Illinois Taco Joint Called One of America’s Best Gas Station Restaurants

My Mom always used to say "Don't judge a book by its cover." That saying should hold up when it comes to restaurants in gas stations.

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I've seen it in action too. When I lived in Kansas City, I was told of a fantastic BBQ restaurant that worked out of a gas station. At the time, it was called Oklahoma Joe's. It has since been renamed Joe's Kansas City but it stands as one of the finest BBQ restaurants in America.

Living in Rockford, one of the best BBQ joints in town is also at a gas station, Smokehouse BBQ.

That said, a restaurant doesn't need to serve BBQ out of a gas station for it to be considered "good" because LoveFood says one of the Best Gas Station Restaurants in America makes tacos.

LoveFood:

Big Star has two Chicago locations, each serving freshly-made tacos with inventive toppings like wood-grilled chicken, house-made chorizo, pork shoulder, and grilled pineapple. But it's the Wicker Park location that’s really interesting. The restaurant is housed in a now-defunct 1940s gas station, and has stayed true to those roots with décor that includes whitewashed brick, steel beams across the ceiling and garage doors that create an indoor-outdoor space in summer.

Big Star is one of the most reviewed restaurants I have seen on Yelp. With over 3,400 different reviews, Big Star sits at 3.6 out of 5.

That number is a little bit lower than what I'm used to seeing but considering the sheer amount of reviews Big Star has received, I'm not all that surprised.

Have you tried Big Star? Is it the best gas station restaurant in America?