Part two of a two-part journey along a small part of Route 66 in San Bernardino County, California.
Last week we visited the Magic Lamp Inn along a short but still relatively intact section of U.S. Highway 66 in San Bernardino County. As we continue down the road heading east from the neon genie’s lamp with flame coming out of the spout we pass an outlet of Vince’s Spaghetti, which opened in 1984. The original location of Vince’s in Ontario dates back to 1945 and is still owned by the original Cuccia family, making it a must for the time travel explorer!
A bit farther down the road as we approach the intersection with San Bernardino Road the spectacular neon sign of the Sycamore Inn comes into view.
The Sycamore Inn stands on a historic site that was an oasis of trees next to a creek on the old Santa Fe Trail. In 1848 an inn and tavern was built on the site called the Mountain Inn (hence “since 1848” is on the Sycamore Inn’s sign). Eventually it was destroyed by fire and in 1920 a new building was built among the sycamore trees with a dining room and bar on the first floor and hotel rooms upstairs. This is the same building that is the Sycamore Inn today. The building looks like an old chalet from the Alps, with a large porch in the front and a veranda on the second floor. In 1939 it was renamed the Sycamore Inn as a restaurant only, and its use as a hotel was discontinued. In the heyday of Route 66 the Inn was a popular stop by people traveling to Palm Springs and Las Vegas, including many Hollywood celebrities.
Image by The Sycamore Inn
On the inside is a large bar and lounge with deep red banquettes, an old stone fireplace, and a semi-circle bar in deep red vinyl.
Image by The Sycamore Inn
Image by The Sycamore Inn
The main dining room is large with walls of wood and wallpaper, wooden beams on the ceiling, and tables with club chairs in the same deep red as the upholstery in the bar.
Image by The Sycamore Inn
The menu is strong on beef, with eight varieties of aged Prime steak plus prime rib. They have an extensive list of wines by the glass and the bottle, and table side soufflé offered for dessert. The prices are pretty high, along the lines of higher end ala carte steakhouses, but they have happy hour every night until 8PM featuring inexpensive dinners available in the lounge and on the veranda as well as half-priced wines-by-the-glass, cocktails, and appetizers in the bar.
The Sycamore Inn
8318 Foothill Blvd., Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
Telephone: 909.982.1104
Email: finedining@citivu.com, info@thesycamoreinn.com
Open Mon-Th 5:00pm – 9:00pm, Fri & Sat 5:00pm – 10:00pm, Sun 4:00pm – 8:30pm, happy hour nightly until 8pm
