While staying in Litchfield IL on our 50 state road trip, we went for dinner at The Ariston Cafe, a restaurant that was a short distance from our hotel. We’d had a few people recommend eating there, so we were looking forward to checking it out.
The Ariston Cafe is an almost 100 year old restaurant that’s found on historic Route 66. We’d assumed it was going to be cafe/diner-style, but it ended up being more of a family-style restaurant.
A Litchfield local we’d gotten chatting to had recommended that we get there before 6:30pm as otherwise the line might be out the door. We arrived at 5:30pm and it was already getting pretty busy.
There were a few seats at the counter, along with several other tables in that section. There appeared to be a second section of the restaurant with additional seating behind the counter, but we didn’t head back there.
I was happy for us to sit on this side though, as that’s where the soup and salad bar is located which meant not having to walk far to fill up my plate.
I’d taken a look at their menu online before arriving, but still hadn’t decided what to eat by the time we sat down. Here’s what the The Ariston Cafe menu looks like:
I decided to just have water to drink, but Shae’s eyes fell on their cocktail menu and the mysteriously named Ice cream Drinks. She checked with a server who explained that they only had one Ice Cream Drink at the time called a Grasshopper.
The Grasshopper contained crème de menthe and crème de cacao, so that sold it for Shae. She enjoyed her Grasshopper; I tried some of it too and it tasted pretty good.
I finally made up my mind about what to eat and ordered the Iceland cod, asking for it to be broiled rather than fried. As for my side, I was curious about the difference between the fries and American fries, so our server explained that the fries were crinkle-cut fries, while the American fries were slices of fried potato. Figuring that American fries aren’t usually something served at other restaurants, I went for those.
My entree included the soup and salad bar, so our server brought over a plate for the salad (bowls are by the soups). There were two soups of the day – cabbage and vegetable. I tried the vegetable soup which was pretty good and included cabbage, so I didn’t bother trying the cabbage soup.
I also had a plate of salad (and then a second). There was a fairly good selection of options at the salad bar and included several pasta salads, potato salad, toppings and dressings.
Shae had ordered the prime rib of beef sandwich as our server said that was their classic. That came with a side option, so she chose the regular fries. Her sandwich didn’t come with the soup and salad bar unless she wanted to add $4.99, so she wasn’t interested in doing that. Bread and butter was provided for the table though.
By the time I was finished with my second plate of salad, our meals arrived.
Both the cod and American fries were pretty good, although both needed a little seasoning and so I added some salt and pepper.
Shae liked her prime rib of beef sandwich – the beef was tender and was a thick cut (see the side-on view photo below).
One of the people who recommended The Ariston Cafe mentioned that we had to get dessert there. I could see why when they brought out the tray.
The portion sizes were massive and there were so many enticing options. Being British, I was especially tempted by the sticky toffee pudding. However, I was already pretty full having had two bowls of soup, two plates of salad, bread, fish and American fries.
I ended up choosing the banana cream pie as it looked like a lighter option. It was a good choice as it was indeed lighter and was a good end to the meal. That said, I couldn’t even eat half of it, so took the rest to go.
Shae is a strictly chocolate-only dessert person, so she had two desserts to choose from. She ended up getting the chocolate cream pie which was excellent – I probably should’ve gotten that too. Similar to me, she couldn’t eat all her dessert so she took the rest back to our hotel as well.
Final Thoughts
We enjoyed our meal at the The Ariston Cafe – it had good food and it was fun eating at a restaurant on Route 66 that’s almost 100 years old.
Our bill was $47.59 before tip. That’s a little more than we normally pay when eating out, although I think The Ariston Cafe still gave good value for that cost. The $47.59 included an alcoholic beverage, bread, two meals with sides, unlimited soup and salad bar for me, as well as two large dessert portions.
If you’ll be traveling along Route 66 in southwest Illinois, be sure to stop for lunch or dinner at The Ariston Cafe.
Our Rating
Food = 4.3 / 5
Price = 4.3 / 5
Atmosphere = 4.3 / 5
Decor = 4.1 / 5
Service = 4.0 / 5
Total = 4.2 / 5
Address
The Ariston Cafe, 413 Old Rte 66 N, Litchfield, IL 62056
As a member of the new ownership here at the Ariston Cafe, I wanted to thank you for checking us out. We are a little off the beaten path, the path where the chain’s tend to be built on top of each other. Even though I’m new here, I’ve been coached well by the past ownership who’s family started this restaurant in 1924. We work hard to provide great food and drink, but also a great experience. It’s the feeling off stepping back in time; the good old days. We’re honored to keep the Adam family traditions alive and well here at the Ariston. Thank you again so much for coming in. I hope our paths meet again. Safe travels.
Thanks! Someone we got chatting to at the Route 66 museum across the road mentioned how happy they were that the restaurant would be staying open and that people with experience had taken over 🙂