Mojave Gold

Mojave Gold is a stunning new addition to the high desert — a perfect blend of elevated dining, craft cocktails, and live music. We were lucky enough to attend opening night and were blown away by every detail. The food was exceptional, fresh, bold, and beautifully plated. You can tell real thought and care went into the menu. Not just “good for a music venue” it’s genuinely great food, period. The cocktails were just as impressive. Inventive, well-balanced, and made with top-quality ingredients. The bartenders clearly know their craft, and every drink we tried was a hit. The design of the space is stunning, modern desert vibes with a cozy, artistic feel. It’s stylish but not stuffy, making it the perfect spot to eat, drink, and hang. To top it off, McCabe and Mr. Milagro delivered an amazing live set that brought the whole room to life. The sound was crisp, the energy was high, and the music made the night unforgettable. Mojave Gold is more than a restaurant — it’s a full experience. We can’t wait to go back.

Definitely try the bacon wrapped dates and the ceviche! Everything tasted above our expectations and the service was excellent. The owner is very friendly and made the experience a very memorable one. We will definitely be back and anxious to try their new brunch menu. Thanks again for giving us the perfect birthday dinner.

Outstanding service, incredible atmosphere, and amazing food! Highly recommend this place if you're ever in the area. We will definitely be back next time we are.

I’m not sure WHY this restaurant only has 4.5 stars! It should be 5 stars all across! I came here 2 nights in a row while in town visiting and omg it was amazing each time! The staff was so welcoming and attentive. The food, dessert & drinks were delicious! And the decor is absolutely beautiful!!!😍😍😍 I highly recommend!

I’m not a vegan but the vegan breakfast sandwich is fire 🤤 Dad enjoyed his classic breakfast plate of eggs, hash and bacon. The music and service were also great. Yay for another brunch spot in the high desert! Thanks MoGo!🌟

Everything was on point! The decor, the energy, the tunes, the staff, the food! I started with the bacon wrapped dates-SUPERB! The little Gems Salad-AMAZING! Sealing the deal with the Pork Chop-GOODBYE WORLD! I made a reservation for 1 and was walked to a cozy bench seat table dimly lit by a modest table lamp. Your menu can be found inside the record album cover placed atop your dining setting. You're close enough to other diners that you can hear their conversations, but the feel continues to be cozy and quaint. The hostess was a sweetheart and the staff was so attentive. You can google local news features outlining the restaurant's 2025 debut, "When deciding on how to implement the restaurant's concept, it was important, the owners said, to establish a "community-first" approach, which they learned from working under former Pappy & Harriet's owners Robyn Celia and Linda Krantz." The food is lovingly curated ala Pappy&Harriet's and presented akin to Spaghetti Western. I'm not a local but I felt right at home. The entertainment that night was a disco dance party that was taking place just beyond the restaurant's glass double doors. The music faintly wafting into the dining room. I made a reservation so that I wouldn't take a chance not scoring a seat. It seems to be a toss up whether you really need a reservation around this area. Better safe than sorry. It was such a magical night, I can't wait to find my way back.

Well, this was great. Opened in May 2025 and is an excellent restaurant serving tasty and interesting dishes with impeccable service. Recommended.

Delicious dishes, we had the little gems salad, pork chops, gold burger, and chermoula chicken and all were delicious! The mocktails were great too!! Service was friendly and attentive, and decor was classy and fun.

Delighted by the attention that was given to every little detail, from the food to the decor to the atmosphere. The menus were offered in old vinyl album covers. 🤩 Am I even in Yucca Valley right now?? The minty Blackberry-lavender Spritzer paired with the bright, herbal Cactus Ceviche was a meal that won’t be leaving my brain anytime soon. Outstanding! Looks like LA, feels like local. Don’t miss this new hometown treasure!

Being a vegetarian, most restaurants do not have a lot of options. But even in this small town, they still have great vegetarian vegan and gluten-free options. And the drinks were great.

Mojave Gold was a fun night! Great food, great cocktails and stellar decor! Pricing was very reasonable for the quality and quantity. Servers were very professional and well trained. Definitely stop in - you won’t be disappointed! The lamb meatballs were very yummy!

So excited to check out the newest restaurant in town. I love all the small details and design. Perfect date night spot, especially if you’re feeling fancy. Quality food and cocktails, I wish I had room for desert. Friendly team and great service. Can’t wait to come back to check out a show and try more of the menu.

The Cured Salmon Tartine was delicious, and the service by Edgar was top notch.

More than dinner, Mojave Gold is an experience you don't want to miss! Incredible attention to detail on every level. Superb team effort to create the vibe, design and service (Kudos to Stephanie for answering our many questions!) Must return soon for another round of cocktails, that delicious ceviche and melt-in-your mouth smoked date sticky toffee.

Great atmosphere with an artsy, hip vibe. The vinyl-record menu is a fun and unique touch. While the menu is small, the food is high quality. Excellent service with a very attentive waiter. Multiple seating areas, including a bar, cozy indoor spaces, and an outdoor patio. Perfect spot for a relaxed and enjoyable date night.

Gerard and the bartender did a fabulous job taking care of me and my wife. The homemade focacccia was toasted to perfection. I had the veggie burger and my wife had the pork chop. Definitely highly recommend.

It was awesome. Food was amazing. Atmosphere was super chill and also exciting in the sense that that this place has outside seating and a fantastic bar. Price was absolutely fair considering this is like 5 star restaurant in yucca valley.

Had reservations for a birthday dinner on 8/22. Arrived on time and was the first patrons at the restaurant. The ambiance is nice! This area needs a restaurant and hang out spot like this. The cocktails were delicious! I ordered the lamb meatballs and broccolini as my main dish and my other guests ordered the burger and fries. They all said it was delicious but preferred fresh cut fries or even a steak cut fry other than the crinkle cut but they were seasoned very well and tasted great! The wait staff was friendly. I did ask about a birthday offering as some restaurants do for special occasions but that wasn’t available at this time. Understood. Again, this area needs a place like this and needs local support!

Mojave Gold is golden to say the least. The food is conscious and delicious. The decor is beautiful and fancy. The employees are so sweet. Stephanie was our waiter for the second time and she was really good to us. We love it here and will continue to come back. We highly recommend it.

Everything was perfect! The food was incredible. We got our main courses served before we were done with our appetizers. That was the only snag. Other than that it was amazing! Thank you so much!

Such a great addition to the neighborhood. The food, drinks and service were great and the vibe is really cool. My wife and I shared the bison for the first time and it was prepared perfectly. Other notable dishes were the steak frite and cod. Definitely coming back.

Do yourself a favor and skip the lines everywhere else. Don’t be fooled by the white tablecloths… The food is killer here and our server was kind and fun. Try the enchiladas for sure, but we also loved the vegan breakfast sando, mushroom toast and shakshuka. Bloody Mary’s were great too! Take advantage of this window… they’re brand new in this location so the word isn’t out yet.

Its so nice to experience Mojave Gold. They have a wonderful brunch, competitively priced and they want to cater to the locals. The food is eclectic and delicious. A great wine list and some very unique cocktails. The staff and owners are very friendly. The chef is amazing because the food is delicious and beautifully presented. This Saturday 2/14, they will have a 1980's prom night. It sounds like a fun night. If you graduated in the 80's with your big hair and the excessive clothing, you should go!! As locals, I feel we need to support a business who caters to us.

I’ve dined at many excellent restaurants around the world, and I truly did not expect to find this level of food quality and outstanding service in such a remote location. Spending New Year’s Eve at Mojave Gold was an absolute delight. Every dish was exceptional. I started with the Scallop Mushroom with Champagne, followed by the Kumamoto Oyster with Gremolata Mignonette—both beautifully prepared and full of flavor. The Koji-rubbed tenderloin was perfectly cooked, tender, and memorable. To finish, the chocolate tart was the perfect dessert: rich, balanced, and delicious. Beyond the food, the service was warm, attentive, and genuinely welcoming, making the entire evening feel special and relaxed. Mojave Gold is a true gem in Joshua Tree and a restaurant I would gladly return to and highly recommend to anyone looking for an exceptional dining experience.

Let me tell you about this place! It was my husband's and I first time trying out this restaurant for our anniversary, first of all Stephanie the amazing, kind, sweetest, nicest person ever to wait on us was absolutely incredible! She was so knowledgeable and recommend drinks and food and she nailed it! She didn't let 5 mins pass without asking us how we were doing and refilled our drinks we loved that! The food was so so so so so so goood!!! So many flavors combined my cod was perfect my husbands porkchop was juicy, the dessert was delicious! The atmosphere was perfect the low lights gave it an intimate feeling. Thank you mojave gold 💛 we loved it!

I am not a local, thus better parking sign would be appreciated. Nice ambience, friendly hosts and servers, reservation recommended. I was greeted by a hostess and one of the proprietor as I entered the restaurant. The gentleman showed me to our table (just outside of the kitchen). I really like how the menu is presented (nice touch!). The lighting is just right (to read the menu for people older than 60), the noise level is good to have a conversation without yelling across the table. Our server, Stephanie, and her colleagues were professional, attentive and not intrusive. The Mojave Gold cocktail was delicious (for my personal taste: the chili-honey was a bit weak)! We had the burgers, fries, and lamb meatballs. The Mojave Gold fries are very good with the right level of crispiness. The burger’s patty was seasoned perfectly. I am a bit disappointed with the potato buns as they are a bit soggy (thus the 4-star). All in all, a fantastic experience and I will definitely be back. Mojave Gold is another great addition to the high-desert dining scene.

First time here. The atmosphere is wonderful; the hostess is amazingly friendly and warm-put us in a booth as requested. Food was absolutely wonderful--VERY high end-tasting, more pricey than some other restaurants out here but not too expensive. For appetizers we went with homemade pickles which included multiple veggies, carrots, cucumbers etc., and the bacon wrapped dates, both were absolutely delicious. Also got the lamb meatballs which were in a mint sauce that was rich but perfect combination. Got the steak and frites, (no photo of that one) cooked perfectly at medium rare, and the blackened cod for dinner, and those were outstanding, the butternut squash was great with the fish. For dessert we had the sticky toffee pudding sweet but still very very good. Service was 4 close to 5 but there appeared to be some friction between wait and kitchen staff. Overall gave 4 of 5 because the "Golden Hour" special pricing is available only at the bar, but all the tables surround the bar. Bartender told me cannot get the happy hour pricing and take the drink to the table, have to be seated at the bar--if that's the policy, post it online, be transparent. Other than that, and now knowing if we want to take advantage of lower pricing we have to sit 6 feet from the booth, this was an excellent experience and we would definitely recommend and return.

We ate here on a Saturday evening for dinner. We loved the ambiance with the dim lights and upscale vibe. The host was friendly. Our waitress seemed a little off. She wasn’t rude, she just didn’t seem like a people person. Other reviewers say that it’s kind of weird how some workers stand and observe the customers for their needs. The food was good. The Veggie Burger was my least favorite. The consistency is mushy and the burger fell apart as I continued eating it. The Potato Cakes was only about 4-5 bites as an appetizer. It did taste delicious though. The best thing was the Sticky Toffee Pudding. Worth a visit. Potential to be 5 stars. Mojave Veggie Burger: 2.5/5 Blackberry Lavender Spritz: 4/5 Potato Cakes: 3.5/5 Charred Cauliflower: 4/5 Mojave Mule: 4/5 Sticky Toffee Pudding: 4.5/5

Such a cool place to grab dinner and drinks! My bachelorette party of 10 had a last minute switch of plans and didn’t have any dinner reservations. We showed up and the staff here were so accommodating to our group. Food and drinks were great. Thank you to everyone there that served us 🙏🏼

New venue & restaurant in town, lfg!!! Plenty of parking, handicap spots directly in front of the establishment. We where greeted by a very friendly host, who sat us. Our waiter was excellent extremely friendly & knowledgeable about all aspects of the menu, bar, venue & town.... great job to the staff, always nice to see everyone bringing their A game on the grand opening month. The bartender made us a mocktail and a tequila cocktail with gold flakes, solid...We ordered a few apps, dates, chicken, meatballs, potatoes cakes, pickles , food was good. New opening are always tuff, so always expect a few bumps, at Mojave gold, from the food to the artwork on the wall, this is a great addition to our small tour in the desert. The venue next door to the restaurant is awesome as well as the outside patio. The owners had a free double feature bands going on. The bands were local & the music was great. Beautiful decor, cool vibes, good food, great staff.... we shall return.... ty

Glad that something is back in this space. The building is nice, and it's nice to have more higher end dining options in the Hi Desert. However, I think this incarnation is not quite as nice as Awe Bar. Service could use a tiny bit more practice/professionalism. Good selection of vegetarian /vegan options, with everything clearly labeled. The bean/mushroom veggie burger was nice, but they assumed (incorrectly, without asking) that I wanted the lettuce-wrap version because I asked for the vegan cheese. My partner had the charred cauliflower, which was very good. Stick toffee pudding dessert was good too.

First time visiting this restaurant — I took my daughter for a mommy-daughter date night, and the first thing that stood out to me was how beautiful the place is. It’s cozy, aesthetically pleasing, and very inviting the moment you walk in. It definitely gives romantic vibes, but it’s also a great place to meet up with friends. The ambience is honestly one of the best parts of the experience. The only downside to the setting was where we were seated. We were right next to the kitchen, so there was quite a bit of clanking and background noise that took away from the atmosphere a little. Next time, I’ll definitely request a different table. I’d also recommend making a reservation and adding a note about where you’d prefer to sit. Now let’s talk about the food. My daughter really wanted to try the lamb and the Mojave fries, so that’s what we ordered. The lamb, unfortunately, wasn’t my favorite — it was a bit too oily for my taste, and we didn’t end up finishing it. But the fries? They absolutely hit the spot. Crispy, flavorful, and easily the highlight of the meal. We finished those with no problem. They don’t provide free refills on their Shirley temples which was very odd. Hopefully they change that to free refills. Overall, the customer service was good, and the experience was pleasant. I would come back to try other items on the menu. I’m hoping I’ll enjoy the main entrées more next time — just probably not the lamb. All in all, I’d call it a solid four-star experience, and I look forward to coming back and trying something new.

After a long tiring day we wanted to check this place out. The food was great and well presented, the vibe was warm and inviting right from the start from the host. Unfortunately that’s where it ended. Our server was not attentive, we were rushed to order a drink the second we sat down, menus were not even open. We were going to order a second drink but the glasses sat empty. We were later asked about desert, we were contemplating what one, she mentioned she would give us a minute. Instead she just brought the bill and made up our mind for us. Overheard others commenting on the lack of service in parking lot. Hate to leave a negative review but they may need more customer service training. As somewhat regulars in the area, we may or may not be back sadly.

We unfortunately did not enjoy this place. The ambiance was nice but it was strange to have servers literally standing in the corner watching us the entire time which made us uncomfortable. The food was alright - I swear, EVERYTHING was spicy here which ruined it for us. The burger had gold dust sauce which was unlike any burger sauce we’ve had and it was terrible and the steak was inconsistent with how it was cooked (the ends were charred). I had also ordered the Mojave mule and it ended up being super spicy - I ended up asking the server if I could switch to a different drink so he took it away and brought me something different but yet we still were charged for both drinks.. I’ve worked hospitality for many years and every place I worked, we would just comp the item if the client didn’t like something so that seemed odd to us (also why take away a full drink from table if we are still expected to pay for it?). Definitely a 2/5 experience overall.

I got the chicken, it was dry. I also got the potatos, it was burnt. I simply wanted to add liquor to one of the mocktails but they "dont do substitutions" who knew a shot of liquor was to complicated. I ended up ordering the Mojave Gold drink and i know theres mezcal in it but that was LIGHTER FLUID, so was my husbands drink (different than mine). I WANTED to got the figgy pudding but I couldn't cuz all they had was the sorbet. Overall my waitress was snarky and my food was subpar. Super disappointed. Also the parking lot is a nightmare

Update: Owner replied with an insincere AI response. Lazy, just like our experience. Unfortunately, we had a poor experience here. Came on a quiet Sunday, and the service was abysmal. Our waiter just kind of stood there and waited for us to talk. Later on, we heard him tell another table about the daily special, which he did not bother to tell us. Food came quick, but no return to check on us at all. The waiter came and took an empty beer glass from us that had been sitting there for a long while, waiting for a refill, and he did not ask if we needed another. Just grabbed it and left without acknowledging us. My plate was cleared and dessert menus were put on our table while my partner was still eating his main. So, needless to say, it felt like we were being rushed out. Then, after all that brusqueness, they just left us sitting there without drinks and with the dessert menu for ages. We were going to order something, but at that point, decided it was not worth it. Asked for the bill which came in a wooden box, put my credit card on it, and then the waiter just dropped off a self serve card machine at our table and left. What was the point of the box? Why am I being the cashier when the plates are $20+ each? Tacky and strange. They never asked us a thing about our meal, the bill, nothing. I just paid by myself and left without even getting a printout of the bill because we had been totally abandoned at that point. The food was pretty good, but the portions are way too small for the price. We felt hungry after. The prices are way too high for the portions and for the terrible service. We visit the area often, and we will not return. There are some excellent restaurants in the area with friendly service and reasonable prices, and this is not one.

Ate first time there when it opened under new owners and food was very poor. Tried again for Valentines and similar experience. 40 min wait despite reservation. Oysters were okay, salad horrible, super bitter, entree tiny. Not going again for sure.

I honestly don’t understand how this restaurant is getting such high ratings, because our experience was disappointing from beginning to end. We had to wait for a table, which wasn’t a problem at all, but while we sat in the front “lobby” area, our drink order was taken and then completely forgotten. It took 15–20 minutes just to get two non-alcoholic drinks, and that was before we were even seated. When our food finally arrived, it somehow managed to be even more disappointing. We ordered the steak frites, which was $45, and it was absolutely not worth the price. We waited at least 45 minutes for it, and when it came out, the steak was cold and undercooked. You can clearly see in the photo that the herb butter on top isn’t melted, which tells you everything about how lukewarm the steak was. The portion size was tiny. Our mouths actually dropped when this was put down in front of us for $45. The so-called béarnaise sauce was another huge disappointment. Traditional béarnaise should be warm, silky, and pourable. What we were served was cold, extremely thick, and almost the consistency of mayonnaise, which makes me suspect it was mayonnaise with herbs mixed in. You can even see it in the photo. The sauce sits in the cup like a solid blob instead of flowing or drizzling. For a restaurant charging $45 for this plate, serving a thick, cold, mayo-like “béarnaise” is honestly inexcusable. The chairs were extremely uncomfortable, almost like sitting on plywood, and the tables were so small that we could barely fit our plates. Everything felt like an attempt at upscale presentation without any of the actual quality. The servers were very kind, but there was a noticeable air of pretentiousness that didn’t match the experience or the food. Between the long waits, the cold entrée, the tiny portions, the uncomfortable seating, and the high prices, nothing about this experience justified the cost. I genuinely don’t know who is rating this place so highly, but they’re definitely being fooled by aesthetics rather than actual quality or value.

I changed my review to a one-star after I see that they use ChatGPT to respond to all the reviews on here. YIKES. PLEASE JUST GO BACK TO LA. I truly do not understand this place. It is so out of place here. Outrageously expensive. Events that cater only to LA hipsters. Why come to the desert to overpay for LA food and go to LA events? The food is decent. The atmosphere is so cringe. It’s trying very hard. The prices are bonkers. The service is good only if you’re one of the cool kids. I mean, I love LA. Just leave it there.

Went here with a group of 20 Spent thousands of dollars after we ate , we wanted to go into their venue area with a band where they told us we could not enter without paying $50 a person. After spending all that money I was surprised they wanted us to spend $50 a person for an empty restaurant on. Unbelievable The service was pretty bad, I. Would not recommend this place