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Favorite Restaurant Staff Picks: The Nittany Minit Mart

Where in State College can you get the most-finely crafted BLT, live entertainment, and a gas fill-up at the same time? Only at the best restaurant in town: The Nittany Minit Mart.

Located at the intersection of Atherton Street and College Avenue, the Minit Mart serves some of the most mouthwatering foods in State College. From defrosted chicken fingers to a 6″ hoagie of the day with cold cuts of questionable quality, the Minit Mart certainly puts Chipotle, Otto’s, and the Allen Street Grill to shame.

The Minit Mart’s scenery is unlike any other view in State College. If you thought a look over College Ave. from the top of the Corner Room was scenic, wait until you’re enjoying a turkey sandwich on a pretzel bun crafted in less than three minutes while staring at two Sunoco gas pumps. This is a meal for those who know how to live life to the fullest.

Window

Home to a plethora of junk food that you will totally not regret eating the next day, the Nittany Minit Mart has everything you hoped a grab-and-go stop would have and more.

Sure, the BLT ranks right next to the grilled cheese when it comes to sandwich simplicity. However, Minit Mart’s healthiest sandwich is far from something you can drunkenly craft after a night of pounding nothing but Jack Daniels and Black & Milds. At Minit Mart, they make their signature sandwich with freshly-microwaved locally sourced organic Oscar Meyer pre-cooked bacon, delicious fluorescent lightbulb-ripened tomatoes, the delicious bits of shredded lettuce left at the bottom of the bag, and Hellman’s mayonnaise warmed to perfect room temperature. All of that is served on a freshly toasted generic white bread, and it’s something your taste buds will adore.

BLT

As far as sides go, you have the option of ordering pretty much anything a fine culinary institution housed inside a gas station could possibly have to offer. I’m talking mac n’ cheese bites, mozzarella sticks, french fries, and, of course, jalepeño poppers. These crispy, crunchy, cheesy, greasy bits of delicious will leave you wishing you had ordered seconds. Luckily, because it’s a gas station, you can buy another basket with your next tin of Grizzly.

But what if you don’t have time to wait for these freshly prepared delicacies? Luckily, you can pick up food that spent the better half a day in the back of a dirty semi-truck putting in that work on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Sometimes a rare commodity, the Funyons from the Minit Mart are the freshest you can find in town, tasting almost as if they were mass-baked in a factory in Pottsville, sealed in plastic, and stocked that same day! West College adores its late night cravings, and simply put, items like Funyons, Tostitos, Sour Patch Kids, Gummy Worms, and Butterfingers are tough to find on the shelves after midnight. Common sense would suggest buying the entire shelf in the morning and stocking up for the year since these items are such a rarity. Only the best locally-raised Jack Link’s Beef Jerky is at Minit Mart.

On top of all that, you can get a slice of pizza that’s conveniently been sitting under a heat lamp since 11 a.m. in less than 10 seconds. I shit you not, they keep it hot and fresh right next to the cash register so you can get in, get out, and quickly make your friends squirm with jealousy. Talk about customer service. The grab-and-go pizza slice serves as a testament of the Minit Mart’s convenience. Open 24 hours a day, it’s the hottest spot in town to catch a late night snack after you’ve grown tired of the local bars. And, if you’re lucky enough, you may just catch some live entertainment.

Commonly a State College police hangout, it’s not uncommon to catch a live version of Cops as some poor soul fails to drunkenly talk his way out of a public intoxication charge. When this does happen, grab another BLT with extra warm mayo, pop a squat in one of the Minit Mart’s three chairs, kick back, and enjoy the show. It never disappoints.

Candy1

If free entertainment wasn’t enough, you can test your luck at the local lottery ticket machine and waste your money on countless scratch-offs. State College’s lack of blackjack tables is unfortunate, but the a wide range of $1 lottery tickets will surely help you pass the time as you desperately try to win money in hopes of affording another bottle of discounted Rockstar Energy and day-old potato salad.

Yes, the Minit Mart has it all. From State College’s finest food to live entertainment, it’s unquestionably the best place in town for an unforgettable meal.

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About the Author

Jon Deasy

is a senior majoring in criminology from the Steel City. You can find him at the Rathskeller on a Saturday or in the library at four in the morning. He plans to attend law school in the future and enjoys writing about college kids committing the most comical crimes in State College. When he’s not busy, he’s aimlessly staring at his Twitter, @jon_deasy. You can reach him via email at [email protected].

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