The restaurants in Holbrook, AZ, are mostly small, family-run places along Navajo Boulevard and Hopi Drive, the two old Route 66 stretches through town. Mexican food is on almost every block, and you’ll also find Texas-style brisket, Chicago dogs, a steakhouse and a soda fountain that opens only on Wednesdays.
We live here, so this guide covers every sit-down spot worth your time. It also covers what’s open on a Sunday and where to grab dinner after a day at Petrified Forest.
The Best Restaurants in Holbrook, by Craving
Holbrook doesn’t have a food district, so it helps to know what you’re hungry for before you start driving.
Most places sit within a few minutes of each other, though. So you really can’t pick wrong on location.
Mexican Restaurants in Holbrook
Mexican food is the backbone of eating in Holbrook. In fact, you could eat it for every meal and still not hit every kitchen in town.
Romo’s Restaurant at 121 W Hopi Drive is the one people ask about first. The Romo family has run it for more than half a century, and Arizona Highways gave it a full write-up for its green chile.
That green chile shows up on everything from enchiladas to burgers.
The building itself started out as a Standard Oil station in 1931. Later it held the town’s light, water and fire departments, then a bakery, before the Romos turned it into a restaurant.
El Rancho Restaurant, at 867 Navajo Blvd, serves Southwestern plates and classic Mexican dishes. Recent visitors keep mentioning the margaritas, which are good and inexpensive.
Mr. Maestas, at 502 Navajo Blvd, does hearty Mexican and American plates, including the Navajo taco. There are antiques on display that you can browse on your way out.
Its hours have been a little unpredictable, so call ahead before a breakfast run.
For a quick drive-through burrito, Aliberto’s is family-owned and sits at 1440 Navajo Blvd.
Barbecue and a Classic Steakhouse
Big Fella’s BBQ at 752 Navajo Blvd is real Texas-style smoked barbecue, and the brisket is the reason to go. Regulars also rave about the pulled pork, the baked mac and cheese and the homemade peach cobbler.
There’s a pool table inside, so it’s an easy place to settle in with a group. Just know that the brisket can sell out, so go earlier in the day.
For a sit-down steak, Butterfield Stage Co. Steak House at 609 W Hopi Drive has served beef to locals and Route 66 travelers since the 1970s. The menu covers porterhouse, T-bone, New York strip and prime rib.
Reviewers often mention the salad bar, too. The dining room has dark wood booths and an Old West saloon feel, and it opens at 4 p.m.
Pizza and Italian Food
Mesa Italiana, at 2318 Navajo Blvd, has been Holbrook’s go-to Italian restaurant for years. The kitchen works the dough by hand and makes the sauce in house, and regulars call the crust some of the best around.
Beyond pizza, there’s manicotti, chicken piccata, cacciatore and rotating shrimp pasta specials. Portions are big, so you’ll probably leave with a box.
Dinner runs every night from 4 to 9 p.m., and the kitchen also opens for lunch Tuesday through Friday.
It’s also one of the better date-night spots in town. One quirk, though, is that you walk in through the sports bar entrance. A second door then takes you into the quieter restaurant side.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Under One Roof
Bienvenidos, at 2600 Navajo Blvd, is the big all-day family restaurant in town. It opens at 7 a.m. every day and serves breakfast until 11, then lunch and dinner until 9 p.m.
The menu runs from huevos rancheros to hand-cut ribeyes and a full page of Mexican specialties. If you can’t decide, reviewers rave most about the slow-smoked brisket.
It also has gluten-free options, along with beer and wine. That makes it the easiest pick for a mixed group that can’t agree on anything.
Route 66 Classics
Colonel Mustard Hot Dogs, at 459 N Navajo Blvd, is a retro diner inside a restored 1958 Richfield service station. The signature is a Vienna Beef dog on a poppyseed bun, dressed the Chicago way and never with ketchup.
There’s also Italian beef, a Reuben, gyros and chili cheese fries. Outside, the covered patio sits where the station’s gas pumps stood, and those vintage pumps are still there.
Wayside Soda Shop, at 1150 W Hopi Drive, is an old-fashioned soda fountain on the old Route 66 alignment. It’s only open on Wednesdays, which is part of the fun.
Regulars call the green chili burger the best in town. Order a hand-mixed cherry limeade with it, and call first, since the hours can change.
Coffee, Breakfast and Something Sweet
Studio 66 Cafe at 2226 Navajo Blvd is the morning headquarters for a lot of locals. The drive-through opens at 5:30 a.m. on weekdays, which is perfect before a sunrise drive to the park.
Inside, there’s a fireplace, free Wi-Fi and a bakery case that changes all the time. Think giant cinnamon rolls, muffins, lemon bars and handmade egg and cheese biscuits.
Route Sixty Sips, at 466 Navajo Blvd, is the newest coffee stop in town. Every drink has a Mother Road name, like the Throttle Pop or the Speed Trap Spark.
The menu stretches from lattes to dirty sodas and lotus energy drinks.
Camaleon Cafe, at 2102 Navajo Blvd, is a diner with Mexican and American breakfasts. Meanwhile, Bijou Bowls makes acai bowls and smoothies, and every dollar goes back to the Bijou Teen Center.
Something You Won’t Expect
Swaad Stop, at 1851 State Highway 77, serves Indian food right next to a truck stop. It surprises a lot of travelers, and reviewers single out the butter chicken and the naan.
Mandarin Beauty, at 2218 Navajo Blvd, is the local Chinese restaurant.
Then there’s Arizona Sake, a one-man brewery whose junmai ginjo won gold in 2018 as the best sake brewed outside Japan. Brewer Atsuo Sakurai works out of a space barely bigger than a closet.
It’s by appointment only, so call or text ahead to set up a tasting.
What’s Open When?
Hours are where most people get tripped up in a small town. Several kitchens close on Sunday or Monday, and a couple open only a few days a week.
So here’s the week at a glance for the local spots we keep tabs on. Hours do change, so check before you make a special trip.
Which Holbrook Restaurants Are Open on Sunday?
Sunday is the hardest day to find restaurants open in Holbrook. Of the local places we track, Bienvenidos and Mesa Italiana open every day.
Route Sixty Sips also opens at 10 a.m. on weekends.
Studio 66, Colonel Mustard and Big Fella’s are all closed on Sunday. If you strike out, the chains near the interstate are your fallback.
Dinner After the Park Closes
Petrified Forest’s park road is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. all year. According to the Park Service, the only food inside is the Painted Desert Diner by the north visitor center, plus snacks at Rainbow Forest.
So most people roll into town hungry around 5:30.
Holbrook sits 19 miles from the south entrance and about 25 miles from the north entrance. Either way, it’s a short drive to dinner.
Bienvenidos, Mesa Italiana and Butterfield are all good bets for that window. Big Fella’s also stays open until 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.
Our Petrified Forest guide can help you plan the day around that 5 p.m. gate.
Breakfast Before You Go
If you want to be at the gate when it opens, grab coffee and a pastry at the Studio 66 drive-through. For a sit-down breakfast, Bienvenidos opens at 7 a.m. every day.
Camaleon Cafe is another breakfast option. Either way, eat in town and pack snacks, because food inside the park is limited.
Good to Know Before You Eat
A few questions come up again and again, especially from families and road-trippers. Here are the quick answers.
Cheap Eats and Family Meals
Most local restaurants in Holbrook land in the $10 to $20 range per person. Mesa Italiana and Butterfield run a little higher.
For families, Bienvenidos has the biggest menu, and Colonel Mustard is an easy win with kids.
Bijou Bowls makes a fun afternoon treat as well. Keep in mind it’s open only Monday through Thursday, from 3:30 to 7 p.m.
Dog-Friendly Restaurants in Holbrook
Colonel Mustard’s covered patio is fenced and pet friendly, so it’s the best bet if your dog is riding along. Plus, the patio sits right on Route 66.
Otherwise, most places don’t have outdoor seating, so plan on takeout and a picnic. Hunt Park and Lisitzky Park both have grass and covered seating.
Fast Food Restaurants in Holbrook
The chain restaurants in Holbrook cluster near the I-40 exits. You’ll find Carl’s Jr., McDonald’s, Burger King, Dairy Queen, Pizza Hut and Popeyes.
There’s a fun bit of history hiding in one of them, too.
Little Caesars sits in the building where Gilbert Scorse moved his Green Lantern cafe in 1943. Route 66 had shifted a block north, and business had dried up at his old spot.
Restaurants Near the Wigwam Motel
Several Holbrook restaurants are an easy walk or a short drive from the Wigwam. Butterfield is just a couple of blocks east on Hopi Drive.
Romo’s and Wayside Soda Shop are on Hopi Drive as well. Our list of the best places to stay in Holbrook shows where each motel sits in town.
New Restaurants in Holbrook
Big Fella’s BBQ is one of the newest restaurants in Holbrook, and it opened in late 2025. It quickly became a local favorite.
Route Sixty Sips is the newest coffee stop. Both sit right on the Route 66 stretch of Navajo Boulevard.
A Short History of Holbrook Restaurants
Holbrook restaurants have been feeding travelers since the railroad arrived. As early as 1884, Fred Harvey set up a restaurant in five old boxcars beside the first depot.
The boxcars wore peeling green paint, but the tables inside had Irish linen, English silver and crystal.
Around 1900, the railroad moved the boxcars to Winslow. Later, once Route 66 came through, cafes, coffee shops and steakhouses lined the highway.
Campbell’s Coffeehouse became famous for its Son-of-a-Gun Stew, and even Barry Goldwater stopped in for a bowl.
The 1928 building that held its second location still stands on Navajo Blvd. You can find it on our historic walking tour map.
Is Joe & Aggie’s Cafe Still Open?
No. Joe & Aggie’s, the pink Route 66 cafe on Hopi Drive, opened in 1943 and closed for good in 2020, when the pandemic hit.
Route 66 News pieced together what happened a year later. The building still stands right next door to Romo’s, and it’s still a popular photo stop.
If you want that same old-school Route 66 lunch, Romo’s and Wayside Soda Shop are your best bets.
So Where Should You Eat?
If you only have one meal in Holbrook, make it Mexican food at Romo’s or brisket at Big Fella’s. With two or three meals, add pizza at Mesa Italiana and a Chicago dog at Colonel Mustard.
On a Wednesday, don’t skip the green chili burger at Wayside. And whatever day it is, start the morning with a cinnamon roll from Studio 66.
There’s plenty more to do between meals, like our favorite Route 66 stops across Arizona. Then tell us your dates, and our free trip planner will build your stay around the places you want to eat.
Photo credits: Romo’s and Joe & Aggie’s by Matt Kieffer (CC BY-SA 2.0). Joe & Aggie’s in 2008 by Richie Diesterheft (CC BY 2.0). Vintage postcard courtesy of the Newberry Library (public domain).
