4 Iconic Restaurants You Have to Try on Route 66 USA!

When doing a road trip like Route 66, you pass through hundreds of little towns, all with places to stop and eat, it’s impossible to stop at every single one without either bankrupting yourself or returning home double the weight of what you were when you started!  

To save money, for some meals we stopped at gas stations and supermarkets such as Walmart and ate the complimentary breakfasts at the hotels. This way we only had to pay for a full meal once a day. Here are 4 of my favourite unique restaurants along Route 66!

Restaurants on Route 66

ILLINOIS

Cozy Dog Drive In – Springfield

🗺️2935 S 6th St, Springfield, IL 62703

The Cozy Dog Drive In is said to be home of the Corn Dog on a stick! Cozy Dog have been around since 1946 (although not in the same location). It’s a typical fast food restaurant selling mainly corn dogs and fries, but with lots of Route 66 decor and a little gift shop.  

As a Brit, Corn Dogs are a bit of a novelty so for us it was great stop. For those that may not know what they are, they are essentially a sausage on a stick, covered in a spongey batter and deep fried.

If I remember correctly, we bought a ‘Cozy Basket’ which is a family sharing basket with 4 corn dogs and a large fries. They also have other options such as burgers, as well as a breakfast menu. Prices are very reasonable too.

The Cozy Drive In is closed on Sundays.

OKLAHOMA

Pops – Arcadia

🗺️660 W. Highway 66, Arcadia, OK 73007

Pops Soda Ranch has over 700 flavours of soda on offer! The majority of the 700 are in glass bottles. Bottomless fountain drinks are cheaper, but you can choose to add 12 flavor shots to any of the fountain drinks, to give even more options! 

The menu is GIANT, I made the mistake of finding one I wanted on the menu and then the waiter told me to go and find it in the fridges. I think it would have been easier to have browsed the fridges first and then picked one, I struggled to find it!

The main meal portion was large, we didn’t have enough space for dessert! Everything on the menu was under $15 too, making it very easy on the budget! The glass building is very modern, the bottles are displayed in the window to make it look extra colourful!

On their Forecourt is a 66ft tall soda bottle, you can’t miss it! At night the bottle is lit up. They also have fuel, perfect for a top up if you are passing by while driving Route 66!

TEXAS

The Big Texan – Amarillo

🗺️7701 Interstate 40 Access Rd, Amarillo, TX 79118

The Big Texan is known for it’s 72oz Steak Challenge…eat the steak and all the sides within an hour and you get it for free! It’s even been featured on the TV show ‘Man Vs Food‘. Needless to say, I didn’t do the challenge, I’m only tiny and the steak was literally the size of my body, where would I have put it?!  

There was a guy attempting the challenge during my visit. They sit on a raised table at the front with a count down timer. He didn’t manage to complete it though, so unfortunately there wasn’t another name added to the leaderboard that evening!

Still it was a great meal, my soda was served in a plastic boot shaped take home cup and there was a giant Route 66 gift shop attached to it. The restaurant is large but we did have to wait for a table for an evening meal.

It is also slightly more expensive than other options, but you are playing for the uniqueness, and because it is steak after all.

They also offer a free shuttle service to and from nearby hotels, the bull horned cars becoming inspiration for one of the Disney Pixar Cars characters. 

However the The Big Texan Motel right next door makes for a unique stay. This is where we stayed! It looks like a Wild West village from the outside, there’s a Texas shaped swimming pool and the bathroom has double swing doors. There’s even a ‘horse hotel’ next to it!

The Midpoint Cafe – Adrian

🗺️305 W Historic Rte 66, Adrian, TX 79001

A milestone for people driving the route, The Midpoint Cafe is located half way between Chicago and LA (1139 miles away from the start/finish points)! There’s a sign across the road that of course we had pictures with! The cafe itself was inspiration for Flo’s Cafe in the Disney Pixar Cars movie.  

A popular item on the menu is ‘Ugly Pies’, nothing ugly about the taste, it’s just the crust is shaped free hand! The restaurant has changed ownership since my visit, but they’ve even added a painted ‘half way’ line across the road too!

The cafe side of the business is shut Mondays and Tuesdays, with just the gift shop open. But the cafe is open for the rest of the week between 10am until 4pm. Please be aware that if you are travelling the route between November 1st until 31st April, the Midpoint Cafe does close for the winter season.

Recommended Guide Book

I recommend using EZ66 as a Route Guide Book. It was our life line with step by step driving instructions and it lists things to do and see and places to eat etc. If you plan on sticking to the old Route as much as possible, this guide book is definitely for you!

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Last Updated on May 23, 2025