Richland, Missouri - Caveman BBQ & Steak House

This is an interesting place to eat. Set inside a cave 100 feet above the ground, embedded in the side of the palisade. Just getting there is an experience as you take an old elevator to the restaurant entrance. The food is mediocre at best, the prices are outrageous, the service was fair. The cashier was quite rude and when my 7 year old daughter accidentally knocked an item off of the counter the cashier responded by snapping, "She broke it, she bought it," making my little girl cry because she thought she had done something horribly wrong. The woman was not sympathetic. It is worth the experience, but truly a one time around type of place. [Lisa Wyatt, 07/30/2008]

We took our entire family and had a ball. The food was average, but you can't beat the experience [of eating in a cave]. One woman was kinda grumpy, but everyone else was very nice. We had a good time and plan to go again this summer if they are still there. It was still up for sale. It's a great little concept, just needs to have some updating and the resort would be great fun! [Acockrum, 02/05/2008]

It's one of the best rib joints I've eaten at, inside a cave 50 feet above the road. It is in an old resort. I got to talk to the owner and builder of the cave (who was also out greeter and seater!). He said he extracted material to triple the size of the original cave, which he claims was a speakeasy back in the 1930s, when the resort was big. It lies nestled with a campground/resort type of place with cabins and river sports, etc. The campground/cabins are no longer in use, and the owner told me that he was interested in getting out of the business and moving on (exact words: "Know anybody who wants to buy a resturant and some land?").

The decor is hilarious. The food is normal, but the ribs are to die for and well worth the price. Also, you park outside of the campground and are shuttled in via a beaten-up van (with no mirrors, barely any running parts, and a couple of holes in the floor). The driver takes you careening through the campground dirt road at speeds to rival a rollercoaster and drops you off at an elevtor, which takes you up to the cave. [Jim Heverin, 06/27/2005]

The Caveman Bar-BQ & Steakhouse in Richland, MO, is actually inside a cave, on a bluff above the Gasconade River. The owners enlarged Dance Hall Cave, a hot spot during Prohibition, by removing 160 tons of rock. Guests are shuttled to the restaurant from the parking lot. A dehumidifier busily pumps out 9 lbs. of water per hour and the surroundings stay surprisingly cool with a constant temperature of 69F. Great ribs and steaks, too! [Bill Grate, 08/26/2002]

[RA: We advise calling ahead.]

Very interesting place. Dine in a cave. [L. E., 07/22/2001]