Crossroads Restaurant
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Check out the old neon sign outside Crossroads Restaurant in South Tucson. The arrow points the way toward chicken, shrimp, and beer, which sounds like a pretty good roadside combination. The sign has been directing hungry customers off Fourth Avenue for decades. 09-21
Crossroads opened in 1936 as a small hamburger and hot dog stand. It later became what is remembered as South Tucson’s first drive-in restaurant, with carhops delivering food to customers in the parking lot. Old-timers even recall parents drinking pitchers of beer in their cars while children played nearby. Different times, indeed.
Crossroads Restaurant
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Gonzalez family purchased Crossroads in 1979 and gradually shifted the menu away from American diner food toward Sonoran-style Mexican dishes and seafood. Roberto “Bobby” Gonzalez Jr. and his wife Aracely took over in 2001, continuing the family operation.
Crossroads became known for Mexican breakfasts, fresh seafood, weekend buffets, and live mariachi music. Limited drive-in service survived long after the original carhop years, while the neon arrows continued pointing toward chicken, shrimp, and beer out front.
Crossroads Restaurant front view
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
UPDATE: A major fire tore through Crossroads on August 14, 2023, forcing the restaurant to close for more than two years. The Gonzalez family rebuilt the interior with Talavera tile, colorful murals, and a vintage Ford Mustang displayed in a drive-in scene near the entrance. Crossroads reopened in February 2026, and its historic neon sign survived the fire and restoration. 08-26
Here's another shot of the Crossroads Restaurant. The restaurant still gets pretty busy these days. 06-23
Jerry's Restaurant (Gone)
Globe, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Here’s a late-1990s look at Jerry's Restaurant in Globe, complete with one of the chain’s familiar tall geometric signs. The Copper Manor motel sign can also be spotted in the background, giving this stretch of East Ash Street a little extra roadside scenery. 06-23
Jerry’s Restaurants began as a Southwestern coffee shop chain in 1964. The Globe location followed the familiar Jerry’s formula with vinyl booths, a long counter, views into the kitchen, and little jukeboxes at the tables.
The menu offered 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 property was cleared and redeveloped again, and a Dutch Bros Coffee now occupies the site. The Copper Manor behind the former restaurant became the Night Inn. Not much in this late-1990s view looks the same today. 08-26
Wild West Steakhouse
Buckeye, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Here’s the Wild West Steakhouse along old Highway 80 in Buckeye. Despite the cowboy name and Western sign, this has never been the average fancy steakhouse. Mexican food, burgers, breakfast, and diner meals seem to be the main attraction. 06-23
The property’s restaurant history may go back to the late 1950s or early 1960s, when Lewis Williams operated a roadside eatery here called the Chili Bowl. Exactly when it became the Wild West Cowboy Steakhouse is uncertain.
By the early 2000s, owner Jean Faraj had filled the place with an interesting mix of cowboy decorations, Greek flags, and pictures of Western stars such as John Wayne and Steve McQueen. The menu was just as varied, offering thin-cut steaks, burgers, Greek dishes, burritos, enchiladas, menudo, and other Mexican favorites. Something for everyone, apparently.
UPDATE: Wild West Cowboy Steakhouse remains open along Monroe Avenue in downtown Buckeye. The roadside sign survives, and the restaurant continues operating as a casual 24-hour diner serving breakfast, American food, Mexican dishes, and, yes, a few steaks. 08-26
Ye Olde Lantern (Closed)
Tucson, AZ Photo courtesy Jay Villa
The giant golden lantern hanging above Ye Olde Lantern made this restaurant nearly impossible to miss along Tucson’s old Miracle Mile. Suspended beneath a big arrow lined with chasing bulbs, the three-dimensional lantern looked especially good after dark. The place appeared to be doing well in this view, but even longtime landmarks eventually reach closing time.
The restaurant’s history began in 1924, when the property opened as the Green Lantern. Back then it was a roadside barbecue joint serving travelers along what became one of Tucson’s busiest motel and restaurant strips. The street was known as Miracle Mile until 1987, when the city renamed this section Oracle Road.
Ye Olde Lantern (Closed)
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Dean and Millie Short purchased the Green Lantern in March 1959 and completely remodeled it into Ye Olde Lantern. The casual barbecue stop became an upscale steakhouse with red Naugahyde booths, low lighting, and a comfortable mid-century lounge atmosphere. The oversized lantern outside let everyone know the transformation was complete.
Dean Short was involved with several of Tucson’s best-remembered restaurants, including El Corral, Kon-Tiki, Ports-O-Call, and the Cow Palace. Ye Olde Lantern joined that group as a popular special-occasion restaurant where locals went for birthdays, anniversaries, and a night out that called for something a little fancier.
The menu featured mesquite-broiled steaks, prime rib, and Australian lobster tails. Longtime pianist Eddie Dugan provided live music, giving the dining room the sort of atmosphere that is not easy to find anymore. Dinner could stretch into an entire evening, and no one seemed in much of a hurry to leave.
Another look at the Ye Olde Lantern
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The sign became as well known as the restaurant itself. Its giant lantern measured somewhere around eight to ten feet tall and hung high over the roadside. When preservationist Dirk Arnold later removed layers of weathered paint from the rescued marquee, he discovered portions of the original “The Green” lettering hidden underneath. The sign had been carrying a piece of the restaurant’s earlier identity all along.
Bob and Madeline Hawes operated Ye Olde Lantern during its final decades. When they decided to retire, they were unable to find a buyer willing to continue running the restaurant. After more than 80 years of food service at the property, the last steaks came off the grill in 2006.
UPDATE: The Ye Olde Lantern has shut down after over 80 years as a restaurant and almost 50 in its current iteration. The Elks Lodge has purchased the building after the owners decided to move out of state. 03-06
UPDATE: The Ye Ole Lantern closed its doors in 2006 when the most recent owner decided to retire. The property was purchased by the Elks Lodge which is still at the location today. The sign was saved by a local collector who displays parts of the sign at his location. 06-23
UPDATE: Ye Olde Lantern closed on February 25, 2006. Tucson Elks Lodge 385 purchased and repurposed the building as a fraternal meeting hall. The landmark sign was removed from Oracle Road, but Dirk Arnold saved the lantern and marquee and displays them as part of his outdoor sign collection in Tucson’s Dunbar-Spring neighborhood. 08-26
Crossroads Restaurant
