At $1, Billy’s One Stop chili bun is worth a try. The bun is impeccably fresh — soft and spongy; the onions are crisp; the mustard is, um, yellow. The chili itself is Mitchell’s brand, a local brew. It is a blatant, one-two punch of ground beef and sweet tomato sauce with just a hint of seasoning. It’s a right combination of ingredients, although this particular chili bun is not going to convert skeptics into fans of the dogless chili dog of southwestern Kentucky.
Chili buns are a convenience-store staple in this area, and they do have devotees. But when I return to Billy’s One Stop, it will be for a lunch-counter meal at the back of the store. Here you find a menu of Cumberland Highlands hash-house fare that includes burgers, BBQ, fried bologna, and meat & 3 specials. None of what I saw looked like four-star fare, but the company was wonderful — both at the counter and behind it. I enjoyed a lively culinary colloquy that ranged from chili buns to the original Colonel Sanders’ cafe in nearby Corbin.
Sunday | 9am - 9pm |
Monday | 6am - 9pm |
Tuesday | 6am - 9pm |
Wednesday | 6am - 9pm |
Thursday | 6am - 9pm |
Friday | 6am - 9pm |
Saturday | 7am - 9pm |
Other Nearby Restaurants
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Boone Tavern
Berea, KentuckyBuilt in 1909 and affiliated with Berea College (which supplies much of the staff), the Boone Tavern serves great vintage hotel food with many modern twists.
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Smokey Bear’s BBQ
Corbin, KentuckyA happy-go-lucky BBQ parlor with a law-and-order theme, Smokey Bear’s is a favorite among Corbin citizens, especially its police officers. Try the Pig Tator!
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Lily Shop-N-Cart
Lily, KentuckyIn this remote Kentucky convenience store, chili is made daily for the area’s favorite cheap sandwich, the chili bun. Also: a quick-eats, hot meal menu.
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Hitz BBQ
Berea, KentuckyAt a highway exit in Berea, Kentucky, Hitz doesn’t look like a first-rate BBQ joint, but it is. Meats are expertly smoke-cooked; side dishes are extraordinary.
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Big Bad Wolf BBQ
London, KentuckyA BBQ truck that parks along Rt. 25 in London, Kentucky, from March to October, Big Bad Wolf offers fantastic ribs, pork, chicken, even praiseworthy catfish.
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You and Me Coffee and Tea
Corbin, KentuckyCorbin, Kentucky’s coffee house is a source for Counter Culture brewed coffee, pourover, & cold brew, and a sophisticated fried bologna breakfast sandwich.