Have you even been to Texas if you haven’t been to Buc-ees? If you’ve never been, read this Buc-ee’s review to learn exactly why you need to make this a stop on your next road trip!
For the uninitiated, Buc-ee’s is a beloved Texas institution of gas station slash convenience store slash travel center. It’s hard to explain the hold Buc-ee’s has on Texans, and, even though I’m not Texan, on me.
They have a beaver for a logo, every single road trip snack you could ever want, brisket, tacos, souvenirs, and very cutely branded apparel. I am writing this post in advance of visiting my first ever Buc-ee’s, that’s how excited I am. After the visit, I’ll let you know my impressions and if everything lived up to expectation. My main goals are: a Buc-ee’s tee and allllllll the snacks. I’m doing the research and they reconnaissance so you don’t have to.
I’m back and it was more glorious than I imagined!!
What to expect during your first visit to Buc-ee’s
First off, Buc-ee’s is no tiny gas station mart – it’s HUGE. It’s truly a 24/7 travel center with endless freshly made foods, aisles and aisles of snacks and drinks, and for some reason, houseware. It’s more a shopping destination than a quick convenience stop.
Second, you’ll be bombarded everywhere with Bucky the Beaver: stuffies, branded snacks, tees, inflatables, you imagine it, they’ve got it. It’s like visiting an amusement park, if amusement parks were actually gas stations.
Third, Buc-ee’s prides itself on being clean. And it is! Everything, from the restrooms, to the pumps, to the parking lot, to the floors is immaculate.
A review of the famous Buc-ee’s foods and snacks
That’s really why we’re here, after all!
Beaver Nuggets
I was most excited to try Beaver Nuggets. I wanted to try them ALLLLLLLLL and I’ve boughten every package. The classic is caramel corn, but with a puffed corn nugget without any hull. It’s sweet and crunchy and like caramel kettle corn without any of the annoying bits. Beaver Nuggets also come in sea salt carmel, cinnamon, and chocolate covered.
Buc-ee’s Nugees
Basically the same as the sweet nuggets, a puffed corn that’s savory instead of sweet. So far they have white cheddar, bold-n-spicy, and habanero.
Gummies
Gummy candies galore! All your favorites and probably a few that you haven’t tried before like the chamoy peach rings. They’re sweet, spicy and savory thanks to chamoy, the Mexican salty, sweet-n-sour, sauce that’s served with fruit.
Fudge
Fresh slabs of house-made fudge, in more than 20 flavors are sold by the pound or you can mix and match packages of pre-cut squares.
Beaver Tails
If you’ve been to Canada, you’ve probably had a beaver tail pastry, but the Buc-ee’s version is totally different. Essentially a long, flat cinnamon croissant roll, it’s flaky, buttery, sweet, and cinnamon-y.
Jerky
Buc-ee’s is synonymous with jerky. They have an entire daily counter that serves up fresh jerky you can buy by weight, as well as a wall of jerky packages. They come in a huge amount of flavors and they sample them too! I’m not a huge jerky fan, but I tasted the sweet jerky and the garlic jerky and as far as jerkies go, they were great.
Banana Pudding
Banana pudding is a classic southern treat, but not one you’ll usually see at a gas station. If you haven’t had banana pudding before – essentially a parfait with vanilla wafers, slices of banana, vanilla pudding, and whipped cream – try it here! They come in small and large cups and are house made daily.
Kolaches
Texas has a huge American Czech community and as a result, kolaches, a pillowy hand-held bread filled with sweet or savory stuffings are incredibly popular. Buc-ee’s sells them too, in a variety of sweet and savory flavors and they’re a bread-y, satisfying snack.
Brisket
Walk into Buc-ee’s and you’ll immediately smell the brisket, thanks to the central counter where they’re smoking and chopping up fresh brisket all day long. They serve it up in sandwiches, tacos, or sliced or chopped.
Beaver Chips
Everything is beaver themed, even the chips. But honestly, where have you ever seen freshly fried chips at a gas station? They come in brown bags, hot-n-fresh, to best accompany those beaver brisket sandwiches.
Roasted Nuts
Sugar-y glazed nuts, in both regularl and cinnamon-glazed are a Texan favorite. They’re candy coated right in store and kept warm until you pick up a package for snacking on. It’s kinda like you’re at the state fair, but in a gas station!
Hot Sauce
Apparently Texans like hot sauce. Buc-ee’s has their own branded craft sauces ranging from okay hot to extremely hot. We were definitely tempted to buy all of them to do a hot ones Buc-ee’s hot sauce challenge.
That’s it! Buc-ee’s was everything I dreamed and more. I’m wearing my Buc-ee’s hoodie right now and am going to enjoy by cup of banana pudding. I’ll be back, Buc-ee’s! Until then, I’ll be dreaming about you!
xoxo steph
