Hitting the road? You'll probably want to plan some sustenance stops along the way – and if you skip the chains, there are some real unexpected food treasures to be found. Here are the best truck stop roadside eats in the States. Just remember to check restaurant websites in advance for any changes due to COVID-19.

Naturally, the wildest place to pull up your truck in Florida is just north of Miami, on the periphery of the Everglades. Not only is Cafe 27 a popular trucker spot, it’s also a meeting place for petrolheads and it turns into a bar with metal bands at night (events are still currently subject to change, so check before you go). When it comes to food, start with the gator bites, before tucking into a sandwich with mahi served grilled, blackened or fried.

Tamarack is a truck stop with a difference: this spot along the I-77 has a theatre, a fine arts gallery and regular events, as well as its top-notch gourmet offerings. Travellers can swing by for dishes like the signature chicken pot pie or fancier options such as the breaded rainbow trout. There are typically food deals for truckers too. 

One of the oldest continually operating businesses in Idaho, Boise Stage Stop opened in 1891. It’s also one of the best-loved truck stops in the US. There are a variety of cuisines on offer at the restaurant, including Mexican, classic American and Italian, but it’s best known as a fantastic steakhouse. It serves sirloin with shrimp, a range of hearty burgers and you can even get a T-bone at breakfast.

Tucson Truck Terminal – or Triple T as it’s fondly known – is home to Omar’s Hi-Way Chef. It's scooped second place on Food Network’s top truck stops in the country and has also been crowned the best breakfast in Tucson. Order the I-10 Belly Buster (two eggs, two strips of bacon, two sausage patties, two pancakes or French toast and grilled ham) and the signature apple pie which comes with a mountain of ice cream.

Halfway between Mobile, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida, Derailed Diner can be found off exit 53 on I-10. It's a quirky spot, with truck-themed interiors and gas station memorabilia, so you’ll feel like you never left the road. Alongside diner classics, it serves Hobo Baskets – meat, baby carrots, red potatoes, corn on the cob, onions and celery, all slow-roasted in tin foil. The stop is also famed for its flip-flop fudge.

It’s not just truckers who love Russell’s Restaurant – locals from all over Salina dine here and praise the well-priced food and huge portions. Rustic and low-key, the place serves all-you-can-eat fried chicken, plus chicken livers and gizzards. The menu also includes Midwest comfort food like smothered steak or the catfish dinner.

Find the most charming roadside diner in every state

On the cusp of New Mexico and Texas, Russell’s Travel Center offers truckers a historic Route 66 experience with its classic diner and museum. While there are plenty of standard burgers on offer, why not opt for a Tex-Mex dish? The spot serves great chile rellenos, refried beans and beef tamales. While you're there, you can also check out all the vintage memorabilia and gain free entry to the classic car museum.

Good food options are limited on the route down towards the beautiful beaches of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, but Crazy K’s Food & Fuel is an exception. It serves classics such as po' boys and fried chicken, and the staff have even been known to bring food to passengers who have broken down on the surrounding roads – now that's Southern hospitality.

Encompassing a mind-boggling 100,000 square feet (9,290sqm) of space, Iowa 80 is reportedly the world’s largest truck stop. There are many fast-food options here, but most make a beeline for Iowa 80 Kitchen. Here you'll find breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets, plus comforting entrées like rib-eye sandwiches, fried chicken and spaghetti.

Out in the Arkansas boonies, Workman’s Travel Center – and the complex’s Hillbilly Hideout – is a welcome rest stop. There’s a good choice of burgers, sandwiches, steaks and salads, but truckers often praise the 24-hour breakfasts. Choose between omelettes served with hash browns and toast, chocolate chip waffles, French toast or eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy.

Discover the best brunch joint in your state

Claiming to offer the best chicken fried steak on Highway 101, Wildhorse Cafe on the outskirts of King City serves Southern-inspired sustenance for those trucking on the West Coast. Customers love the corned beef hash and chile verde omelettes while the post-breakfast menu is decidedly Californian. Plenty of the dishes are served with generous amounts of avocado too.

Schatz Crossroads in Minot, North Dakota, serves a breakfast steak and eggs plate that comes with hash browns and toast – if you're heading north, it'll tide you over all the way to Canada. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, you could try a ham and cheese hoagie or a chicken Philly or check out the Facebook page for specials that are regularly updated. 

One of Minnesota’s best bakeries can be found at a truck stop in Clearwater. Highlights at Nelson Bros. include doughnuts the size of your head and fritter bread in five heavenly flavours. The attached restaurant’s menu goes on for miles with homemade meals such as pizza, meatloaf and fritter French toast. There’s even a Nelson Bros. pub.

If you’re heading up Highway 2 (or down, for that matter) in Danville, Vermont, you can swing into Marty’s 1st Stop for a gourmet trucker’s lunch and all your supplies. The soft-shell crab is a winner and the rotation of soups, including clam chowder, chop suey, potato bacon and chicken rice, will be sure to warm you up on chillier days. A true one-stop shop, it's also got you covered for groceries.

Now discover the best retro diner in every state

Dysart’s Truck Stop is a favourite in The Pine Tree State. Top menu picks include their best-selling chicken pot pie and meatloaf, but there’s also poutine and hot sandwiches. You can pick up some sweet treats for the road from the bakery too: choose between chocolate cream pie, whoopie pies and cookie platters. 

Ten miles (16km) south of Grand Rapids, 76th Street Truck Stop Diner is a haven for hungry truck drivers. All the diner’s burgers, sandwiches and wraps come with fries or homemade chips, with options like the Big Mother Trucker: two half-pound patties, three slices of sourdough, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, sauce and salad. Or you can build your own skillet – to a base of scrambled eggs, potato and cheese, you can add items like bacon, sausage and ham.

Located off exit 13a on the New Jersey Turnpike and around the corner from the Elizabeth Seaport, Seaport Diner is a popular place for truckers to stop. For breakfast you can choose between a range of omelettes – customers love the Western with ham, onions and peppers – waffles and breakfast sandwiches. The chicken and vegetable stir-fry with rice is the winner at dinner time.

Between Death Valley National Park and Las Vegas, Area 51 Alien Center is an out-of-this-world pit stop in the desert. A cracking photo opportunity, it’s a lime green alien-themed gift shop with a small but unexpectedly good diner attached. They whip up shakes, root beer floats, cheeseburgers and fries.

Truckers in need of comfort food while ploughing through snowy Alaska will be pleased to encounter Hilltop Truck Stop. The joint is known for decadent desserts – people rave about the pies which include coconut cream and blueberry – and its savoury menu features an all-day breakfast with reindeer sausage and a fried halibut sandwich.

Check out these historic American pie recipes that have never changed

Truckers love this central Pennsylvanian haunt for its friendly service and generous portions. This is the place for cheese-lovers, too, as the menu has an entire melt section including tuna, chicken and bacon, and a Reuben with mounds of corned beef, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. People also rave about the steaks.

You can get your Mexican fix on l-15 between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas at Kan Kun Mexican Restaurant, which stays open until around 10pm. The speciality here is homemade tamales, but customers are also big fans of the chile verde, shredded beef tacos and margaritas. For those doing the driving, there's Mexican Coca-Cola too.

Check out Coca-Cola flavours from around the world

For an upmarket truck stop experience, drivers can head to Haywood 209 Cafe in Waynesville, North Carolina which is known as a favourite on the interstate. Visitors rave about the tenderloin beef tips served with mushroom gravy, the meatloaf and the country fried steak. Afterwards, check out the dessert case full of freshly baked pies and cakes made by an in-house baker.

The Common Man Roadside North is a multiplex with something for everyone. The Hi-Way Diner is a kitsch, 1950s-inspired joint with outstanding veggie options. Then, for something sweet, there’s the Common Man Donut Shop. Alternatively, you can head to the Roadside Deli for pizza, burgers and homemade potato chips.

The best doughnut in every state

While most roadside truck stop diners usually serve classic American dishes, this spot is all about fabulous Indian curries. At Taste of India, you can dive into satisfying plates of butter chicken, biryanis, chana masala and garlic naan in a convenience store setting. It’s a truly original experience that typically has people driving across the Cornhusker State.

Heading down to Myrtle Beach? Little Fisher Truck Stop & Restaurant, a family-owned convenience store open every day of the year, is a top stop. Known for their hospitality, the owners are there to quell all your hunger pangs with options like fried chicken, pork chops and gravy, mac and cheese, baked beans and hot dogs. The food is reasonably priced too.

When heading up l-94 and Highway 26, it's worth holding out for the Pine Cone Travel Plaza at exit 267, which, for a truck stop, has a lot of fans. Choose the eggs Benedict or the steak and eggs, then stock up on cream puffs, cookies and éclairs for your onward journey.

This pared-back truck stop might not look much from the outside, but it houses a mom-and-pop-style restaurant that's a hit with truckers and travellers alike. Vintage signs and music posters decorate the walls and the menu is packed with comforting dishes from fried chicken to biscuits and gravy. "John's Steak" – broiled rib-eye with grilled onions, mushrooms and jalapeños – is a favourite. 

Before crossing the Maryland border into Pennsylvania, many drivers make a pit stop at Belle Grove Grocery. Rotating specials such as barbecue pork sandwiches and hamburger macaroni casseroles keep the menu fresh, while the staples – “pies to die for” and “the best burger around” – keep customers coming back for more.

For fast food heaven, find the best burger and fries joint in every state

You can't go wrong with a savoury breakfast bowl from Mapleview Family Restaurant. The Farmers Bowl includes homefries, scrambled eggs, sausage gravy and Cheddar, and small details such as real maple syrup are an unexpected treat at a truck stop. Arrive later in the day for Philly cheesesteaks, Reubens and roast beef melts that come with gravy.

The Lone Star State has more top-notch roadside pit stops than you can shake a stick at, but The Big Texan Steak Ranch might just be the best. It typically hosts a 72-ounce steak competition (served with shrimp cocktail, baked potato, salad and a roll). Looking for something a little smaller? How about Rocky Mountain oysters, fried chicken or a rack of baby back ribs?

Now discover the most-loved dish in every state and where to eat it