Karl's Fine Food (Gone)
Weirs Beach, NH Photo courtesy Alan Culley
Now that's a roadside sign. The towering marquee outside Karl's Fine Food welcomed hungry travelers heading into Weirs Beach with enough color and character to make a quick meal stop seem like a pretty good idea.
Karl's opened here in 1958 and spent the next 40 years serving vacationers around Lake Winnipesaukee. In 1998 the restaurant changed hands and became the Crossroads Restaurant, but the old roadside setting remained familiar to travelers passing through.
Unfortunately, the story ended with a major fire in October 2005. The building was badly damaged and demolished shortly afterward.
UPDATE: Karl's Fine Food and its eye-catching roadside sign are gone, and the old restaurant property remains vacant. 08-26
Hungry? This friendly neon chef at Barsanti's Restaurant looks more than happy to welcome travelers inside. With his tall chef's hat and arms stretched wide, he certainly added some personality to Queen Street in downtown Sault Ste. Marie. 2003
Barsanti's was a longtime local name, serving up big portions of Italian favorites, steaks and other hearty fare. The family also operated other restaurants around the Sault over the years, but this downtown location had that wonderful neon chef watching over the sidewalk.
The restaurant eventually moved on and the old Queen Street location was repurposed.
UPDATE: Barsanti's Downtown Restaurant has long since closed, and the neon chef has been removed. 08-26
Hilltop Steak House
Saugus, MA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
This huge marquee will direct the tired and hungry traveler over to the Hilltop Steak House in Saugus. The Hilltop has some great food and features its side orders family style. 02-08
UPDATE 10/13 : As of today Sunday October 20, 2013, Frank Giuffrida's Hilltop Steak House will open and close its doors one last time. Yes, this Saugus, MA landmark is shutting down after 52 years. 10-13
Kowloon Restaurant
Saugus, MA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Cruising along Route 1 in Saugus, here's one roadside stop that's pretty tough to miss. The sprawling Kowloon Restaurant comes complete with a towering neon sign, colorful tiki touches and enough Polynesian atmosphere to make you forget you're in Massachusetts for a while. 02-08
The Wong family opened the Kowloon back in the 1950s, and what started as a small restaurant grew into a huge Route 1 landmark with room for more than 1,000 hungry customers. Inside, the roadside show continues with themed dining rooms, tiki carvings, a lagoon and even a replica sailing ship.
The menu is just about as varied as the decor, with Cantonese, Szechuan, Thai, Japanese and Polynesian favorites. Over the years the Kowloon has also hosted comedians and entertainers, giving travelers another reason to pull off the highway besides the food.
Kowloon Restaurant
Saugus, MA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
But from Route 1, it's the neon and sprawling building that really make the place. This stretch of highway was once loaded with oversized signs and roadside attractions, and the Kowloon still looks like it belongs to that era.
UPDATE: Big changes are coming to the Kowloon property. Plans call for two new mixed-use buildings with 198 residential units, with a smaller recreated Kowloon included in the second building. The present restaurant is expected to remain open while the first building is constructed, so the old Route 1 landmark isn't disappearing just yet. 08-26
Regina Pizzeria
Boston, MA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Hungry after spending all day on the road? A trip through Boston's North End might lead you down Thacher Street to Regina Pizzeria, where the old neon sign hanging over the sidewalk is usually accompanied by another familiar sight, a line of people waiting to get inside. 02-08
Local word said this was the place to stop for some good pizza, so the long line was worth braving. Regina has been filling empty stomachs here since 1926, and the pizzas still come out of the original brick oven. After a full day of road tripping, a hot pizza in a crowded little North End dining room certainly hits the spot.
The place isn't very big, which is part of the fun. Tables fill quickly, the room gets noisy and the friendly service keeps everything moving. And once back outside, that old neon sign deserves another look before heading down the road.
UPDATE: Regina Pizzeria remains open on Thacher Street and is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2026. The pizza is still coming out of the oven and the familiar neon continues glowing above the sidewalk. 08-26
The Tam
Boston, MA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
A little neon can go a long way on a dark city street. The glowing Michelob sign at The Tam is hard to miss while wandering along Tremont Street in Boston's Theatre District. 02-08
The Tam has been pouring drinks here since the 1940s, earning a reputation as one of Boston's classic old-school dive bars. Don't expect anything fancy. This is the kind of place built around a long bar, cold beer, regular customers and plenty of neon glowing through the windows.
The old Michelob sign fits the place perfectly, adding another splash of neon to the nighttime streets of Boston. Sometimes it's the simple beer signs hanging in a tavern window that make you stop and grab the camera.
UPDATE: The Tam is still open at 222 Tremont Street and continues to hang onto its old-school dive bar character. It's open seven days a week and still keeps the lights on until 2 in the morning. Nice to see this one still pouring drinks after all these years. 08-26
Fillin Station Diner
Whately, MA Photo courtesy Matthias Tippner
Here's the Fillin Station Diner, located in the town of Whately, MA. This diner is a Kullman and was built in 1960. Many thanks to Matthias Tippner for info. 01-07
Just off the highway in Whately sits the Fillin' Station Diner, looking right at home beside the gas pumps. With its stainless steel exterior and old "Fillin' Station" lettering, this is the kind of roadside stop that almost demands a coffee break.
The diner itself is a 1958 Kullman "Princess" model that originally served customers in Chicopee before being moved here in the early 1970s. Movie fans may recognize it too. The diner appeared in the 1999 thriller In Dreams with Annette Bening and Robert Downey Jr.
A 2011 kitchen fire temporarily closed the place, but the old diner survived and was soon back serving travelers.
UPDATE: The Whately Diner remains open beside the highway, still looking like a proper old-fashioned place to fill up both the car and the passengers. 08-26
Barsanti's Restaurant (Gone)
