Grand Canyon Cafe (Gone)
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey

The Grand Canyon Cafe in Flagstaff, Arizona, is famous for its Chop Suey among other dishes. Playing off the name of the big ol' canyon to the north, this legendary roadside institution is located right along Route 66 (110 E. Route 66, historically 110 E. Santa Fe Avenue) directly across from the historic Santa Fe railroad depot in downtown Flagstaff.

View from the right
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Opening its doors on December 18, 1942, in the midst of World War II, the diner quickly became an essential 24-hour haven for cross-country Mother Road travelers, weary train crews, local sawmill hands, and Northern Arizona University students looking for a hot meal and a cup of coffee.

In 1945, Chinese immigrant brothers Albert, Edward, and Alfred Wong, along with partner Bill Yee, purchased the cafe, launching a remarkable 71-year family legacy in the exact same brick storefront. Under the Wong family's stewardship, the Grand Canyon Cafe earned international fame for its uniquely harmonious, dual-concept comfort menu.

Grand Canyon Cafe
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo courtesy M.C. Morrissey

Long before the term "fusion cuisine" became trendy, hungry highway travelers could sit side-by-side ordering hearty American staples like chicken-fried steak, thick milkshakes, and grilled ham steaks right alongside authentic Cantonese favorites like chicken and vegetable chop suey, sweet and sour pork, and egg rolls. By 1980, Albert's son, Fred "Freddy" Wong, and his wife Tina took the helm, working grueling 15-hour daily shifts where Freddy manned the grill for classic diner breakfasts and burgers while Tina curated the scratch-made Chinese specialties.

Grand Canyon Cafe marquee
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

During the mid-1950s, the cafe underwent a stylish remodel that cemented its place as a mid-century roadside icon. The building was updated with distinctive, curved "bubble-out" display windows facing the Route 66 traffic flow, while the interior was outfitted with a long Formica lunch counter, chrome-trimmed swivel stools, cozy upholstered vinyl booths, and individual coin-operated tabletop Seeburg jukeboxes at every table where diners could flip through classic rock 'n' roll and country hits for a dime.

In 2016, after more than seven uninterrupted decades of welcoming travelers, the Wong family decided to retire and sold the turnkey establishment to a group of local Flagstaff restaurateurs. The new ownership group launched a painstaking renovation to upgrade the vintage plumbing, modernize the kitchen, and ensure full ADA accessibility while carefully preserving the historic front neon script, retro booths, and mid-century aesthetic. The revived cafe reopened with great fanfare in June 2017; however, a severe regional winter drought that stalled ski tourism, surging operational overhead, and mixed community reactions to updated takes on legacy family recipes forced the venue to permanently shutter its doors in May 2018.

View from the right
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

UPDATE: The cafe which had been around for over 70 years closed in May 2018 after undergoing renovations and reopening in summer 2017. The building is now home to a butcher shop called Proper Meats and Provisions. 05-20

UPDATE: Today, the historic 1942 brick building has been adaptively reused as Proper Meats + Provisions, an upscale craft butcher shop and artisanal deli. While the clatter of porcelain coffee mugs and the aroma of sizzling chop suey have faded from the downtown streetscape, the building's exterior script remains, standing as an enduring tribute to the Wong family's seventy-plus years of hospitality along Route 66. 08-26

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Horse Shoe Cafe
Benson, AZ
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

The Horse Shoe Cafe in Benson, AZ, features an eye-catching, horseshoe-shaped neon sign standing proudly along East 4th Street (historic U.S. Route 80). As for the sign's design, local cowboy lore says the horseshoe is purposely positioned upright in a distinct "U" shape so the good luck doesn't spill out—and based on its long-running success, the meals here have certainly proven to be dead ringers for hungry travelers and locals alike!

Originally opening its doors in 1936, the eatery holds the proud distinction of being the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Benson. Over the decades, it has served as the undisputed social crossroads of the San Pedro Valley, welcoming cattle ranchers, miners, highway travelers on the "Broadway of America," and modern road-trippers heading down to Tombstone or Kartchner Caverns.

Horse Shoe Cafe
Benson, AZ
Photo courtesy Larry Glass

Outside, the venue's towering vertical neon marquee is a genuine treasure for roadside enthusiasts. Neon historians celebrate the sign not only for its glowing horseshoe border, but for its detailed neon horse silhouette in the center—a rare example of an intricate animated element that extends right past the structural edge of the main metal cabinet. Inside, the rustic dining room is packed with authentic Western heritage, featuring wooden pillars and heavy support beams where local ranching families historically burned their actual registered cattle brands directly into the timber.

Beyond its hearty chicken-fried steaks, burgers, and scratch-made pies, the building is also regionally famous for its friendly paranormal lore. Staff and regular patrons often recount tales of "the upstairs tenant"—the gentle, residual spirit of a woman who resided on the second floor decades ago, occasionally making her presence known through the faint creak of upstairs footsteps or a fleeting scent of vintage floral perfume.

After being lovingly stewarded for 22 years by longtime owners Mike and Patty Colombo, the historic landmark was purchased in July 2023 by local resident Rob Hagmann. Streamlining the name to simply "The Horseshoe," the new ownership modernized the back-of-house operations while keeping the classic recipes, rustic branding, and longtime waitstaff intact.

Horse Shoe Cafe
Benson, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

UPDATE : Here's another shot of the Horse Shoe Cafe, this view showing off the horse image on the wall of the building. Word is the cafe is "closed for good" as of July 2008 (see below, the cafe is "open"). With this news, another of Arizona's roadside institutions will disappear into the desert. 04-09

UPDATE : Stopped by the Horse Shoe Cafe in July 2010 and the place was open and busy. 09-10

UPDATE : Here's another shot of the cafe from 1998 with some satisfied patrons leaving the the restaurant. 06-23

UPDATE: Today, The Horse Shoe remains wide open and rolling strong along Benson's historic highway strip. Its iconic vintage neon marquee continues to blaze brightly after dark, serving up classic Western comfort food and holding onto that good roadside luck just as it has since 1936. 08-26