I am surprised at the good reviews here. I guess when there is nothing else around, whatever is left is good? Food is mediocre and mostly pre-packaged. Prices are very high, which is normal for a place inside an attraction like the Desert Museum. Service is the worst. Staff looks like they don't want to do anything at all and look at you like you're inconveniencing them by just being there. The good thing that gives it 3 stars is the view which is a great desert view. Other than that, just wait and eat elsewhere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 2
Susan King
Will be dreaming of the Cactus fries forever!! So good!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jessica
If you have time for a more leisurely sit-down lunch while at the Desert Museum, you must check out the Ocotillo Cafe. It is a sit-down, table-service restaurant so feels less rushed than a quick-service place. Write your name on the clipboard outside and they’ll call you when ready, but note the restaurant is not large so you may be waiting for at least 10-15 min. Keep your eyes peeled while waiting - there was a tiny hummingbird nest in the tree literally right above our heads!
They have a great cocktail menu - I recommend the Prickly Pear Cosmo which was tart but good, they also have a Prickly Pear margarita which appeared to be quite popular. For food, they have some local specialties, we got the fried cactus with jalapeño ketchup and Sonoran dogs. All food was very good and I do HIGHLY recommend the Sonoran dog! It is a regional specialty.
Steve M
I great little place inside of the museum. Awesome cocktail and appetizers.
Mohammad Soleymani
Friendly staff and awesome food where you don't expect it.
Jessica Allen
*Must purchase museum entry ticket or membership to get to the restaurant.We drove in for lunch on a Friday. The restaurant is about a ten minute walk from the entrance. It was pretty busy but there were two tables available at noon for us to choose from for our party of two. I asked for prickly pear lemonade, they were out but provided a limeade instead. We ordered a cheese crisp and cactus fries, both were large appetizers. I ordered the Mojo Chicken, which had a crisp and refreshing salsa that blended well with the smoky chicken and savory asparagus. The environment is enchanting, with amazing art, and the path to the restaurant is surrounded by flowers in early April; the weather wasn’t too warm yet. I very much preferred this dining experience over others available at this delightful museum.
Parking: There is a large parking lot for the museum, you’ll need to park and visit the ticketing window for entry to the museum grounds, then walk to the restaurant the rest of the way, about ten minutes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Appetizer
Brian Rogers
I love this cafe in the museum. Just a quaint little space that's also a bit romantic. The food selection for Sonoran desert nights is small, but well encompassing most dietary preferences. The food is outstanding and everything tastes wonderful. The service is even better, with some of the most friendly wait staff I've ever met.All in all, I look forward to returning!
Vegetarian options: The vegetarian and vegan options are quite good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Carmen Gonzalez
The taco salad was
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Taco Salad
Sandee Adragna
Beautiful. inside and outside seating. Good selection of tasty foods from the grill or flavorful soutwest entrees. Better than expected.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Taco Salad
Vito
Great place to take a break. Or just stop in and get a cold drink.
Nice place to eat and take a break before going out for more of the Desert Museum.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
mike griffin
Best breakfast buffet ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dave DeWitt
Great service wow!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rose_Kavalier
We had lunch there during our visit to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. We ordered fried nopalitos, elote dip (excellent), soup, birria de res, and chile en nogada. We loved everything!
Robert Evans
I like this place when it is open, but it hardly ever is. They seem to be open on random days, you can't count on eating here any longer. Oh, and there isn't any sign at the front gate, so you have to walk to the restaurant to see if they are open or not.
I am surprised at the good reviews here. I guess when there is nothing else around, whatever is left is good?
Food is mediocre and mostly pre-packaged. Prices are very high, which is normal for a place inside an attraction like the Desert Museum. Service is the worst. Staff looks like they don't want to do anything at all and look at you like you're inconveniencing them by just being there.
The good thing that gives it 3 stars is the view which is a great desert view. Other than that, just wait and eat elsewhere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 2
Will be dreaming of the Cactus fries forever!! So good!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
If you have time for a more leisurely sit-down lunch while at the Desert Museum, you must check out the Ocotillo Cafe. It is a sit-down, table-service restaurant so feels less rushed than a quick-service place. Write your name on the clipboard outside and they’ll call you when ready, but note the restaurant is not large so you may be waiting for at least 10-15 min. Keep your eyes peeled while waiting - there was a tiny hummingbird nest in the tree literally right above our heads!
They have a great cocktail menu - I recommend the Prickly Pear Cosmo which was tart but good, they also have a Prickly Pear margarita which appeared to be quite popular. For food, they have some local specialties, we got the fried cactus with jalapeño ketchup and Sonoran dogs. All food was very good and I do HIGHLY recommend the Sonoran dog! It is a regional specialty.
I great little place inside of the museum. Awesome cocktail and appetizers.
Friendly staff and awesome food where you don't expect it.
*Must purchase museum entry ticket or membership to get to the restaurant.We drove in for lunch on a Friday. The restaurant is about a ten minute walk from the entrance. It was pretty busy but there were two tables available at noon for us to choose from for our party of two. I asked for prickly pear lemonade, they were out but provided a limeade instead. We ordered a cheese crisp and cactus fries, both were large appetizers. I ordered the Mojo Chicken, which had a crisp and refreshing salsa that blended well with the smoky chicken and savory asparagus. The environment is enchanting, with amazing art, and the path to the restaurant is surrounded by flowers in early April; the weather wasn’t too warm yet. I very much preferred this dining experience over others available at this delightful museum.
Parking: There is a large parking lot for the museum, you’ll need to park and visit the ticketing window for entry to the museum grounds, then walk to the restaurant the rest of the way, about ten minutes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Appetizer
I love this cafe in the museum. Just a quaint little space that's also a bit romantic. The food selection for Sonoran desert nights is small, but well encompassing most dietary preferences. The food is outstanding and everything tastes wonderful. The service is even better, with some of the most friendly wait staff I've ever met.All in all, I look forward to returning!
Vegetarian options: The vegetarian and vegan options are quite good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The taco salad was
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Taco Salad
Beautiful. inside and outside seating. Good selection of tasty foods from the grill or flavorful soutwest entrees. Better than expected.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Taco Salad
Great place to take a break. Or just stop in and get a cold drink.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Taco Salad
Restaurantji Recommends
Nice place to eat and take a break before going out for more of the Desert Museum.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best breakfast buffet ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great service wow!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had lunch there during our visit to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. We ordered fried nopalitos, elote dip (excellent), soup, birria de res, and chile en nogada. We loved everything!
I like this place when it is open, but it hardly ever is. They seem to be open on random days, you can't count on eating here any longer. Oh, and there isn't any sign at the front gate, so you have to walk to the restaurant to see if they are open or not.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 1
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