Fine Dining on Route 66 - Ariston Cafe - Litchfield, Illinois, USA.
N 39° 10.650 W 089° 40.000
16S E 269649 N 4339861
The Historic Marker features - The Ariston Café - Which has been in continuous operation since 1924, alongside 3 different alignments of the Mother Road. located in small Route 66 Town of Litchfield, Illinois.
Waymark Code: WMTCND
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 11/02/2016
Views: 5
The Ariston Café from - Arito = “best or finest” (Greek)
From the Illinois Route 66 Website:
"Opened in 1924 by Pete Adam, the Ariston is one of the oldest operating restaurants on Route 66. But it wasn’t always located in Litchfield. The restaurant moved with the highway as it was rerouted through Illinois. Three generations later, the Adam’s family continues to offer fine dining for highway travelers.
Famous diners include Vice Presidents Henry Wallace (shown above in the middle) and Hubert Humphrey, and the legendary Big Band leader, Tommy Dorsey.
“First Booth on the Left”
In 1938, delivery man Jesse Anderson always timed his lunch break to stop at the Ariston and sit at the same booth. He was smitten with his waitress.
"There in the first booth on the left, a very nervous Jesse Anderson took my hand across the table and asked me if I would do him the honor of marrying him... and of course I said yes!” - Waitress, Mattie Stogsdill Anderson." Text Source: (
visit link)
Visit Instructions:To log your visit please include the following:
- A picture of the marker. Including yourself in the picture would be nice but not required.
- Tell about your experience, thoughts, knowledge of the site or anything else you feel you want to share about your visit.
Reminder: In Waymarking, it is not bad etiquette to log your own Waymark. Please feel free log a visit for any marker you submit.