Ludlow Cafe (Demolished)
Ludlow, CA Photo courtesy Mark Regester
Rolling through the little Route 66 town of Ludlow, check out the crumbling remains of the old Ludlow Cafe. Once a busy place to stop for a meal, the cafe had been reduced to a creaking wooden skeleton by the time these photos were taken. There was nothing left to order, but the old sign and collapsing walls still gave the camera something to catch.
Built in the late 1940s with timbers salvaged from the abandoned Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad, the cafe served truckers and Route 66 travelers for decades. Earl and Lillian Warnix operated the place for more than 20 years before the old roadside stop eventually closed. By 2005, desert weather and neglect had nearly finished the job. 07-05
UPDATE: The original Ludlow Cafe ruins were demolished and cleared away in 2015. A separate, newer restaurant farther down National Trails Highway still operates under the Ludlow Cafe name. 09-26
Gaston's Cafe (Demolished)
Niland, CA Photo courtesy Bill Herzog
Here is Gaston's Cafe on old Highway 111 in Niland, CA. The old cafe was once a haven for
hunters, fishermen and truckers. Old man gaston died a few years back
and the diner mysteriously burned down. Now, all that's left is the sign. Many thanks to Bill Herzog for info. 05-08
Cruising through Niland along Highway 111, the bright pink-and-blue sign for Gaston’s Cafe once pointed the way to a meal at any hour of the day. Fishermen, bird hunters, truckers, and Salton Sea travelers all found their way inside. When a cafe stays open 24 hours in the middle of the desert, somebody must be hungry.
Harold Gaston started his first cafe in Banning in 1934 before moving the business to Niland in 1956. Gaston’s became a familiar stop during the Salton Sea’s busier years, serving travelers heading around the lake and workers from the surrounding agricultural country.
Gaston's Cafe (Demolished)
Niland, CA Photo courtesy Bill Herzog
Even as resorts around the Salton Sea declined, Harold kept the cafe going. He finally locked the doors on December 30, 1999, when he was 90 years old. That is a lot of coffee, late-night meals, and desert travelers passing through one dining room.
UPDATE: The abandoned cafe later burned in a mysterious fire and was completely demolished. Its colorful roadside sign still stands alone beside Highway 111, marking the vacant lot where the restaurant once operated. The lonely sign and empty site were also featured in the 2006 documentary Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea. 09-26
The Village Cafe
Barstow, CA Photo courtesy John King
Cruising along Route 66 through Barstow, check out the tall vertical sign for The Village Cafe. Years beneath the desert sun have made the old lettering a little difficult to read, but the cafe behind it is still known for serving up good Chinese food. If the sign does not catch the eye, the smell from the kitchen might finish the job.
The cafe was once part of a larger roadside complex that included an attached hotel wing. Henry Wong purchased the property in 1974, and the restaurant has remained in the family ever since. The hotel portion has been closed for decades, but the dining room keeps serving Cantonese-American favorites such as chow fun, chow mein, orange chicken, and sweet and sour pork.
UPDATE: The Village Cafe remains open on Main Street. In August 2026, the owners began raising funds to restore and relight the historic neon sign in time for the Route 66 Centennial. After all those years of being hard to read, the old marquee may soon shine again. 09-26
Ludlow Cafe (Demolished) 
Rolling through the little Route 66 town of Ludlow, check out the crumbling remains of the old Ludlow Cafe. Once a busy place to stop for a meal, the cafe had been reduced to a creaking wooden skeleton by the time these photos were taken. There was nothing left to order, but the old sign and collapsing walls still gave the camera something to catch.
Gaston's Cafe (Demolished)
Gaston's Cafe (Demolished)
The Village Cafe
