According to The Cave Restaurant website this is the ONLY restaurant in the good ol' USofA that is located Inside a cave. And it SO is in a cave! And the steak is SO good. The road there sucks for sure but it's actually part of the rural charm. I highly recommend stopping by if you are ever headed down interstate 44 near Lebanon Mo.
It is spring, I assure you...but it's EARLY spring. It was a nice day for a little walk after dinner so we
strolled back to the car, which you have to leave about a hundred yards away from the restaurant and
take a shuttle to the entrance. Once in the shuttle you figure out why. It would be a scary drive to do
yourself. The restaurant is actually three stories up in the bluff so you can either take some outdoor
stairs (a bit of an adventure in themselves) or an elevator. We took the stairs up and the elevator
down, just to mix it up.
An elevator that is lined on the back wall with corrugated steel does not inspire confidence but it got
us where we wanted to go safely. There's a large wood stove in the center of the lobby that I think
heats the entire cave. It was a little smokey in the dining room when we arrived and we had the place
to ourselves.
It truly is awe inspiring and made me proud to live in The United States Of America. The food was
homestyle menu comfort and there was plenty to choose from. We had Steak and Fried Catfish and it
was great. To coin a phrase, you'll come for the cave but stay for the food!
I've been wanting to find this joint since first seeing it probably on KETC Public TV channel 9 on
some show or other. It's changed hands a few times over the years and it's present iteration did not
disappoint. It should be a hoot later this summer as the warmer weather comes north to join us as
there are float trips that end here. The restaurant is located right on the bank of the beautiful
Gasconade river. Summer time beckons.
This is soooo cool!!
ReplyDeleteHi AH
DeleteMaybe next time you're in the area!
Over twenty years ago we visited this cave as they were first preparing it to be a restaurant. We climbed a spiral staircase and knocked on an aluminum storm door on the face of the bluff. We could hear someone jack-hammering inside and didn't know at the time what the plans were. We were just on a trek to see all the show caves in Missouri. The first thing the man that answered the door asked was "are you from the State?". We explained and he gave us a tour. His state rep was going to read a proclamation in the coming week announcing these plans and he was going to name the place "Caveman BBQ". This was one of those experiences that you laugh about and wonder if people really believe you when you tell about it. I haven't been back since, so thanks for the fun update.
ReplyDeleteHi Penne.
DeleteThat is such a great story! Thank you so much for sharing it with us all! After talking to a couple co-workers I'm realizing that quite a few people know about this place.
Wow you guys had an awesome weekend - just my kinda fun! vintage motel, kitschy restaurant - and I'm SO hoping you did some thrifting and got some good scores!
ReplyDeleteHi Mod B.
DeleteFeel free to link it up and use the pics!
Aaaand I want to go there. That looks amazing!!
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa.
DeleteDon't let the gravel road and dirt parking lot scare ya off! It's worth the effort to find the joint.