Route 66 is famous for its roadside Americana, but the best reason to slow down along the Mother Road might just be the BBQ.
The Mother Road and Its Food
Route 66 runs from Chicago to Santa Monica, cutting through eight states and a century of American roadside culture. The diners, drive-ins, and roadside stands along the route are part of the mythology — but the reality is that some of them are genuinely excellent, and BBQ is where the road delivers most consistently. From Oklahoma through Texas and into New Mexico, the smoke-and-slow tradition runs deep, and the best spots are rarely the ones with the biggest signs.
"Look for the places that have been there a long time, that don't need to advertise much, and that have a parking lot full of local trucks at lunchtime."
Finding the Good Stuff
The trick to finding great BBQ on Route 66 is the same as finding great BBQ anywhere: look for the places that have been there a long time, that don't need to advertise much, and that have a parking lot full of local trucks at lunchtime. The tourist-facing spots along the main drag are hit or miss. The places a few blocks off the highway, in neighborhoods that haven't been gentrified, are where the real cooking happens. Ask locals. Ask the person at the gas station. They know.
Worth Every Detour
One of the great pleasures of traveling Route 66 by RV is that you're not on a schedule. If you pass a BBQ joint that looks promising, you can pull over. If the smoke smells right from the parking lot, you go in. Some of the best meals of our trip came from exactly that kind of unplanned stop — a place we'd never heard of, in a town we'd never visited, that turned out to be exactly what we needed. That's Route 66 at its best.
