Pea Soup Andersen's
Santa Nella, CA
Photo courtesy Kwong Chang

Rolling along I-5 through Santa Nella, check out the familiar sign for Pea Soup Andersen's. This well-known roadside stop gives motorists something to look for between the long stretches of Central Valley freeway. The eye-catching signage can be spotted from the interstate, giving hungry travelers a little advance notice before the exit comes up. After seeing the signs along the way, a bowl of pea soup starts sounding pretty good. Or at least a quick stop with the camera. 02-09

The Santa Nella restaurant opened on December 6, 1976, bringing a little Danish flavor to the freeway with its 77-foot windmill, bakery, and gift shop. The idea was to create a roadside service town where travelers could eat, fuel up, and spend the night before heading back out on the highway. A handy break when the scenery has been mostly pavement and trucks for a while.

Sign Board for Pea Soup Andersen's
Santa Nella, CA
Photo courtesy Kwong Chang

Then there are the familiar cartoon cooks Hap-Pea and Pea-Wee, busy splitting a pea with a mallet and chisel. These two have been working away on Andersen's signs for decades. That's quite a bit of effort for one little pea, but it certainly makes the place easy to recognize.

UPDATE: The Santa Nella restaurant remains open, with its familiar roadside signs still in place. Following the original Buellton location's closure in January 2024, this is the last operating Pea Soup Andersen's restaurant. Travelers taking I-5 can still pull off for the soup, browse the gift shop, and catch a few photos before getting back on the road. 09-26