Update: What a sad and tone deaf response to my complaint. This establishment is basically calling me a liar. I am from Seattle and drink a lot of cold brew. I have had it here in J tree at Roadrunner and Dez. Both were excellent. The cold brew at Bliss was horribly bitter and not correct. Also yes the staff was in an argument and flustered with each other. Why would I make that up?
The worst cold brew I have ever had. So bitter it was obviously old and not extracted correctly. The staff was stressed out and arguing when I was there in a holiday morning Feb 16, 2016. Way overpriced at $6 for bitter horrible coffee.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Frank Salmon
Super good coffees and smoothies. Also their responses to bad reviews crack me up so extra points for that lol.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chase Buttice
It took 4 years for them to be able to open this restaurant, so much bureaucracy and red tape, it’s a miracle it exists. It’s not easy to run + open a restaurant in JT. I for one am grateful for a new food option here in Joshua Tree, thank you to the owners for the time and energy you put into getting this restaurant off the ground. I’m sure it’s going to become a Joshua tree staple.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
SL K
After hearing recommendations from local friends, I stopped by in search of a bowl. The store was clean and spotless. The baristas were very friendly and knowledgeable. The “salad” bowl that I was hoping to get were not available at the time, thus I settled for an Acai Bowl with 6 complimentary toppings. Perhaps I came in on a day that “salad” bowls were not offered, I wish that will change soon. Will give this place another try.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Marc Seidenstein
No cash accepted and a 3% “convenience fee” on cards? I fail to see how that’s convenient.
Laura B
Excellent location, friendly service, and the coffee tasted very high quality.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Travis Anderson
I had a poor experience here. I ordered a clearly specified vegan bowl, and when I used the term “vegan,” it was corrected to “plant-based,” which raised concerns for me as someone who has been vegan for many years. Unfortunately, those concerns were justified — my bowl was served with shrimp.
Serving animal products to someone who explicitly ordered vegan food is a serious mistake. This isn’t a preference issue; it’s a failure to respect dietary requirements.
Additionally, the atmosphere was uninviting and felt more like a mall food court than a proper dining space.
I won’t be returning, and I hope the business improves its understanding and handling of vegan orders.
UPDATE: I did not ask for, or get a refund! I simply left because my order was messed up! My wife ordered shrimp on her bowl, so I let her have both! I watched as staff rotated during the construction of our bowls, I guess that’s how the order was messed up. Anyway, don’t be dishonest about folks asking for refunds, that’s pretty gross!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
Brian Rennie
Went to try Bliss for the first time and a sign in the window said they don’t have hot food (bowls, etc) all days and only specific times. Should post this on Google and not waste a potential customer’s time driving over.
kristal Pena
This place is all about the ambiance and over pricing average food. My pineapple was straight from the can, and the Açaí tasted fake and melted super fast…not the normal consistency! The Greek yogurt had a funny taste and the almond butter tasted stale! Service was good and my latte was fine. Also the scones will be the only reason I’d stop here again, they were delish and overpriced lol
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Connor
To echo the Yelp reviews that touch on this — the cold, monochromatic, sterile atmosphere of this cafe is tone deaf to the vibe and inherent spirit of downtown JT. The harsh LED signage and “Lab” theme only further exacerbates this unwelcoming atmosphere for a cafe that self-describes itself with having “good vibes” and a health-forward menu. It’s evident that this cafe exists to cater solely to tourists and unfortunately only further estranges the locals who they will be relying on for patronage in between the tourist seasons.
Not to mention, my overpriced chicken bowl mostly contained still frozen, uncooked chicken. I was offered a refund and a future comped meal by the GM to make things right, but unfortunately the atmosphere and lighting makes me way more nauseous than any raw chicken I may have consumed that evening.
*I updated the service rating after I read the owner's responses to the unfavorable reviews... yikes!!
I really like the hot meals at Bliss Cafe. They have a creative menu with lots of vegetarian options. The staff is very nice, but there was a glitch with our order when we were there, so we had to wait for a while for our food. They were very up front about it though and offered us a free drink to make up for the mistake.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Taste seeker
No other place has ever forced me to focus so much on the lighting, for all the wrong reasons. I was drawn here after reading online about a ‘cozy new cafe’ in Joshua Tree. But upon arrival, the promised vibe was completely amiss. Instead, I found myself face-to-face with a culinary post-mortem in the middle of the desert. Why?
I was honestly not sure if I walked into a cafe or the intake wing of a county morgue. In a town like Joshua Tree, where the California sun is practically generous and aplenty, this place has gone to impressive lengths to quite simply, ignore it. They seems to have traded the desert’s natural warmth for aggressive, white light tubes that feel less ‘cozy’ and more ‘fluorescent interrogation room.’ Why?
The food is average at best, and it seems the açaí bowls are the only thing keeping the (migraine inducing) lights on. I had some orange juice and smoothie. The freshly pressed orange juice isn’t freshly pressed, it’s gets pressed in batches and stored so it was bitter. I mean, that also defeats the point of freshly pressed. The smoothie tasted alright tbf.
The staff are nice and friendly here.
To be honest, I didn't even want to try the rest of the menu after being subjected to the clinical atmosphere. A total disappointment and a waste of the Joshua Tree aesthetic where the sunlight literally begging to envelope this space with its glorious warmth.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 3
Jamie Kimiko Judkins
Really hope Bliss Cafe thrives here in JT. As a full-time resident I was thrilled about another great eatery option! I visited Bliss on a quiet afternoon with just a few other people in the restaurant. The coffee shop side was fabulous - get the scone!
Upon entry the first thing I did was ordered a hot bowl. I subsequently ordered a scone and smoothie and waited about 25 minutes. After seeing several customers who had ordered after me received their food, and being there were only a handful of patrons inside, I decided to inquire about my bowl.
I was subsequently told that they were out of beef. Mind you, this is after waiting almost a half an hour, and I quickly told them I would be happy to substitute for another protein! I chose chicken, and after a few minutes, they returned from the kitchen saying that they were also out of rice! It would be another 15 minute wait and so I made the decision to substitute with beans.
I was then told that the rice was ready, and observed them use takeout rice from the Thai restaurant next-door and unfortunately, upon arriving home and opening my order, zero protein whatsoever, and so my $20 protein bowl had zero protein since the “substitution” did not happen and the rice I received was stale Thai takeout rice 😂 At this point it felt like a joke.
The manager Sara did come over and apologized for the wait, but made no offer for restitution.
I’ll return for the scone! And I hope to see Bliss improve their communication to their customers!
Turath D'hont
Stopped by today for the first time and now I know where to go to get the best bear claw I’ve ever had. Coffee and customer service was also excellent!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elan Gombart
$26 for a small bowl of veggies with 4 uncooked shrimp. We got take out just before closing so we couldn’t return to have the shrimp cooked to a safe temperature
Update: What a sad and tone deaf response to my complaint. This establishment is basically calling me a liar. I am from Seattle and drink a lot of cold brew. I have had it here in J tree at Roadrunner and Dez. Both were excellent. The cold brew at Bliss was horribly bitter and not correct. Also yes the staff was in an argument and flustered with each other. Why would I make that up?
The worst cold brew I have ever had. So bitter it was obviously old and not extracted correctly. The staff was stressed out and arguing when I was there in a holiday morning Feb 16, 2016. Way overpriced at $6 for bitter horrible coffee.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Super good coffees and smoothies. Also their responses to bad reviews crack me up so extra points for that lol.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It took 4 years for them to be able to open this restaurant, so much bureaucracy and red tape, it’s a miracle it exists. It’s not easy to run + open a restaurant in JT. I for one am grateful for a new food option here in Joshua Tree, thank you to the owners for the time and energy you put into getting this restaurant off the ground. I’m sure it’s going to become a Joshua tree staple.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
After hearing recommendations from local friends, I stopped by in search of a bowl. The store was clean and spotless. The baristas were very friendly and knowledgeable. The “salad” bowl that I was hoping to get were not available at the time, thus I settled for an Acai Bowl with 6 complimentary toppings. Perhaps I came in on a day that “salad” bowls were not offered, I wish that will change soon. Will give this place another try.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
No cash accepted and a 3% “convenience fee” on cards? I fail to see how that’s convenient.
Excellent location, friendly service, and the coffee tasted very high quality.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had a poor experience here. I ordered a clearly specified vegan bowl, and when I used the term “vegan,” it was corrected to “plant-based,” which raised concerns for me as someone who has been vegan for many years. Unfortunately, those concerns were justified — my bowl was served with shrimp.
Serving animal products to someone who explicitly ordered vegan food is a serious mistake. This isn’t a preference issue; it’s a failure to respect dietary requirements.
Additionally, the atmosphere was uninviting and felt more like a mall food court than a proper dining space.
I won’t be returning, and I hope the business improves its understanding and handling of vegan orders.
UPDATE: I did not ask for, or get a refund! I simply left because my order was messed up! My wife ordered shrimp on her bowl, so I let her have both! I watched as staff rotated during the construction of our bowls, I guess that’s how the order was messed up. Anyway, don’t be dishonest about folks asking for refunds, that’s pretty gross!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
Went to try Bliss for the first time and a sign in the window said they don’t have hot food (bowls, etc) all days and only specific times. Should post this on Google and not waste a potential customer’s time driving over.
This place is all about the ambiance and over pricing average food. My pineapple was straight from the can, and the Açaí tasted fake and melted super fast…not the normal consistency! The Greek yogurt had a funny taste and the almond butter tasted stale! Service was good and my latte was fine. Also the scones will be the only reason I’d stop here again, they were delish and overpriced lol
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
To echo the Yelp reviews that touch on this — the cold, monochromatic, sterile atmosphere of this cafe is tone deaf to the vibe and inherent spirit of downtown JT. The harsh LED signage and “Lab” theme only further exacerbates this unwelcoming atmosphere for a cafe that self-describes itself with having “good vibes” and a health-forward menu. It’s evident that this cafe exists to cater solely to tourists and unfortunately only further estranges the locals who they will be relying on for patronage in between the tourist seasons.
Not to mention, my overpriced chicken bowl mostly contained still frozen, uncooked chicken. I was offered a refund and a future comped meal by the GM to make things right, but unfortunately the atmosphere and lighting makes me way more nauseous than any raw chicken I may have consumed that evening.
*I updated the service rating after I read the owner's responses to the unfavorable reviews... yikes!!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
Restaurantji Recommends
I really like the hot meals at Bliss Cafe. They have a creative menu with lots of vegetarian options. The staff is very nice, but there was a glitch with our order when we were there, so we had to wait for a while for our food. They were very up front about it though and offered us a free drink to make up for the mistake.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
No other place has ever forced me to focus so much on the lighting, for all the wrong reasons. I was drawn here after reading online about a ‘cozy new cafe’ in Joshua Tree. But upon arrival, the promised vibe was completely amiss. Instead, I found myself face-to-face with a culinary post-mortem in the middle of the desert. Why?
I was honestly not sure if I walked into a cafe or the intake wing of a county morgue. In a town like Joshua Tree, where the California sun is practically generous and aplenty, this place has gone to impressive lengths to quite simply, ignore it. They seems to have traded the desert’s natural warmth for aggressive, white light tubes that feel less ‘cozy’ and more ‘fluorescent interrogation room.’ Why?
The food is average at best, and it seems the açaí bowls are the only thing keeping the (migraine inducing) lights on. I had some orange juice and smoothie. The freshly pressed orange juice isn’t freshly pressed, it’s gets pressed in batches and stored so it was bitter. I mean, that also defeats the point of freshly pressed. The smoothie tasted alright tbf.
The staff are nice and friendly here.
To be honest, I didn't even want to try the rest of the menu after being subjected to the clinical atmosphere. A total disappointment and a waste of the Joshua Tree aesthetic where the sunlight literally begging to envelope this space with its glorious warmth.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 3
Really hope Bliss Cafe thrives here in JT. As a full-time resident I was thrilled about another great eatery option! I visited Bliss on a quiet afternoon with just a few other people in the restaurant. The coffee shop side was fabulous - get the scone!
Upon entry the first thing I did was ordered a hot bowl. I subsequently ordered a scone and smoothie and waited about 25 minutes. After seeing several customers who had ordered after me received their food, and being there were only a handful of patrons inside, I decided to inquire about my bowl.
I was subsequently told that they were out of beef. Mind you, this is after waiting almost a half an hour, and I quickly told them I would be happy to substitute for another protein! I chose chicken, and after a few minutes, they returned from the kitchen saying that they were also out of rice! It would be another 15 minute wait and so I made the decision to substitute with beans.
I was then told that the rice was ready, and observed them use takeout rice from the Thai restaurant next-door and unfortunately, upon arriving home and opening my order, zero protein whatsoever, and so my $20 protein bowl had zero protein since the “substitution” did not happen and the rice I received was stale Thai takeout rice 😂 At this point it felt like a joke.
The manager Sara did come over and apologized for the wait, but made no offer for restitution.
I’ll return for the scone! And I hope to see Bliss improve their communication to their customers!
Stopped by today for the first time and now I know where to go to get the best bear claw I’ve ever had. Coffee and customer service was also excellent!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
$26 for a small bowl of veggies with 4 uncooked shrimp. We got take out just before closing so we couldn’t return to have the shrimp cooked to a safe temperature
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Loading...