Brought our grands for dinner passing through and they really enjoyed it. They especially loved the…read morepie! The staff are always very sweet and make sure we have everything we need. Tonight my chicken was overcooked and very dry. The waitress offered to make fresh and when I said no thanks she took it off of our ticket. We stop often as it is the half way mark when traveling to see or pick up or grandkids. We will definitely be back.

Thank you so much for accommodating our family dinner of 30. The service, food and restaurant were…read moreamazing. Kim had us set up when we got there, the drinks were never empty and the food came quickly. Thanks again to Kim and all the hard working staff that did such a great job today!

We read about this place in our Route 66 guide. Traveling from Chicago to Santa Monica on a Route…read more66 journey, we earmarked The Ariston Cafe as a place to stop and we're glad we did. We sat up at the counter and had a great experience dining with other travelers and locals. The waitstaff was friendly and helpful even taking a photo of us behind the counter. The entrée and pie were great!

Route 66 icon! If memory serves me it's been in operation since 1924. Inside the decor is…read moreauthentic to the 1950's, but this is obviously well cared for, which was very apparent when I saw the counter swivel stool-chairs: they look brand new! I was on a road trip up from Florida to Wisconsin with a friend. We were going through Springfield, Illinois, so we could visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum & Library. So that's how I ended up in this neck of the woods. Needed a spot for dinner and this popped up as an option and sure glad it did. My friend & I both opted for the Fried Chicken dinner and this place makes the best fried chicken I've had in decades! OMGOSH! The meat was fully cooked, but still so incredibly juicy. The crispy skin and coating was unreal, it was so good - it was truly "finger-lick in' good". While I'm borrowing that old slogan, The Ariston Cafe's fried chicken is like the fried chicken ideal of perfection. They have a classic salad bar and that hit the spot, especially on a road trip where you're not often getting enough veggies. I'm writing this review some weeks later after getting back home. If the place had been average, I wouldn't bother, but when a reminder to do a review popped up, I had to do this as the waitresses and cooks deserve it, as do the owners & all the staff. Waitresses were all nice as could be and helpful. It's like walking back in time when you go inside, and it reminded me of great restaurants in the area I grew up in. If I make it back up that way again, I'll plan my travels to include another stop in at The Artisan.

What looks to be a plain old Quonset hut is disguising a really cool little diner. We were greeted…read moreand sat immediately, which was surprising for a Saturday morning. There were only a couple of empty tables in there, but that changed quickly and within 5 minutes there was a wait of 20-30 mins. Our server "TT" took our orders right away and the entire time we were there no one's beverage got even close to empty. Considering how many tables she had, the amount of attention she dedicated to us was impressive. The food was great! Biscuits and gravy, hash browns and bacon were yummy as were the waffles. For 4 adults the tab came to $52 with drinks, before tip. Not a bad value especially since 3 of us took half of our food to go because the portions are so large. We will be back next time we're in town!

At a time when the concept of "value" is flying away at warp speed, this lovely relic is going the…read moreother direction in the absolute BEST way! We stopped in on a day's drive from Kansas City to Chicago, due to the quantity and quality of reviews all over the internets, very much including Yelp! We were hungry and in need of some energy for lunch, and Charlie Parker's delivered on both! The place looks like a small military airplane hangar, but don't be fooled: inside is some of the best greasy spoon food you could wish for in the Midwest! The dining room is bright, tight, and fun, decorated to the inch by fun, colorful and humorous memorabilia! We ordered, and were served just a few quick minutes later. Each platter (correct word!) was stuffed with awesome, tasty food! Amongst the four of us, we had some sweet and some savory options, and we all tried each others! We all agreed - the food was delicious! When the bill came and printed at the bottom was a number less than $100, less than $50, I almost lost my mind! We were STUFFED to the gills with awesome diner fare, and our bill was barely $40! How did this happen? I pray this place is somehow eeking out a profit, as I seriously can't remember getting so much awesome food for so little cost in a sit-down restaurant. If it IS making money, then MAJOR kudos to the owner - this business model should be copied throughout the land. Food = 4/5 Facility = 4/5 Service = 4/5 Ambiance = 4/5 Value = 6/5

This is a wonderful little place. The food is great and service friendly. I can recommend the…read more"Jo's one egg omelette".

Very good food in a quaint little diner off the highway. We had the bacon double smashburger and…read morechicken sandwich and both were excellent. Homemade chips and dip were good and preferred over the fries. Lovely waitress. Reasonable prices. Don't forget to get some cinnamon rolls to go if they aren't sold out.

Located in a small town, features really good food and the owner and staff are very welcoming and…read moreinviting atmosphere relaxed down home atmosphere. They feature high quality hamburgers, excellent homemade fires and an outside eating areas with a gas fire pit. I had the Philly cheese steak, with a great seasoned steak covered in caramelized onions and a yellow cheese sausage. It is also available made with chicken ins tread of steak but I am a traditionalist and my wife had the hot honey grilled chicken sandwich which has a unique sriracha sauces honey sauce that is unbelievable. A great little place in small town America that is truly worth a visit if you are in the area.

Chicken- obviously fried fresh, and fried just to done, so it is tender and succulent. The Rooster…read moreShoe is what every french fry, chicken and cheese sauce lover is looking to eat... fantastic! Service is pleasant- a hometown feel, and this comfortable little diner in southern Illinois is worth the drive from St. Louis.

Horrible experience. The waiter didn't introduce herself, we kept saying "thank you" we didn't get…read morea one "you're welcome". I'm a Hispanic and I felt like I didn't belong because of my ethnicity. I felt like my family was being treated differently than the others, and the food was not good, my brother got sick. Never again and don't recommend.

they say you want to eat good food eat where the locals eat on Route 66. This is the place to go…read morewalk in nothing fancy just plain Good Food. You will feel like your having a meal at a long lost relative home the servers make you feel like a local.The menu is basic home cooking but done right when your cooking it the right way a lot different things aren't needed. They offer a Breakfast Horseshoe and Pony version which you find south of Springfield and I will tell you it was perfect.

You really can't go wrong here. Their menu is huge be it breakfast selections or lunch and dinner…read more I've been here twice in the span of five days. Today I had the cabbage soup, which is incredible, a tuna salad sandwich on toasted cinnamon bread, and hash browns. An enormous meal!! Then came back later and got the cherry cheesecake togo that was to die for!! The other day I had a BBQ beef sandwich which was quite good. Whatever they serve it's really tasty. Service is great and friendly. The locals def know how good the food is cos it's always busy whether dine in or carry out.

Amazing food; you get a lot of food for the price. Their desserts are to die for. Very friendly…read moreplace to eat.

We stopped in for breakfast while in town visiting our family. There were 10 of us in all and we…read morewere greeted and accommodated quickly by the staff. The menus had many choices for breakfast lunch and dinner. The waitress was friendly and helpful. Some of our group had breakfast while others chose lunch. My "mama's special" was delicious. It included 2 sizable pancakes, 2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 sausage. My daughter ordered biscuits and gravy with eggs which were also very tasty. (I had a nibble). All of the others seemed pleased with their choices as well. The portions are generous, the food is really good, and the service was great. I would like to return and try the fried chicken before our trip is over! I noticed this establishment was not yet listed on Yelp, so i decided to add it for the benefit of others who might enjoy it too ;)

We've enjoyed our food every time. Wish they had real barbecue sauce to send with to-go orders.read more

I heard that this place did the Pork Tenderloin Sandwich right. Boy did they! It was thin, crispy,…read moreoversized and delicious. Our server was friendly and attentive. This was your classic small dinner that features photos and coal mining memorabilia.

Outstanding bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato sandwich with a lot of yummy crisp bacon. The Popeye…read moreskillet wasn't as good as my husband was hoping, and the biscuits were too crumbly. Nice staff.

The food here is ok, but the service is horrible. If you don't want to work, please don't take the…read morejob and make the customers miserable! We don't come here often simply because it is so frustrating! When you walk in, get in the disorganized line...oh, but pick a table first. If you don't have a table, when you go to order, they snarl at you! Granddaughter ordered a glazed cake doughnut. I ordered a bear claw croissant. DH ordered a scrambled egg sandwich. She handed him the pastries...no napkins, no silverware. I got a coffee and she filled it up to the very rim...no room for cream and sugar. When they brought his sandwich, it was on a microwaved croissant with ham and cheese. He ordered just scrambled egg! He's lactose intolerant so what's he going to do with cheese and microwaving a croissant ruins it! It becomes hot, limp bread! We ate our pastries and left...til next time when I forget how terrible you are!!