Travel to Rock Springs Café
Posted in Arizona, Family Fun, Food, Historic, Restaurant, Southwest, Travel | By Roger Gillespie | Tags: Arizona, Food, Historic, Pies, Rock Creek Cafe, Southwest, Travel
It’s highly unlikely that passengers on the Black Canyon Stagecoach in 1884 would have ever guessed that their rest stop between Prescott and Phoenix would become famous for … PIES!
Even in 1924 when Ben Warner opened his new Hotel and General Store, pies weren’t the attraction.
It must have been something, though, as Hollywood notables such as Tom Mix and Jean Harlow stayed there along with miners who worked the gold and silver mines in the nearby Bradshaw Mountains.
Place for pies - Rock Springs Cafe
But it wasn’t until just a little over 30 years ago that the Rock Springs Café started selling pies. Baked fresh daily, they reported to have sold over 50,000 in 2007. You don’t even have to be in Arizona, as their online store is available for placing your order for delivery (except cream pies).
Although we had seen the café on numerous trips to and from northern Arizona from the Phoenix area, we finally decided to stop by on our way back from Cottonwood. Just off of I-17 a few miles south of Black Canyon City, it doesn’t necessarily look like a place you would search out. But once inside, it’s a cross between a large tourist gift shop and a Cracker Barrel restaurant, but with a lot more history.
Rock Springs Cafe dining area
Antique pie case - new pies
With over 20 pies by the slice or available whole, you have a selection of the usual suspects in the cream and fruit department along with some specialty selections. The latter includes a Jack Daniels Pecan (and it’s not named for the chef …). The Jack Daniels is their specialty and most in demand.
Gifts and doodads in the central area
Once you enter the main doors, a central area separates the café from the large saloon. The café menu features steaks, chicken, Mexican, chili and even breakfast entrees. At the back of the central area is where you can buy whole pies. Large glass door refrigerated cases show off the boxed fruit pies and the huge cream pies.
We tried a slice of pie each as we had eaten lunch not too long before. Personally, I wasn’t overly impressed, but that doesn’t make it a bad piece of pie. There was something impressive about sitting in this historical, one of a kind location that just doesn’t happen at those national chain “famous pie” places.
Location: 35769 S. Old Black Canyon Highway, Rock Springs, AZ
Interstate 17 Exit 242
Hours:Sun-Thu 7am-9pm, Fri-Sat 7am-10pm
http://www.rockspringscafe.com/
Tags: Arizona, Food, Historic, Pies, Rock Creek Cafe, Southwest, Travel