We had a fantastic first experience at the Ariston. Although we both had a light lunch- everything on the soup and salad bar was very inviting and fresh. Our sever, Jackie, was "just right" and I marveled that she must be a mind reader to so accurately anticipate our requests. Jackie was also a good sport and very helpful with our questions. It was super refreshing to be served by someone this professional! Note: while we were having lunch, a few people peeked in the windows and then disappeared; to those people I say "your loss". I almost ran after a couple that arrived by motorcycle to drag them inside- but the dessert tray arrived and we were both distracted. Bottom line is that this is a "MUST" visit if you are passing through! EZ off and EZ back on to 55. You'll thank me I am sure! read more

My sisters and I had a wonderful visit a few days ago. Our server was wonderful. She was very attentive and knowledgeable. We enjoyed the salad bar and the tortellini soup. The servers looked so nice in their white shirts and ties and most of them were very festive in their red, white and blue. Overall, it was a good experience, however; the only complaint we had was another server bickering across our table. The servers were mostly professional and kept with their historic ambiance, just would advise the young girl with glasses that we could hear her yelling at the others. The customers don't need to hear your argument. We will be back next time for the desserts that we did not save room for. read more

It's sort of strange. The quality of the food is actually pretty good. Both the Prime Rib sandwich and the Fried Chicken was a good product.....tender prime rib. What we found odd was that we couldn't taste any seasoning on either item....none. Very bland food to us, too bland for us. No taste and no flavor. I'm sorry to say, but we just couldn't find it. Thought the salad bar was somewhat lacking myself. No cottage cheese. Very little prep work with the salad itself. It was cut up, but left in quite large pieces, too large for us so you have work with that yourself on the plate. Some of the salad looked a bit close to being on the edge for comfort. Some of it was starting to turn color. Again, dig through it yourself and make something work. It used to better than this. Not a real fan of crinkle fries. What I normally find is some pieces aren't that good (hard) or edible. Such was the case. I would suspect just from frozen, in my opinion. About have of the fries or more we left on our plate. I was hoping more for the old style dinner type fries. About a 1/4 of an inch square or a little larger. Those are the best fries to me. Eating here before I thought bread and butter was always offered with each table. Wasn't offered to us, but it was offered at the booth next us, different waitress. We won't be stopping back here again. Date of visit 04/26/2024 read more

I loved this place. It's been there since the 1930s right on old Route 66. There are pictures on the walls documenting its history that also reveal how little the interior appears to have changed. There is a counter covering one side one side with seating and plenty of booths or tables, whichever suits you. I had the pork loin sandwich which is one of their specials. It was delicious and the crinkle fries were crispy. I also couldn't resist getting the soup and salad bar. The highlights were the homemade potato soup, which was thick and very flavorful, and a cold black eyed pea salad. I don't have many reasons to visit Litchfield, but it's worth a stop for this place. read more

We stopped here on our Route 66 trip. We wanted to experience the old style and it did not disappoint! It was so nice to see tablecloths and servers nicely dressed. The service was great and so was the food! read more

Trying to decide where to go with our friends for a birthday celebration for my husband by myself (his was last week and mine is next). Out of the blue husband suggests Ariston and it was the best suggestion ever! Server was fantastic, all the food was delicious and service was over the top! Ordered a bottle of wine, but when we found out the menu had been revamped we were ecstatic to find out they gave us a superior bottle of wine as a substitute. Probably one of the best I've had! We cook well for ourselves at home, but the filet I got was above and beyond! Our friends' horseshoe and mostaccoli was fantastic! They make fine dining and comfort food delicious! We were in a booth so we were secluded but the atmosphere was what you'd expect from a fine dining experience! We have been in the past and will definitely be back soon! read more

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A blast from my past...well, everyone's really. So nostalgic and the food is great. I love that they still have a fully loaded Midwest style salad bar. The fried chicken is perfect. read more

If I picked one restaurant in Montgomery county to eat it would be here. Everything I've ever ordered is excellent. Waitresses are great at recommending dishes and are fast. The inside reminds me of a supper club like interior. read more

Loved this place. Wonderful service and food. A trip back in time but very well done.

VERY DISAPPOINTED.  Charged full price for an item not as described. Don't believe the hype! We were so looking forward to eat at this historic resident and was very disappointed.  We are a family that came together for the first time in several years.  7 of us met here because it's halfway between where we live. We were excited to try out this historic diner.  We decided to eat there today. The ambience was nice, the deserts at the display upon entry looked great.  They sat us down to eat in the back room. We were a little surprised off the bat at the higher than expected prices but didn't complain .  It looked like there was something to make everyone happy even though a little expensive.  We waited longer than expected for our food, by this time around 2 pm now the restaurant wasn't very crowded.  The food finally arrived but was not consistent.   The first issue was someone going into the supply closet located literally less than  24-36 inches from a row of our family members. They go into the closet bumping my wife, never saying thank you or anything of the sort.  My wife had to eventually scoot closer to the table. One member of our party got food not as described, catfish, with bone and void of flavor. Brought this up right away, didn't eat any of it complained again right away, no alternatives or refund offered, tried to speak to the manager would not come out. His wife is a verified chef who has ran restaurants and stated that bone in fish should be mentioned prior to order as a liability issue.  There were other issues with the food but this was a main one. A very disappointing experience  and due to lack of attention to our issue with our food and their unwillingness to discuss the issue a reason we can't recommend the Ariston. read more

Traveling through the area and searching on Yelp. They have great reviews and deserve it. The food was great and our server Koen was wonderful. He gave us a lot of helpful local information. read more

I would give this a 4.3 if I could. Litchfield was a super stop on our Route 66 trip with a wonderful museum and this great little vintage cafe. Pretty basic food but on the whole well cooked and served by lovely people. We were a group of 4, one had Athenian salad which he really liked, one had a burger which she liked and loved the pickles. One had the gyros which he thought was overcooked but the tzatziki really helped. I had the special fish and chips with cole slaw which could have been super if the thin tilapia had spent a bit less time in the fryer. They had a beautiful salad bar and their star was a gorgeous dessert tray which was pretty obviously a big hit all through the restaurant but the portion sizes for us for basically brunch were a bit overwhelming, lol. We skipped and got a great cookie at the bakery across the street, a great afternoon! read more

This is a wonderful local restaurant. It takes you back to a time when service and quality were the important. Food was delicious and desserts were amazing! read more

Traveling from St. Louis back home to Champaign, IL area, we stopped off in Litchfield for something to eat. We didn't want to eat a sandwich in the car while driving, so we discovered this restaurant through Yelp. From the outside it looks like an old family style home cooking restaurant. It's actually that and more. We were surprised to find white linen napkins on the tables. We were immediately greeted and seated. Our server JoJo was stellar. Friendly, prompt, knowledgable and overall excellent. Five stars just for her! I was delighted to see a full on salad bar (minus red onion and real bacon bits - my personal favorites). The menu is extensive. I had the quarter fried chicken and my husband had the liver and onions (which is a rare treat for him). Everything was good. They even had Fitz's diet root beer!! I highly recommend this place and eagerly give it five stars!! read more

Come on down from Route 66! If you are beginning your journey from Chicago, Ariston Cafe is an okay spot to drop by for lunch. It's highlighted in many blogs and we just happened to roll in on Father's Day, so we were given the option for their premium Dad's Buffet Lunch for $21. Hey, we'll take it, given that it's time to be the All-American dad! While I wasn't expecting a lavish buffet spread, I did expect a bit more than just canned goods plopped onto a heating tray along with some cuts of meat. The good stuff was the selection fo meats including ribeye and ham, but I thought the meat was a little bit too salty for my own liking. They did however have some good fried chicken and fish on the side, along with home whipped mashed potatoes. The good food wasn't enough to compensate for the fact that much of the menu was pretty bland- given that it was a Father's Day menu too, you would expect there to be a little more variety in their offerings. We also weren't particularly fond of our server who we felt was being overly pushy with selling us on desserts. She came off a bit too much when I politely declined any non-buffet dessert throughout our meal, and at the end, coerced us into purchasing a slice of the red velvet. During our exchange, she made it sound like we would just package a small slice from the buffet to go, but in reality it was an additional charge of $5. Not wanting to make a scene, we swallowed our pride and paid for it, knowing we would not eat it later (I mean, we were on a road trip! There were lots of food to be had.) To say we were underwhelmed by Ariston is an understatement. However, if you want to go somewhere that's known on Route 66 as you begin your journey, this is a decent enough spot to get your fixings. Parking is available in a private lot. read more

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Great gem in Litchfield, Illinois. Good food with 1958 vibe. Service was great. Food was as promised.

Food great as usual. Many wonderful choices. Our server, Cyndi (12), was as personable and helpful as one could hope for.

I mean, this place is what it is. Love the history of this place, and I have a soft spot in my heart for classic American family restaurant food like this. Reminded me of Bill Knapp's, which I miss. I had the Greek salad with chicken. Pretty bad, which I why my score is lower. Could be other food was better. The salad was over dressed, and had little Greek influence. Like 3 Kalamata olives, a little feta and then sprinkle some dry oregano over it. My son had the kid's spaghetti. It was pretty standard. We had the desserts, which seem to be a specialty of the house. Honestly, I'd go for just desserts and skip the other food. Mine was ample (they seem to go for size more than anything else) if ordinary. Service was friendly, but way too slow. This place is fine. It's been around for almost 100 years, and there's something nice about that. Just don't expect a super good meal. read more

We were traveling down old Route 66 recently, because I'm writing a travel guide about the historic Route, and The Ariston Cafe is a vintage Route 66 icon that I definitely wanted to include in the book. The place was packed with locals, which is usually a really good sign, but not so much, in this case. The first thing we noticed was that the clientele was primarily elderly, and a few people were having wine (it was about 11:00 in the morning). The vintage decor is cute. Our waitress was friendly and we definitely felt welcome. We were shown to a table immediately, but that's where the efficiency ended. Once we placed our orders, the wait time was almost comically long. When the food finally did arrive, the quality was mixed. I got the potato skins and a glass of orange juice. My husband got the reuben sandwich, and our son ordered the buffalo chicken horseshoe. Our son said that the horseshoe was very good. My husband's reuben was tasty but a little light on the corned beef. My food was barely edible. Potato skins are usually pretty consistent wherever you go, but these were just weird. The skin part was burnt and hard to cut through with a knife, and the filling was creamy mashed potatoes, as opposed to the more textured potato filling that you normally associate with skins. You wouldn't think that would make that big of a difference, but the texture just wasn't very pleasant. In addition to that, my orange juice had a peculiar aftertaste. I would say this place is a little hit or miss, but worth a stop if you are a Route 66 buff. If you decide to go, just avoid the potato skins. If you decide to skip it, it's still worth stopping to get a picture of the historic exterior, and you should definitely visit the Visitor Center across the street to see their extensive collection of Route 66 artifacts. read more

Who's down for a piece of American history? Or pie? The Ariston Cafe is one of those places that one may feel like they have to stop there while cruising the interstate and/or the Mother Road. But you'll be glad that you did. I'll start with the restaurant experience part: I've read so much about the Ariston Cafe that I felt like I knew a lot about this place, thinking it was a diner-type restaurant, but it's actually the other way around! It looks so fancy on the inside, even though the workers deny that kind of thing (laughs). All the tables/booths all set up nicely and the workers are in serious dress mode. There's even a romantic-type dining room with a bar. So weird, but that's the cool thing about these nostalgia places. The food selection and prices seemed cool, as there were several things I wanted to try. A lot of their sandwiches/main dishes came with the soup/salad bar. I wasn't sure what they were best known for, like their specialty dish - so I went ahead and got the buffalo chicken horseshoe sandwich. It was pretty good, even though the fries and cheese weren't on top of the meat and bread. I should have got some pie or dessert, but oh well...maybe next time. Service was great, as were the restrooms. Of course, this place does everything it can to capitalize on its iconic status on Route 66. Not surprisingly, the cafe has won several awards, including the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and the National Register of Historic Places. There's a lot of history about the Ariston Cafe, if you're interested (did you know that at one time, there were two gas pumps in front of the place?). Another cool thing is that it is literally next door to Jubelt's and the Litchfield Route 66 Museum (both recommended places for Route 66 enthusiasts). Be sure to get your picture underneath the classic lit sign. If you don't know what I'm talking about, ask the workers. They'll tell you all kinds of stories about people around the world who have taken their picture under it. And definitely sign the guestbook! read more

The Ariston Cafe - Getting my kicks - American Near Me - Litchfield, Illinois

Perfect meal - my husband and I both had specials - I had Bourbon glazed filet medallions and he had Pork chops with Alabama white barbecue sauce. Both perfectly cooked and the sauces were really delicious. Glad we are local to this Route 66 treasure. Can't wait to go back again !!! read more

This is a delightful old fashion diner on historic Route 66. We ate here the first time when someone gave my wife a gift certificate The greeter was very welcoming, the staff kind and efficient, the food delicious, the coffee particularly good. What could make it better? Nothing. It was simply wonderful! Enjoy the decor and think about all the travelers that have stopped here before you. It's the finest dining along Route 66 you will find between Springfield and St Louis. read more

The Ariston Cafe - American Near Me - Litchfield, Illinois

A must when traveling down I55 part of the Rt 66 Aura....I always get a pasta dish soooo good as is the ambience read more

The Ariston Cafe - American Near Me - Litchfield, Illinois

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Was a 5 until I had the banana dessert that was banana flavoring.. not a banana in it..blah! We stopped while traveling through on old 66.. Service was excellent.. salad bar, ok.. I had chicken liver's, delicious.. hubby had prime rib.. loved it! read more

A great little piece of americana on the old US Route 66. It's almost kind of like going back in time. You walk in and there's a lot of Route 66 memorabilia on the walls, and the glow of the neon sign out front reminds you of a different time. Food was pretty good. It's your standard American fare. I had something called a horseshoe sandwich. Deep fried bacon served over toast and smothered with cheese. It was pretty good. I probably should've had a cardiologist standing by lol. Service was pretty good too. read more

The Ariston Cafe - American Near Me - Litchfield, Illinois

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We stopped at Ariston Cafe on a busy Sunday afternoon for lunch. The parking lot was full and we anticipated a wait but a table for 5 was available. We ordered the Sunday buffet complete with salad bar and dessert. The fried chicken was outstanding! The salad bar had a large variety of items and two soups, broccoli and chicken noodle. I could have easily made a meal just on the salad bar. We will definitely return to Litchfield for this gem! read more

A step back in time. We love this place. It's a great experience for anyone on the "seasoned" side. White table cloths. Full salad bar with 2 soups that seem to me to be house made (in in the business). Uniformed servers who seem happy and well-trained. We now time our trips so we can stop there. Big dessert tray. It's just a nice, fun experience that's no more expensive than anywhere else at the Litchfield exit. read more

Great atmosphere and service. Italian selections were great! More than a diner. Great Route 66 history to this place.

Highly recommended if you are on a Route 66 tour - or just driving down the 55 and in need of lunch or a hit of sugar. We had read about the restaurant in a Route 66 posting and saw their good rating on Yelp, so made a point of stopping in for dessert on the drive home. I'm giving this place a 5 star rating, for a few reasons: 1) Original, well maintained decor and style. 2) Great historical value 3) Route 66 souveniers 4) Good "home cooked" food - yum! 5) The people Let me say more: The building is unassuming from the outside - there are a few hints to the restaurant's relevance to Route 66 but they are subtle. Walk in, and - other than the people - you feel a bit transported back in time. The booths are original, as is the lattice work and other elements - all wonderfully maintained. Stop and chat with the son of the original owner, and he'll show you the ledgers from when the restaurant was built and a menu from the year he was born. They've embraced their contribution to Route 66 history, and have on hand Route 66 souvenirs - t-shirts, pins, mugs, hats etc. While we were too full from two days of non-stop eating in St. Louis, we were able to wolf down desserts - all made on the premises and all fresh. Yum! Looking over the menu there was lots to choose from, and we'll stop again if we are in the area to check out more of the menu. The people: Our whole trip has been filled with great people. This restaurant topped it off, from our very wonderful young waitress, to the current owner, who, as mentioned above, stopped and chatted with us, telling us about the restaurant, asking us where we are from, and telling us about the visitors he gets. This man takes the time to talk to many of his guests - he knows where they are from and who they are personally. A perfect hospitality industry talent, doing what he was meant to do. (What I'm saying is: I respect the man.) The package, as a whole, gets my 5 star vote. Would I recommend: Yes - it is a Route 66 heritage gem. Would I return: Yes. read more

The Ariston Cafe - Front of Menu - American Near Me - Litchfield, Illinois

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If you're doing a Route 66 trip you absolutely need to stop in at Ariston Cafe. Ariston is kitty-corner from Litchfield's Route 66 Museum and across the street from Jubelt's Bakery - another Route 66 stalwart - so you can go whole hog on nostalgia while parked in one place. It can be difficult to time your drive to hit places during meal times but don't you worry as you can have yummy desserts at Ariston as a late morning or afternoon snack. You shouldn't be counting calories on a road trip anyway. We were greeted and seated right away (then again the place was nearly empty at 3pm). Rather than providing you with a dessert menu, they bring over an enormous tray filled with all kinds of desserts (and explain the other desserts that don't fit on the tray). The three of us ordered the chocolate delight (a layered, chocolate, cream cheese, and whipped cream concoction), the cherry cheesecake, and a molten chocolate lava cake. All the desserts were great - real throwbacks to a simpler time. The cheesecake had something in it that I just can't place my finger on, but left me wanting more and more. At $4.99 each these desserts were well worth it. read more

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The Ariston is a lovely place to eat, interesting atmosphere, great selection of menu items, and a soup and salad bar - also one of the few places where you can order a side of spaghetti with your meal, I personally recommend the butterfly shrimp dinner or lasagna, they also have excellent fried chicken, service is always fast and friendly and you will be checked on often to ensure beverages are not running low. A great gem here in Litchfield, a family friendly environment but also well suited for dining alone or if you are with a date or parent. Highly recommended ! read more

This is a historic route 66 restaurant. It has a strong tradition of good food and service. And I will get to my "however" in just a few minutes. The restaurant was generally clean. The carpet appear to be new and I got a look back into one of the prep areas and while the equipment was old, everything seemed to be clean. We saw the reviews and decided to get off of the interstate for a nice meal. We stopped on Sunday at 1 PM. The parking lot was ok but not large enough to equal the size of the multiple dining rooms. The restaurant was about 75% full. We were encouraged to order the brunch buffet. NOPE! We made a mistake. Most of the food was congealed or lukewarm. It did have a carving station and an omelette station. The roast was lukewarm but the omelette was very good. The plates were dirty. See the picture. The service was slow. This restaurant is not a designed to look like the 1950's. It hasn't changed since the 1950's. The ceiling was the 1 sq ft stapled ceiling tiles. The booths were tiny. See the picture. This restaurant has some loyal customers which tells me that they've been a good restaurant in the past. However, in my mid 50's, I was the youngest adult in the dining room. read more

The food & service were good but the waitress forgot our bread, when she finally brought it it was as cold & not very good, she said it had been frozen. read more

Food was ok, nothing spectacular, sister ordered steak with shrimp, she was under the impression it was fried shrimp, but it was actually sautéed shrimp in a sauce covering the steak. She pointed out to the waitress that this was not what she was expecting to which the waitress politely said "I'm sorry" , no solution , just sorry, it is what you ordered. Then when the bill came for a party of 4, it was $148.24, I gave my credit card and upon return I was charged $151.78.. I understand this is a charge for me using my credit card , and yes I saw it at the bottom of my receipt after I already paid. If the business owner is that greedy, maybe they should raise their prices a small % to cover this credit card fee and not pass it on to the consumer. I've owned my business for over 30 years, it's just petty , and took $5 out of the waitresses tip. Not likely to return unfortunately. read more

Just right off of I 55 on the classic route 66 is this place! It is a must to stop by! Old time dinner/supper club feel with soup and salad bar and a fantastic menu! Anything from fancy shrimp and steak to casual Rubens or cheeseburger! My husband got the famous pork tenderloin it was delicious my daughter got the Reuben with homemade potato chips! I got the prime rib sandwich with homemade mashed potatoes and gravy! But most of all save room for dessert!!!! Ridiculous choices! We finally decided on the Italian cream cake! Made with cream cheese frosting on top and between two huge thick pieces of cake dense with pecan and coconut! But looking at the choices I don't think you could've gone wrong!Hope you enjoy it as much as we did! We even bought a glass as a souvenir! read more

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Such a great iconic place to eat. Food is great. Service is outstanding. Reasonable pricing. A little step back in time. If you're traveling on I55 don't miss it read more

This place is very yummy and have been a part of the community for years. The staff is so friendly and very professional. My favorite is the salad bar & desserts. Give them a try read more

Simply incredible! We stopped in off the Interstate and didn't even realize it was off Route 66 and found this land mark location. The food was incredible. I highly recommend the prime rib sandwich! The service was excellent. Our server was Ashely, she was very friendly and prompt. Also extremely reasonable pricing. This goes into our list of regular stops when in the area. read more

The Ariston Cafe - American Near Me - Litchfield, Illinois

Fantastic food and service. Our food tasted delicious and all of the steaks we ordered were perfectly cooked. We had a family event there and with all of those orders they got everything right the first time. Those of us from Springfield agreed we will make the trip back to eat here soon. Well worth it for a great meal in a comfy atmosphere. read more

This was an unexpected gem we found while traveling to Springfield, IL. The word "cafe" is more upscale than you would imagine yet unpretentious and delicious. Our server was a professional. The food portions were perfect. Definitely go for the desserts when they walk around with the tray!! read more