Four Way Restaurant

The breakfast skillet is one of the most popular orders at the Four Way and a generous way to start a day of Cuba mural walking. The skillet combines hash browns, scrambled eggs, melted cheese, and your choice of bacon, sausage, ham, or all three, with toast or biscuits on the side. The biscuits and gravy is another classic that the kitchen does well, with house-made sausage gravy poured over warm split biscuits in portions that easily feed two for breakfast or one very hungry traveler. Pancakes are large and fluffy, served with butter and syrup, and the French toast uses thick-sliced bread with a custardy interior.

For lunch and dinner the cheeseburger is reliable and well-priced, served on a toasted bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle. The chicken-fried steak is enormous and comes with mashed potatoes and white pepper gravy, a quintessential American comfort meal. The fried chicken offers a quarter-bird, half-bird, or full-bird order with sides, and the kitchen fries to order so the wait is slightly longer than for grilled items but the result is worth it. Daily specials posted near the counter usually include a meat-and-three style plate at a value price, and these specials often represent the best food coming out of the kitchen on any given day.

Pie is a serious matter at the Four Way and is worth saving room for at the end of any meal. The rotating selection typically includes apple, cherry, peach, coconut cream, chocolate cream, and seasonal specials, with à la mode available for an additional charge. Pies are made locally and the kitchen receives fresh inventory regularly. A slice of pie with coffee at the counter is the classic Four Way capstone to a meal, and a tradition that locals and travelers share equally. Don't skip the pie.

The dining room has the warm, slightly worn character of a diner that has been continuously operating for many decades. Booths line the walls and tables fill the center, with a counter overlooking the open kitchen where you can watch eggs being cracked, meat being grilled, and pies being sliced. The acoustic mix combines clinking dishes, friendly conversation, the sizzle of the grill, and country radio at a moderate volume. The walls feature a mix of local photographs, Route 66 memorabilia, and Cuba-related signs that have accumulated naturally over time rather than being curated for effect.

The clientele at any given hour is a mix of Cuba locals stopping in for breakfast or lunch, Route 66 travelers passing through, truckers from nearby Interstate 44, and the occasional tour group that has arranged a meal stop. Conversations between strangers at neighboring booths happen organically, particularly during breakfast hours when regulars are in a chatty mood. Servers handle these mixed customer types with practiced ease, and travelers who strike up conversations with locals often receive genuinely useful tips about Cuba attractions, road conditions, and other Route 66 stops worth visiting.

Service is efficient and friendly without being overly intrusive. Coffee refills come without asking, water glasses stay full, and the staff is good at reading the table to gauge whether you want a chatty interaction or a quiet meal. Prices on the bill are reasonable and tips at standard American levels are appreciated. Cash and major credit cards are accepted. The Four Way is exactly the kind of place that makes road trip travel rewarding when you find it, and Cuba's good fortune is that the Four Way has been here all along.

The Four Way is located near the Highway P exit from Interstate 44 that serves Cuba, making it easy to reach whether you are entering town from the interstate or driving along the original Route 66 alignment. Parking is in a paved lot directly outside the restaurant with ample space for cars, trucks, motorcycles, and RVs. The restaurant is fully accessible at ground level with no stairs to navigate, and accessible restrooms are available inside. Larger tour buses can also accommodate, though calling ahead at 573-885-7272 is wise for groups of more than ten.

Hours run daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., which gives travelers exceptional flexibility for meal timing. Early breakfast before a long day of driving, late dinner after a full day of mural walking, and everything in between is workable at the Four Way. The restaurant tends to be busiest from 7 to 9 a.m. for breakfast and 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. for dinner, with quieter periods in mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and late evening. Reservations are not accepted, but waits during peak times are usually fifteen minutes or less.

Combine a Four Way visit with the Cuba mural walk, the Wagon Wheel Motel for lodging, and the Fanning 66 Outpost for a complete Cuba day. The Four Way is also a practical breakfast stop for travelers staying overnight at the Wagon Wheel, since the motel does not serve breakfast and the Four Way is a short drive or even a walk away depending on conditions. Many Wagon Wheel guests start their mornings with coffee and biscuits at the Four Way before continuing west on Route 66 toward Rolla, Lebanon, and points beyond.