Welcome Diner (Gone)
Phoenix, AZ Photo courtesy Jodey Elsner
This diner, now called the Welcome Diner and serving
upscale diner fair (fresh ingredients, specialty soda pops), is located
near downtown Phoenix. Originally, this Valentine Diner sat in Williams,
Arizona and subsequently was trucked down to this spot 20 years ago. Many thanks to Jodey Elsnerfor info.
Hungry for a bite while cruising through Phoenix? If you're rolling down Roosevelt Street, it's pretty hard to miss this tiny sliver of roadside Americana. The Welcome Diner started life back in the 1940s as a genuine pre-fabricated nine-seat Valentine Diner, manufactured out of Wichita, Kansas. Before landing in the Valley of the Sun, the little 200-square-foot metal box spent decades feeding travelers along Route 66 up in Williams, Arizona.
By 2004, the vintage trailer found new life in Phoenix's historic Garfield District, packing folks in along the counter for fried chicken biscuits and comfort food. The bright pink-and-blue neon sign out front quickly became a neighborhood beacon for night owls and hungry road trippers alike.
UPDATE: The business moved a couple blocks over to a larger spot on Pierce Street in 2018, bringing its vintage neon sign along for the ride. The original Valentine trailer still sits on Roosevelt Street serving up food under new owners. 08-26
Mr D's Diner
Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Need a cold root beer float or a quick burger while rolling through Kingman?
Cruising down Andy Devine Avenue, you can't miss the splash of bright pink and teal popping off the desert pavement. Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner sits right across from the historic Kingman Powerhouse, welcoming road trippers with a glowing retro marquee and a covered drive-up canopy from its early days as a 1939 Shell gas station and cafe.
The Dunton brothers took over the old highway stop and completely transformed it in 1992, packing the inside with vinyl booths, record-shaped menus, and vintage Route 66 memorabilia. The colorful roadside joint even landed on national television back in 2006 when Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King pulled in for lunch during their cross-country road trip.
UPDATE: The diner keeps slinging homemade root beer in frosted mugs beneath its restored neon sign along the Mother Road. 08-26
Goldie's Route 66 Diner
Williams, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
That classic boomerang roofline along Route 66 is enough to make any traveler pull a quick U-turn.
While the bright red awning and retro signs make Goldie's Route
66 Diner look like a fresh nod to the past, the building is the real deal. It originally opened back in 1962 as a classic Southern California style Denny's Coffee Shop, bringing dramatic Googie glass and sharp angles right to the Williams pine country. The town even had to relocate several residential houses just to make room for the building and parking lot.
Step past the giant Betty Boop statue at the entrance and you'll find checkered floors, highway relics, and thick milkshakes made with real ice cream.
UPDATE: The vintage coffee shop continues serving up scratch-made burgers along the main drag as Jeff's Place at Goldie's. 08-26
Dot's Diner
Bisbee, AZ Photo courtesy Gorb70
Tucked away among the vintage aluminum trailers of the Shady Dell, this little roadside gem looks like it rolled straight out of another era.
The Dot's Diner is a genuine ten-stool prefabricated steel diner built back in 1957 by the Valentine Manufacturing Company of Wichita, Kansas. It spent its early life serving burgers in Los Angeles before sitting abandoned for over a decade. In 1996, the trailer was rescued, hauled out to historic Highway 80 in Bisbee, and reopened the following year with Dot herself running the grill for hungry motorists.
Dot's Diner
Bisbee, AZ Photo courtesy Gorb70
Step inside the pint-sized diner and you'll find the original compact counter, a glowing neon sign, and plenty of retro charm to go with breakfast and fresh comfort food. 03-05
UPDATE: Dot's Diner remains open for weekend travelers at the Shady Dell, featuring expanded outdoor picnic seating and an adjacent 1955 Airstream bar. 08-26
That giant glowing arrow pointing toward the parking lot is tough to miss when you're rolling into Flagstaff after dark. The Galaxy Diner opened along Route 66 back in 1996 as a full-throttle tribute to the 1950s roadside era. Built right at the busy corner of Milton Road, the place quickly became a favorite stop for passing motorists with its bright neon outlines, red vinyl booths, checkerboard floors, and a legendary soda fountain menu dishing out over a hundred milkshake flavors. Weekend cruise-ins often packed the lot with vintage steel under the glow of that massive golden marquee. 01-07
Galaxy Diner
Flagstaff, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Here's another shot of the Galaxy Diner while shooting into the sun and trying to avoid the mirrored glass. Well given its closure, I won't have to worry about burning out my camera sensor on the mirrored sun rays. Ok, that is a total exaggeration. Sad to see this place go. 05-20
UPDATE: The Galaxy Diner abruptly closed in August 2019 to the surprise of many of its fans. Owned by JB's Restaurants of Tempe, AZ word is the diner closed because rent had not been paid. First opened up over 60 years ago in 1958, the diner fit in with the Route 66 culture serving up classic food to both locals and tourists passing through on their way to California or New Mexico. This diner was remodeled to its current look in 1994. Alas, yet another Route 66 gem has met its demise and its neon is now dimmed permanently. 05-20
UPDATE: The diner closed its doors, leaving the building vacant and its famous neon unlit along the highway strip. 08-26
Welcome Diner (Gone)
Mr D's Diner
Dot's Diner
Dot's Diner
