Nelson's Old Riverton Store Deli

The deli's most popular combination is what locals call the Eisler Special, which combines hand-sliced honey ham, smoked turkey, and Swiss cheese on Texas toast with mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, and pickle. It runs about $8 and is large enough to satisfy a hungry adult or to split between two travelers with smaller appetites. The Italian-style sub is another favorite, with hand-sliced salami, ham, pepperoni, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a drizzle of oil and vinegar on a hoagie roll, also around $8. Both sandwiches can be ordered as panini-pressed and toasted on request, which adds about three minutes to the prep time.

For lighter appetites, the deli offers a half-sandwich option for $5 to $6, which pairs well with a cup of soup (rotating daily, $3.50) for a fuller meal. Vegetarian options include grilled cheese on Texas toast ($5), a roasted vegetable sandwich with peppers, onions, and mozzarella ($7), and a peanut butter and jelly that the deli is happy to make for kids or homesick travelers ($3.50). Gluten-free bread is available on request but should be ordered by phone in advance, as the deli does not always keep it on hand, and the kitchen will note that cross-contamination cannot be guaranteed in the small workspace.

Specialty house-cured items rotate based on what the kitchen has been working on. Pastrami, corned beef, and house-smoked turkey appear seasonally and are worth ordering when available. The deli also makes a strong tuna salad and a respectable chicken salad, both available as sandwiches or as scoops on a bed of lettuce for low-carb travelers. Side options include house-made coleslaw, potato salad, three-bean salad, and pasta salad, all priced around $2.50 for a small cup.

Hand-dipped ice cream at Eisler Bros. is one of the genuine sleeper highlights of Route 66 in Kansas. The deli stocks roughly eight flavors at any given time in a vintage chest-style freezer near the back of the store, scooped to order onto fresh waffle or sugar cones. Single scoops run $2.50, doubles $4.00, triples $5.50, with a small upcharge for waffle cones and an additional dollar for sundaes, banana splits, or floats. The ice cream is sourced from a regional dairy in Missouri that supplies several Route 66 establishments, and the quality is excellent, with rich butterfat content and intense natural flavors.

Flavors rotate by season but always include the core lineup of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, butter pecan, mint chocolate chip, and the store's signature Route 66 swirl, which blends vanilla, chocolate, and caramel ribbons. Seasonal additions include peach in June and July, pumpkin in October, peppermint in December, and a rotating monthly special chosen by the kitchen staff. Cones are sized generously, with a single scoop weighing roughly six ounces, which is closer to a small double at most ice cream shops. Bring napkins.

Sundaes are made with hand-pumped chocolate, caramel, or strawberry sauce, real whipped cream from a canister, and a maraschino cherry, served in classic stainless steel sundae dishes that the deli has used for decades. The banana split is the show-stopper, with three scoops of ice cream, a split banana, all three sauces, whipped cream, chopped nuts, and three cherries for $8, easily enough for two people to share. Root beer floats and Coke floats are available for $4 and are made with glass-bottle soda from the cooler, which produces noticeably better foam than canned alternatives.

The deli does not have indoor seating, which is a deliberate choice that pushes everyone outside to the wraparound porch of the Eisler Bros. store. Two long wooden benches and a handful of mismatched chairs line the porch, providing seating for about a dozen people, and the porch itself is wide enough to accommodate motorcycle groups with their helmets and jackets without crowding. On busy days, travelers also eat at picnic tables set up in the side parking lot under a small grove of trees, which provides some shade in summer afternoons.

Eating on the porch is half of what makes the Eisler Bros. experience memorable, because it puts you in direct conversation with the highway itself. Trucks and motorcycles passing through Riverton wave from the road, other travelers stop to ask where you are coming from, and the rhythms of small-town life unfold around you. Local farmers stop in for their afternoon coffee, school kids come by after school for ice cream cones, and the cycle of conversation never quite stops. Plan to linger longer than you expected once you sit down.

Practical notes for porch eating: the morning shade is on the east side of the porch and the afternoon shade is on the west, so position yourself accordingly in summer heat. Wasps can be a minor nuisance in late summer near the trash cans, so eat well away from them. A small water bowl and a few biscuit treats are kept by the door for dogs, and the deli will happily hand a clerk a paper cup of water for any traveling pet. Public Wi-Fi is available inside the store and reaches the porch reliably, which makes it a comfortable spot for travelers who need to catch up on email or check directions.