There are diners not lean onYelp . barbeque joints never included inbig " best of " list . Mom - and - pop articulation so far under the microwave radar , they ’ve never even been visited by anthropomorphized bowling shirtGuy Fieri .
These are the roadside eatery you find by experience , only live by the in high spirits priests of the highway , the kings of ill-tempered - country travelling , the swell who sometimes honk when you do that universal honking gesture thing : truckers . They determine their spots the old - school agency – by word of sass , no screens at all – just as humans did for decade before the dawn of the internet . We enlisted a trio of professional tractor - trailer drivers to dunk into their unambiguously specialized knowledge of Americana , and extradite ( get it ? ! ) a convoy ( get it ? ! ) of hidden gems .
Blue Springs Cafe
" This one is just off I-70 , east of St. Louis , and it ’s a in effect one , there ’s always at least four or five trucks eating here , " enounce Jerry Whittenburg , of El Paso , Arkansas . He ’s been driving a truck across America ’s heartland since 1973 for theArkansas Trucking Association , has racked up more than 4 million miles , and speaks with a stretched - out Southern nasal twang that ’s quite skillful , actually . “They have with child hamburger steak , poulet breast , fried veggie , all that stuff . But the tangible draw here is the foot - high meringue they have on their PIE . It really is a animal foot high , too , " he said . " I ordered one once , and it was more than I could eat . "
Keystone Restaurant and Truck Stop
" We have this truck stop over with a really fine dining car in it , it ’s what I would call classic country cooking , " said " Dale " ( Dale did n’t desire his full name or location print because " he did n’t want the problem " – which is pretty much the most trucker affair ever , so it ’s cool ) . Dale has been driving trucks up and down the East Coast for almost 50 years , and recently withdraw . “It ’s a existent rural Pennsylvania - expressive style kitchen – with some of the ripe testicle and 1st Baron Verulam I ’ve ever had , and I ’ve had a fate of bacon and nut . They have thickly - cut French Roger Fry that I love , they ’ll throw those on there if you ask them . The only trouble is this place gets packed on the weekends . Weekdays , you should be OK.“Classic trucker . Less crowds . More French fries .
Roadside Diner
" New Jersey is bonk for its dining compartment , right-hand ? Well , this one in particular is pretty well known , I think , " say Dale . " For trucks , the parking caboodle wo n’t work , so I ’ve enjoyed this place mostly on my own , and not while I ’m on an genuine trial . “For me , this is what diner - intellectual nourishment should be . There ’s no frills or anything . It ’s the perfect short diner , it really looks the part . Pancakes , sandwiches , whatever . And obviously , like any Jersey fleck worth its salt – they have some groovy porc roll . This is a spot that always gravel in my mind . You always know what you are going to get , there ’s something special in that . "
Gas Grill Family Restaurant
" A little mama - and - pop workshop – it ’s hooked to a place for truckers to lavish and houseclean up , but it ’s a great eatery on the side that just realise some excellent hamburger steaks , fried chicken with mashed potatoes , bloodless bean , and patty melts , " said Whittenburg . “The last fourth dimension I was in there , I got ham , eggs , hash browns , and a cup of coffee for $ 8.50 . It ’s cheap , crummy , tacky , which I can certainly appreciate , having to eat out so much on the road . "
Big Boy’s Bar-B-Que
" It has room for about 20 hand truck to park out there , so that ’s beneficial , but oh boy , this is just a small shack . A little hole in the wall , " Whittenburg said . “Their barbecue is just stupendous – they have BBQ sandwich , ribs , but what I like is the rib - eye . It ’s so tender , you really do n’t even need a tongue , you could trend up and eat it just with a fork . I have a go at it this place , it ’s the kind of place you only find just by being on the road for so long . "
Hungry House Cafe
" This one ’s off I-44 , I know the guy that built it 15 or 20 years ago . you could get almost anything you require here , so it ’s a salutary name . Pizza , hamburger , breakfast . Whatever , " said Whittenburg .“It ’s open early , about 6 am , and stay open till 9 atomic number 61 . When I ’m on the road , I seek to eat at places like this , and not just Subway or other fast food . I seek to ascertain my weightiness , that ’s a big job out here when you are drive all solar day long . So it ’s secure to amalgamate it up and make certain you are suffer something close to home cooking whenever you may . "
Wagon Wheel Restaurant
" Right across the delimitation from Arizona , this one is just barely in California , " Whittenburg said , " but here you ’ve got a lilliputian bit of Mexican food for thought , and a lilliputian piece of the Midwest , too . you’re able to place what you want , good variety . “It ’s also a really dainty place just to sit down down and relax . They always have the ball game on , or NASCAR . I have n’t been there in about three year , but I have a friend that goes there a lot , and he recite me it ’s still a practiced place . And I trust him . You all should , too . "
Southfork Truck Stop and Restaurant
" You ’ve got two elderly ladies in the kitchen here at this place , " Whittenburg said , " Good rural area cooking , good old - timey cooking , too , flop off exit 63.“Great burger steak , good chicken - fried streak . Oh ! They have really great biscuits and windfall , too . I do it this is n’t what you would really call health food , but I think eating like this is healthy , too , you sleep with ? Nice abode preparation by nice people . "
Red River Steakhouse
" I have a really honest one , mightily off old Route 66 , " said Otto Schmeckenbecher , a truck driver with 30 - plus years of experience , living in the Little Rock , Arkansas country . " They have great salad , burgers , steak , siluriform fish , ribs , and all the fixings to go with it . you could polish off it off with homemade deep-dish pie . “The people are always favorable and beaming to have you there . I ’ve eaten there several times , never had a sorry meal . The interior decoration go the steakhouse , and on Saturday nights they have live medicine . Just a genuine in effect place to stop and eat and enjoy yourself . hand truck parking useable , too . "
Jette Store
" I like to go out and patronage local stage business when I ’m driving . This is one I found on the recommendation of a friend . It ’s a bantam little contraption store that ’s really in the middle of nowhere , but they have a grille in the back and cook up some good food , if you require it , " said Dale . “I sleep together they make hot cinnamon bun , Warren Burger , hot sandwiches ; the people there are a little gruff , but nice overall . This is the sort of local business I strain to go to , whether I ’m working or not . They are almost always good than chains or fast food . If you may find the proper places , of course . "
Silver Moon
" Well , I have to say , this is some of the fine Mexican solid food I ’ve live out on the road , " said Whittenburg . " It ’s a pretty popular plaza . They have it all : beef tacos , cheese fall , salsa , fajitas . But the big matter is that it ’s all season so well , especially if you care hot stuff . “Out in the Southwest , on runs to California , I always test to get my fill of swell Mexican intellectual nourishment . I do n’t think this is word , but out west the Mexican food is just a fiddling chip better , always . And this is some of the good , in my ruling . "
The Georgia Pig
" OK – this was a fabled hitch off of I-95 in Brunswick , Georgia for many , many eld . It closed down about four or five years ago , but since thenthe original owners have opened up a new spotin Ft . Lauderdale , " Dale say . “I’ve had barbecue all over the South , all over the country . It does n’t get more real than these guys . I ’m fond to the pork , this being the Georgia Pig , after all . But , there ’s something for everyone . Unless you are a vegetarian . Then you ’re better off staying off . Even though their coleslaw is reasonably good , too . "
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Daniel Fishel/Thrillist
