A century of feeding travelers.
Litchfield learned hospitality the old-fashioned way — by feeding everyone who came down the road. For a hundred years, that road was Route 66.
You can eat at both legends tonight.
The town’s two most famous kitchens have been at it nearly a century: the Ariston Café has served travelers continuously since 1935, and Jubelt’s has been baking since 1922. That’s not a marketing story. Both are open.
But Litchfield’s dining scene runs deeper than its landmarks. For a town its size you can eat remarkably well and remarkably widely — hand-cut steaks, Chicago-style stuffed pizza, Mexican, Chinese and sushi, Japanese hibachi, barbecue, classic diner breakfasts, and hand-dipped milkshakes — most of it locally owned, and much of it within a few blocks of the old route.
Two kitchens that never closed.
The Ariston Café
The oldest continuously operating restaurant on all of Route 66 — serving since 1935, inducted into the Route 66 Hall of Fame and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. White-tablecloth casual elegance from the days of the Model T, still going strong.
More on Route 66 →Jubelt’s Bakery & Restaurant
A third-generation family bakery founded in 1922, in Litchfield since 1952 and on Route 66 since 1982. From-scratch donuts, pies and pastries up front; diner classics, all-day breakfast and hand-dipped shakes in the dining room.
See the listing →Breakfast to last call.
Breakfast & coffee
Litchfield takes mornings seriously. Coffee pours from 6 a.m. for farmers, regulars and road-trippers alike, and downtown brings a proper espresso bar — one of them inside a renovated 1920s doctor’s office.
Steaks, taverns & comfort food
Sirloin tips, homemade bread on every table, a cafeteria-style buffet on one side and a full bar on the other. A Litchfield institution since 1983, two blocks off the old route and easy in, easy out from I-55.
Pizza & Italian
Chicago’s original stuffed pizza, 200 miles downstate — with a gluten-free crust travelers actually praise. And a hometown pizzeria that’s been in the same family since 1972, recipes unchanged.
Around the world on Route 16
Mexican, American-Chinese, Japanese hibachi and sushi, and Memphis-style barbecue downtown. You can eat a different cuisine every night of a week-long stay — in a town of 6,800.
A drink downtown
Craft taps under vintage tin ceilings, old wooden bars, and casual bistro plates with every game on the screens. The local’s local — where visitors get welcomed like they’ve been coming for years.
Dinner and a movie
In summer, the correct Litchfield evening is dinner at any of the above, followed by the concession stand at the Sky View Drive-In. Popcorn under the stars at the last original drive-in on Illinois Route 66 counts as dining — and we’ll defend that position.
Find the Sky View →Restaurants in Litchfield.
Every place to eat in our directory — tap a card for hours, directions and contact. Our dining listings are growing week by week.
Ariston Café
The Oldest Dining Legend on the Mother Road To dine at The Ariston Café is to take a seat at the table of history. Widely recognized as the oldest continuously operated restaurant on all of Route 66, this Litchfield landmark has been serving travelers since the days of the Model T. A Century of HospitalityThe story begins in 1924,…
Breakfast, lunch and dinner, on the route.
The AI Weekend Planner arranges your stops with meals at meal times and real drive times between them — so you’re never hungry in the wrong part of town.
Build my weekend →More of Litchfield.
Historic Route 66
The oldest café on the route, the last original drive-in, and a neon sign that never came down.
Drive the road → Work up an appetiteThings to Do
The lake, the trails, the beach and the conservation area.
Find something to do → Stay a whileHotels & Lodging
Hotels off I-55, plus cabins and camping at Lake Lou Yaeger.
Find a room →