Southwest Florida can be divisive. Not everyone is on board with the climate, which is lovely in winter but is unlivable by July. There’s also a very good reason “Florida Man” has become a meme. And just about everywhere you go, you need a car. Navigating the intercoastal parking lot can be a hazard if you’re on foot, especially with so many octogenarian drivers.

However, there’s one redeeming aspect of car culture: gas station tacos. That’s right. Gas stations in southwest Florida have some of the best taco shops you’ll find anywhere. I guess when your whole life revolves around driving, it makes perfect sense to serve food in the same place you fuel your car, as we found out while hurrying to return our rental car.

We were heading out to Miami.

The day started out with us arriving at National Car Rental at the Naples Airport to find they had not kept our reservation. As Jerry Seinfeld observed, they were successful at taking the reservation, just not very good at keeping it.

We had to had to make an emergency rental from Hertz, so my wife, who actually rented the car, is probably wanted for Grand Theft Auto now.

Since the drive between Southwest Florida and Miami is a long stretch filled with alligators, swamp, and concentration camps, we knew we had to have some lunch before leaving the last bit of civilization. That’s when I found Chilakil, a taco shop attached to a Sunoco station. The other options I found were another taco shop attached to a Mobil Station and one connected to a Circle K.

Even as an enthusiast of gas station tacos, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this shop. A few years back we were at one shop at a gas station in Estero and the food was delicious but the interior had seen better days. Chilakil was clean and modern inside, like it was a model for a franchising opportunity.

My wife ordered three tacos and guacamole. I snagged a chorizo torta.

While we waited for our food, we browsed the selection of hot sauces on the hot sauce bar. These were arranged from mild to hot, and above the salsas was a helpful visual map of where each one could be found on the table.

The Map was helpful in determining heat

We picked out five or six different sauces mostly from the hotter side of the table. None were so hot that they were painful, but it was good to finally get some heat. Southwest Floridians tend to be of midwestern extraction with a flavor palette that is convinced black pepper is too spicy.

These sauces were not that. There was some real heat here, though they were balanced enough that each had their own distinct flavor.

A couple of sauces were missing, and on a second visit there were different sauces

The guacamole arrived first in a glass chalice. This was creamy and delicious, and there was so much of it for two people.

The interesting taco on my wife’s plate was stuffed with beans and cheese, although she actually preferred that taco without the cheese. It was stronger, and more pungent than she wanted like a provolone.

My torta arrived with a big pile of fries, which would have been very useful if our four-year-old had been with us. He was, thankfully, back with his grandparents. The fries were an excellent way of sampling the salsas.

The torta too was good stuffed with avocado. I generally like tortas because they are singularly more filling than a taco, but less filling than eating too many tacos.

The bread was drier than I like in a roll, but did have a decent crusty outside. Overall it was the right amount of filling and great delivery system for the various hot sauces.

We were soon on our way, cruising down the Tamiami Trail on our way to Miami. We were heading toward Miami at rush hour, and sure enough, were soon stuck in traffic, happy to have stuffed ourselves with a late taco lunch.

The next afternoon, business concluded, we were racing back to the rental agency. We had a one-day rental and didn’t want to turn over the second day for a few minutes of travel. But we needed lunch.

We had spent the morning at a charity Pickle Ball and Tennis Tournament in the south Florida sun without even so much as a coffee. The Tamiami Trail is a single lane in each direction, and although there are straights where one can pass the car in front of them, there’s a bit of luck to the process. We were cutting it close as we returned to the sprawling strip malls and gated communities lining the highway.

We had two requirements: filling the rental with gas, and grabbing lunch on the go. Gas station tacos seemed like the perfect solution. We decided to try the Mobil gas station, next to the El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant Naples. This was just up the road from Chilakil, and we had actually used the parking lot as a u-turn on our way out of town.

We pulled in. My wife went to fill the car, and I went to order tacos. She gave me a carte blanche on her order, which I interpreted as ordering a lot of different tacos. This taco shop was also a bar, and there were plenty of people sitting around enjoying their lunch. Unfortunately, after ordering to go, the waitress said it would be at least half an hour. We didn’t have time. The airport was still a few minute’s drive, and the clock was ticking. I cancelled the order.

At the car, my wife was having a similar problem trying to fill the gas tank. We packed into the car and headed back to Chilakil and the Sunoco. My wife wanted the bean taco without cheese this time, and I was curious about some of the others on the list.

I tasted the meat of the Chicharrón, which as it turns out, is a fried pork belly. The woman at the counter gave me a taste of it – it was a bit fattier than I wanted. Maybe skipping it was a mistake, but there’s always next time, right? I chose a chicken, pastor, chorizo, and carnitas. I skipped the buche (stomach) and cueritos (pickled pork skin).

Tacos ordered, gas tank filled, we were back on the road racing toward the airport. Even on the outskirts of Naples though there is traffic on a Saturday afternoon. We pulled into the airport with just two minutes to spare. National now had just one car in their parking spaces – probably the car that had been reserved for us, but we hadn’t taken because it hadn’t come back in time.

Back at my in-laws we feasted on the tacos. The chicken was fine, if a bit bland. But the others were vibrant and delicious. This were all very good, and we’ll be back again — but not before hitting up the Mobil and Circle K tacos first.

Chilakil

11225 Tamiami Trail
Naples, FL
Website

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