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Ah... the history and romance associated Route 66, which was routed through Barstow, CA on Main Street until the Interstate made the old road obsolete. No worries, as all you have to do to enjoy great diner cuisine, and Route 66 ambiance is to exit the interstate, and drive on Main Street to Roy's Cafe, located in Barstow, CA. As with all of reviews that I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's Friday morning, May 26, 2023, and we've arrived at Roy's Cafe, located on East Main Street in Barstow, CA to enjoy one of the best breakfasts to be found in San Bernardino county. Roy's Cafe is located in downtown Barstow, on Main Street, which at one time was historic Route 66, which ran through the middle of town, heading west toward Los Angeles. Does the sign and logo at "Roy's" look familiar? If you're a history buff, you'll recall Roy's Cafe, located 75 miles east on historic Route 66 in Amboy, CA. Roy's Cafe Motel and Gas Station, located in Amboy is now simply a roadside attraction, as the restaurant, gas station and adjoining motel aren't in operation, but it's owned by the same people who own and operate Roy's Cafe in Barstow. Roy's Cafe Motel and Gas Station are another piece of Route 66 history, in the Mojave Desert.
Photo: The dining room is cheerfully decorated in a mixture of 1963 and 2023, and features lots of booths, each with a checkered tablecloth. There is lots of cheerful, natural lighting thanks to the many windows. The dining room is clean, quite spacious and very comfortable. You just have to love the tee shirt the gentleman to the left is wearing that reads, "Old dudes pick up all the chicks..."
Photo: Roy's Cafe is a sit-down diner, but if you choose, you can order at the counter, pay for your order, pick it up and go. Like many restaurants in 2023, Roy's does a brisk to-go business. As for me, I prefer to enjoy my meal in the comfortable dining room.
Photo: As you enter the restaurant, you're greeted by a friendly staff member who will invite you to sit at any open table of your choice. Roy's offers printed menus, but a few selections are posted above the window to the kitchen, including "Desayunos Mexicanos" - Mexican breakfasts - and the burger menu, including "The Heart Attack," which includes four meat patties, with the burger reposing on a mountain of fries. Oh my! Yes, I was thinking about giving it the "ol' college try" but I went for breakfast instead.
Photo: Roy's is serious about breakfast, as the breakfast menu is three pages of all your classic diner favorites, plus the Mexican selections listed above the window to the kitchen. This is the first page of the menu; click on the image of the menu to see the complete breakfast menu. ; Photo: From the kitchen, the talented chef gives a thumbs up, as friendly Iglesia picks up an order of "Machaca and Eggs," complete with Mexican rice and refried beans for another diner. The staff at Roy's Cafe is super friendly!
Photo: Meet Iglesia, our amazing friendly hostess, who brought our breakfast to us with a friendly smile. She was the only hostess working the dining room on this Friday morning, yet she treated us, and all of the other diners like rock stars, and even found time to answer a few questions.
Photo: Tom and I are happy diners, and pose with our breakfasts, as our super friendly hostess, Iglesia, snaps our photos, at my request.
Photo: From the "Pancakes" section of the menu, Tom went with "Three Pancakes, Two Eggs and Two Sausages." The "Pancake" section of the menu doesn't offer the options the "Breakfast" menu does, but you can order add-on's to your pancake, such as berries or chocolate chips - at a nominal extra cost - and you can order your eggs "your way." Tom went with scrambled eggs, and he had nothing but good things to say about his fine breakfast.
Photo: From the first page of the "Breakfast" menu, I went with "Ham Steak and Eggs," and "Mexican style rice and beans" along with a biscuit and gravy. This is true "comfort food" and the best breakfast EVER! The menu offers countless choices of sides to go with your main entree, including Mexican rice and beans, hash browns, fruit, tomatoes, cottage cheese, and every type of toast you can think of OR biscuit and gravy. Truly Roy's Cafe offers the best of everything! My entree of "Ham Steak" was a thick cut of ham, and the portion was HUGE, as it was most likely 6 ounces or so. It was grilled perfectly on the griddle, complete with grill marks and was juicy, tender and simply delicious. The chef at Roy's Cafe has talent! I ordered my eggs fried sunnyside up, and they arrived as ordered, fried perfectly with just a little brown around the edge, the way eggs should be. Once again, the talented chef nailed this one... The Mexican rice wasn't your "red" variety, as it was golden, with a perfect texture mix of slightly crunchy/soft, with lots of flavor, as I assume it must have cooked in chicken broth. It reminded me of rice that I've enjoyed during my countless trips to Mexico. The refried beans were simply amazing, as they were topped with Mexican shredded cheese and a few corn tortilla chips, and like the rice, they tasted like something you'd enjoy in Mexico. The rice and beans made for an amazing side dish. The biscuit was fresh, in-house baked, cut in half and covered with rich, flavorful country gravy, direct from Roy's kitchen. It was simply delicious! Who could ever order toast when you can enjoy Roy's biscuit and gravy? Words or photos can't describe the goodness of the breakfast I enjoyed at Roy's Cafe on this mid Friday morning. Talk about fine diner "comfort food!" Let me put it this way: You can't find a better breakfast anywhere or at any price than the breakfast you'll enjoy at Roy's Cafe!
Photo: "Ham Steak and Eggs," and "Mexican style rice and beans," up close and personal, showing all of the goodness. The thick ham steak was so tender that the knife was more for window dressing than anything else, as I simply cut the ham with my fork. This was simply an amazing breakfast! It's no wonder that "foodies" exit the Interstate and flock to Roy's Cafe, as they've taken a hint from Barstow locals that Roy's Cafe serves great Route 66-style diner cuisine, and the staff is as friendly as it gets. It's not simply nostalgia, it's great food! For outstanding classic diner "comfort food," served by friendly staff, pay a visit to Roy's Cafe, located in Barstow, CA. Roy's Cafe Copyright(c) 2023 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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