This Epic Illinois Car Museum & Grill Lets You Eat Among Classic Cars Beneath The World’s Largest Route 66 Shield
Some restaurants give you a meal, but this Springfield stop offers something far more memorable. I remember slowing down in Illinois as a towering Route 66 display came into view, realizing almost immediately that this place was going to be more than just lunch.
Inside, a full American grill shares space with classic cars, vintage signs, and decades of automotive history layered across the walls and ceiling. I found myself looking around as much as I looked at the menu, noticing new details every few minutes.
The whole place feels built by someone who genuinely loves the culture of the open road. It is easy to come here hungry and end up lingering long after the plates are cleared, simply taking in the atmosphere.
Meals matter here, but the setting is what stays in memory long after the drive continues down Route 66.
The Building Itself Has A Fascinating History
Not every great restaurant starts life as a great building, but this one has a head start in that department. The structure dates back to the era of classic roadside travel and has reportedly housed earlier highway businesses over the years.
Those original bones give the space a nostalgic roadside character that complements the Route 66 theme.
Roadside stops like this were once a staple of long family road trips, making the Route 66-themed setting feel especially fitting.
The building carries echoes of mid-century American travel culture, and the the team has leaned into that history with enthusiasm and genuine respect.
The result is a space that feels authentically rooted in the era it celebrates. There is nothing manufactured about the atmosphere here.
The history of the building and the history of Route 66 itself overlap in a way that makes the whole experience feel cohesive and real.
For travelers who appreciate context and backstory alongside their meal, knowing you are eating inside a piece of American roadside history adds a quiet, satisfying layer to the whole visit. It is the kind of detail that sticks with you long after the meal is finished.
The World’s Largest Route 66 Shield
Before you even walk through the front door, Motorheads makes a statement that is impossible to miss. Standing outside the restaurant is a massive Route 66 shield suspended dramatically above a towering three-story-tall giant man figure.
It is the kind of roadside spectacle that makes you slow down, pull over, and reach for your camera before you have even thought about ordering food.
This eye-catching display captures the spirit of Route 66 culture with a bold tribute to American road history. The sign has become a landmark in its own right, drawing travelers off Interstate 55 just to snap a photo and soak in the atmosphere.
Located right next to I-55, at 600 Toronto Rd, the restaurant is easy to spot and even easier to access, with plenty of parking available. For anyone driving the Springfield stretch of the Mother Road, this sign is a genuine bucket-list moment.
It sets the tone perfectly for what waits inside, and it reminds every visitor that Motorheads is not just a restaurant but a full-on celebration of Route 66 heritage and American car culture at its most enthusiastic.
Classic Cars Are Part Of The Decor
Walking into Motorheads feels like entering a living, breathing automotive museum where someone also happened to install a kitchen. Classic cars are positioned throughout the space, not behind ropes or in a separate wing, but right there among the tables where you eat.
A vintage car greets guests near the entrance, setting the tone immediately for one of the most visually rich dining rooms in Illinois.
Drag race cars are mounted on the roof, a semi tractor sits up top, and a motorcycle is bolted to the wall. Road signs, old car parts, and vintage tools cover nearly every surface, creating a layered visual experience that rewards slow, curious attention.
The dining room ceiling alone is worth a long look.
The collection on display belongs to the owner, making every piece feel personal and carefully chosen rather than mass-produced decor. High tables and low tables are mixed throughout the space, giving the room a relaxed, flexible feel.
Whether you are a lifelong motorhead or simply someone who appreciates bold interior design, eating here feels like a genuine adventure. No two visits feel quite the same once you start noticing new details.
The Menu Is Expansive And Built For Every Appetite
Motorheads runs a menu that covers far more ground than most themed restaurants dare to attempt. From hearty sandwiches and hand-held burgers to full entrees like grilled pork chops and grilled haddock, the kitchen works across a wide range of American comfort food with genuine confidence.
The menu is large enough that deciding what to order becomes a pleasant challenge. Pizza holds a strong position on the menu, with a 16-inch option that has earned serious attention from visitors.
Specialty pizzas with distinctive flavor profiles have drawn enthusiastic responses from visitors.
Grilled shrimp tacos bring a lighter, coastal-inspired option that feels surprisingly at home in this landlocked Illinois setting.
Appetizers round out the lineup, with several shareable options that work well for groups. Salads, including a generously sized cobb, give the menu some balance for those looking for something a little lighter.
The kitchen keeps portions honest and satisfying, and food arrives hot and well-prepared.
For a restaurant that could easily coast on its atmosphere alone, the menu demonstrates real commitment to delivering a quality dining experience every single time a plate leaves the kitchen.
Breakfast And Buffet Options
Most people think of Motorheads as a lunch or dinner destination, but the restaurant typically opens in the morning and offers a breakfast experience that draws its own devoted following.
The breakfast buffet fills the dining room with aromas that reportedly make it very difficult to simply walk through without sitting down and ordering.
Motorheads occasionally offers specialty buffets that highlight Springfield’s famous horseshoe sandwich. The horseshoe sandwich is an Illinois institution, featuring thick toast topped with meat and smothered in a rich cheese sauce, and having a buffet version available makes Motorheads a must-visit for anyone curious about genuine Springfield food culture.
Sunday often features breakfast buffet offerings, making it a solid option for a relaxed weekend morning or early afternoon meal. The variety of buffet formats across the week means that regular visitors can experience Motorheads in meaningfully different ways depending on when they show up.
That kind of built-in variety keeps the restaurant feeling fresh even for repeat guests, which is a smart and genuinely appealing approach to keeping a loyal local and traveler audience engaged throughout the whole week.
Service Is Attentive, Friendly, And Welcoming
Good food in a great setting still needs solid service to complete the picture, and Motorheads takes that seriously. Visitors frequently note attentive service, with staff checking in regularly while keeping the experience relaxed.
Tables are well-maintained and orders arrive accurately and promptly.
Many guests report quick turnaround times even during busy periods. That kind of efficiency in a full-service restaurant with a large, varied menu reflects well on how the back-of-house operation is run.
Guests often mention the welcoming atmosphere created by a hands-on ownership team.
Meeting the people behind the restaurant adds a personal dimension to the visit that larger chain establishments simply cannot replicate. Staff members greet newcomers with genuine warmth, making first-time visitors feel like they have been coming here for years.
That welcoming atmosphere is one of the things that turns a single visit into a habit, and it explains why so many travelers who stop in once find themselves planning a return trip before they have even finished their meal.
The Outdoor Area And Parking Lot
Motorheads does not stop at the front door. The outdoor area around the restaurant rewards exploration just as much as the interior does.
Behind the building, a collection of salvaged items from old gas stations has been gathered into a display that feels like an open-air extension of the museum inside.
Vintage pumps, signs, and relics from roadside America are piled and arranged in a way that car culture enthusiasts will find genuinely thrilling.
Seasonal car shows are often held in the parking lot, where owners gather to display their vehicles and connect with fellow enthusiasts. It transforms the already lively exterior into a full automotive social event that pairs beautifully with a meal inside.
The lot is spacious enough to accommodate large vehicles comfortably, including big trucks, which makes Motorheads genuinely accessible to road travelers of all kinds.
A separate standalone shop called Alive at 66, run by the owner’s daughter, sits close enough to reach directly from your parking spot. It carries indoor and outdoor plants depending on the season, adding a charming, unexpected dimension to the property.
The whole site feels like a small community hub built around a shared love of Route 66 and the open road, which makes lingering here feel entirely natural.
Price Range And Value
Motorheads falls into the mid-range price category, marked as a two-dollar-sign establishment, which means solid, satisfying meals without the kind of bill that makes you wince on the way out.
For the quality of food, the scale of the experience, and the sheer volume of entertainment packed into the visit, the value proposition here is genuinely strong.
Portion sizes are generous across the board, meaning most guests leave feeling well-fed rather than searching for a snack an hour later. The buffet options, available at various points throughout the week, offer an especially cost-effective way to sample multiple dishes without committing to a single entree.
For road trippers managing a travel budget, Motorheads hits a sweet spot between fast food convenience and upscale dining expense. The food quality clears the bar that the atmosphere sets, which is exactly what a well-run restaurant needs to do to justify its reputation.
Families traveling with kids will find the menu flexible enough to satisfy picky eaters while giving adults something genuinely interesting to order.
The overall experience delivers more than the price tag suggests, which is the kind of honest value that keeps people coming back and telling their friends to make the same stop.
Hours Of Operation
One of the genuinely practical strengths of Motorheads is its operating schedule. Hours vary by day, typically opening in the morning and closing in the evening, giving travelers a wide window for visiting.
That late closing time makes it a viable option for travelers arriving after a long drive who want a real meal rather than fast food.
Sunday hours run from 8:30 AM to 9 PM, which is still a generous window for a day that many restaurants treat as a half-day. The early morning opening across most of the week means breakfast is a genuine option, not just a theoretical one listed on a menu that nobody orders from before noon.
For anyone planning a Route 66 road trip itinerary, having a destination that works at almost any hour of the day removes a significant amount of scheduling stress.
Whether you arrive in the morning for breakfast or later in the day after a long drive, Motorheads is a convenient stop along the route. That kind of accessibility is a real advantage for travelers whose schedules do not always follow a tidy plan.
The Gift Shop And Museum
Motorheads functions as more than a restaurant. The on-site gift shop carries a solid range of Route 66 merchandise, from t-shirts and magnets to specialty items that make for genuinely useful souvenirs rather than the forgettable trinkets most roadside shops peddle.
It is the kind of shop where you actually find things worth buying, which is a higher bar than it sounds.
The museum component of the property adds yet another dimension to the visit. The owner’s private collection of automotive artifacts, Route 66 memorabilia, and historical items is displayed throughout the space with obvious care and passion.
Every corner reveals something new, and guests who take their time exploring will discover details that casual visitors breeze right past.
Display areas and layouts may vary depending on events and seasonal changes. Even when certain areas are not fully open, the sheer volume of items visible throughout the restaurant itself means there is always something new to examine.
For anyone with even a passing interest in American automotive history or Route 66 culture, Motorheads delivers a museum-quality experience wrapped inside a meal, which is a combination genuinely difficult to find anywhere else on the highway.