Where can you eat in Barstow without risking death?

In many trips from CA to Vegas, I've passed through Barstow, and while sometimes I've stopped for gas, because the few places to fuel up between Barstow and Vegas charge $700 a gallon. I also, on occasion, have grabbed some fast food, but the prices are insanely high.

FOR INSTANCE, THE MCDONALD'S ON E MAIN ST CHARGES $4 FOR A LARGE COKE.

That alone makes me want to burn Barstow to the ground, plow under the ashes, and scatter quicklime (like the Romans did with Carthage), but a friend coming from San Diego is leaving there midmorning and will be in Barstow right around 1:00. He asked me if there was any halfway decent place to have lunch. I was baffled. Aside from the aforementioned fast food, I don't know of ANY decent place to eat in the entire town.

Any suggestions?

Lenwood Rd, just on the southern end of Barstow has a number of restaurants and fast food places on both sides of the 15.  On the west side there is a Love's Travelstop that has probably the lowest priced fuel in the whole area, and the restrooms are ALWAYS clean.  It's our go-to stop on our way to Vegas.  

Food wise there is a wide assortment from Denny's (AARP discount), to Black Bear Diner, IHOP, Chili's, and a good variety of fastfood places other than Mickey D's.  Most of the food places are on the East side. 

That Mickey D's on East Main is always expensive.....a total tourist trap/ripoff.  

So that's the exit south of Barstow proper that has truck stops on the west side of the freeway and a bunch of fast food and such on the east side? If there's a Black Bear Diner there, that's where I'd recommend they stop. And yeah, your best shot at reasonably priced gas. I waited one time until that Eddie World joint north of town and was shocked to find gas was over $1 higher than back on Lenwood Rd.

It still seems like Barstow itself is hopeless. That whole town looks alarmingly on the verge of physically collapsing.

Oh, Black Bear is behind one of the truck stops on the west side of Kenwood. No wonder I never saw it. That's definitely the place to go. Never would have suspected. Thanks!

We can't stop here! This is bat country!

You're welcome.  

"We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold."

I don't know about Barstow, but I'm a fan of Chili's anywhere.  Not the cheapest but consistently good.  The Chili's at our airport makes the best Margarita ever.  They call it the Presidente' Margarita.  We like their egg rolls.  Different from what you think of as egg rolls, but really good.  JMHO.

Candy