Hill's Cafe (Gone)
Union Gap, WA
Photo courtesy Van

The glowing script at Hill’s Cafe promised “Fine Food,” while the Trail Room panel below offered another reason to pull in. Together, they made a memorable piece of roadside neon in Union Gap. Sometimes a restaurant sign could suggest an entire evening before you reached the front door.

The cafe became a familiar local stop, but its signs had an appeal beyond the menu. The combination of lettering and separate panels gave photographers plenty to admire, even after the kitchen stopped serving customers.

UPDATE: The Hills Cafe closed and the signs are now gone. 09-17

UPDATE: Hill’s Cafe was already closed by 2008, and both signs had disappeared by 2015. Their eventual whereabouts remain unconfirmed, leaving photographs to preserve one of Union Gap’s distinctive restaurant displays. 07-26

Golden City Cafe (Gone)
Tacoma, WA
Photo courtesy John Spencer

The little chef on the Golden City Cafe sign certainly knew how to get attention. Add neon lettering advertising “Chopsuey” and “American Dishes,” and this Tacoma restaurant had a roadside welcome worth photographing whether you were hungry or not.

Golden City was operating by 1952, serving customers from its Yakima Avenue location. Its playful sign outlasted the business by many years, continuing to point toward a restaurant that was no longer taking orders.

UPDATE: The Golden City Cafe is closed. 09-17

UPDATE: The sign remained until around 2017 before being removed. It is believed to have entered a private collection, although that hasn’t been firmly confirmed. Hopefully the cheerful chef still has somewhere to point. 07-26

Nite Hawk Cafe
Portland, OR
Photo courtesy Jeff Raber

A giant bird above the Nite Hawk Cafe gives passing motorists a good reason to look up. Perched over North Interstate Avenue, the sign has the personality that makes cruising Portland’s older commercial streets worthwhile. A plain restaurant panel wouldn’t have quite the same effect.

The Nite Hawk dates to 1931, when customers could get their cars serviced while stopping for food and coffee. That combination gave travelers a chance to refuel themselves while someone attended to the automobile. The business eventually evolved into the neighborhood cafe and lounge familiar today.

UPDATE: The Nite Hawk continues serving customers, and its distinctive roadside sign remains part of the attraction. The automotive service days are history, but there’s still a place to stop beneath that oversized bird. 07-26

Republic Cafe
Portland, OR
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

The tall Republic Cafe sign and neighboring Ming Lounge lettering give this Portland Chinatown storefront plenty of character. It’s the kind of combination that makes you stop, look up, and wonder how the whole block appeared when more of its neon was glowing. 03-06

Republic has served the neighborhood for generations, with histories variously dating its beginnings to 1922 or around 1930. The Ming Lounge added another chapter, helping make the restaurant a destination for evening crowds as well as hungry diners. Opened in 1922, word is the Republic Cafe is Portland's oldest continuously operating Chinese restaurant.

UPDATE: Republic Cafe & Ming Lounge remains open on Northwest Fourth Avenue. The historic signs survive, although their illumination has varied over the years. It’s still a memorable stop for anyone interested in Portland’s old restaurant fronts. 07-26

Martha Inn Cafe (Demolished)
George, WA
Photo courtesy Darren Haney

The truck perched atop the Martha Inn Cafe sign made sure travelers knew where to turn in George, Washington. Even the “Credit Cards Accepted” panel recalls an era when carrying plastic was something a restaurant thought worth announcing beside the highway.

Named for Martha Washington, the inn became a gathering place for truckers, farmers, and residents. It was a fitting name for a business in George, and the oversized roadside display helped make the stop memorable to motorists crossing the state.

UPDATE: The Martha Inn Cafe is closed and the building is demolished. 09-17

UPDATE: The Martha Inn was demolished in 2009, but its towering sign survives beside Interstate 90. City planning documents still recognize its local significance. The dining room is gone, but the truck continues advertising a stop from another era. 07-26

J V Cafe (Closed)
Jordan Valley, OR
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

The colorful marquee at the J V Cafe is hard to miss as you pass through tiny Jordan Valley. With its bright geometric design and classic neon styling, it's the kind of sign that gives a small town a little extra personality.

For years, the J V Cafe welcomed ranchers, travelers, and locals looking for a good meal or a place to unwind along lonely U.S. 95. Located in the heart of Oregon's high desert, it was the sort of place where everyone seemed to know each other, and visitors were treated like regulars before long.

The cafe has since closed, but the old marquee still hangs over Main Street as a reminder of the days when independent roadside cafes were an essential part of a long drive across the West.

UPDATE: The J V Cafe is permanently closed, but its colorful vintage marquee still survives. 07-26

Hong Kong Cafe
Grants Pass, OR
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

The Hong Kong Cafe sign in Grants Pass has plenty of character, even with a few neon tubes taking the afternoon off. Blue lettering and the familiar “Cocktails” panel make an appealing combination against an overcast Oregon sky. A little weathering doesn’t necessarily spoil a good roadside sign. 03-06

The restaurant dates to 1961 and serves Chinese and American dishes at 820 Northwest Sixth Street. Although the business is known as Hong Kong Restaurant, the older cafe lettering recalls an earlier chapter and gives the property a distinctive roadside identity.

UPDATE: Hong Kong Restaurant remains in business, and the vintage sign continues to mark the location. More than sixty years after opening, this longtime Grants Pass stop still offers travelers a familiar place to pull in for a meal. 07-26