Our quest begins in the parking lot of a Wawa in south Phillipsburg, NJ, off Route 22. The gas pumps are plentiful and bustling with activity, but we're more interested about what's inside.
Wawa, with over 720 locations in six states on the East Coast, is renowned for its high-quality yet inexpensive food. Walking inside, the vibe is clean, professional, yet unassuming. Muted yellows and browns are the key colors, leading to a relaxed yet often bland visual landscape.
It takes a few minutes to even comprehend the array of food options available at Wawa. The pre-packaged section is well stocked, and ambitious and diverse in scope. Even packaged food appears fresh — not as though it has been abandoned on the shelf for untold lengths.
Wawa's breakfast pastry selection receives points for variety, if not creativity. It's normal donut fare, but at six for $3, the price is right.
The milkshake and Icee machine, a convenience store classic, is another weft in the rich woven tapestry of Wawa's culinary smorgasbord. Unfortunately, this location's machines are broken — as are our hopes for a refreshing chilled beverage.
Our spirits are lifted as we approach Wawa's digital ordering kiosk, our gateway to the chain's legendary made-to-order sandwiches, hoagies, and more. It implores us to "Select a Variety" — and oh! What variety.
Their hoagies and other sandwiches are made fresh in front our eyes. Of course, there are sacrifices to be had for freshly prepared fare, as the wait is a good five to seven minutes.
We leave, arms laden with the spoils of the first leg of our quest. Between our intrepid trio, we shared the following: a small meatball hoagie, a tomato and cheese panini, a small tomato and basil bisque, a bacon avocado club sandwich, a "dirt" parfait, and two Wawa-branded teas.
The $1.49 teas are surprisingly good. They are quite sweet and sugary, including the diet green tea. But as far as gas station branded beverages go, it doesn't get much better than this.
The humble hoagie is one of the main attractions at Wawa, and it does not disappoint. Served warm and well-toasted, with melty mozzarella and spongy yet hardy bread, the meatball hoagie is on the same level of quality as your favorite local deli. After a long day on the road, such warm comfort — at a modest $4.59 — is welcome.
Wawa's $5.29 cheese panini, however, transcends comfort to reach a surprising level of sophistication. This particular iteration is expertly grilled, and bedecked with tomato, baby spinach greens, and a creamy sun-dried tomato pesto sauce. It's the kind of sandwich that wouldn't be out of place at an upscale bistro or Panera Bread — but a price that speaks to its gas station roots.
Continuing on the upscale bistro theme is the tomato basil bisque, another unlikely find at a gas station convenience store. The quality isn't at quite the same level as the panini — the broth is a tad watery for a bisque, and the flavor is tasty but lacking complexity — but the effort is a worthy and admirable one.
One misstep, however, is the avocado bacon club. The effort of the previous items is absent. Iceberg lettuce? Undertoasted bread? This isn't the quality cuisine we quickly have come to expect of Wawa.
Fortunately, Wawa regains its footing with a childhood classic that our testers can't resist: the "dirt cup" parfait. Kate Taylor, our resident dirt correspondent, is immediately enamored. Each element is the platonic ideal of pudding: the mousse is airy, the Oreo crumbles retain their crunch, and the worm-to-dirt ratio is golden. While Wawa offers some more posh items, it's nice to see the chain dabble in the convenience store staples.
With our palates pleasantly surprised by Wawa's food, we arrive at the nearest Sheetz in Easton, PA, skeptical that any convenience store rival could top Wawa.
Walking inside immediately shakes our confidence in Wawa. Sheetz is bright, colorful, organized, and super-sized. Gone are the tawdry taupes, replaced by brash blues and and gregarious green.
Suddenly we're seeing why this chain with over 500 locations in six states is seen as a worthy adversary of Wawa. The store is expansive and has an indoor dining area, something Wawa didn't have.
But much like its convenience contender, the basics are there. There are slushie and milkshake machines galore, including a rare sighting of a Crystal Pepsi slushie flavor.
This somewhat inexplicable yet altogether impressive chilled chamber of carbonation is packed with enough soda to fuel an army of middle schoolers fresh out soccer practice. Coke and Pepsi products come together as comrades in the grand Soda Cave — it's enough to convince any soda lover to wipe Wawa away.
We snap out of our soda stupor to order at another automated food kiosk to sample Sheetz's wares. We're struck by the many order modifications available, including myriad sauce choices — among them the mysterious and alluring "Boom Boom Sauce".
We choose: a custom burger, a popcorn chicken sandwich topped with "fryz" (another odd yet tempting customization), Mac 'n' Cheetos, and yet another dirt parfait cup — for comparison, of course.
