8 Foods To Order At Wawa And 1 To Avoid

Wawa is a Pennsylvania convenience store chain that many people wish they could find everywhere — or, simply be as lucky as me, and reside in one of the several states with at least one location. Thus far, this growing list of states includes Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and (with just five locations) Alabama. Wawa is so amazing because it's so much more than a convenience store, with a robust offering of coffee drinks and a generous assortment of delicious foods. But whether you've visited a dozen times or are about to make your first visit, such an expansive menu can feel overwhelming when trying to figure out which Wawa foods to order.

If you're not sure what to order next time you head to Wawa, don't worry. You've come to the right place. Not only am I a Wawa enthusiast who has eaten at the chain more times than I could ever hope to count, but I also have a food industry background. This makes me uniquely qualified to help you judge which foods are worth ordering and which you're better off avoiding. Not surprisingly, based on the chain's great reputation, my taste test turned out a long list of must-order items that are sure to suit your preferences. That said, there's just one thing you'll want to avoid at all costs if you don't want your next trip to Wawa to be disappointing.

I chose food items for inclusion in this list, based on whether they were available at the Wawa in Dorchester, New Jersey, at the time I ordered. Of those options available to me, I aimed to choose as wide an assortment of options as possible, to provide the most comprehensive assessment of the convenience store's menu. Then, I tried each item as-is, without customization, so I could provide the fairest opinion. It's important to note that almost all items on this list can be customized to better suit your personal preferences.

To help make my judgments, I relied primarily on more than 15 years in the food industry, during which time I cross-trained in hot foods and bakeries. My extensive experience eating at Wawa and previous work creating recommendations or rankings for Daily Meal also contributed — including a similar article where I ranked 15 Wawa hoagies from worst to best. Although personal preference played a role in my recommendations, I aimed to be as unbiased about product quality as possible.

The pizza options offered by Wawa are relatively new, having only become available in the last year or two. My partner and children had both tried these, but I hadn't had the opportunity to do so myself until this ranking. I was assured the pizzas were fantastic, and so I dug into the Wawa Pepperoni Personal Pizza with hopeful enthusiasm — and, I have to say, those assurances of quality turned out to be right.

This personal pizza was generously sized and, in my opinion, could easily feed two people if you wanted. It smelled amazing in the box, offering layered scents of starch, dairy, and savory, which have become synonymous with good pizza for me. Taste-wise, it held up to how delicious it smelled, featuring a base starchy flavor profile topped with gooey cheese, mildly sweet tomato sauce, and richly umami pepperoni with just a little kick of spice.

This pizza is as good as any option I've had in the past, and even rivals homemade pizza. I highly recommend it to pizza enthusiasts everywhere. If you're not a big fan of pepperoni, don't fret, because Wawa offers several other toppings you could choose from instead.

Burgers are also somewhat new at Wawa, as I remember them coming out in the last few years. Or, perhaps, I should say that burgers are newer than many of the other menu items, like the hoagies, soups, bowls, and some of the sides. However, I did have the opportunity to try these before, albeit not the All American Cheeseburger. Having had good experiences with other types of Wawa burgers, I was quite excited to give this one a shot. Since it ends up on this list as something I recommend you order, you can guess that the taste test went well.

There was a deep umami flavor from this burger, which was adequately seasoned with a basic spice mix that I would guess contained salt and pepper, with perhaps garlic and onion powder. The lettuce and tomato were quite fresh, delivering a nice earthiness with sweet tones. Starchy and buttery notes came from the fresh bun, which was bakery-level quality, in my experienced opinion. That being said, the only negative thing I do have to say about this cheeseburger is that it was a little on the drier side. However, it wasn't so dry that it parched my mouth or made it challenging to enjoy — it's just a personal preference of mine towards moister burgers.

If you like basic cheeseburgers, you'll enjoy the Wawa All American Cheeseburger. When you order it for yourself, you can also customize the toppings to suit your preferences.

I'd been hesitant to try the Wawa French fries before this article because they have a somewhat unappealing smell. While it isn't outright disgusting, it does carry a strong scent of oil like some other fried foods, which has never been a favorite of mine. That being said, I'm glad I persevered for the purposes of this taste test because these French fries turned out to be quite good.

While the smell wasn't overly enjoyable, the aesthetics were. These fries have a beautiful orangish coloring that makes me think they use paprika in the seasoning (although the fries could simply come like this in a bag). Although they appeared as though they might have quite a bit of seasoning, the fries were mostly just a little salty with a hint of what tastes like Old Bay Seasoning. Most of the fries were quite crispy, although a few were a bit soggy — I may be an outlier here, but I enjoy the soggy fries and feel they have more flavor than crispy ones.

I really enjoyed these and recommend ordering them if you're looking for a side. They'd pair well with nearly any of the burgers or hoagies available on the Wawa menu. My partner also enjoys ordering them with his personal pizzas.

A forewarning — the Tuna Salad Hoagie is quite messy, and even looked a bit sloppy straight out of the wrapper. I wouldn't recommend eating this on the go, because you're likely to drop fillings all over the place. Thankfully, the somewhat poor aesthetics didn't translate to poor taste, and I found myself quite pleased with how good this was. I've never been a huge fan of tuna in general, but I would occasionally indulge in this sandwich without question.

The tuna salad itself has a very creamy, fishy taste that's balanced by the crisp texture and earthy taste of celery. Fresh tomato and lettuce add a layer of earthiness, while the bread is as fresh, starchy, and soft as I would expect from Wawa. Truthfully, the bread from this convenience store food counter is so good that I sometimes purchase it alone for use at home.

If you enjoy tuna salad hoagies, you'll enjoy this one, and I recommend ordering it — it's easy to make tuna salad at home, but sometimes we all want something quick and easy. Of course, if you're not a fan of a more fish-forward taste, you should probably skip this in lieu of a different hoagie.

The Wawa Meatball Hoagie has always been my son's favorite go-to order when we eat here. Once again, though, I hadn't yet tried this for myself, despite hearing only good things about it. In fact, I've always tended to rotate through a handful of items I know I like at Wawa, rarely branching out to try new things. One thing this taste test has taught me is that I've missed out on a lot of fantastic Wawa foods by doing this — something that, thankfully, I've now been able to rectify.

Like the tuna hoagie, the meatball hoagie is quite messy. While it doesn't look quite as sloppy in presentation as the tuna option, the Italian meatballs are generously sized and sometimes slide out the back of the bread while you're trying to eat it. Plus, the marinara sauce tends to ooze out, too. Personally, I don't mind, because this just means that Wawa didn't skimp on the hoagie fillings. The bread is perfect, as always, balanced by the intense savoriness of the meatballs and the robust tomato flavor of the sauce. The cheese adds a very light creamy layer that's understated but complementary.

Order this Wawa meatball hoagie if you're a fan of this specific food, meatballs, or Italian fare. Like most other items, you can customize it with various toppings or different cheeses to make it your own.

I should confess and tell you that this is one of my personal go-to orders, so I may be a little biased about how good it is. But the fact that I order this more than any other Wawa menu item is more of an endorsement than a bias, in my own opinion. I'll also note that there's a chicken steak burrito bowl if you're not a fan of beef, although I don't enjoy that one as much.

The base of this bowl is a combination of black beans and rice, topped with layers of beef steak, cheese sauce, fresh pico de gallo, chipotle sauce, and lettuce. It doesn't really have a smell to it, but the combination of bright colors sitting at the top of the bowl is very aesthetically pleasing. A dominating savory flavor profile is paired with moderate starchy notes, light earthy tones, subtle sweetness, mild cheesiness, and a light kick of heat. The serving size is generous, too, and definitely enough to fill me up.

This should be your order during your next Wawa trip if you enjoy burritos, rice dishes, or burrito bowls. You can add or remove any of the toppings, if desired. You can also opt for only rice or only beans in lieu of the combined bowl base, if preferred.

Chicken noodle soup is a classic comfort food that most people have enjoyed at least once in their lifetime. Unfortunately, I've found that a lot of restaurant and fast food variations of this dish are lacking in some way. Thankfully, that's not the case here, so if you love a good chicken noodle soup, this one is for you.

This soup is really aromatic, with the chicken and broth taking center stage in the scent. The noodles are fairly long and thick, paired in a rich broth with vegetables like carrots and celery. That rich broth carries heavy umami notes, but also subtle hints of earthiness and butter. Everything is well-seasoned, so there's not much need to add salt or pepper. An appealing textural complexity is created between the silky broth, soft noodles, and somewhat crunchy vegetables. I could truly find nothing negative to say about this dish.

If you're a fan of chicken noodle soup, make sure you order this on your next trip to Wawa. I suggest ordering a shorti roll to pair with it, which you should smear with a bit of butter before dipping it into the soup. Trust me, this combination is fantastic.

I had actually planned to get a plain macaroni and cheese bowl when I was first deciding what to order for this taste test. However, that wasn't available, and I saw that there were several mac and cheese combination bowls, which I hadn't noticed on the menu before. This Applewood Smoked Bacon Mac and Cheese Bowl was one of those options, and it sounded fantastic, so I just had to try it. I'm glad I did.

This bowl has a light cheesy smell when you take the top off, but it's nothing mindblowing. The taste is another story. The base of macaroni and cheese comes with perfectly cooked pasta thoroughly coated in a thick, creamy cheese sauce. I definitely tasted heavy notes of mild Cheddar, along with what I believe to be other cheese types that I can't quite put my finger on. Some cheeses are especially good for mac and cheese, and whatever this combination is, it definitely works well. Paired with this are deeply savory and salty pieces of crispy bacon. The two together are absolute perfection.

If you're looking for something rich and hearty, I recommend ordering Wawa's Applewood Smoked Bacon Mac and Cheese Bowl. Or, if you'd prefer to pair your mac and cheese with something other than bacon, there are a range of alternative options on the menu.

There was only one thing out of the nine Wawa foods I sampled that I did not like and, therefore, can't recommend in any good faith, and that's this Buffalo Chicken Snack and Go Wrap. Honestly, I was really disappointed that I didn't like this because I'm a huge fan of similar foods like buffalo chicken dip and hot wings. The real issue is that, while the idea is great, the execution was poor.

The first issue I had was that the tortilla tasted a bit overly starchy and perhaps old. This was in stark contrast with what I expected, based on the breads I'd tried from Wawa before. While the chicken itself was fine, the buffalo sauce had a strange, almost metallic taste to it that I found repulsive. The produce was as fresh as always, but it didn't pair well with the other ingredients in this wrap. Overall, the whole thing just felt unbalanced and absolutely overwhelmed by the strange-tasting buffalo sauce.

Avoid ordering the Wawa Buffalo Chicken Snack and Go Wrap at all costs. Honestly, based on the taste of the tortilla, I would personally consider avoiding all of the wraps and opting instead for hoagies or bowls.