Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner

The Mr. D'z building is the kind of mid-century commercial architecture that defined the Route 66 commercial corridor at the highway's tourism peak — substantial concrete-block construction with large glass windows, a flat parapet roofline, and exterior paint in the turquoise-and-pink combination that has become the diner's identifying signature. The current paint scheme reflects a deliberate stylistic choice tied to the 1950s diner aesthetic; the original building has occupied the site for several decades and has served various restaurant uses across that period.

The exterior signage is part of the appeal. Neon signs in classic diner fonts, a large rooftop sign visible from a block away, retro pole signs, and various decorative details all contribute to a building that photographs beautifully in any light. Early morning, midday, and golden-hour photographs all produce strong results; the building is one of those rare structures that looks good in any weather and any lighting condition. The interior continues the aesthetic with jukebox-era memorabilia, neon signs mounted on the walls, vintage photographs, and chrome-and-vinyl seating.

The location on Andy Devine Avenue is itself part of the building's identity. The street is named for Andy Devine, the famous Western film actor (1905-1977) who was born and raised in Kingman and remained a regional celebrity throughout his career. The street is the historic Route 66 alignment through downtown Kingman, and Mr. D'z sits in the heart of the most photogenic and most-walkable section of the downtown corridor — within easy walking distance of the Powerhouse, the Historic Beale Hotel, and the Mohave Museum of History & Arts.

Mr. D'z house-made root beer is the diner's single most-celebrated menu item — produced on-site using a closely guarded recipe and served ice-cold in heavy frosted glass mugs that come straight from the freezer. The root beer is markedly different from commercial brands: rounder, less aggressively sweet, with a strong sassafras-and-vanilla character and a creamy mouthfeel that distinguishes it from typical fountain root beer. The diner's reputation in Route 66 circles is largely built on the root beer; many travelers stop specifically for it.

The root beer is available straight in a mug (the most popular order), as a root beer float with vanilla ice cream, in a frosted mug glass to take home as a souvenir, and in growler-style takeout containers for travelers who want to take some on the road. The float is the move for first-time visitors; the combination of the cold mug, the bite of the root beer, and the slow-melting vanilla ice cream is a near-perfect summer afternoon Kingman experience. Per-mug pricing is in the $4 to $6 range; the float runs $6 to $9 depending on size.

Beyond the headline root beer, the diner's milkshake program is also strong. Hand-spun shakes in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and a rotating selection of specialty flavors (often including peanut butter, salted caramel, and seasonal options) are made with real ice cream and produce the thick consistency that real malt-shop shakes deliver. The shakes pair naturally with burgers and fries for the classic American diner lunch experience.

Beyond the root beer, Mr. D'z runs a solid classic American diner menu that delivers exactly what travelers want from a Route 66 lunch stop. The burger program is the menu's anchor: hand-formed patties cooked on the flat-top, served on toasted buns with the standard topping options. The signature double-stack burger with cheese is the typical first-time order; bacon burgers, mushroom-and-Swiss burgers, and patty melts are also strong choices. Burger plates with fries and a drink run $12 to $16 depending on configuration.

Breakfast is served all day — a deliberate choice that fits the road-trip-diner format and is genuinely useful for travelers who want pancakes at 3pm or a full breakfast plate for an early dinner. The breakfast menu includes pancake stacks, French toast, omelets, breakfast burritos, country fried steak, biscuits and gravy, and the standard egg-and-meat combinations. Most breakfast plates run $9 to $14 and arrive in substantial portions.

Sandwich and lunch options include hot dogs, BLTs, club sandwiches, grilled cheese, tuna melts, fish sandwiches, and chicken sandwiches. Sides include hand-cut fries, onion rings, tater tots, coleslaw, and chili. Desserts beyond the milkshakes include pie slices (rotating selections including cherry, apple, pecan, and seasonal options), sundaes, and brownies. The full menu is genuinely affordable for a Route 66 destination diner; the $10-$18 per-person spending range covers most realistic orders.

The Mr. D'z interior continues the classic 1950s diner aesthetic established by the exterior. The dining room features chrome-and-vinyl booth seating, a long counter with stools, neon signs mounted throughout the space, vintage Route 66 memorabilia, and decorative details that nod to the post-WWII tourism boom era when Route 66 was at its commercial peak. The atmosphere is unmistakably staged for the Route 66 traveler market but executed with enough care that it reads as charming rather than gimmicky.

Tabletop jukeboxes at each booth are a distinctive feature — small wall-mounted units that play 1950s and 1960s rock-and-roll, doo-wop, country, and early rock standards. The jukeboxes are a real period detail rather than a reproduction, and they contribute meaningfully to the atmosphere. Many visitors enjoy flipping through the song selections at their booth as part of the dining experience.

The diner attracts a remarkable mix of customer types — Route 66 road-trippers from across the country and around the world, local Kingman residents who eat there regularly, tour bus groups stopping on organized Route 66 itineraries, families on Grand Canyon vacation drives, and the occasional motorcycle group on a Route 66 ride. The service is generally friendly and the kitchen typically delivers food promptly even when the dining room is busy. Wait times during peak lunch hours (12pm-1:30pm) can run 15-30 minutes; off-peak times are typically walk-in immediate seating.

Mr. D'z is open daily from 7am to 8pm — hours that accommodate breakfast travelers, lunch crowds, and early dinner diners. The single best time to visit for a relatively quiet experience is mid-morning (9:30am-11am) for breakfast, or mid-afternoon (2pm-4pm) for a late lunch or root beer float break. Peak lunch hours (12pm-1:30pm) run busy in the summer high season and during major Route 66 tourism weekends; expect 15-30 minute waits during these windows.

The classic Kingman day sequence pairs Mr. D'z with the Powerhouse directly across the street. The standard plan: morning visit to the Arizona Route 66 Museum (90 minutes to 2 hours), stop at the visitor center for an Oatman Highway driving guide, walk across Andy Devine Avenue to Mr. D'z for an early lunch (45-60 minutes), then begin the Oatman Highway drive in the early afternoon. The pairing produces one of the most genuinely satisfying half-day Kingman experiences.

For travelers staying at the Historic Beale Hotel a few blocks east on Andy Devine Avenue, Mr. D'z is an easy walk and serves as a natural breakfast or lunch option. For travelers based at chain hotels along the I-40 corridor, the diner has its own small parking lot and street parking is generally available along Andy Devine Avenue. The location is approximately 10 minutes drive from the I-40 Andy Devine exit.