Johnston County gas stations contain hidden culinary gems

By Randy Capps

When I was a teenager, I drove down Main Street in Marion to and from school every day. The best fried chicken in town was in the Tiger Mart gas station, and you could smell it from the street if you had your windows down.

So, I was a believer in the idea of finding food off the beaten path long before I arrived in Johnston County. Happily, there’s a bunch of good gas station food options in every nook and cranny of our fine county.

Our friends at the Johnston County Visitors Bureau have a Beer, Wine and Shine Trail, and today, I’m plotting an unofficial Dine JoCo Gas Station Grub Guide.

It’s only a working title, but you get the idea.

We’ll start in Benson at the Grill on the Hill (NC 242, off I-40’s Exit 325), which features top-notch breakfast sandwiches and a variety of menu options throughout the day.

In town proper, you’ll find Pat’s on Wall Street. If you visit their Facebook page, you’ll see a photo of the menu board with the day’s specials. As I write this, the specials are spaghetti, barbecue chicken, pork or ribs and more.

Redneck BBQ Lab is a well known Johnston County eatery that meets the qualifications for this piece. Folks love the burnt ends, but I usually swing by in the afternoon for a Pineapple Dole Whip.

My favorite fried chicken in Johnston County is just down the road from my house. In addition to the aforementioned chicken, Barefoot’s Gas and Grill (NC 701, between Four Oaks and Newton Grove) has a ton of menu options — and thanks to its proximity to my house — I can vouch for most of them.

Not far from there, JP’s Chicken and Ribs is nestled inside Holt Lake Gas and Grill on 301, and those ribs are something else, man.

If you left there and found NC 96, you could make your way over to Meadow and hit Meadow Market (NC 50). It’s next door to Meadow Restaurant, which is worth the trip as well, and it has a gift shop, a variety of menu items and some pretty good ice cream.

I’ve worked my way into a corner of the county, so there’s no elegant way to get back to Smithfield. But, once you did, you could check out the Chicken Barn on Market Street. The name sort of gives away the speciality, and I’ve enjoyed it more than once.

From there, you can head east to Brothers Italian Kitchen (US 70 East, Pine Level). I’ve had the pizza a few times, and I’m told the pasta dishes are solid as well.

Head the other way on 70, and you’ll run into White Swan on Wilson’s Mills Road. I’m not a big Eastern NC barbecue guy, but I do like their chicken.

If you’re in Selma, you can hit the Selma Mini Mart on North Church Street. At press time, I haven't tried their food yet, but I hear the hibachi fries might be the place to start.

We’ll finish our tour in the Clayton area, where a Brightleaf hotdog from the Grocery Bag (NC 42) always hits the spot.

Then, there’s 3 Olives Pizza and Deli on Amelia Church Road, which I also have not yet sampled. I’ve heard good things about the pizza, though, which makes them well named.

So, use our gas station grub guide and start exploring.

Aside from the fact that you get to have an adventure, you’re also supporting locally owned establishments that have become fixtures in their communities.

The food will be good, too.