Pinehurst Country Store 35427 Texas 249, Pinehurst, TX 77362

"Do not stop at this gas station to get gas at pump. They hold $126.00 on your card if you pay for gas at pump. People that think they don’t do this any longer: EXXON STILL DO IT. DEPENDS ON OWNER. I went in and asked him to place my money back…he said we don’t do that. I said yea y’all do!! Showed him proof. He thought I was stupid! Rest assured….before I got to my car it was back!! Not playing with any parts of Magnolia. Ugh"

"These people care and have fun with you. They go above and beyond to make sure they have or get what you want in the store. They tell people about the Rewards program and that gave me over 100bucks to spend on gas etc at the end of 2022. These are good people! And Ms. Ellys food. Wow. Especially the Chicken Salad sandwich!"

"Just walked out of the store. The cashier of Indian decent is laughing because I questioned why he let's people in with no mask. He does not have a mask on, he is not behind a plexiglas glass shield, and all these customers are just walking in and walking around the store with disregard for this terrible virus. To the new owner you need to show respect to your customers and that they have a safe environment to shop n buy food for lunch. I hope you terminate your cashier. Ellie , RN"

"The cashier was very short, unclear, and did not speak directly to me. I asked a question, she did not bother to look in my direction and mumbled something. When checking out she did not bother to tell me the price of my items. I had to ask twice for her response. I then finished fueling and watch her smoke a cigarette right by the front door and then flick it into the parking lot. I guess it's ok to litter in this parking lot."

"The little town of Pinehurst, Texas (population ~4,600) sits just north and west of Tomball. Where SH149 breaks off north and 1774 begins, there is an Exxon gas station on the south side with a sign out front claiming they have been smoking meat there since 1926. I go by frequently. So I've been intrigued, and recently made a quick trip up there to experience their 'cue. The place is called "Pinehurst Country Store & Bar-B-Que. It truly is "gas station barbecue", not unlike how Rudy's started back in the day. If their claim of smoking meat since 1926 is true, that means they've been around longer than Black's (1932) or Smitty's in Lockhart (1948), Louie Mueller in Taylor (1949). Cooper's Old Time in Llano (1963), and many other well-respected Texas BBQ joints. Truth is -- I wish it were anywhere near as good as any of those places. I went with my usual first-time order - brisket and spicy sausage. I got a good sized portion of very fatty brisket. I really didn't get any lean. And sadly the fat was not well-rendered. The bark, thankfully, was reasonable with some good flavor. It did have some smoky flavor, but not overly so. Fortunately the sausage was better. It had a reasonable grind and had good spice - I could actually still feel the heat during the drive back to the office. Net-net, their barbecue wasn't too bad. But is also was not worth the drive. If you are already up in the Pinehurst/Magnolia area during the week, a much better choice would be to go across the gas station parking lot and eat at The Meating Place BBQ. They have some great barbecue there. And if it is the weekend - don't pass go, don't collect $200. Go straight to Reveille Barbecue. They are one of the best in Houston, in this guy's opinion. At the end of the day, "gas station barbecue" and "been around a long time" do not necessarily guarantee great barbecue. But that won't dissuade me from continuing to look for great barbecue in gas stations..."