A truly filling station
Unexpected San Antonio deli drives onto best 100 places to eat in U.S.
Customers are pumped about an unassuming convenience store and gas station in North San Antonio that serves praiseworthy burgers and Philly cheesesteaks. They’re so pumped, in fact, that Yelp has crowned Gino’s Deli & Ice House at Stop N Buy one of the top places to eat in the U.S.
Gino’s Deli, at 13210 Huebner Rd., ranks 21st on Yelp’s seventh annual list of the Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S., based on feedback from reviewers. The restaurant review site published the ranking January 7.
The deli’s signature item is a Philly cheesesteak, featuring a quarter-pound of ribeye steak, sautéed onions and bell peppers, two slices of smoked provolone cheese, a proprietary blend of spices, lettuce, tomato, and mayo, all piled and spread onto on a 10-inch hoagie roll.
Customers also applaud Gino’s burgers. The one-pound version comprises three one-third-pound beef patties on a buttery toasted gourmet bun. Five cheeses are available to complement the beef: American, provolone, cheddar, Swiss, and muenster. Then there are the toppings — mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion.
Other offerings include salami, BLT, pastrami, black bean, tuna salad, and chicken salad sandwiches.
On its website, Gino’s isn’t shy about self-promotion, referring to the deli as a North Side “legend” and a “neighborhood institution,” and listing a host of accolades that have been bestowed upon the joint by the likes of news website BuzzFeed and apartment website Zumper.
“But the only accolade we truly desire, and our sole goal in life, is to make Absolutely Awesome food and take care of people,” declares Gino’s, owned by Aleem Chaudhry.
To determine Yelp’s top places to eat for 2020, the website’s data scientists searched for restaurants based on their ratings and number of reviews. Yelp finalized the ranking by gathering input from its community managers across the country.
“Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat is a list unlike any other ‘best of’ out there. Sure, you’ll see your fancy-schmancy spots and white tablecloth restaurants, but it’s also chockfull of hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path joints,” Yelp says.
Gino’s is the only San Antonio eatery to show up on this year’s Yelp list. But it’s one of seven Texas restaurants that made the cut. Here are the six others:
- Tommy Tamale Market & Cafe, Grapevine (No. 16)
- SP Brazilian Steakhouse, Lakeway (No. 17)
- Craft Pita, Houston (No. 22)
- Sky Rocket Burger, Dallas (No. 28)
- The Aussie Grind, Frisco (No. 30)
- Vizo’s African Bar & Restaurant, Lubbock (No. 99)
