Las Flores Cafe (Demolished)
Gila Bend, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Check out the Las Flores Cafe in Gila Bend, AZ. The classic desert diner featured an eye-catching roadside pole marquee angled to catch the eye of motorists navigating the busy southern Arizona highway corridors before the arrival of Interstate 8. 11-20
Built with a modest, low-slung architectural style typical of mid-century desert stops, the cafe served as a welcoming haven offering cold drinks and a break from the heat for cross-country travelers.
UPDATE: The Las Flores Cafe is gone, with the building demolished and its vintage roadside sign removed from the highway corridor. 08-26
Harvey's Hacienda Restaurant (Demolished)
Williams, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Check out this look at Harvey's Hacienda Restaurant in Williams, AZ. Located along the motel strip on the west end of town, this classic Route 66 eatery was a popular stop for motorists during the 1950s and 1960s. The restaurant featured a prominent roadside sign with distinctive stacked lettering, a cozy dining room equipped with tabletop jukeboxes, and a cocktail lounge. 11-20
Operated during its heyday by Max and Pauline, the independent diner served cross-country travelers until highway bypasses and shifting traffic patterns eventually led to its closure.
UPDATE: Harvey's Hacienda Restaurant and its roadside marquee are completely gone, having been demolished and cleared from the highway parcel years ago. 08-26
Jenk's Cafe (Demolished)
Tucson
, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Jenk's Cafe was a well known 24 hour cafe located right off the I-10 along the Casa Grande Highway. The cafe could be counted upon for some late night pie and coffee as well as home cooked meals such as rib-eye steak and eggs for breakfast. Kids who clean their plates would join the Clean Plate Club and win a prize. The servers would call you honey just like the old days and the food portions are huge, fried, and covered in gravy. Jenk's Cafe was featured in Best of Tucson in 1995 as the best truck stop.
The sign had a golden yellow arrow with bulbs that used to point the way in to the cafe. There was even a model car on top of the sign on the roof.
Unfortunately the cafe and building in the area were demolished since these photos were taken. Tucson lost a bit of history when the bulldozers and backhoes arrived. 06-23
Jenk's Cafe front with a Toyota Corolla hatchback
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The diner was pure old-school Americana at its finest. Friendly waitresses warmly greeted regular drivers and passing families with a classic "honey," and children who managed to finish every bite of their oversized portions proudly joined the "Clean Plate Club" to take home a prize. The cafe's authentic roadside charm earned it formal recognition across the region when it was voted "Best Truck Stop" in the 1995 Best of Tucson awards.
Outside, the property was impossible to miss from the highway. Its standout roadside signage featured a bold, golden-yellow directional arrow lined with chasing lightbulbs that pointed travelers straight toward the diner, complemented by a unique model car perched proudly on the roof above the sign structure.
Jenk's Cafe sign on roof
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
UPDATE: Jenk's Cafe is gone. The restaurant and its surrounding commercial buildings along the Casa Grande Highway frontage were completely demolished by bulldozers and backhoes to accommodate modern industrial expansion and highway corridor redevelopment. While the physical site has been cleared, Jenk's remains fondly remembered as a classic piece of Tucson's late-night roadside history. 08-26
The Palms Cafe (Gone)
Buckeye, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Check out The Palms Cafe located in Buckeye, AZ. The cafe features an eye-catching blade neon sign that stands out along the main road in the central business district of town. The location is now home to the 25 35 Cafe. The Palms closed down in 1993 after which the sign was taken down. 06-23
The Palms Cafe (Gone)
Buckeye, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Check out the classic neon blade sign that once hung proudly outside The Palms Cafe. Projecting out over the sidewalk along Monroe Avenue in the heart of downtown Buckeye, the eye-catching vertical marquee was impossible for passing travelers and locals to miss while cruising down the main business strip.
The cafe operated out of a handsome brick building originally constructed back during the Great Depression in 1930. Located right in the central district alongside other historic town anchors like the old San Linda Hotel, the place served as a welcoming stop for hungry motorists making their way through the desert on the old highway routes. Inside and out, it carried the friendly, weathered charm of a true small-town Arizona gathering spot where you could pull up a chair, grab a hearty meal, and take a break from the desert heat.
The Palms Cafe street scene
Buckeye, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
After serving generations of regulars and road-trippers across several decades, the cafe finally closed its doors in 1993. The iconic neon blade sign was removed shortly after the closure, taking a classic slice of downtown roadside personality with it. Fortunately, the sturdy 1930s brick building managed to survive and has found new life over the years as home to subsequent local eateries.
UPDATE: The Palms closed down in 1993, after which the classic blade sign was taken down. 08-26
Harvey's Hacienda Restaurant (Demolished)
Check out this look at Harvey's Hacienda Restaurant in Williams, AZ. Located along the motel strip on the west end of town, this classic Route 66 eatery was a popular stop for motorists during the 1950s and 1960s. The restaurant featured a prominent roadside sign with distinctive stacked lettering, a cozy dining room equipped with tabletop jukeboxes, and a cocktail lounge. 11-20 
Jenk's Cafe (Demolished)
Jenk's Cafe front with a Toyota Corolla hatchback
Jenk's Cafe sign on roof
The Palms Cafe (Gone)
The Palms Cafe street scene
