Happy Foodie Friday y’all!

A few weeks back as we traveled out to Missouri to see Bradley, we left plenty of time in our schedule for dawdling and meandering the back roads. Now traveling through the Ozark Mountains was beautiful, but as soon as it was possible we hopped over to travel the historic Route 66 for a little time travel.

We passed old signage and motels and roadside parks; remnants of an era that has been pushed aside in the name of progress, but we also passed trough towns where folks are trying to preserve this historic highway.

Family owned and operated The FourWay is a former filling station on the Mother Road that has been turned into a local and absolutely delightful diner.

I’ll get to the food in a minute, but we must talk history first!

First built in 1932, the Phillips 66 station owned by Paul T Carr was in the ideal location right on Route 66 as people traveled from Chicago towards Cali. It would have been a full-service station back in the day where attendants would pump your gas, wash the windows and even grab you a map if you asked.

Via Google Images

A whole different experience than we have now.

After Mr Carr passed in the mid-1960’s, the station was bought by the Wallis family and turned into a Mobil gas station and the offices for their new oil company venture. The Wallis family outgrew the little filling station and it sat empty for a while after a brief stint as a bakery. In 2005 with the help of a preservation grant for Route 66 history and using resources from the archives of Phillips 66 oil company, the outside of the building was restored to its original cottage appearance. Despite the renovation It sat empty until 2015, when an interior restoration was started. This time the historic gas station became the home of The FourWay Restaurant; a Mediterranean themed restaurant with a Missouri twist owned by restaurant veteran, Joanie Weir.

We arrived to this cozy spot for a late lunch and a quiet restaurant, which is perfect when you’re wanting to pull your camera out at lunch and don’t want to feel judged. It was a weekday and 2:00 pm, so I didn’t expect a crowd. Our waitress was sweet as could be and seated us by the window where we could enjoy the gorgeous day while we dined.

We started off our meal with the FourWay Fries… steak fries topped with feta, tzatziki and a house made hot sauce. Sounds weird, but it was just delicious!

Since it was just lunchtime, and we still had traveling to do, we didn’t get too crazy with ordering.

Madeline and Audley both chose the Leroy burger, adding cheese and bacon, while I had a fantastic BLT sandwich.

All of the ingredients are fresh and local when possible. BTW… the house pickles are fantastic!! We were so full from lunch we couldn’t order dessert. It was so hard to say no.

I loved the eclectic decor of the FourWay; the food pairs with it perfectly. A simple menu; a simply decorated restaurant. A meal that reminds you of home; cozy decor that doesn’t make you feel out of touch.

 

If you’re traveling through Missouri, venture off the interstate into Cuba and check out the FourWay. You’ll love the glimpse of history in this progressive world.

The FourWay

102 W. Washington Ave.

Cuba, Missouri