Route 66 doesn’t travel through Kansas very far, but along that short stretch is an old town called Baxter Springs. I’m going to do a separate post about Baxter Springs and the other hidden treasures it holds, but we had to mention a classic cafe we found called Weston’s. It unassumingly sits down the street from a business that Bonnie and Clyde robbed…twice. How’s that for history?
Weston’s is home to your classic American meals, and I’m only using this as a universal example, but think Waffle House. Hash browns, omelettes, biscuits and gravy, patty melts, and the like are all on the menu. By the time we made it to Weston’s, we were starving, so we literally had all of the above.
The food was good; it was simple, no frills, and straight to the point. The service was very good, though, and everyone made us feel welcome, and that’s really what stood out to us at Weston’s. When we arrived, we clearly were “not from ’round here.” We walked in and literally from the moment we stepped through the door, we could tell everyone in the restaurant knew each other despite it being packed. There was an initial hush of the hustle and bustle as we walked in, but then we were welcomed like old friends!
Our waitress was very friendly and talked with us for a moment about our adventures when she found out we were on a road trip. She also made sure the boys felt at home by hooking them up with some of the biggest pancakes we’ve ever seen. These flapjacks were absolutely humongous! The atmosphere was just cozy and relaxing, and after traveling as far as we had, it was a welcome respite. Everyone there just had a way of making us feel “at home.”
Of course, Weston’s embraces it’s Route 66 heritage with some neat vehicle themes (they had the coolest curtains….yes, curtains), but at it’s core it’s a welcoming cafe. There’s a reason this is where the locals come to eat, and if there’s any good travel tip to be had here, it’s “go where the locals go.” We were lucky to find this one, because our plan had actually been to go somewhere further down Route 66, but we spent so much time in Baxter Springs that we figured we might as well eat there, too. We’re definitely glad we stuck around and got welcomed into Weston’s; it was definitely a wonderful surprise in a town full of wonderful surprises. Route 66 did not fail to impress!
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