The Quirky Oklahoma Diner That Offers Over 700 Unique Sodas

Do you remember the first time you came across a Coke Freestyle machine? The giddy awe with which you watched its screen light up, revealing an array of options you didn't even know were possible? The experimental zeal with which you prepared the most unholy concoction your preteen mind could conceive? Well, you can top all that, on Route 66. Welcome to Pops 66 Soda Ranch, a restaurant that offers over 700 varieties of soda, all of which are available for purchase.

Pops (no apostrophe) is located in Arcadia, Oklahoma, a small town otherwise best known for having an historic round barn as a popular tourist attraction. Chances are you won't miss Pops if you're driving past, because there is a truly enormous soda bottle sitting outside the restaurant, complete with a straw sticking jauntily from its top. (The bottle stands at exactly 66 feet tall, as a reference to the famous route.) It seems like the kind of weird, wonderful roadside attraction that lined the iconic highway in its heyday — which is interesting, since Pops only opened in 2007. Still, no one can deny the spot has captured the true, glorious spirit of kitsch, becoming one of the road trip-worthy diners along Route 66. 

There's a clear star of the show at Pops — it's right there in the name — but that doesn't mean we should neglect the food menu. Sandwiches? You can get pulled pork, beer battered fish, or Nashville hot chicken, just to name a few. Burgers? There are 12 varieties, some of them named after different towns in Oklahoma. (The Arcadia Burger features barbecue sauce, bacon, and bleu cheese; the Norman Burger has white queso and pulled pork.) And if you're still hungry for dessert, you've got plenty of options, including the lauded bread pudding made with raisins and root beer. (Even on Route 66, the proof is in the pudding.)

Still, it's soda that's made Pops what it is today. You can order a bottomless variety from the fountain — including Coke and Pepsi, and also Pops' signature root beer and regional favorite soda, Cheerwine — or you can pick from the hundreds of bottles lined up on shelves around the restaurant, showcasing countless artisanal brands and rare, hard-to-find flavors. There's Zotz, a fruity soda based on a fizzy candy that's popular in Italy; there's Kiddie Cocktails, a line of sodas that emulate non-alcoholic versions of popular drinks and cocktails, like limoncello and sangria; and then there's Lester's Fixins, which makes sodas in bizarre flavors like buffalo wing, ranch dressing, and of course, bacon. Whether you want to play it safe or take a chance on some wacky pop, you'll get what you're thirsty for at Pops.