The Fill 'Er Up (Parkton, MD)

As someone who grew up in The Land of Diners (aka New Jersey), I have long bemoaned the dearth of decent cheap breakfast and late night eats here in the Baltimore area. The two closest to our home are flat out terrible, and shall remain nameless. The Bel-Loc Diner closed back in 2017, only to replaced by a Starbucks, and Baltimore's 24/7 landmark The Sip & Bite is only open from 7-3 most days (and is a bit of a haul for some runny eggs and toast).

But is it possible that the best diner in the Baltimore area is at a gas station near the Pennsylvania border?

In search of some pre-golf eats on a beautiful mid-October morning, we zeroed in on The Fill 'Er Up (21307 York Road, Parkton, MD), a gas station and convenience store that offers everything from coffee, soda, chewing gum, snack chips, lottery tickets, and jerky to a home cooked meal brought to one of the tables that dot the store's floorspace.

There were pre-made homemade sandwiches available for those in a rush (egg and cheese with a variety of breakfast meats, alas no pork roll), but we had time to kill before our tee time and besides, wanted to soak in the ambience.

We ordered our food (eggs over easy with sausage and grilled hash browns, mushroom and steak omelette), grabbed coffees and took seats in a small dining area. A group of middle-aged guys who looked like regulars took up another table and we enjoyed FOX's breathless coverage of the upcoming 'No Kings' rallies as we waited for our grub.

Big plates followed featuring perfectly cooked eggs, lightly spiced pork sausage, and hash browns with nice crunchy burnt bits of potato and onions mixed in, alongside a mound of buttered toast. My friend's omelette was large and stuffed to the gills, leading to a debate about the best steak to use when making cheesesteaks. (The answer, of course, is rib eye.)

Everything ran less than $10 per plate and filled us so much we eschewed the traditional "hot dog at the turn" during our round at nearby Greystone. Add in a super-friendly staff and an inviting menu board filled with specials (I almost wanted to come back for the meatloaf dinner) and I can see why The Fill 'Er Up has earned the glowing reviews from faithful regulars and newbies like me. — Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is editor/publisher of The Hungover Gourmet and can't wait to try The Fill 'Er Up's famous cream of crab soup.