Alex Madonna's Gold Rush Steak House barbecues steaks over an oak pit inside the pink-on-pink Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo's 1958 roadside fantasia.
OrderAn oak-pit steak, then a slice of pink champagne cake from the bakery case.
BookBook ahead for weekend pink-booth tables ahead
TipThe filet mignon is the house's most popular steak; stay for cake from the on-site bakery.
Madonna Inn Copper Cafe serves all-day diner classics under hammered copper and pink leather, with the famous cake case by the door in San Luis Obispo.
OrderAny diner classic followed by pink champagne cake from the bakery case.
TipThe bakery counter sells whole pink champagne cakes to travel; slices go fastest on weekend evenings.
The Nautical Bean has run as a family coffee bistro in San Luis Obispo since 1998, cooking a full breakfast and lunch board behind its espresso bar.
DrinkHouse mochas
TipTwo more branches pour at 2010 Parker Street and 810 Orcutt Road; the original keeps the biggest kitchen.
Pardon My French Bakery pipes eclairs and builds French specialty cakes at SLO Ranch Farms & Marketplace on the western edge of San Luis Obispo.
Worth the queueEclairs
TipEclairs and entremets sell out before the 15:00 close on Saturdays; ring ahead to hold one.
Madonna Inn Bakery calls itself home of the famous pink champagne cake, hand-finishing layer cakes daily inside San Luis Obispo's pink palace since 1958.
Worth the queuePink champagne cake
TipWhole cakes are subject to availability, so order ahead; a boxed slice survives the drive up Highway 1 surprisingly well.
The Saturday morning farmers' market fills the World Market car park on Madonna Road, the produce-first sibling of San Luis Obispo's Thursday night party.
TipIt wraps at 10:45 sharp; the growers' stalls are picked over well before then in stone-fruit season.
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