopes were dashed by a sub-par experience. The tortilla was golden and sturdy with considerable crunch, but the pleasure ended there. Way too thick and a little greasy, the shell took up more than its share of the taquito and dominated the chew.

Inside, the beef was kind of pot roast-like but lacked seasoning. It was dry, slightly stringy, and somewhat hard to chew. And the cheese was barely detectable. If this component had been more generous and the beef had been chopped up a bit, I might have liked it more.

To select the items I sampled for this article, I visited the closest Kwik Trip to my Milwaukee home on two different days at two different times. I filled my basket with what I considered a good mix of meals, snacks, and sweets. And I made sure to include items our readers might grab for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With consideration for Kwik Trip's affordability and convenience, my criteria focused primarily on taste and quality for what this is — convenience store grab-n-go food. I also kept portability and behind the wheel consumption in mind when I evaluated a few of these items, since Kwik Trip is largely associated with eating while driving.

For the hot items, I took a bite or two immediately when I got in my car to take note of their taste and quality right off the shelf. I then heated them up in the air fryer or microwave as I deemed appropriate for my full evaluation. The cold items were kept in the refrigerator until I was ready to sample them and the whole experiment was completed within 24 hours.