After my recent very successful trip to Wawa to sample their ample offering of breakfast entrees, it seemed natural that a lunch outing was inevitable.
And it needed to be soon since construction on not one but two new Wawa locations not a mile from my house was moving along at a brisk pace. The line hasn’t started forming yet, but I expect it will soon.
I learned from my first trip to this popular Pennsylvania-based gas station/restaurant chain that ordering can be intimidating. There are many options to choose from and it is easy to over-accessorize with add-ons.
READ MORE: So what exactly is a Wawa?
So, this time I decided to bring along a little help. I enlisted the aid of my teenage grandson for moral and emotional support. Besides, he’s smarter than me and has paperwork to prove it.
So we set out for Fairhope, where the nearest Wawa is located. We mapped out a strategy of sampling a few of their popular sandwiches and wraps, plus one side dish for good measure.
There wasn’t much methodology to our order. Our only idea was to avoid the mistakes of my first visit and to make a conscious effort to not over-accessorize. In other words, no spinach.
As for what we wanted to eat, we just got what we thought we would like. But we also tried to offer a broad cross section of the massive menu.
Our list included: Chicken quesadilla; Ham and honey mustard panini; Italian hoagie; Cheesesteak hoagie; Chicken and bacon snack wrap; Mac and cheese.
Here are our findings:
Wawa’s ham and honey mustard panini. (Dave Holloway)David HollowayHam and Honey Mustard Panini
We studied the offerings and opted to adorn our sandwich with Swiss cheese and the only add-on was a few pickles for some punch.
We found it to be a substantial sandwich wrapped in warm, toasty bread. The ham was plentiful and tender while the mustard offered a nice twang to the taste.
My learned companion pointed out that the pickled added a little too much to the flavor profile, at times overpowering the rest of the deliciousness.
We agreed we would order it again but limit the pickles.
Wawa’s classic Italian hoagie.David HollowayClassic Italian Hoagie
Regardless of your upbringing, resist the urge to refer to this classic sandwich as a po-boy. It is a hoagie.
We opted to adorn our hoagie with oil and vinegar dressing – a classic accompaniment to this classic sandwich. We added shredded lettuce and tomato.
We had high hopes for this one but agreed it needed something else. My colleague pointed out it was a little scant on meat – ham in particular – and a dollop more oil and vinegar would help.
We agreed we’d order it again, only with more meat and more oil and vinegar.
READ MORE: Ranking Wawa’s hoagies
Wawa’s chicken quesadilla.David HollowayChicken Quesadilla
We ordered this hot offering with an eye toward something different. It was different, alright.
We ordered it with American and Cheddar cheese and for flavor we asked for barbecue sauce.
For starters, it was messy, but that may have been attributed to the barbecue sauce. As for the chicken, it was a bit on scant side.
Would we order it again? Probably not.
Wawa’s classic beefsteakDavid HollowayClassic Beefsteak
This classic sandwich was a natural choice for a company based near Philadelphia. We really were looking forward to this one.
It came on a traditional hoagie roll and was adorned with cheddar cheese; that was the sum of our order. We saw no need to gild that lily anymore.
The meat was finely chopped beef and was nicely seasoned. The cheese, however, was the sliced variety and was not melted. It was lost in the mix.
The bread itself was a delight. Crisp and toasty, it would have been good by itself.
But it had a wonderful taste and we vowed that we would order it again, only with the addition of more cheese – lots more cheese.
Wawa’s chicken bacon snack wrap.David HollowayChicken Bacon Snack Wrap
This was the outlier among our ordering plan of attack. It was small – one fried chicken strip and one strip of bacon topped with Ranch dressing.
That was it.
The flavor was OK, but there wasn’t enough of it to go around for bedding down even the smallest of appetites. Two, three bites tops, and it’s gone.
The bacon was lost and almost non-existent.
As for ordering it again, not likely but not out of the question. Only one is not enough for even the smallest of appetites.
Wawa’s mac and cheese.David HollowayMacaroni and Cheese
This was a total surprise. And in a good way.
We take our mac and cheese seriously here in the Deep South, so seriously that it can be served with impunity on a vegetable plate. The grandson reasoned if they can get this one right they can get any of the other side dish options correct as well.
It was very hot, very cheesy and quite tasty. Gooey was the term my budding food critic described it, and I was loathe to disagree with his assessment.
In short, it was quite tasty and worthy of any Southern sideboard. And yes, we would order this again with no hesitation.
We wrapped up our little food experiment by taking leftovers home – the mac and cheese was especially well received. We made one more pass inside where we picked up a couple of pre-packaged apple fritters for the road.
Our summation was simply that we were very impressed with the overall experience. The signature sandwiches – beef cheesesteak and panini – were excellent, as was the mac and cheese.
We concluded that the trick to maximizing the Wawa experience is to know what you’re doing before you get there. Knowing how to order certain sandwiches and entrees is the key. And that comes from repetition; in short, we are coming back for more.
Our next trip will most likely be for supper, where pizza burgers and other foods are offered. Pizza and burgers, now you’re talking.
READ MORE: Someone got a Wawa tattoo. Really.
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