The Wagon Wheel Restaurant

The steaks are the headline. The Wagon Wheel buys high-choice grade beef whole and breaks it down in house, which means every steak on the menu is hand-cut to the size and thickness ordered rather than portioned from pre-cut Cryovac packages. The ribeye and the New York strip are the most popular, both available in 12-, 16-, and 20-ounce portions. The filet mignon, wrapped in bacon and finished with a peppercorn cream sauce on request, is the showstopper for special occasions. All steaks are chargrilled over an open flame and finished with the kitchen's house steak butter.

Ribs are a close second. The Wagon Wheel slow-smokes baby-back ribs for hours before finishing them on the grill with a thin coat of house barbecue sauce; they fall off the bone and have the kind of pink smoke ring that signals proper barbecue technique. Full racks, half racks, and combo plates with chicken or shrimp are available, with a choice of two sides. Seafood options include grilled or blackened salmon, breaded shrimp, and a cod fish-and-chips plate that uses fresh Atlantic cod rather than the commodity frozen blocks common in inland Illinois.

And then there is the squash. The fried squash - thin rounds of yellow summer squash hand-breaded in seasoned cornmeal and deep-fried until shatteringly crisp - is the menu item that has crossed into local legend. It comes as an appetizer (the most popular order on the menu, by some accounts) and as a side, and it sells in startling quantities especially in summer when the squash is at peak freshness. Even visitors who do not normally eat fried foods order it. Pair it with a dipping cup of ranch and you'll understand the fuss within two bites.

On Sundays the Wagon Wheel serves what many consider the best Sunday lunch buffet in central Illinois. The buffet runs from 11 am to 2 pm and includes fried chicken (Wagon Wheel makes their own; it is excellent), barbecue ribs and pulled pork, sliced roast beef carved to order, baked cod, the famous fried squash, mashed potatoes with house gravy, fresh greens (collards or turnips depending on the season), corn, green beans, dinner rolls baked that morning, the full salad bar, and a dessert station that includes soft-serve ice cream and several rotating cobblers and cakes.

The buffet has been running essentially unchanged for decades and attracts large multi-generational family groups every week. After-church crowds arrive between 11:30 and 12:30, so for Route 66 travelers the calmer windows are right at 11 am or after 1 pm. The Wagon Wheel takes Sunday reservations for parties of six or more, which is recommended for the post-church window. Children are very welcome - there is a kids' price for buffet diners under 12 - and high chairs and booster seats are available.

The Wagon Wheel also operates a private dining room for parties, banquets, and receptions, and the restaurant regularly hosts Pontiac civic events, wedding rehearsal dinners, and Rotary Club functions. The full bar is well stocked with the kind of mid-American whiskeys, vodkas, and craft beers that fit the steakhouse atmosphere, and the wine list is sensibly priced. Cocktails are made with measured precision rather than free-pour casual, which is a pleasant surprise for a small-town American restaurant.

The Wagon Wheel is at 1303 W Custer Avenue, on the west side of Pontiac about a mile from downtown and four minutes' drive from the Route 66 Hall of Fame & Museum. From I-55 take exit 197 and head west; Custer Avenue is a short distance south of Reynolds Street. The restaurant occupies a long single-story building with ample free parking, including room for RVs and motorcycle groups. The interior is fully accessible, with wide aisles and accessible restrooms.

For a typical Route 66 itinerary, the Wagon Wheel works best as a dinner stop. Reservations are accepted and are recommended on Friday and Saturday nights, especially during summer and during Pontiac's Route 66 Heritage Festival weekends. Walk-ins are welcome too; even on busy Saturdays the typical wait is under 30 minutes. The dress code is comfortable casual - no shorts in the formal dining room, but jeans are fine everywhere. The staff is famously friendly and accommodating to first-time visitors.

Pricing is mid-range by sit-down restaurant standards. Steaks run from roughly $20 for the smaller ribeye and strip to about $30 for the larger cuts and the filet. Ribs and seafood plates fall in the $18 to $25 range. The Sunday buffet is among the better values in the region. The Wagon Wheel takes major credit cards, and a small bar at the front handles takeout orders for travelers who want to grab a steak and a side and head back to a motel room with it. For Route 66 visitors looking for a real dinner that is neither fast food nor diner fare, the Wagon Wheel is the answer.