At the shiny new Sunoco on the corner of Gertsner Memorial Drive and Prien Lake Road, you can do all the usual gas station things: fuel up, find snacks in the convenience store.
But you can also find gourmet tacos, enchiladas and quesadillas, all served up by the Laredo Taco Company, which is housed inside the station’s Stripes store. This outpost is one of more than 450 Laredo locations across seven states. Open every day from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m., it offers its Mexican dishes a la carte or as part of plate lunches.
During lunch on Tuesday, the 7,000-square-foot facility was abuzz with activity, mostly filled with people stopping by on their lunch breaks.
As patrons waited in line, they watched their tortillas, tacos and other treats being made from scratch through the open kitchen.
“Our customers are able to see for themselves that our kitchens consistently serve up delicious, authentic Mexican food that is made in-store from the freshest ingredients,” Eduardo Pereda, Stripes’ vice president of marketing for convenience brands, said in a news release.
To avoid the line, customers can also place their orders at two touchscreen-computer kiosks.
Trying to sample a variety of those fresh items, I opted for a chicken quesadilla, beef fajita taco and plate of chips and salsa. All menu items, including the lunch plates, cost less than $5.50, and my total bill came to $7.97 before tax.
The ordering experience was a bit disjointed: I waited in line at Laredo to place my order, then walked over to the convenience store side to pay, then waited for my food back at the Laredo counter.
Once I had my food, I headed over to the free-standing salsa bar, which offered pico de gallo and both green and red salsa, and I loaded up on all three.
The chicken quesadilla was loaded with chicken, peppers, onions and lots of cheese. The cheese wasn’t fully melted in the quesadilla, but the other fillings were plentiful, tasted freshly grilled and were swaddled by a thick, homemade tortilla, so the dish was ultimately satisfying.
I dug into the beef fajita taco next. The pictures in the advertisements promised the tortilla would be overflowing, but mine had only a few pieces each of beef, onions and peppers. The beef, though tough, offered an ideal balance of smoke and spice.
The tortilla chips were standard fast-food Mexican fare. The fresh pico de gallo was bright with a strong dose of onions. While the red salsa was followed by a strange aftertaste, the green one struck a pleasant equilibrium between sweet and hot.
And the advantage of eating at a gas station? The gas station snacks, which, when properly paired, can complement your Laredo dishes. Fritos Chili Cheese chips, for example, highlight the quesadilla’s own cheesy flavor while adding a little heat. Combining the beef taco with Ruffles Sour Cream and Onion chips creates a satisfying steak-and-mashed-potatoes experience. And I always recommend finishing meals with my childhood standby, Hawaiian Punch.
With its 4 a.m. opening time, Laredo offers breakfast, too, in the form of tacos stuffed with different combinations of bacon, eggs, potatoes, ham and cheese.
In a pinch, Laredo makes a decent quick lunch or afternoon snack.
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