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    20 Mule Cafe

    4.2 (107 reviews)
    InexpensiveNew American
    Open 7:00 am - 7:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    20 Mule Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    20 MULE CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - 20 Mule Cafe

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    Reviews With Photos

    Ani G.

    My fav type of restaurant. Cozy, home vibes, grandmas cooking, good quality food, and prices were so low. I wish it was not that far from LA

    Interior
    Jeffrey O.

    Get off the freeway folks!!! I came in for a late breakfast and loved the interior decor - lots of years of collecting here. I was the only customer and the woman waiting on me was totally aware of where I was in the ordering, drinking coffee, eating, ready to go process. I had a Western Omelette that was really good - definitely had a Mexican twist with the guacamole. If you want a break from the road and eat in an authentic local restaurant, this place is it.

    Taco salad.
    Jeanne W.

    Iconic restaurant across the street from the 20 Mule Team Museum in Boron. It seems to be an older establishment. The menu is American and Mexican cuisine. There is something for everyone here. I had the Taco Salad. The flour tortilla bowl was freshly fried, crispy, and still warm. The ground beef in the salad appeared to be a hamburger patty that was broken up, not highly seasoned but tasting very flavorful. This restaurant is known for their burgers and I can see why based on the ground beef in the salad. (By now, I was kind of wishing that I had ordered a burger instead.) The rest of the taco salad was perfectly acceptable with fresh lettuce, pico de gallo, and avocado. A torta with carnitas was the daily special. The sandwich was very filling, with savory, good tasting carnitas. The meat was tender, too. There was plenty of sandwich for another meal. Salsa and chips were good. The homemade salsa tasted fresh and had a nice mild chile heat. Definitely get the chips and salsa as an appetizer. Service was quick and efficient. The dining area can accommodate larger parties. The ambiance had an older, well worn establishment vibe to it. This place definitely warrants a return trip especially in conjunction with a tour of the museum across the street. I will certainly try a burger the next time.

    Breakfast

    My sister's boyfriend told us about this place and it did not disappoint. This place was 10/10! Clean environment. Friendly staff (in person only, bc over the phone while placing an order to pick up- the cashier sounded a little rude). While paying we saw how the cooks were actually cooking from scratch. I would definitely recommend if you are passing by Boron. My sister ordered us a breakfast combo plate each and the portions were giantly delicious.

    Doorknob inside women's restroom. There's no excuse for this!

    We made a special detour to this restaurant while passing by Boron due to the positive reviews. Perhaps we should have ordered omelets, which seem to be the specialty here, but I am at a loss how people are referring to this place as a hidden gem! Although the service was helpful and friendly, this restaurant was **not clean.** (See photo.) Of 2 meals our party ordered, one was OK (basic diner food). The other was a patty melt with cheese that was not melted, no onions and a tiny patty, leaving lots of empty bread. Onion rings ($2 upcharge) literally had no onion inside and should have been advertised as "Rings of Batter." The kitchen is visible from the dining area and I could see it was clean (at least the visible part was clean). However, what I saw in the bathroom subtracted a star from what could have been a 2-star review. I feel like retching when I recall this meal.

    Cup of chili
    Raven J.

    What they lack in vegetarian options they makeup for in their amazing customer service and quality. I've been here a few times and I do have to say that they make one of the most delicious burgers I've had from a diner in a long time! Their chili is delicious too!! I took it and topped my fries and made myself some amazing chili cheese fries!! I will say that I'm disappointed by their "Vegetarian" options. The vegetarian burrito is a bean and cheese burrito with rice and bell peppers. Their idea of a vegetarian omelette is the same thing! I think offering some mushroom and broccoli would be a great idea!! They also currently don't have a vegetarian burger option. As a chef myself I feel they could make a few little changes that would increase their overall revenue and food sales substantially! The customer service is great!! The ambience is good and from the looks, the restaurant itself is clean!

    Fried chimichanga
    Kelly D.

    Hidden Gem! We stopped here to eat on our way from Las Vegas to Paso Robles! It was so good that we stopped again on the way back home to eat! The people were friendly and service was great!

    I ordered the Spanish omelette it was delicious. Service is great and the food is quick. Very affordable place

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    6 months ago

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    4 months ago

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    9 days ago

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    1 year ago

    Grandpa and the Roadkill Band perform on the first Wednesday of each month. Burgers, sandwiches, Mexican food, and more are on the menu.

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    2 years ago

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    9 months ago

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    10 months ago

    Charming little cafe! Delicious food! Great prices! And the owner + staff have all the small town charm anyone could for :-)

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Everyone loved their food. The service was excellent and that's how enchiladas should be served.

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    2 years ago

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    10 months ago

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    1 year ago

    First Wednesday of the month has music provided by Grandpa and the Roadkill Band. Menu includes Mexican food, burgers, sandwiches and more.

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Been eating here for years I think this establishment is great place to eat I would recommend it to many

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Food good prices good soda good. People workers friendly. Ambiance well it's ok and clean.

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Best bacon breakfast burritos!!! We especially go here for the green sauce. That on the burrito is epic!!

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great food. The cafe is very clean. When in Boron eat at the 20 Mule Cafe.Big selection on the menu.

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    3 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    The Iron Cactus

    The Iron Cactus

    (288 reviews)

    $$

    Great service and great food I came here for my anniversary…read morewith my husband and let me Tell you it did not disappoint. We have been seeing ads for this place for a while around town and we decided to finally come here for our anniversary. We were greeted kindly and seated right away. It is in the middle of no where but easy to find Our server Tiffany was so kind and so welcoming that she recommend a few items to us. The Al pastor fries was the best recommendation she had given me. I had the burger and husband had the steak. Both were cooked to perfection and had lots of flavor. Overall we had an amazing time and we will be back. Kuddos to Tiffany for a great time.

    I recently had lunch here April of 2026. I had the 24oz porterhouse steak with a side of veggies…read more The steak was cooked the way I asked (medium rare) but it wasn't anything special, a bit dry and the flavor was a miss. The veggies were obviously from frozen and were not very enjoyable. I spent roughly $55 for the entree plus $2 for the sautéed mushrooms which were also disappointing. All in all just not a great tasting meal. After tip and tax $70 was the total and I feel disappointed tricked. I would ask the chef to please put a little more love into your food. If you are going to sauté mushrooms, use some butter, not cooking oil. Get a little flame on your steaks to bring out the flavor and let it acclimate a little bit before you throw it on the grill so it stays juicy. Use fresh vegetables, not frozen or cooked and reheated the next day. The service was great BTW. Only I could tell she knew I wasn't enjoying my meal, which is probably why she didn't ask me how I liked it. On the other hand I had an excellent meal at Broken Bit steakhouse not far from here the day before. The chef should go there and learn something. Oh yeah and my meal was $10 less there.

    Slash X Ranch Cafe - Chicken and waffles

    Slash X Ranch Cafe

    (148 reviews)

    $$

    We would have never heard of this place if it wasn't for Harvest Host. We chose it since it was…read morealong our planned route and it turned out to be a great decision. We ate both dinner and breakfast the next morning and both were great. Burgers very fresh and fries hot and crispy. And I always love it when a restaurant offers chicken and waffles. The decor is very eclectic. Ceiling covered with ball caps (Literally hundreds of them). It's definitely a classic local dive. The land out back where Harvest Host guests stay is very roomy. There were 5-6 other people there at the same time as us and we were not close together at all. It was also very quiet. So glad we stumbled upon them!

    First, this is a cafe in the middle of the desert. It has a lot of history, which you can find out…read moreabout on their website. My wife and I ate here for Valentine's day. It had been about 9 years since I've been here, but nothing's changed. It's very nostalgic, the food is great and the service is fast even though it gets really crowded around lunch. My wife had a cheeseburger with no onions and I had the chicken sandwich with no onions both were excellent. The ambience is unbelievable. It's reminiscent of an Old Ranch feed House. Cut this place is definitely for people that ride motorcycles or dune buggies or quads. I had been coming to this place on and off for over 48 years. As you might expect it's a little on the pricey side however you have to remember that you are in the middle of the desert, literally. When my friend from Japan came last year, he wanted to go out there that's how famous this place is. Try it if you get a chance, you won't regret it. They open around 8:00 on Saturday and they are only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I forgot to mention, this place is great for kids. And they had a live band playing which is fantastic since you have lots of outside seating.

    Black Bear Diner Barstow

    Black Bear Diner Barstow

    (543 reviews)

    $$

    We stopped here on our way back from Vegas and were so glad we did! The wait didn't take a super…read morelong time which was great. We were seated within 15 minutes or so. The server, Candi was very friendly and quick to come take our order. There was a large party ahead of us and she was sure to tell us but ensured our food would be out as soon as possible. Luckily it really didn't take long at all. Both of our food came out delicious and hot. The service was great, and we grabbed a delicious brownie to share on the way out. Definitely recommend.

    UPDATE!!!! Jesse, the district manager of the Black Bear Diner reached out to me after my initial…read morereview and told me to come back so that they could make it right. And they did! The service was exemplary. The food was great, and it was a great overall dining experience. I get everybody has a bad or off day. And in this case Black Bear Diner made it right. Which in this day and age of throw away customers and compliments means a lot. I will definitely be coming back to this. Black Bear Diner and I have upgraded my review to a solid 4! Wow. That was underwhelming. I like Black Bear diner, I've been going to them for a long time, and as I was heading back to Las Vegas I thought I would stop here and grab a bite to eat as I have always had a great experience there. Well this time, it was an exception to the rule. It was busy so I was not too concerned about the wait time, which was minimal, and they got me seated pretty quickly. Quickly. I like the little newspaper style menus as they were fun to look at and interesting to read while you waited for your server. I already knew I was going to get the mini volcano, as it just sounded like the perfect combination of stuff for me to eat for breakfast. The waitress came by, really didn't look at me, which was odd. And went back to put it in. She came back with my coffee and said the order was in. Should only be a moment. This was great news cuz I was ready to eat and get back on the road. The food came to the table and it looked appetizing enough, they had the two pancakes and my fried egg on top and a piece of bacon and a link of sausage. Flanking the pancakes with a nice garnish of an orange slice on a lettuce bed. Here's the problem. Everything was lukewarm now it did come out pretty fast which was surprising to me that it wasn't really hot. But literally everything on the plate felt like it was sitting in a dish in the back with a warmer waiting just to be built. The pancakes there are usually really good this time. They were terrible. I was very very sad about this cuz I really like their pancakes a lot. The egg was cooked well but again it was lukewarm at best. Same with the sausage and the bacon. The sadder thing was the flavor just wasn't there. Normally they have some personality to it, but these felt contrived and run of the mill. Now. I don't know if they, like Everyone else is having to downgrade and downsize because of the cost of everything, but whatever it was it was not working for me. Again, I will say that I like Black Bear Diners but the one in Barstow I will be avoiding every time I drive through. This is sad, and I hope that someone in corporate reads this because it would be great to have this restaurant be top notch when you're driving between Orange county and Las Vegas or vice versa. Bottom line? I seriously doubt that I'll ever come back here. Which is a bummer, because I am a big fan of this particular chain. There are plenty of other great eating establishments in the Barstow area. So this one I would kind of drive past. ************* Response to Black Bear Diner Corporate Thank you for your heartfelt response. In fact, it was one of the nicest chat GPT responses I've read this week. At least you got my name in there which was a nice touch and made it feel more personal, however, when you forget to put your email in there for me to respond to, that leads me to believe you really don't care. Thank you for the response albeit a very perfunctory one.

    20 Mule Cafe - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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