Roadkill Cafe and OK Saloon - Seligman
What is the Roadkill Cafe and OK Saloon in Seligman, Arizona?
If you’ve seen the movie Cars you know about Route 66 but the popularity of Route 66 can be traced back to two brothers who happen to live in Seligman, Arizona. The Delgadillo Brothers were business owners in the town with one owning the Snow Cap Cafe and the other a barber shop.
We will certainly do a future episode about their influence on Route 66 as the Mother Road is poised to celebrate its 100th year, but that’s not what this Goofy USA segment is about.
You can still visit the Snow Cap Cafe much of the year but another place to stop and eat is the Road Kill Cafe on the other end of town.
It could be argued that the Road Kill is simply a diner with a diverse menu but, as the name implies, it’s so much more than that. The legend of the place is that, if you happened to hit some critter while traversing the Mother Road, you could bring it in and they’d cook it up for you. That’s the legend at least.
But today they offer traditional diner food with interesting names like High-Speed Special, No Luck Buck and Varmint Vittles. What are these items? Well High-Speed Special is a chicken sandwich; No Luck Buck is a traditional French Dip and Varmint Vittles is a chicken wrap.
Clearly someone in charge has one heck of a sense of humor but that’s the kind of thing we appreciate. Yes, the food is good and plentiful and prices are fair but you put a smile on your face, hopefully, when placing your order. We’ve also had some pretty good service and, yep, we’ve been several times. In fact the Road Kill Cafe has become lore on family travels through the area. You just gotta stop.
Someone also visited the taxidermist multiple times for the decor in the place where you can see some creatures that had previously wandered the local desert but now have a permanent home in the unique diner. There are stuffed deer, mountain lions and, of course, the place’s signature creature the buzzard.
There are also plenty of fun things in the gift shop, which is substantial, and reflect the same sense of humor as the menu.
Outside there’s a little western-style town whee you can put yourself in jail or just wander around. There are, as with so many Route 66 places, a few old vehicles to look at and wonder what brought them here and how did they end-up making their own final destination this unique eatery.
Did the Road Kill Cafe ever really prepare the things you might have to scrape off the underside of your vehicle? We doubt it but that kind of legend, and being able to order things like Rack of Raccoon, The Chicken that Almost Crossed the Road and Long Gone Fawn are prime examples of Goofy USA.
