12 Gas Station Coffees, Ranked From Worst To Best, According To Reviews

While most people might think of bigger chains like Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts when talking about where to get coffee, there are other places to get your caffeine fix, such as gas stations. We know what you're thinking, gas stations? But it's more common than you think. There's a reason that gas stations have coffee bars and we decided to rank gas station coffees from worst to best.

So, whether you're looking to switch up where you get your daily coffee, occasionally avoid the lines at the big coffee chains, are going to go on a road trip or just simply want to try something different, this is the article for you. The way we determined which gas station coffee we think you'll love a latte and which ones might leave you depresso, was by analyzing reviews and looking for ones that were consistently rated positively as well as ones that consistently weren't. To learn more about the determination process visit the methodology slide at the end of the article. 

7-Eleven's coffee has received mixed but primarily negative reviews from customers who tried it. A writer with The Takeout who ranked coffee from the five major gas stations put 7-Eleven's in fourth place just ahead of ARCO. The reviewer stated the coffee had a medicinal aftertaste, adding that spicy notes of the caffeinated beverage were overpowering and that potential customers should only try it if they enjoy their coffee doused in creamer or are prioritizing convenience over quality.

There was a poster on Reddit who complained about 7-Eleven's coffee consistency not being hot and tasting weirdly as well as oddly bitter. Commenters under the post concurred with the reviewer's assessment saying that the coffee was probably being over-extracted and also describing the gas station's coffee as disgusting, horrid and atrocious, adding that they would rather drink hot tap water. There was one redditor who said that they enjoyed the crisp blueberry coffee from the gas station. Other redditors recommended putting the hot chocolate flavors that 7-Eleven has into the coffee to make a knock off mocha. While reviewers enjoyed that there were a lot of options to choose from, they described themselves as feeling betrayed when the coffee turned out to be lukewarm, noting they only ranked it so high because they remembered the coffee being good once upon a time. 

Casey's a gas station and convenience store chain is known for its pizza, even being the fifth-largest pizza chain in the U.S. in 2021. In 2023, Casey's decided to revamp its breakfast menu and with the changes, which included a new breakfast burrito and better coffee, chief merchandising officer Tom Brennan was hopeful Casey's would secure a larger, more regular breakfast crowd. 

However, the "better coffee" doesn't seem to be a hit with all customers. A YouTuber who tried the gas station's 100% Colombian medium roast described the taste as empty, adding that it was kind of acidic. Although the reviewer did say that for them the coffee was more enjoyable than QuikTrip's, they still gave the coffee a fairly low rating of 57 out of 100. They even said in the caption of the video that the coffee was one that just served a use instead of inspired and was acceptable — not necessarily a compliment. Another person on Reddit simply dubbed that gas station's coffee the worst around. 

In addition to Casey's regular brewed coffee, a redditor called the Blueberry Crumble Cappuccino sickeningly sweet, adding that it could be used as a creamer.  There were some posters on Reddit who said that they believe the new machines have improved the coffee and it had become their go-to.  A couple years ago, around the time of the menu revamp, customers did point out that the gas station had increased the price of its coffee while simultaneously shrinking the size of the cup — never something customers want to see happen. 

Pilot, a gas station chain that has 808 locations in the United States, has received mixed reviews on its coffee with a fair amount of them being negative. While there were some Reddit users who described the coffee as being smooth and highlighted the house blend and grind-and-brew machines. There were many others who disagreed and criticized the gas station's coffee.

There was one poster on Reddit who went on a 40 hour road trip and decided to rate the gas station they had along the way. Unfortunately, Pilot's fell towards the very bottom of the list with a rating of three out of 10 and the reviewer describing the java as kinda gross and very unmemorable. There was another redditor who worked at an Arby's that was attached to a Pilot and they described the gas station's coffee as terrible. They noted that truckers would even walk through Pilot in order to get Arby's coffee instead. A different commenter on the Reddit thread described the caffeinated beverage as disgusting while a redditor added that they absolutely despise it and would rather have the watered down coffee from Tim Horton's.

Royal Farms has been mastering its pressure-cooked chicken for more than 60 years and has earned itself a spot as one of the gas stations with the best fried chicken. However, it doesn't seem to have mastered coffee the same way it has fried chicken based on the fairly mixed reviews from customers.

Royal Farms did receive high praise from one redditor who dubbed it as their top gas station/convenience store coffee. One commenter even said that as a Philadelphia native WaWa has their loyalty, but that they would put the coffee from Royal Farms against WaWa's any day. Another redditor, however, disagreed with that assessment and said that WaWa had the edge over Royal Farms when it came to coffee. Despite the positive opinions, other customers on Reddit stated that the gas station's coffee is not good — with one noting that the gas station's only redeeming quality is its biscuits — and that the gas station itself has a cleanliness issue. One commenter gave a slightly positive but fairly average review stating that for self-serve coffee Royal Farm's wasn't terrible. In a review by the York Daily Record, the coffee from Royal Farms came in the disappointing spot of last place. The writer described the coffee as being bitter and weak with a weird aftertaste, adding that they were only able to manage three sips before they threw it away.

Kwik Star, also known as Kwik Trip, is a gas station with more than 850 locations across the Midwest that started in 1965 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The gas station was highlighted in June by The Takeout for making its baked treats fresh every day. While the gas station may sell 47 million of its Glazer donuts a year, its coffee has received fairly middling reviews for its coffee.

Posters on Reddit commended the gas station for its wide selection of both hot and iced coffee, called it a go-to, and one specifically highlights the gas station's Kona Coffee. There was another redditor who also highlighted the gas station's Colombian and House blend. Meanwhile, other reviewers said that the Kwik Trip's coffee was solidly ok for gas station coffee and that QuikTrip's ranked above it, adding it wasn't even a close competition. Kwik Star earned a low ranking position of 15th out of 18 when Tasting Table ranked gas station coffee bars from worst to best. The writer stated that Kwik Star's coffee beans typically taste stale and over-roasted. The review also highlighted how there weren't many additions to choose from and the ones that were there were low-quality.

From clean bathrooms to a wide selection of beef jerky, there are plenty of reasons to get excited about Buc-ee's. Despite all the praise the gas station in general receives, its coffee has received somewhat mixed reviews.

The redditor that took a 40-hour road trip and rated the gas station coffee they tried, mentioned that Buc-ee's had long been a favorite of theirs due to its consistently fresh, hot, and tasty coffee. The poster even gave the gas station's coffee a high rating of 10 out of 10. Meanwhile, Tasting Table gave Buc-ee's coffee bar a fairly mediocre ranking of 8th out of 18. The reviewer did note that the gas station's iced coffee is especially popular. However, they felt that it lacked depth and was a bit too sweet, though they appreciated the cleanliness and variety of add-ins. Some commenters on Reddit also complained about the current coffee, explaining that they felt the iced coffee and creamer selection has been better in the past. In another Reddit thread about Buc-ee's favorites, multiple users highlighted and praised the coffee. The original poster in this Reddit discussion did criticize Buc-ee's, but others defended both the store and its coffee describing the java as solid, great, and excellent.

Interestingly enough, the founder of QuikTrip — Burt Holmes — was inspired by 7-Eleven stores he saw in Dallas when he created the Oklahoma-based gas station change. QT received a fair amount of positive reviews from customers, although there were some complaints mixed in.

Reviewers in one Reddit discussion stated that they preferred QT's coffee when compared to Dutch Bros, praising the new coffee machines as producing fresher and better tasting coffee. However, there were others who complained about the new machines and stated that they missed the old hot and iced coffee. The complaints were mainly regarding the machines being slower when making coffee, although there were some complaints about the taste changing as well. Despite those complaints, there were still redditors who recognized QT as having one of the best gas station coffees — one person even called it "the one gas station to rule them all" — and highlighting the pour over machine and nitro cold brew as their go-to. QT's java did rank fairly high at fourth in Tasting Table's coffee bar review, although it did call the hot coffee station weaker than the cold coffee options.

On its website, Sheetz brags about having five-star coffee drinks with coffee flavors and styles from around the world. The gas station's coffee did receive generally positive reviews, especially on its cold brew and iced coffee which one poster said was superior to Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts.

The York Daily Record did rank Sheetz second behind WaWa in its review, calling the coffee sweet and smooth, though possibly too sweet. A writer with Axios Pittsburgh described the coffee as nutty and naturally sweet. Sheetz also came in third in Tasting Table's ranking of gas station coffee bars. The article highlighted the pièce de résistance as Sheetz's espresso drinks. The reviewer thought the iced drinks were okay but not as good as the cold brew and hot coffees. Although, they noted there were plenty of fun syrup and milk options to add to the coffee. Reddit reviews on the gas station's coffee were mixed. Some really miss the old coffee, while others like the new version. There were many complaints about the new machines producing watered-down coffee, though a few users defended the new machine.

RaceTrac is a gas station chain in the South that is known for having some of the best hot dogs. Based on reviews it seems that RaceTrac's coffee is also generally viewed positively.

One redditor mentioned that the automated machines made decent iced coffee, they said that sometimes the light roast isn't very bold but they can generally rely on getting an acceptable cup of coffee. Another reviewer ranked RaceTrac's coffee in the top three out of 10 gas station coffees, behind WaWa and Speedway. The writer gave it four out of five beans, but they did note how expensive the coffee was. Another coffee fan described the coffee as fresh, non-bitter, and good enough to drink black. Tasting Table ranked RaceTrac's coffee car at seven out of 18 and said that the gas station is known for its coffee machines that brew both fresh hot and iced coffee. The reviewer did state that RaceTrac had a limited milk selection. There were redditors who said they preferred RaceTrac's coffee over QT's, with one calling it one of the best gas station coffees alongside WaWa.

Speedway, a gas station chain that is headquartered out of Irving, Texas, and is actually owned and operated by 7-Eleven. The gas station being owned by 7-Eleven is interesting considering its coffee has gotten much more positive reviews than the other gas station chain which ranked at the bottom of our list.

Coffee critics have praised the gas station for having a good amount of options for coffee including blended options. Speedway also highlighted multiple times in a Reddit discussion where the original poster ranked gas stations as having good coffee and being people's number one and a go to. There was even a redditor who was looking for a way to make Speedway's coffee at home, specifically the Brazilian blend. However, commenters in one Reddit thread stated that Kum & Go was better than Speedway, in their opinion, and that the gas station's coffee was better before they switched to grinders. Coffee fans have also described Safeway's House Blend as smooth and having a good taste but noted that it wasn't very caffeinated. Not surprisingly, the Espresso Blend is also stronger and has more of a punch.

Circle K is an international gas station chain that has over 6,800 locations in the United States and is based out of Texas, even though it has the most stores in Florida. A majority of the reviews that the gas station's coffee received were positive, with the occasional one off complaint.

One poster on Reddit who tried Circle K's coffee twice on the same road trip, rated it a nine out of 10, praising the full-auto machines that brew fresh cups and describing the house roast as complex yet smooth. They did note that sometimes the coffee is too hot. There were even users who called Circle K coffee the "gas station caffeine GOAT" and highlighted the Colombian dark roast. In fact, many redditors called Circle K's coffee a standout that was worthy of drinking every day. There was even one poster who had collected over 1,000 cups of Circle K coffee over the years (why??) — if that doesn't say they like it we don't know what does. However, there was a commenter under the post who called Circle K's the worst coffee they've ever had. 

WaWa, a gas station chain on the East Coast, is so popular that it was crowned the nation's number one convenience store chain by the American Customer Satisfaction Index in October of 2024. It was also named one of the gas station chains with the best sandwiches. The overwhelmingly positive reviews that WaWa's coffee spoke to the gas station's accolades and success, it's also what earned WaWa the top spot on our list.

One reviewer on Reddit said that they primarily enjoy and get the gas station's cold brew, noting that the only reason they didn't like their iced coffee was because it came sweetened. Other Reddit users even dubbed WaWa the best gas station coffee in the Mid-Atlantic region. Commenters supported this claim by highlighting the customized drinks that WaWa makes as well as its brewed coffee. One redditor even said that they will travel to the Mason-Dixon line between Maryland and Pennsylvania to get coffee from the gas station. Wawa's coffee frequently earns top honors in coffee rankings, and is described as smooth, slightly sweet, and having a full-bodied flavor with an aftertaste of chocolatey espresso. Some coffee fans seem to prefer the gas station's iced coffee over Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts any day — high praise.

Customer opinions of gas station chain's coffee can vary — especially due to the fact that everyone's taste preference varies. So in order to rank gas station coffees from worst to best, we visited discussion forums like Reddit and reviewed customer opinions of the gas station's coffee. We then looked for which coffees received negative reviews from patrons on their taste, quality, and preparation. We also looked for any reviews and rankings from writers with local or national publications.

Static Media owns and operates The Takeout and Tasting Table.