Grand Canyon Cafe 1996 (Closed)
Flagstaff, AZ Photo courtesy Matthias Tippner
Here’s a nighttime look at the Grand Canyon Cafe along Route 66 in downtown Flagstaff. The glowing neon advertised both the cafe and “Chop Suey,” which gives a pretty good clue that this was not the average roadside diner. Chicken fried steak and Chinese food under the same neon sign? Why not? 01-07
The Grand Canyon Cafe opened on December 18, 1942. In 1945, Chinese immigrant Albert Wong purchased the restaurant with his brothers Eddie and Alfred and their nephew Bill Yee. The family took a simple Route 66 cafe and turned it into one of Flagstaff’s longest-running neighborhood restaurants.
Grand Canyon Cafe 1992
Flagstaff, AZ Photo courtesy Alan Culley
The menu was an unusual mix of traditional American diner food and Chinese-American favorites. Chicken fried steak became one of the cafe’s best-known meals, but customers could also order chop suey and other Chinese dishes. A plate of eggs and hash browns might pass one way while fried rice headed in the other direction. That mix helped give the Grand Canyon Cafe a character all its own.
The building picked up more roadside style during a major expansion in 1950. A stainless steel entrance canopy, rounded “bubble” display windows, and an Art Deco facade gave the cafe the appearance seen in this Route 66 view. Inside were old booths, counter seats, jukeboxes, and the comfortable look of a neighborhood diner that had been around for a while.
Albert’s son Fred “Freddy” Wong and his wife Tina took over the cafe in 1980. They operated it for the next 36 years, remembering regular customers and keeping the family recipes going. By then, the Grand Canyon Cafe had become one of those Flagstaff places where several generations of the same family might have eaten.
The old interior attracted a little attention from Hollywood too. Scenes for two feature films were reportedly shot inside the cafe, where the vintage booths and roadside diner atmosphere required very little help from a movie set decorator. The restaurant’s real star, at least from the sidewalk, remained that red neon “Chop Suey” sign glowing above Route 66.
Grand Canyon Cafe 1992
Flagstaff, AZ Photo courtesy Alan Culley
After 71 years of Wong family ownership, the cafe was sold to a local investment group in 2016. The new owners completed extensive renovations while keeping the vintage booths, jukeboxes, and exterior neon. It looked like the Grand Canyon Cafe was ready for another long run.
UPDATE: Here are a couple of shots of the Grand Canyon Cafe from 1992. Many thanks to Alan Culley for update. 03-08
UPDATE : The Grand Canyon Cafe abruptcly closed its door in May 2018. 06-23
UPDATE: The renovated Grand Canyon Cafe reopened in June 2017 but closed abruptly in May 2018. Proper Meats + Provisions moved into the building later that year, turning the former cafe into a butcher shop and deli. Thankfully, the old “Grand Canyon Cafe Chop Suey” neon sign was preserved and remains mounted outside along Route 66. 08-26
Buckskin Tavern
Fredonia, AZ Photo courtesy Alan Culley
A mile or so north of Fredonia, the tall neon arrow outside Buckskin Tavern points the way toward cocktails and package liquor. Add the rifle-carrying cowboy standing guard near the entrance, and this looks like just the sort of old roadside bar expected along Highway 89A. 06-09
Milt Cram opened the Buckskin Tavern in 1934, only a few miles south of the Utah border. Its location made it a popular stop for Utah residents looking to escape that state’s stricter liquor laws. The tavern also bills itself as having the longest bar in Arizona, although no one seems to have shown up with a tape measure to settle the claim.
Nearby Kanab became known as “Little Hollywood” because so many Western movies were filmed around southern Utah. Actors, directors, and crew members reportedly made their way down to the Buckskin when the day’s shooting was finished. A dance hall and stage were eventually added to handle larger crowds and live entertainment.
The towering neon sign, old tavern building, and armed cowboy make this a fine roadside sight near the Arizona-Utah line. Just remember that events here are advertised on Utah time rather than Arizona time. Even the clock gets a little tricky this close to the border.
UPDATE: The Buckskin Tavern closed during the pandemic but was purchased and revived by Chris and Lianne Kelly. It celebrated its grand reopening in June 2023 and once again offers cocktails, draft beer, pool tables, live entertainment, and package liquor. The old neon sign survives and continues pointing travelers toward the tavern. 08-26
Bubba's Restaurant
Yuma, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Check out Bubba’s Restaurant along South Fourth Avenue in Yuma. With its sweeping low roof and wall of front windows, the building sure looks like one of those early Denny’s coffee shops. The exact years of the Denny’s operation are uncertain, but that familiar old highway architecture is still easy to spot.
Bubba’s later became known as Bubba’s Southern Barbeque, serving pulled pork, ribs, and other smoked favorites. The pole sign out front has changed faces over the years, alternating between Bubba’s Restaurant and Bubba’s BBQ, but the old roadside structure remains.
UPDATE: Bubba’s is still open, although the menu now leans more toward breakfast, brunch, and diner food than barbecue. Sweet potato pancakes, eggs Benedict, chilaquiles, and chicken fried steak are among the current favorites. The restaurant opens early and closes at 2:00 in the afternoon, so do not wait until dinnertime to check out this former Denny’s. 08-26
Desert Sands Bar
Casa Grande, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The sign outside The Desert Sands Bar is one of those Casa Grande roadside sights that gets straight to the point. Desert Sands, cocktails, package liquor, and Budweiser are all stacked together high above Pinal Avenue. What else does a neighborhood bar sign really need? 06-23
The Desert Sands had already been around for years when Jewel Griffith and her son Lee Blackburn purchased it on March 8, 1982. The place soon became known as Jewel’s Desert Sands and has remained in the family for more than four decades. Inside are the usual neighborhood tavern essentials, including a pool table, jukebox, and plenty of regular customers.
The bar still sells package liquor just as the sign promises and is known for opening at 6:00 in the morning. That early hour has long made it a stop for shift workers, although it may surprise anyone cruising by in search of breakfast.
UPDATE: Jewel’s Desert Sands remains open, and the tall roadside sign still stands in its original spot along North Pinal Avenue. Despite occasional confusion, it has not been moved to the Casa Grande Neon Sign Park. 08-26
Horse Shoe Cafe
Benson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The neon horseshoe welcomes hungry travelers outside the Horse Shoe Cafe in Benson. The tall sign features a horse’s head inside the glowing horseshoe, while a large cowboy mural rides across the side of the old two-story building. 06-23
The building dates back to 1914 and reportedly served at different times as a post office, train depot, and bus stop before the cafe opened in 1936. Sitting along old Highway 80, once promoted as the “Broadway of America,” the Horse Shoe became a familiar stop for travelers passing through southern Arizona.
The building also comes with a few ghost stories. Visitors and employees have reported seeing the figure of an elderly woman looking from an upstairs window or standing near the back staircase. Some believe she may be the spirit of a woman who once lived in the upstairs rooms. There are also stories of a phantom dog barking on the empty second floor.
One particularly strange tale comes from the Palomino Room, where four diners reportedly watched a heavy glass tabletop suddenly crack and shatter without anyone touching it. Ghost or no ghost, that would certainly get everyone’s attention before dessert.
UPDATE: After a brief closure, the historic restaurant was purchased by Rob Hagmann and reopened in July 2023 under the shortened name The Horseshoe. The old neon sign remains in place and continues to glow along Benson’s former Highway 80. 08-26
Jerry's Restaurant (Gone)
Globe,
AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Jerry’s Restaurants began as a Southwestern coffee shop chain in 1964. Inside were vinyl booths, a long counter, open views into the kitchen, and little jukeboxes at the tables. The geometric sign out front was easy to recognize, even before travelers got close enough to read the name.
The Globe location served the usual coffee shop lineup of breakfasts, burgers, sandwiches, and family dinners. Jerry’s eventually closed, and both its distinctive sign and original restaurant building disappeared.
UPDATE: A newer building was constructed on the site for Joe’s Ribs, a local barbecue restaurant that has also since closed. The old Copper Manor motel behind the property was renamed the Night Inn. Not much in this late-1990s view looks quite the same today. 08-26
Here’s a nighttime look at the 
