ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

The Pink Cadillac Diner

Updated on December 24, 2019
annetteghallowe1 profile image

Annette is a self-proclaimed nomad who puts her motto-"Life is an adventure-take detours" to heart. She always takes the road less traveled.

The Pink Cadillac Diner

Sometimes the unplanned restaurant stop turns out to be a real find. This was the case when we stopped into the Pink Cadillac Diner for a bite of lunch after our morning trip to the Virginia Safari Park

The Pink Cadillac Diner in Natural Bridge, Virginia is the perfect spot to get a great meal in between visits to other local attractions. We actually found the diner when we were looking for the entrance to the Safari Park. One look at amount of cars in the parking lot was enough to tell us that would be our lunch spot. We weren't disappointed!

So whether you love diners, live in Virginia or absolutely love pink cadillacs, this diner is for you!

What makes a diner a diner?

According to Wikipedia,

"A diner is a prefabricated restaurant building characteristic of North America, especially on Long Island; in New York City; in New Jersey, and other areas of the Northeastern United States, although examples can be found throughout the US and in Canada. Some people apply the term not only to the prefabricated structures, but also to restaurants that serve cuisine similar to traditional diner cuisine even if they are located in more traditional types of buildings. Diners are characterized by a wide range of foods, mostly American, a casual atmosphere, a counter, and late operating hours."

The Pink Cadillac Diner

Where is The Pink Cadillac Diner?

A
4347 S Lee Hwy, Natural Bridge, VA 24578-3571:
4347 S Lee Hwy, Natural Bridge, VA 24578-3571

get directions

But what are the hours?

I am glad you asked!

The Pink Cadillac Diner is open

7 Days a week

7AM until 9PM

Lunch at the Pink Cadillac Diner

Since we had found the Pink Cadillac DIner when we were looking for the entrance to Virginia Safari Park, we had already decided to go there for lunch after our visit to the Safari Park. As it turns out, the Park and the Pink Cadillac diner are probably less than a mile from each other.

When I am traveling whether it is a day trip or a trip across the country, or a trip overseas, I look for the locals favorite place to eat. When we pulled up to the Pink Cadillac Diner about 1:30 in the afternoon, the parking lot was still full. Great start. When we got out of the car, great smells were coming out of the restaurant. Our stomach had been growling before we got to the diner. Now they were growling loudly!

When we entered the door to the building, it felt as though we had stepped back in time. The Pink Cadillac Diner is a trip back to the 50s. Along with the pink, the floor and table cloths were black and white checks. The walls were full of 50s memorabilia and of course there was a juke box at the far end of the restaurant.

Even at 1:30, the restaurant was busy. There was a pretty even split of locals to tourists so I knew my instincts were correct.

The waitress came to the table and gave us the menu. What I didn't expect was the choices. I also didn't expect that it would all be homemade. I really was back to the 50s!

We started with iced tea. In the south, Iced Tea means sweet tea. I am a Yankee so I opted for the unsweeted fresh brewed iced tea. It was fresh and it was delicious.

It seemed appropriate to share a vanilla malt since we were in a diner. Wow! It was great. Hmmmmmm dessert to start the meal. You've got to love it!

We were told that the onion rings are hand cut as well as the fries. The fries come with a spicy seasoning on top. Forget the diet, we were already gone with the vanilla malt. What are a few fries and onion rings after that?

No, we didn't just have fries and onion rings. My daughter ordered the Mushroom Onion Burger. Let me say I don't remember the last time a burger I had was actually ground fresh on site, but it was here and boy it was good. It was juicy and huge and cooked to perfection. The brew city fries and onion rings to go with it were perfect.

I took a chance and ordered the Sandwich of the Day. It was a Softshell Crab Sandwich. I must admit that I had to pause before ordering to consider the fact that Natural Bridge is not near the water. I was assured by our waitress that the sandwich was getting rave reviews. She was not exaggerating. The sandwich was lightly coated and fried to perfection. It was meaty, juicy and really flavorful. I ordered a side salad and wonder of wonders, it was topped with homemade salad dressing.

We had every intention of enjoying a piece of homemade pie. If you are going to start with dessert you better end with it. Lemon meringue is my daughter's favorite. She is picky about her lemon meringue. Was there any question it would be as good as the rest of the meal?

A great dining experience is not just about the food. Oh the food is important of course and the Pink Cadillac Diner did not disappoint. What the Pink Cadillac Diner did was create a lasting memory of our day. From the moment we drove up to the pink building we were smiling. When we opened the door to the diner, we were greeted by a great interior. It was 50s retro, but it was clean and bright. The waitress was down home friendly and the banter between the waitresses and the regulars added to the atmosphere.

And wonder of wonders, even the restrooms were clean.

I had fun watching other diners with their meals. There were plenty of smiles and groans from over eating. I was not alone!

I must now admit, I could not finish my food, but I did make a brave attempt. I brought home leftovers. And I didn't eat again until the next day!

The next time I head down the road on I-81 in Virginia I will time my journey to take Exit 180-A. I will also make sure I am very, very hungry.

And for you that have never been there; once you exit take a right and "follow the signs until you see the Pink Cadillac Outside..."

You will be glad you did!

Ya Gotta love a Pink Cadillac!

Ya Gotta love a Pink Cadillac!
Ya Gotta love a Pink Cadillac!

Before or after The Pink Cadillac Diner - A few fun stops!

Click thumbnail to view full-size
Foamhenge...a scale of Stonehenge in Foam!Where would we be without a monster museum?Of course, there has to be a wax museum!Virginia Safari Park
Foamhenge...a scale of Stonehenge in Foam!
Foamhenge...a scale of Stonehenge in Foam!
Where would we be without a monster museum?
Where would we be without a monster museum?
Of course, there has to be a wax museum!
Of course, there has to be a wax museum!
Virginia Safari Park
Virginia Safari Park

Thanks for visiting the Pink Cadillac Diner!

Thanks for visiting the Pink Cadillac Diner!
Thanks for visiting the Pink Cadillac Diner!

Don't leave yet....stay a little longer and say hello. And while you are at it, would you please take the time to rate my lens?

Thanks for stopping by!

© 2009 Annette Geiger

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)