Madonna Inn
- Food
- Copper Café or the steakhouse
Crowd level: Mixed. Go early, or pick a weekday
Best season Any month. The highway makes it a stop, not a pilgrimage you have to time. Weekends are busier.
A highway inn opened by Alex and Phyllis Madonna on Christmas Eve, 1958. Themed rooms, a copper café, a pink cake, a steakhouse. It is a landmark, not a hidden gem, and it is not in the state capital.
Worth knowing
Just the meal
You do not have to take a room to see the dining room. It is on a highway and it is famous. Go because the room is the point, not because it will be empty.
The short version
The Madonnas' own history says the first twelve rooms opened on 24 December 1958, and the main inn, with the café and dining room, followed in 1960. Boulders were built into the dining room. It sits at 100 Madonna Road, on Highway 101. Sacramento is the capital. This is a different city.
Food nearby
Copper Café or the steakhouse
You can eat without staying. The bakery's pink cake is the thing people come to see. It is a theme, and the room is not shy about it.