Kitchen in the Desert

So good that we ate dinner here twice while visiting the area. Service was excellent, and the food was incredible. The pies are to die for!

Food was very good. Slightly disappointed in the service. Despite having reservations we waited over a half hour for our table. Great atmosphere.

My party of 9 was looking forward to Kitchen in the Desert since we enjoyed a wonderful dining experience 2 years ago. We were there Sunday night 11/9 to celebrate a birthday. First, we had to wait almost 30 minutes for our table. The items we were looking were on the menu but not available since they were sold out. Simple dishes, like rice ... The GM came to our table and suggested sourdough bread as a starch to pair with what we were ordering. The waiter brought out 1, yes 1 piece of toasted sourdough bread for the nine of us. AND, that was not complimentary to cover for all the food we were disappointed not to be able to get. When we were there before the corkage fee was $30. This year it was $65 and they charged $130 to open one bottle of wine and pour (we opened the 2nd bottle and did not request 2nd wine glasses). We brought a birthday cake and they charged $30. Our food was scrapped together and mediocre. The waiter made of a point asking if we were there to celebrate an occasion. We explained that we were. No complimentary drink, coffee, dessert (even if we did bring a cake was offered). The whole experience was extremely disappointing and we will NEVER return again. Too bad since the bookstore was interesting and the gift shop was fantastic. But, you can visit those shops. I recommend not eating here. PS They did remove one the corkage charges and the ridiculour cake charge. Although, we had to go to lengths to make that happen. And, the waiter did not go to bat for us. We overheard him saying to the GM that we did not to pay for what we ate. Simply not true and unfair. Horrible, horrible!!!

Service and food were impeccable. Unfortunately, we arrived super late and close to closing time, so many of the food options were unavailable. However, the lamb pops, kale salad, and brussel sprouts were delicious. The cocktails were delicious as well. The staff provided great service to ensure we were still available to be seated and enjoy the meal.

Loved it here! The cocktails were amazing - especially the Matcha martini. Wow. Loved our meal as well, the steak was a highlight as well as the cauliflower. The coconut rice was a tasty, subtle twist on normally pretty basic menu item. The outdoor ambiance was beautiful and cozy, heaters were available if we were cold. Dont forget to hit the photo booth and also check out the book store on the property, next to the patio. Will definitely be back!

Very aesthetic vibes to fit the desert oasis feel! Food was great, they had ran out of several options on the menu but the staff was flexible and offered to give us a complimentary option. Would def come back !

We were looking forward to supper @ the Kitchen in the Desert. The Spicy/jerk chicken on the menu had been replaced with fried rice spice chicken .. the chicken was overcooked & unappetizing - the dish didn't make any sense. The Puttanesca was dry & under sauced.. the beet salad & Brussel sprouts were ok .. the mezcal cocktail was average .. we did enjoy the bottle of wine ..

Such delicious food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This is a hidden gem! A must-do after hiking through Joshua Tree NP. We arrived before our reservation time but still seated and dido not have to wait. Reading fun ambience, generous plates, twinkling likes, music and cute shops. Loved it ❤️

We had a reservation and didn't get seated until 45 mins later. The staff did apologize for the inconvenience. Then, our drinks arrived at the end of our dinner when we were already done. The food was good, the staff was apologetic but just the waiting around tainted our overall experience. We did get a small discount to compensate for the delays.

Charming and good sized outdoor seating. Lovely view to the setting sun over mountains and desert. Elegantly rustic surrounded by Beautiful cactus gardens.
Table setting was refined. Service was excellent, personable and genuinely enjoyable.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We spent one night in Twentynine Palms and we're looking for a place to eat around 7pm that had vegetarian options. It was a Monday night and a few restaurants in town were closed. We found Kitchen in the Desert listed with high reviews but weren't expecting too much. We were pleasantly surprised to approach the restaurant and see a glowing outside seating area. Because the place is about a block from the main highway there wasn't traffic noise. We were offered a blanket on our way to be seated in case we got chili in the late October air, and there was also a tall propane heater next to each of the outdoor tables that could be lit if needed. Each table has a small LED lamps with just the right amount of light, and there was a soft warm glow above us from string lights that criss-crossed the seating area. This would be a great place to go on a romantic date as it was quiet with interesting acoustic music playing in the background. I think maybe they weren't expecting so many people on a Monday night because there was only one server that we saw and it took a while for him to come and get our drink order, but we were pleased with the interesting selection of drinks that were available and when they finally arrived it was worth the wait (old fashioned and a whiskey sour). We were thirsty and one of the options was filtered tap water which was served from a wine bottle that they left at the table for refills. Unfortunately they were out of two of the three things we decided to order (the brussel sprout appetizer and the jerk chicken entree). Because one of us is vegetarian and the other only eats birds and fish, that left basically two options for us but we weren't disappointed. I ended up getting the fish plates which came on a bed of nicely seasoned coconut jasmine rice (with only a subtle coconut flavor). It was $43 and definitely worth it! The flavor was phenomenal and everything was perfectly cooked. My husband had the shiitake mushroom toast as a main course and it was a generous portion and also delicious. The chef at this place really knows what they're doing. This would be a great place for any foodie to seek out who wants an exquisite meal and unique, interesting ambience, or just someone who once a nice meal that is worth what you pay for it.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We went on a Monday evening, the place was surprisingly busy, I gave 4 stars for service because it took longer than expected to get any the waiter to come take a drink order. I believe the restaurant just got busier than they had planned for as our waiter seemed to be the only one taking orders. Besides that small flaw everything else was surprisingly spectacular!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Ambience is great. Staff is amazing. Food is not up to par. Drinks are mid.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 5

Amazing ambiance and service. Very mid food...expensive tapas with very little flavor. Would recommend for cocktails and apps since the ambiance is so great but don't waste your $$ on dinner here. Definitely disappointed given the hype.