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Spencer's Grill

Name: Spencer's Grill
Address: 223 S Kirkwood Rd, Kirkwood, MO, 63122, US

Diner
In Kirkwood, Missouri
On Route 66

Spencer's Grill is a small breakfast diner in Kirkwood, MO, on Kirkwood Road, a former Route 66 alignment through the downtown. Bill and Irene Spencer opened it in 1947, and its neon sign with a built-in clock went up a year later. The diner closed in June 2024, found new owners that August and reopened in November, keeping the name, the sign and the crispy-edged pancakes it is known for.

What is Spencer's Grill?

Out front hangs the neon sign, with a clock built into it. Behind it is a small diner where breakfast is the main event, on a road that once carried Route 66 traffic through town.

History of Spencer's Grill

Bill Spencer ran an earlier grill in Kirkwood from 1941 but gave it up when he was drafted in World War II. After the war he and Irene opened this diner. In its early years it stayed open around the clock, seven days a week, partly to serve highway travelers.

Several owners kept the name and sign after the Spencers. It closed in June 2024, after rising food costs following the pandemic made it hard to keep running. Michael and Meredith Shadwick, who run Honey Bee's Biscuits in Kirkwood, bought it with partner Michael Kleckner, and it reopened on Nov. 8, 2024.

Visiting Spencer's Grill: tips

It sits right on Kirkwood Road in downtown Kirkwood; plan it as a breakfast stop.

Updated October 14, 2026 · Written by Route 66 Trip Guide

Practical info

Address: 223 S Kirkwood Rd, Kirkwood, MO 63122
Website: spencersgrill.com
Hours: We have no opening hours for this stop yet — check the official site.
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

On the map

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Spencer's Grill with the 6 closest stops and other places to eat (fork and knife). Tap a marker for details.

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Stops near Spencer's Grill

All of Missouri

National Museum of Transportation

St. Louis, Missouri · 2.0 mi from Route 66

Big locomotives, vintage cars and aircraft on 42 acres, plus a railroad tunnel dug in 1853.

MuseumPhoto credit

3.0 mi from Spencer's Grill

Coral Court Motel

Marlborough, Missouri · 0.5 mi from Route 66

A lost Route 66 landmark: the streamlined Coral Court Motel, demolished in 1995 despite a fight to save it.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

3.9 mi from Spencer's Grill

Monsanto Insectarium

St. Louis, Missouri · 3.0 mi from Route 66

A bug house inside the Saint Louis Zoo, with a butterfly dome and scientists you can watch at work.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

7.3 mi from Spencer's Grill

Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum

St. Louis, Missouri · 4.0 mi from Route 66

Founded in 1881, the oldest art museum anywhere west of the Mississippi, now on a university campus.

MuseumPhoto credit

7.3 mi from Spencer's Grill

Saint Louis Art Museum

St. Louis, Missouri · 3.4 mi from Route 66

A big art museum in Forest Park with works from across the world and centuries, free to enter.

MuseumPhoto credit

7.3 mi from Spencer's Grill

Saint Louis Zoo

St. Louis, Missouri · 3.0 mi from Route 66

A leading zoo in Forest Park with a little railroad around the grounds and no general admission fee.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

7.4 mi from Spencer's Grill

More places to eat nearby

All diners →

Drive-In
Carl's Drive-In
Brentwood, MO · 3.7 mi from Spencer's Grill
A 16-stool burger and root beer counter on Manchester Road, the path Route 66 took out of St. Louis in 1926.
Custard Stand
Ted Drewes
St. Louis, MO · 5.4 mi from Spencer's Grill
A family-run St. Louis frozen custard stand from 1929, known for concretes served upside down.
Drive-In
Donut Drive-In
St. Louis, MO · 5.7 mi from Spencer's Grill
An early-1950s doughnut shop on Chippewa Street, the old Route 66, with neon doughnuts sliding down an arrow.

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