Restaurant Directory

2010 Best of Sacramento Winner - Best Road Food

Perched on Highway 16 in Capay, this plucky and charming roadside eatery is a local dining treasure. From the outside it doesn’t look like much, but Road Trip’s interior is very attractive and pleasant. High exposed ceilings feature sturdy wood beams, while the wood planking covering several walls is weathered and knotty. Floors are a washed concrete, the roomy booths are wooden, and the congenial bar has colorful license plates embedded within it. Budweiser signs and framed sports jerseys adorn the walls, and there’s a tidy, pretty outdoor dining area as well as a spacious, landscaped side yard used for large events like weddings and big barbecues. The menu is quite compact, offering humorously named items like the “Big Frick’n Cobb Salad” and the “Big Daddy Mac & Cheese.” This is rib-sticking, down home fare, from the robust Roadside Ribs, glazed with a sweet root beer barbecue sauce; to the ebulliently meaty “Crazy Good Chili,” which can be ordered “loaded” with a generous sprinkling of chopped red onions and grated cheddar cheese. The kitchen also plates up an excellent potato salad, and we’re told that the Spare Tire Burger (with sharp cheddar cheese) is a not-to-be-missed menu item. This is one diner well worth the—er—road trip from downtown Sacramento. — Kira O'Donnell

Insider tip: If you’re hankering for dessert, try Road Trip’s Capay Valley fruit cobbler or the “Mother Load” chocolate cake

Reservations: Suggested for large parties

Payment methods: AmEx, MasterCard, Visa

Alcohol: Full bar

Corkage fee: * No outside alcohol allowed

Hours: Breakfast 6–9 a.m.; Lunch/Dinner 11 a.m.–9 p.m. daily