New Hong Kong Restaurant
Phoenix, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The New Hong Kong Restaurant in Phoenix features lit up neon signage from the 1950's that captures the essence of the night scene along the road as dusk approaches for the evening. Not sure what this last sentence all means, but it sounded good.

The spot originally opened back in the mid-century as Tang's Rice Bowl, and sharp-eyed travelers might notice that the roadside marquee pole and structural frame standing today are the exact same ones that held the original 1950s sign. After a short stint as Don's Polynesian Restaurant in the 1970s, the property adopted the Hong Kong name around 1979. Step inside past the vintage neon and you'll find classic Naugahyde booths and a kitchen that built a loyal following over the decades for authentic Cantonese clay-pot dishes and comfort food.

UPDATE: The New Hong Kong Restaurant has survived into 2021. The neon sign also survives. The restaurant actually clhanged ownership in December 2020 and changed from a Chinese Buffet to a cuisine featuring Chinese American dishes. 09-21

UPDATE: The long-standing restaurant remains open for business under new ownership, continuing to serve hungry diners beneath its vintage roadside marquee. 08-26

ABC Restaurant (Rem.)
Kingman, AZ
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

Here's the ABC Restaurant located on old Route 66 in Kingman serving up Chinese food fare. The sign has been a can't miss sign on the east end of Route 66 in Kingman.

Checking into town and heading into Kingman along the historic Mother Road, that towering roadside marquee rising high above Andy Devine Avenue has been catching the eyes of cross-country drivers for generations.

ABC Restaurant sign
Kingman, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The restaurant originally opened its doors in the early 1960s as Johnson's King's Arms Restaurant. Back during its first chapter, the massive roadside pylon was built with an unmistakable medieval theme, sporting a heraldic coat-of-arms shield and a crossed-halberd spear pole designed to pull motorists off the highway for dinner and cocktails.

When the business eventually switched gears to Chinese-American dining and became known as the ABC Buffet, the old medieval crest was swapped out for a stylized neon cocktail glass while keeping the spear-tipped pole overhead. The unusual, evolving sign quickly turned into an iconic fixture on Kingman's eastern strip, becoming a favorite subject for roadside photographers and artists documenting disappearing Route 66 architecture.

ABC Restaurant from 1998
Kingman, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Even as the menus changed and the neon was reworked, that massive roadside pylon remained one of the most recognizable highway relics on the drive into town.

UPDATE: Here are more photos of the ABC Restaurant from a couple of decades ago. Will have photos of the signs through the years as well. 09-21

UPDATE: The original pylon sign still stands on the lot, having been repainted and repurposed over the years for India Spice-N-Bar and later La Catrina Mexican Restaurant. 08-26

Sundown Restaurant (Gone)
Holbrook, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Check out the Sundown restaurant sign, found along Route 66 in Holbrook. This sign featured any different fonts including Chinese lettering spelling out "restaurant". Unfortunately this sign, like many others, have disappeared from the main drag in Holbrook.

The Sundown Restaurant originally opened its dining room and coffee shop in 1952, expanding on the Sundown Motel complex built on the parcel a few years earlier in 1949. Operated by Albert and Jack Ong, the roadside eatery quickly earned a reputation among highway travelers for its dual menu of traditional American diner staples and Chinese cuisine. The food proved so popular with cross-country motorists that it even earned a nod from famed travel critic Duncan Hines in his mid-century Adventures in Good Eating guides.

The standout feature from the highway was its unique roadside sign, which grabbed attention by blending classic mid-century block lettering with stylized Chinese-themed script across the face to advertise its kitchen specialties.

UPDATE: The restaurant closed years ago and the vintage multi-font marquee has completely disappeared from the main strip, though the repurposed 1952 building still stands along the old highway. 08-26

Lo's Chinese Food (Closed)
Kingman, AZ
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

Tucked along Andy Devine Avenue at the corner of Tucker Street, one of the most uniquely shaped roadside signs on all of Route 66 continues to turn heads in Kingman. Lo's Chinese Food served hungry cross-country travelers and local desert drivers for years, operating as a classic highway lounge and diner that catered to every appetite rolling off the asphalt.

Long before the Interstate changed the pace of travel through northwestern Arizona, places like Lo's relied heavily on bold, creative roadside marketing to catch the eyes of families looking for a quick meal before continuing their trek across the desert. The kitchen covered all the bases by offering a versatile mix of hearty American breakfasts, quick lunch specials, and traditional Chinese-American favorites all under one roof.

Lo's Chinese sign
Kingman, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The undisputed showstopper on the parcel was always its one-of-a-kind roadside marquee. Instead of a standard rectangular neon box, the owners commissioned a massive, custom-fabricated metal carving knife that appears to pierce vertically straight down through a series of stacked oval sign panels. Each blade-pierced tier boldly called out a different offering—breakfast, lunch, and Chinese food—making it an unmistakable highway landmark that became a favorite subject for artists and travelers documenting the quirky, disappearing relics of the Mother Road.

UPDATE: The restaurant itself has been shuttered for a long time, but the weathered, iconic knife sign still stands proudly along the old highway corridor. 08-26

UPDATE: Here are more photos of Lo's Chinese Restaurant. Lo's is now closed. 09-21

Lo's Restaurant when it was still open Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com	Lo's Restaurant sign close-up Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com