Bubbles and fizz and colorful bottles abound in the over 500 varieties of drinks offered at POPS. Flavors come in all hues of the rainbow, offering a beautiful (and tasty) array of choices. In addition, POPS has become a new icon on historic Route 66 having received much national television attention lately.

People have asked me about POPS so I thought it was time to check them out, especially since the Good Egg Dining Group (of Cheever’s Cafe and Iron Starr Barbecue) took over the restaurant. I was also curious just how far off I-35 I would have to travel.

I now have answers to many questions. Take your family five miles east of I-35 on Route 66 to the large pop bottle sculpture. You never know what sort of crowd you will encounter. On the day my daughter Mandy and I were there, there was a large group of motorcycle riders, a group from the Corps of Engineers, and parents with kids of all ages. Should you have to wait for a table as we did, be sure to peruse the variety of mouth-watering pop, or take your picture by the pop bottle sculpture. POPS offers breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings only. Sadly, we there on a weekday so we had to order from the lunch/dinner menu—no omelets or biscuits and gravy for us. Fortunately, there were many tastysounding items to choose from on the menu and our disappointment was soon forgotten.

On the lunch/dinner menu you can choose from specialty sandwiches like grilled PB&J ($3); the pop dog ($4.50) a 1/4 pound hot dog topped with mustard chow-chow, cheddar cheese, and tomatoes on a poppy seed bun; chili cheeseburger ($4.75) with cheddar cheese and chili on a toasted bun; or chicken fried steak ($8), a hand breaded top sirloin steak smothered in black pepper gravy served with fries and Texas toast. I like the sound of the steak “smothered” in black pepper gravy. Everything on the menu sounds mouth watering and filling.

POPS has a kids menu for your little ones to enjoy. A simple PB&J ($4.75) or grilled cheese ($4.25), chicken strips ($5.50) or cheeseburger ($5.50), all come with crinkle cut French fries, a tasty departure from those smooth-sided fast food fries your children might be more accustomed to seeing.

After watching several yummy looking plates go by, Mandy decided on the chicken melt sandwich ($5.50), which consisted of roasted chicken with grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles, melted provolone cheese and spicy mayo on a Kaiser bun. To accompany this, she ordered a side of crispy onion rings ($2.75). Her two-handed sandwich required a lot of napkins but the flavors made the mess worthwhile. The spicy mayo had a chipotle flavor and Mandy declared it very tasty.

I chose the prime burger ($8), which offers anything you could possibly want. You can build your burger with bacon, bleu cheese, grilled onions, jalapenos, sautéed mushrooms, green chilis, provolone cheese, jack cheese and American cheese. I chose bacon, grilled onions, jalapenos, lettuce, tomato, and American cheese with mayo. I had this with a side of the crinkle cut French fries ($1.75). This burger was about ½ pound; a thick and juicy patty. It is also a two-handed meal that requires extra napkins. The fries were hot and tender, crispy and soft, just the way I like them.

With no hope of finishing these meals, we had to get to-go boxes. I also selected an order of cobbler to take home and enjoy. On the day we visited, the seasonal cobbler ($4) was blackberry. I should have gotten a giant cookie ($3) too, but we were too full to think that clearly. At home, I heated the cobbler and it was tender and juicy,
generous enough for my husband and I to share.

If you need something cold and creamy, POPS offers sundaes, shakes and malts to soothe your craving. Add those to the varieties of pop and your choices seem
endless.

If inside dining is full and you don’t have time to wait there is outdoor, covered seating where you can turn your visit into a picnic. No matter how you decide to do it, POPS is a worthwhile stop.

POPS
660 W Hwy 66, Arcadia

Hours
Store: 6am-10pm
Restaurant: 10:30am-9pm daily
Breakfast Saturday-Sunday
6am-10:30am only
Prices $3-$8
Kids Menu: $2.50-$5.50

Annie Nashert has a husband and teenage daughter who assume everybody has homemade dessert nightly.