Not Your Everyday Gas Station

When thinking about down-home breakfast there are two mandatory ingredients: one being a fried egg and the other chocolate gravy. These two items take me back to memories of breakfast Christmas morning at Grandma’s where she’s been up since dawn preparing us a biscuit sopping feast. So when Grandma’s cooking isn’t an option I always know Taylor’s General Store will be just as good, or better(don’t tell Grandma). On the corner of Weir Road and Hwy 124 in Russellville, AR you will find a Shell gasoline that boasts a couple wooden benches out front and a building adorning the letters “Taylor’s General Store” in red chipped paint. Taylor’s isn’t just any gas station it’s also a store and café. Inside beyond your everyday gas station you will find a couple booths and a long, rectangle table to host the gentleman who call Taylor’s home to their coffee drinking and world problem solving. If you are a Russellville native you don’t think of chocolate gravy without thinking of Taylor’s. They serve it somewhere between a pudding and gravy consistency, and where the two seem to meet is taste bud euphoria. Sadly, Friday and Saturday mornings are the only times you can order this delectable treat.  Also you must try there biscuit sandwiches with a homemade fried egg. The serve canned biscuits or “womp ‘ems” as my momma calls them, but don’t be weary they do the trick. The biscuits are piled high with cheese, fried egg, and ham, sausage, or bacon. Or you can get them smothered in the chocolate gravy and topped with a dollop of butter. Being the unselfish Southerners they are, the helping of chocolate gravy is so generous you can’t even see the bottom of the plastic plate it’s served on. They will even make your lunch as you’re eating breakfast.  You can order a deli sandwich to-go that comes loaded with meat and cheeses and served with fresh veggies. Taylor’s is far from fancy and most people order to-go…but give the booths and coffee drinkers a chance because a good conversation is only a smile away.

The next time you are in Russellville or driving down I-40 take the Weir road exit and it will lead you to the best gas station food you will ever eat, I give you my word!