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    The Ariston Cafe

    4.2 (218 reviews)
    Closed Closed

    The Ariston Cafe Photos

    THE ARISTON CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Buffalo Chicken Hotseshoe
    Felice B.

    Whoever came up with the idea of a horseshoe is some kind of evil genius. That was lunch and I did not need dinner that night. The toast was a little too toasty but otherwise the fries were hot and crispy, the cheese sauce was deliciously gooey, and the buffalo sauce actually had a kick to it. The buffalo sauce really helped to cut through the richness of the dish. The server will bring out a large tray of delicious looking desserts after your meal. I was too full to even consider it. Service is warm and friendly. The ambiance is old school which makes sense for a 100 year old restaurant. Please, please consider updating the restrooms, though. Best meal choice I've found on Route 66 in Illinois.

    Dave L.

    Here on business, so glad i overcame my reluctance to try this place. It was truly the BEST steak I have had. Simple, wasn't even trying - just delicious. And the homemade pie!!! Wow. Hope to be back one day. Great experience

    Salad bar area

    Stopped on a Wednesday evening for a quick dinner. Enjoyed the soup and salad bar with my meal. Husband and I shared a pork tenderloin sandwich with coleslaw, and the hot beef sandwich with mashed potatoes. Delicious. Would come back if in the area.

    14 oz prime rib
    Jim S.

    Can't beat the prime ribs here. It's a special on Friday and Saturday nights, come with salad bar and a side.

    Brittany P.

    We've been to The Ariston twice in the last few weeks & we love it! It's an old historical cafe on Route 66, with a cool Route 66 sign nearby. We love the old school salad and soup bar (included with most meals, $4.99 to add to most sandwiches or $10 on its own). The prime rib special is AMAZING. They have a great selection of dessert & will bring a tray with lots of options to your table which my teenagers got such a kick out of. Everything on the salad bar was fresh & we all really enjoyed everything we ordered. Service was great both times! We thought the basket of "readers" to borrow was really cute, and enjoyed looking at all the antiques around the cafe. The bathroom signage was really cute too! If you like old cafes and a great bar, check it out!

    entrance
    Carolyn W.

    Nice ambience. We loved the quiet space in the back for an early birthday dinner celebration with family. We chose this place based on Litchfield being the halfway point for both parties. Server was nice but I was taken aback (and admit a little embarrassed) when I asked for a sample of two red wines I was torn between and she scoffed that there was No Way that was possible. Even mentioned something about the ounces..OK move on I made a good choice with the house cab. I am sure it was my mistake to order Tilapia from a place that is probably not known for seafood. Don't do it, even the seared blackened was void of flavor and paper thin. My sister ordered the bourbon salmon I didn't taste it but it looked better. I did enjoy the salad bar and we all shared a piece of the layered chocolate/whip cream dessert it was divine. My husband got the last pork loin being served (surprising since we met for a 5pm dinner) and he said it was "OK". Nevertheless we will be back as it's a convenient place to meet, rich with history and memorabilia and we will try something else next time.

    Salad bar and soup
    Kevin G.

    This restaurant is 100 years old this year. Still looks great inside for a business being this old. Good was good my wife ordered the stuff shrimp with crabmeat and Cheese the deep fried. Breading was very heavy and took away from the shrimp meal. My wife could not eat it and the waitress and manager took it off the bill with our asking. I had the liver and onions and it was very good, had the American Fries, salad was very good. Potato soup was nothing to write home about. Cyndi our waitress was spot on and very professional. Great attitude and a joy to talk to

    Cloth napkins!

    What a charming place on Rt 66. Food was good but the meatballs were small and a tiny bit dry. The staff was very attentive. Thanks Kyle! The vintage look was outstanding. And cloth napkins at a diner? Wow!

    Dessert
    Kate M.

    So, we arrived at this place about 20 minutes before they opened only to find there were already other cars waiting in the parking lot for them to open. The space has an old diner feel. The staff wears traditional black and white. Our server Michelle was exactly what you would expect at a cafe that's been open since the 1920's. Definitely knows how to take care of guests and made us feel welcome. The menu offers something for everyone. They offer a small soup and salad bar for an extra $5 with your meal. Since it was lunch time we went with sandwiches for our meals. The gyro, the French dip, and a steak sandwich. They were all delicious and well made. There are multiple side options to choose from and the portions are generous. I wish we had saved room for dessert. The case is a true thing of beauty. I will probably make the drive again just for dessert and coffee.

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    1 month ago

    Love this old school cafe. Good food, good service, good cocktails, good dessert. Nothing great but solid Supper Club experience!

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    9 months ago

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    3 months ago

    I had the Rueben. Was the chewiest corned beef I've ever had. I would not go back. Service was very pleasant though.

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    6 months ago

    Great Route 66 old school restaurant- loved the soup and salad bar. Best mashed potatoes with gravy ever! Everyone very nice!

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    2 years ago

    Wonderful food, freshly made. Great service as well. Don't miss this place! Check the menu and the special foods.

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    2 years ago

    Cold food. Sent back but they only took the cold sides back so left with entree only to eat. No apologies

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    2 years ago

    Great food and outstanding service. Portions quite generous, had to take home leftovers. Will be back!

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    Chinatown - Sushi, shrimp, steak, fried rice and noodles. Everything cooked perfectly, it was a great experience!

    Chinatown

    4.0(42 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    Great place to eat! Lots of selection and attentive service! Very clean and lots of tasty…read moreselections. Only thing I would ding them on is food is not always really hot! Today was good but, times the food has just slightly over warm. Good food at a good price! Very nice place for dinner!

    I wanted to be fair, so I have intentionally waited until we have been here three visits. We have…read moregone for lunch each time. The first was while in a hotel when we first arrived in June to move into our "forever home" in Staunton (about 10 miles away). We went again a month or so after moving in. We went today (Sunday lunch) because we wanted to pick up a few things at Walmart. Understand where I (we) are coming from. My wife spent her childhood in Hawaii, and her father is Japanese. I am an Army veteran, and have been to plenty of Asian restaurants around the world. I do have a tough standard. I am sincerely not trying to punch down. I want this place to be good, it would be better for my retirement years for it to be good. It is the closest option for buffet. Our Staunton option is a menu only, and it is also not a good option, at all. I understand that a place needs to cater to its patrons to be profitable. I am not saying they don't try, I'm not saying they don't care. I do understand that americanized and (bland) is what they need to lean into. Our lunch today was $40 and we both left unsatisfied. I am willing to eat anything and have the girth to prove it. My wife is a bit more particular, but certainly has the ability to provide a decent value judgement on the things she chooses. There just are not consistently good choices to be had here. The "sushi" for example is marginal at best. There are more breaded/fried items than truly exist in Asian menus at other places I have been. The other items almost always have a sauce that is salt and sugar forward. There are very few spices/textures that I would expect from a Chinese menu. It is relatively clean, the people working here do try to do a good job. I appreciate the effort required to put all this together for us. It has the standard Chinese restaurant decorations (I think there is a kit that can be ordered from somewhere), but they haven't overdone it. I do understand and accept that people like this place, and appreciate the offerings. I am in no way looking down on their preference, [To each their Own] and please continue to enjoy it. If you are however, just passing through, it may not be the best stop for good Chinese food, okay "food" sure, but not on par with other options I have enjoyed.

    Photos
    Chinatown - Egg rolls and wontons

    Egg rolls and wontons

    Chinatown - General Tso's Chicken, Mongolian Pork, Hunan Chicken, Blackened Chicken, String Bean

    General Tso's Chicken, Mongolian Pork, Hunan Chicken, Blackened Chicken, String Bean

    Chinatown - Lots of selection

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    Lots of selection

    Kretzer's Grill & Bar - Salad bar is amazing and they allow you to choose it as a side without an up charge.

    Kretzer's Grill & Bar

    4.4(106 reviews)
    55.1 mi
    $$

    Awesome! Had a large reservation of 17 on a Saturday night…read more They texted to remind me. Got to restaurant and had a great waiting area with peanuts (husband's favorite)! Got sat at table and we were lucky enough to get Shannon, the BEST server ever! She is sweet, courteous and patient! Very organized with a group this big!! Thank you very much Shannon for doing such a great job--you are TOP NOTCH! Food was great , salad bar was amazing, good time!! Kretzer's is our "to go" place for lunch or dinner.

    We come here every so often and have always liked the food. Today we get here early about 4 pm to…read morebeat the rush. The dinning room wasn't very full but when they seated us they took us to what used to be a patio. Now it's enclosed and there is a bar a stage and plenty of seating. My problem was the fans that were blowing made it difficult to have a conversation with my wife across the table. I told the server it was almost too noisy and was having a hard time hearing him talk. He said he'd talk louder. That didn't really fix the problem. Not real sure why we were seated in this area because the dinning room had plenty of space. We had a little trouble communicating our order because of the noise. As I stated a couple times to our server. I communicated I have trouble hearing in areas like this and he just kept talking louder. Anyway we finally got our food ordered and went for a salad in the next room. My wife even commented on the empty tables and asked my why I thought they put us in that big room. Idk? So we get our salad and it was good. Kretzers had a decent salad bar. One of the reasons we like the place. I ordered a 12oz ribeye rare with a baked potato. Wife got chicken strips with gravy and mashed potatoes and gravy. When the food arrived everything looked good and the server said some things that I have no idea what. Even the wife didn't know. I go to open the butter for my pita and it's not butter. It's an oil whip. I do not eat fake butter. It's harmful. To find out they have no butter in the place. So I tell my server of the situation and looks at me like he has no idea what to do. Turns and walks away. So I eat my steak and stare at the baked potato. I am a recent cancer survivor and have no ability to make saliva. So I needed the butter to make the potato edible. Or even gravy or something. I told the server but I don't think he heard me correctly or didn't know what to do. It was so loud with the stupid fans. So while I do recommend Kretzers and like their steaks and crab legs and salad bar. I don't recommend their new addition to dine in. And if you want real butter bring your own. I was a little disappointed with our experience this time around.

    Photos
    Kretzer's Grill & Bar - Waiting area

    Waiting area

    Kretzer's Grill & Bar - Crab platter, salad, fried chicken and drinks

    Crab platter, salad, fried chicken and drinks

    Kretzer's Grill & Bar - All you can eat shrimp special

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    All you can eat shrimp special

    Delmar Public House - Cottage Pie

    Delmar Public House

    4.9(16 reviews)
    35.4 mi

    It was a Friday during Lent and I went to Delmar Public House to enjoy their Fish & Chips. Well,…read morethat didn't happen. In addition to their regular menu, DPH always has a Weekly Special Menu. Once I saw what the weekly special pasta was, I had to have it. I am a huge fan of Smoked Salmon and they did theirs in house. The pasta not only had the smoked salmon, it also had sautéed red onion, a tangy European style cream cheese sauce and cavatappi pasta with fried cappers and fresh dill. The cream sauce was perfect. It was just a light covering, enough for flavor without being overwhelming. As always, the portion was healthy, so I had leftovers for the next days lunch. I enjoyed it chilled and it was like eating a cold pasta salad. DPH always gets bonus points from me for having eco-friendly to-go vessels. My adult beverage of choice for the seafood pasta, was a glass of Pinot Gris. I prefer a Grigio, but they only had the Gris. Gris is fairly similar to Grigio. I always say, it's like a first cousin, once removed. Service is always top-notch. It doesn't matter if you are sitting at a table or the bar, you'll be treated right.

    Had an enjoyable time at DPH this morning at their Mother's Day brunch. Had espresso martinis, an…read moreorder of the scotch eggs Benedict, breakfast bowl with sausage and topped the meal off with dessert of their lemon posset for the table. Eggs and Benny were so good and the dessert was THE BEST! Thank you Jenna for serving us and a big shout out to Mark and Melissa for a wonderful experience.

    Photos
    Delmar Public House - Hook Under The Bar

    Hook Under The Bar

    Delmar Public House - Shrimp & Clam Pasta

    Shrimp & Clam Pasta

    Delmar Public House - Bottle & Glass of Wine

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    Bottle & Glass of Wine

    The Ariston Cafe - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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