Alex Madonna's Gold Rush Steak House

by Selene P.

Steaaakkk!!!!The BEST filet mignon I've ever had!!The Madonna Inn is awesome, I recommend anyone going to San Luis Obispo to stay there! It's so much fun!!!!!And to the person who said in his or her review that you have to put sauce all over, it is NOT true! The meat is so tasty and cooked as ordered.. you don't have to put anything to it, mine was perfect as it was!

by Emily S.

Husband and I ate here many years ago.  After being seated in if you could imagine a giant bottle of Pepto Bismol being exploded into... I didn't know what to expect.What we got was an incredible dinner, excellent service and the opportunity of meeting Mr. Madonna himself.A few months ago, we returned to the Madonna Inn for lunch and were sad to find out that Mr. Madonna had passed away.I would recommend having dinner here.  Their steaks are superb.

by Andrew S.

This place is great.  They get the 5th star for the extreme kitsch factor.  In all seriousness, however, they really cook a mean steak here.  Their bacon wrapped filet minon is damn good, as are their lamb chops.  The service is very friendly, and the atmosphere is fantastic.  They also have a large dance floor so you can have some dancing to go with your dining.  It's very old-school, but pink, and really fun.  At least half of the customers seemed to be here for a special occasion (my wife and I were here for our anniversery), and they even make a point of asking you if you are there for a special reason, and then bring an appropriate baloon to your table (i.e. "happy birthday", etc.).  Reservations are recommended.

by Robert S.

I am not sure if it is fair for a vegetarian like me to review this place, especially given that they have so few vegetarian options on their menu. Their house salad is a pitiful, small iceburg salad with very boring/conventional dressing. The vegetable plate is a paltry collection of the most bland steamed vegetables you would ever want to try. The only hope is in the fried appetizers where they do have very good zucchini (if you can get them to serve it to you) and stuffed peppers. The fried mozzarella, while it looks like frozen, actually is real fried mozzarella that is chewy/stringy with a great consistency. If you get the house barbecue as a dipping sauce, you can create a pretty tasty, horribly unhealthy, vegetarian meal. The cakes from the bakery are giant and among the best I have had (I am not a cake fan in general) but these are moist with some of the best, least Crisco-like icing that I have tasted. The real draw of this place is the decor which is amazing and well worth the trip alone.

by Odie H.

My wife and I arrived at the Madonna Inn later than anticipated after driving a good part of the day, so rather than getting out again we decided to try the steakhouse at the hotel. Walking in 10 minutes before closing the host made sure to let us know we were arriving when they were ready to close and I thought for sure this was going to be a waste of time and money. I was completely wrong. I have to say, the steak was the best steak I've had in the last five years - perfectly cooked, good flavor; just really great. The baked potato was great too; yes, I know it is ridiculous to talk about the quality of a baked potato but it reminded me of how many places just don't completely, uh, bake it it the whole way through Seems simple enough I guess, but not often done. Only knocks on the evening were a.) the rude host and b.) most of the desserts were out, but hard to argue with that when we were there as late as we were. Neither issue is enough to deduct from points earned on the dinner though. 4 and a half stars.

by Odie H.nicole f.john w.CE C.Emily L.

My wife and I arrived at the Madonna Inn later than anticipated after driving a good part of the day, so rather than getting out again we decided to try the steakhouse at the hotel. Walking in 10 minutes before closing the host made sure to let us know we were arriving when they were ready to close and I thought for sure this was going to be a waste of time and money. I was completely wrong. I have to say, the steak was the best steak I've had in the last five years - perfectly cooked, good flavor; just really great. The baked potato was great too; yes, I know it is ridiculous to talk about the quality of a baked potato but it reminded me of how many places just don't completely, uh, bake it it the whole way through Seems simple enough I guess, but not often done. Only knocks on the evening were a.) the rude host and b.) most of the desserts were out, but hard to argue with that when we were there as late as we were. Neither issue is enough to deduct from points earned on the dinner though. 4 and a half stars.Have you seen Cocoon? If so, this place is spot on!!! I had no idea what i was walking into. You would not believe me if I told you, this place is so over the top, words do not describe. it is all pink!!! Pink tables, carpet, gold, opulent, lights fairies, you name it, they have it. It is all that was amazing and wrong w/ you Granny's house! I had the swordfish and it was very good. Salad as a starter seemed to be the better choice as my BF said the mushroom soup was tasteless. I thought it was a bit pricey, yet you are going for the experience. There was big band dancing alllllllllll night. This is where the cocoon part comes into play. Huge cake selection, but by the time we got around to cake, pink cake was gone. Carrot cake yum, lemon cake, not so much!Coming back from a weekend of wine tasting in Paso Robles, had to stop at the place everyone has told me  "YOU HAVE TO GO THERE!!!".   I was told as many others have been, " they have the best fillet you'll ever have".  Well then!.... So I roll in at 5, place is empty. Dinner service starts at 530. I hang out till then. Once seated my first impressions are.....the decor??...ummmm :-/. What can only be described as a symphony of PINK!.  A mash up of permanent Valentines day decorations, gold painted vines hanging across the room, and gold painted cherubs hanging from the ceiling and various other things.  fake pink flowers everywhere, and a working fountain with a mechanical/powered figure racking back and forth on top of it....did I mention the PINK booths.  One might think, "were the designers back then serious or having a laugh??".   No matter, I get it, and I guess it's fun on some level. Now, the food wine.Didn't have think about what to order....the fillet, 10oz, cooked medium. Served with a large baked potato and green veggies.  Now the fillet definitely did not suck. It was cooked exactly as I asked.....however, the best fillet I've ever had???....no, not really.  Somehow the outside layer was dry?. How did that happen?. Left sitting to rest to long??. Also thought it was a little under seasoned.   Was it worth $35?, not to me.  Guess my expectations were so high that it was anti climactic.   For wine I just ordered some kind of Zin blend, can't remember what exactly??.  Nothing special, in fact the whole list was a little disappointing.   The high point would be the service. My waitress whose name was Ashlee i believe?, was great. Incredibly attentive and nice, almost to a fault.  Not sure how the service would be if they were slammed, but on this night it was spot on. I would recommend that everyone come here at least once in their life, just to experience it.  Very hard to be indifferent about a place like this. After doing some quick research on Mr Madonna, I totally get what he was doing with this place. It was a real fantasy theme park indulgence, which includes the hotel.   I see a lot of the reviews for this place are REALLY long, look at mine :-o.Guess this place made an impression, which was exactly what Mr Madonna wanted ;:-)Just like everyone else has said the place is all pink.  It is really tacky looking, however if you can get past the appearance, it really has one of the best filet mignon we have ever had, and believe me, we have eaten a lot of filets.  We ordered the french version wrapped in bacon with a mushroom demi glace.  The meat was so tender, that they give you these regular knives that is still able to cut the meat.  It was an amazing steak.  And it was 11 ounces!!we also had the lamb chops, which were huge!  i have never eaten that much meat in one sitting.  Both entrees came with choice of soup or salad, veggie of the day, and choice of potatoes.  Nothing like a baked potato with sour cream and butter.  We both got soup chicken curry, nothing too out of the ordinary.  Both entreees were about 40 bucks, which were expensive, however the portions were absolutely huge!  for the amount of food you get, you would be paying at least 80 bucks in ny for that!we were stuffed and couldnt do dessert, random town san luis obispo, but next time we will return just for the filet.THE Madonna Inn steakhouse definitely lived up to it's hype. I just had a semi-large party (~12) here, and we were seated in the room with the band playing. Great lively atmosphere, festive ambiance, and mouth-watering filets. No complaints about our service either! The staff was very accommodating for our graduating senior members celebration.Onto the food! BEST STEAK IN LIFE! A third of us ordered the renowned filet mignon, and it did not disappoint one bit. The "French" version with the mushrooms and burgundy sauce for $2 more wasn't quite worth it though. All you get is 4 small button mushrooms and a spoonful of sauce. No matter though, because the meat was melt-in-your-mouth tender. Another third of the table got the prime rib, and we can't vouch for it too much, as it was a bit chewy and mediocre. The rib eye was so-so as well. But the filet mignon.....mmmm! Baked potato was standard, nothing special and not loaded. It was nice of our waiter to bring our honorees big complimentary slices of cake. Onto the entertainment! At the end of our meal, another table asked our table full of girls if we'd like to be dancing partners! For cowboys! So she dragged a few over and had some of us join them on the dance floor! Hilarious! Not so much for me because I was awkward...I mean, old couples were shouting at my partner to teach me and my two left feet how to "DANCE!" but it was all in good fun :) and topped off the night. Five stars for the magical Madonna Inn!

by Rachel T.

Although the interior design may not be appetizing to look at the food is amazing. The filet mignon you can cut with a fork! The desert is also amazing. Any of the cakes are just amazing! If you go you have to go down stairs and see the waterfall urinal in the men's room, just make sure the place is clear first!

by john w.

Coming back from a weekend of wine tasting in Paso Robles, had to stop at the place everyone has told me  "YOU HAVE TO GO THERE!!!".   I was told as many others have been, " they have the best fillet you'll ever have".  Well then!.... So I roll in at 5, place is empty. Dinner service starts at 530. I hang out till then. Once seated my first impressions are.....the decor??...ummmm :-/. What can only be described as a symphony of PINK!.  A mash up of permanent Valentines day decorations, gold painted vines hanging across the room, and gold painted cherubs hanging from the ceiling and various other things.  fake pink flowers everywhere, and a working fountain with a mechanical/powered figure racking back and forth on top of it....did I mention the PINK booths.  One might think, "were the designers back then serious or having a laugh??".   No matter, I get it, and I guess it's fun on some level. Now, the food wine.Didn't have think about what to order....the fillet, 10oz, cooked medium. Served with a large baked potato and green veggies.  Now the fillet definitely did not suck. It was cooked exactly as I asked.....however, the best fillet I've ever had???....no, not really.  Somehow the outside layer was dry?. How did that happen?. Left sitting to rest to long??. Also thought it was a little under seasoned.   Was it worth $35?, not to me.  Guess my expectations were so high that it was anti climactic.   For wine I just ordered some kind of Zin blend, can't remember what exactly??.  Nothing special, in fact the whole list was a little disappointing.   The high point would be the service. My waitress whose name was Ashlee i believe?, was great. Incredibly attentive and nice, almost to a fault.  Not sure how the service would be if they were slammed, but on this night it was spot on. I would recommend that everyone come here at least once in their life, just to experience it.  Very hard to be indifferent about a place like this. After doing some quick research on Mr Madonna, I totally get what he was doing with this place. It was a real fantasy theme park indulgence, which includes the hotel.   I see a lot of the reviews for this place are REALLY long, look at mine :-o.Guess this place made an impression, which was exactly what Mr Madonna wanted ;:-)

by Gerard I.

Here's some words of wisdom from me to you. Don't ever get into a fight in this place. They serve all of their beverages in heavy engraved/raised GOBLETS! Yeah, it's that kind of party. Say the wrong thing to someone, and you're getting a goblet to the face!We had brunch, which consisted of the Eggs Benedict. Not bad but not The York great, unlimited refills of my soft drink beverage, along with some fresh fruit. It was a hearty meal, though. Very worth it. The service was cool, prices alright, but the decor was weird. It was a more flamboyant version of midievel times minus the sword fights. Lots of pink as well. The cakes in the display cases were pink all around. Yuck. Try it for brunch, next time I go, I'm trying the lunch menu. Woot!

by Michelle B.

It's always fun to see your rather large and manly dining companion surrounded by so much pink!The food itself was fine, I seem to remember a baked potato dripping in all sorts of traditional toppings - mmm butter mmm cheese mmm sour cream...and so on. The rest of the meal wasn't so memorable. Well not when the dining room looks exactly like Vegas Kitsch without feeling all affected the way Vegas always does. This is the real deal. This is what these people thought/think look good. I loved it in here!Be sure to get your man friend to clear the way in the men's bathroom so you can have a look at the waterfall urinal. Seriously.