Hands down the best dining option at the desert museum. I've only dined here once but it far exceeded Ironwood Terraces, especially considering that the price point was not that much more. It's a full on table service restaurant. The space is kind of small and the situation of the tables is not super inviting, but the large windows allow some of the natural desert beauty in. The menu is super limited, like only 2-3 options each for appetizers and entrees. We started with the nopalitos fries and they were delicious. And the sauce they were served with was the perfect complement. My kids were huge fans! For our mains, my husband and I both got the prickly pear glazed salmon--the special of the night. And it was so good! Our kids also enjoyed it. We ended our meal with the mesquite donuts and ice cream and it was so yummy. Service was very friendly and fast. I love how they incorporate foods from the Sonoran desert. The flavors are unique to our magical and special region and they did a great job showcasing them. I look forward to coming back and trying more items! If it's open while you're visiting the desert museum, it's definitely worth it to dine here! read more

Ocotillo Cafe - Mesquite donuts and ice cream - New American Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Gourmet dining at the museum!?! This place was the highlight of our visit. Katlynn our waitress was fantastic and the food was delicious. We order the salmon, empanadas, and short rib barbacoa. Heaven in your mouth! We ate so fast there was no time for photos. Then there was desserts!!! You MUST order the mesquite donuts with ice cream!!! read more

See all

You're lucky if you catch this lovely small restaurant open. In the summer, that's only on Saturday nights when the museum is open until 10 pm. The menu is modern Sonoran style and the drinks include prickly pear lemonade and great margaritas. read more

Top-notch lunch with a Sonoran flair. Nopalitos fries, mole rojo and prickly pear lemonade had balanced flavors and spices. Delicious. read more

See all

I am still dumbfounded that I found food this good in the middle of a museum/zoo. After a morning of exploring the Sonoran Desert Museum we were hungry. We had to choose between the "grill" and cafe. We chose well. The Cafe offers an elevated lunch experience serving local fresh ingredients in a manner paying tribute and respect to the very desert they are celebrating. The Prickly Pear Lemonade is not only good but gorgeous. The Nopalito Fries (mesquite floured deep fried) are probably the most unique and delicious food I tried in Arizona. They are served with a prickly pear cocktail sauce which not only complimented the mesquite breading but also played popcorn shrimp mind games on my palate. The smoked poblano pepper burger was incredible. Juicy burger with cheese and topped with Smokey poblanos and a prickly pear like homemade ketchup....eegads. Every other zoo and restaurant in the USA needs to take more and step up! read more

Ocotillo Cafe - There is no wrong answer on that menu - New American Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

See all

We had intended to see both Saguaro National Park and the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum on the same day. However, due to timing, when we arrived it was approaching lunch time and the restaurant options in the immediate area were limited. As the two parks were nearly adjacent, we opted for the ASDM first in hopes that they had some dining options. And they did - the Ocotillo Café. You have to pay our entry fee to the museum to get access to the café, just to be clear. Also, there were two options for dining here - one was a sit-down / table-service restaurant which I think was the Ocotillo Café. The other option, just across a small plaza, was a sort of cafeteria place that served wrapped hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, etc. It was the sort of place that I've eaten at before in national parks and various museums worldwide. We opted for the table-service place. We were greeted promptly and seated. Our server was quite friendly and chatted a bit while taking our food order. I opted for a taco platter, which was good. It was definitely freshly made and not a typical Tex-Mex dish. My wife and daughter both went for salads, which were pretty big. Prices were slightly elevated, given that you were somewhat of a captive dining audience. It wasn't extreme, though. The main point of confusion (which we saw replayed a number of times with parents and kids) was directions to the restroom, which involved exiting to the plaza. They could use some additional signage. If faced with the same scenario again, I'd willingly dine here. Given that we were at this museum for about 4 hours, it would be somewhat hard not to eat a meal during a visit. read more

Nice ambiance, good menu, excellent service. You can also eat at the counter-service bistro next door but if you want a pleasant sit-down place, Ocotillo is it. read more

See all

The service was outstanding. Our server must've filled our lemonade glasses five times. The ambience was average on our table. I had the Sonoran hotdog and thought it was mediocre. I will say that cactus fries were unusual and definitely worth a try. This may be the best restaurant within the Sonoran desert museum, but it's not really a fabulous 5 Star Pl. It did get the job done on a hot dry day at the museum. read more

This place is always great. I would give my Sonoran salad a 4.5. I would give the vegetarian Tacos a 5. I would give the Churros a 5+ The Churros were hot and fresh and served with a Cinnamon ice cream, whipped cream, prickly pear syrup, and carmel. Really really good. Top notch for a place like this. read more

See all

We enjoyed a perfect spring lunch outdoors at the Ocotillo Cafe at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Amazing chef & service, Thanks Katie! We ate at five more restaurants in Tucson three of them the highest rated in the city and this meal and service was still our best experience. We had the "Topopo" carnitas, avocado, elote, heirloom tomato, tortilla strip salad, the steak frites with crispy sweet potato fries, tortilla soup and jicama mandarin orange slaw while sipping an orange blossom beer. My 360 photos were shot with a Ricoh Theta Z1. read more

See all

While the food is really good, the service is poor. Twice now I've gone and waited an extended time for service. This time we left without getting our food. We were told by our waiter that they were one short so we expected to wait. Less than 10 tables were seated. After 45 minutes and asking twice, we finally got our waters and part of our drink order. At least 4 tables were seated after us, served, waiting for checks before we finally paid for our drinks and left. Other guests were searching for our waiters so they could pay. read more

Nice little cafe with great food! The tacos were absolutely delish and the prickly pear margarita was refreshing. Our waitress was attentive, provided wonderful customer service. read more

Ocotillo Cafe - Outdoor seating - New American Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

See all

We were visiting the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum and this is the only sit-down, full-service restaurant on property. There are other grab n' go cafes. This was a good place to escape the midday heat and get a good lunch. The Topopo salad was large, colorful and filling. Our table split an order of churros to try and they didn't disappoint. The only thing I'll say is that the service was good, albeit a little awkward. Waiter could have been a tad more friendly/upbeat and some music in the restaurant wouldn't hurt the atmosphere. read more

Fabulous vibe, incredibly fresh omelets, good coffee and sweets. What more can one want for a breakfast diner.

We had lunch today at the Ocotillo Cafe on the Desert Museum grounds. because the restaurant was understaffed we had to sign in at the hostess desk and servers would come and call for you when they had a free table. Despite being stressed and run off their feet, the servers were gracious to all the customers. The food was incredible!!! A gorgeous hamburger on a toasted brioche bun and the BEST French fries ever--thinnish, crispy and hot oh my. and for dessert--- a churro sundae with cinnAmon honey ice cream.Hats off to Eliana for her excellent service and beautiful smile all delivered under pressure. The wait staff is a collaborative team that Ocotillo should be proud of. read more

This restaurant is located at the Sonoran Desert Museum in Tucson off of Kinney Road. It has limited hours and from what I'm told they have a difficult time getting help because of the distant location. I was seated promptly,however, my table had water marks left from the last glass that had set on it, so I'm not sure about their cleaning protocol. I always ordered their delicious tamale That is posted on this menu on their site here, however, this menu has changed completely with the new Chef. And the price has increased by three dollars which it is just not worth! $18.00. While it tasted ok and I was hungry! part of it was hot, part of it was cold as they use a lot more salad mixture than the prior tamale served in a large bowl, this one is just well, I wouldn't go back again! let's just say that! My server was very sweet and talkative, however, she delivered my food and then I never saw her again till she brought me the check. I watched her talk to another table on the outdoor dining patio for at least 15 to 20 minutes without ever coming in to check on me. I'm giving it three stars this time due to the lack of attention from this server as well that table conditions and price of this menu item. read more

I had high hopes given some good reviews here but found our experience very lacking. The biggest cons were unavailable food and poor kids menu explanations. Our group (3 adults and 2 kids) sat down to order and as soon as the kids placed their order were told they'd been given the wrong menu and that their options weren't available. When we fixed their order they were given drink options and chose a limeaid; we weren't told that those drinks were not standard until we got the bill and saw that our small children had been sold $5 drinks. We ordered apps (fried cactus was great; bean hummus looked and tasted like canned dog food) and entrees. Prickly pear margarita was good but weak). Kids food came, two entrees came (both ok, not exceptional) and waitress then informed that the third entree (mine) was unavailable. Since everyone else's food had come, I just placed a dessert order instead so that I didn't hold the whole meal up. 10 min later the waitress came back and said that wasn't available either. Since everyone else was almost done eating I just gave up. After not being able to eat I was offered a $5 discount off the bill.... not even enough to cover the surprise high priced kids drinks. Fast casual option would have been SO much better. read more

Ocotillo Cafe - Bean hummus. Looked like canned dog food. Had no real taste and a very lumpy/grainy texture. - New American Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

The Sonoran Desert Museum is one of our favorite places in Tucson. I'm so glad my wife suggested we do lunch for Valentine's at the Ocotillo Cafe. The pre dinner fresh baked focaccia bread and garlic cilantro pesto was mouth watering. We usually try not to eat too much bread prior to dinner but I could not get enough of this. Carol said the pumpkin seed blue corn crusted chicken breast was tops! My wok charred salmon was mouth watering and one of the best salmon plates I've ever had, even tho it was farm raised and not Wild. See photos posted. We will return! read more

See all

We've been museum members for a year and hadn't eaten here yet. I came out here with my son just to commune with nature, but decided we were hungry so decided to try it out. Weather was nice so we opted to eat on the outside patio, very pretty! My favorite thing was the prickly pear fries with roasted red pepper aioli. I ordered chicken tinga tacos and my son ordered the carnitas with green chilies sandwich. I was happy with my tacos until I tried my son's sandwich, then I immediately regretted my decision. His was amazing and mine was just ok. But, adding a star for environment, super fast and attentive service. read more

See all

What an unexpected surprise. Our group of 8 enjoyed lunch there today. Everything was superb. The restaurant ranks among Tucson's best. We were expecting overpriced tourist food, what we got a five star experience. The Topopo salad was the best I had ever ordered in Tucson, Several of our guest remarked the burger the offer was the best ever. Everybody raved about everything they served. Not a huge menu, but this is serious food made with world class produce, meats and ingredients. Bravo! read more

We ate lunch here during our day trip. Most of the food is made to order. There is lots of variety to chose from for both food and drinks. All of the employees we interacted with were very friendly and helpful. I got the mushroom Burger and onion rings and they were REALLY good. Everyone was very happy with their food. read more

See all

Miserable. We had hoped to sit down for dinner at around 6:30 on Saturday night. It was Labor Day Weekend, more traffic than usual, a long drive, so as members, we had anticipated they'd ramped up accordingly and were prepared for bigger crowds, especially as it was also the last night of their Cool Summer Nights series. As it turned out, the only thing that looked vaguely palatable to me on their limited menu, wouldn't you know -- they just ran out of it that very second. Really? That's the very best you can do on a Saturday early evening / holiday / event weekend? Shame on you. So we left. We walked over to a "Sonoran" hot dog stand on the apron outside the restaurant. My husband and I split a hot dog. The vendor said he went to a culinary institute in New York and had been a chef for 40 years. The hot dog buns were stale and hard, the hotdog itself was wrapped in bacon and at first bite (and second) was way too salty, and I wondered how long it had been sitting in water (40 years??). Not edible. I left feeling disgusted. Two strikes for Desert Museum "dining." read more

We decided to give this place a try while visiting the museum, and are glad we did! The service was excellent and timely, the prices were fair, and the food tasted good. Try the cactus fries, such an interesting and tasty snack! If you're planning on visiting the desert museum, plan on dining here while you're at it. read more

What's a pretty classy, white table cloth and linen napkin restaurant doing in a museum of the desert? Making some tasty lunches, that's what. It's air-conditioned, and the bread and cilantro spread pre-meal was really good. I got the kobe burger, my friend ordered the gnocchi and we both had a good meal from those choices. Service was excellent and if you prefer to dine outdoors, you have that option. It'd be worth it to become a museum member just to be able to enjoy this restaurant every now and then. The location is amazing, but maybe a bit of a struggle for those who don't like to walk more than a short distance on dirt paths through the Sonoran desert. Also, there are better options at the museum for small kids than Ocotillo Cafe. Not much on the menu for them and not the atmosphere for screaming toddlers. read more

This review is not a review of the restaurant which is wonderful. This is intended to let theamaent at the desert museum know that the phone number for the cafe on the yelp site is wrong and request that they change to correct number which is 520-883-5705. I hope anyone trying to make a reservation as we have used this number which will ring directly into the cafe. Otherwise if they try the existing number they will get the operator who transfers them to an inactive voicemail box and no one responds. That was the case today when we called three times to make a reservation. Finally, the operator heard my plea and found someone who knew the correct number as I mentioned above and I did resch someone even after hours who took my reservation. Please social media person for the ASDM, get it corrected and let me know so I can retract this review and give a review that is based on something other than trying to make a reservation for this weekend. read more

Just to clarify, there are two restaurants inside Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. This is the full service restaurant. (The counter serve restaurant is called Ironwood Terraces). I mention this because I saw a recent review for this restaurant that I am pretty sure was meant to be the other one. I have been a member of the Museum for over two decades but I have always eaten at the less expensive Ironwood Terraces. Several years ago the restaurants changed management and I am sorry to say the food options and quality went downhill. On a recent visit I decided to try the more upscale Ocotillo Cafe for the first time. The best way to describe the meal is mediocre. I had pasta with chicken, which I am pleased they were willing to substitute because the menu listed only pasta with shrimp. (Considering their aquarium has a display about the environmental degradation caused in harvesting shrimp, it is the height of hypocrisy that they serve it). The sauce the pasta was in had no flavor whatsoever. It may be the most bland meal I have ever tasted. At least it didn't have a bad flavor, it just had no flavor. The salad that came with the meal was decent, but overall it wasn't worth the price. read more

First the Desert Museum is one of my favorite places in Tucson. I've never eaten at the Cafe but the screaming school kids made eating anywhere else impossible. My parents are visiting from out of town so we ducked in to the Cafe to have some lunch. It was a really nice surprise. I had the Cobb Salad, my mother had the quiche and my dad had the pumpkin chicken. The food was good, not great, but for museum fare it was way above average. I really enjoyed my Cobb Salad the ingredients were fresh and it wasn't drowned in dressing. The Bad: It was a bit pricey. There seemed to be some service issues and I don't think that the cafe is open all the time so they were out of certain things (i.e. wine). This might say more about me, but a civilized lunch is not complete without a glass of wine. read more

Every time when I get a chance, I come to this restaurant! Nice and professional staff and cozy atmosphere! Their pesto and pork-chicken tacos are unbelievably delicious! Awesome wine and relaxation ! read more

As always the food was delicious. The staff is great and the ambiance so relaxing. Throughly enjoyed our luncheon.

This restaurant used to be a favorite. Last year (pre pandemic) we went and found it not quite as good as usual. Today we went and it was a disaster. The tortilla soup was hot but there was nothing in it. The service was very slow (45 minutes before the food arrived). The meal was tepid on the outside and cold in the center. My husbands shrimp was transparent and looked raw. The food was well seasoned and might have been good if warmed up properly. I ordered coffee and it was so weak it barely merited the term coffee. The food was not really edible. We will wait and try again. Hopefully it will return to its former excellence. read more

Stopped here for lunch on tues. Wanted to sit down and get out of the az heat. I cannot remember our servers name but she was great. The kitchen messed up my order, was good but not exactly what the menu described. She did everything right! Other servers and managers could learn something from her! She brought out the correct sauce and apologized. She said she would discount my meal. What she didnt tell me was that she took the whole order off the bill! Didnt even have to ask. I wish I could remember her name, she handled the kitchen mistake with kindness and professionalism, without me having to complain to a manager. Would be 5 stars if the kitchen hadnt messed up. One recommendation would be to eat lunch earlier (we ate late around 2pm), as they do make limited quantites of food each day. Might be out what you might want for lunch. read more

Hostess was blasay at best and bordered on rude. Was seated in the dining room in which only 4 other tables had customers. No one acknowledged we were sitting there. A family came in AFTER us, was acknowledged and even received their drinks. Still nothing! Waited for both waitresses to finish with 2 of the tables thinking they were just trying to get caught up. Both waitresses finished with the tables, walked past our table and went to the kitchen. Guess they didn't need or want our business so we got up and left. We were finishing our day at the museum so we drove 7 miles and Went to Los Nopales. Service and food was outstanding! read more

The Desert Museum is not your typical museum and the Ocotillo Cafe and this is not your typical museum restaurant. I'd go there even if it weren't part of the museum (hence the five-star rating). At first glance is seems pricey for a museum restaurant but the food is absolutely worth it. The meal started with warm focaccia accompanied by a garlic/cilantro/pistachio pesto. I really like nut-based pesto/salsas but this was as good as I've had. Fortunately we were able to restrain ourselves from filling up on that, because the entrees were even better. My wife had an excellent bison burger (nicely cooked mean, brioche bun, and good toppings including "superb" bacon). I had a vegetarian tamale which was equally good: well-seasoned masa in a banana leaf and a really tasty mushroom/spinach/tomatillo filling. The grilled veggies on the side were nicely done (great fresh red/orange peppers in particular). To top it off, the marinated kale is the first kale I've eaten for pleasure rather than as an obligation to my GI tract. It's a pleasant space and the service was good even when the restaurant got crowded. read more

The food just isn't on par with the prices. My wife and I went here for lunch the other day. I had the Maui tacos ($12), which had decent seasoning, but the fish itself was way overcooked and extremely dry. My wife ordered the Pasta al Pomadoro ($13)and it came with burnt garlic. Literally large pieces of burnt black garlic everywhere. Not just a few pieces, all of the garlic in the dish...as you can imagine, the taste was just too bitter, my wife had to send it back. She ordered the Greek Salad ($17) instead, which was not bad, but expensive for what it was. The service was good. We would recommend going next door to the cafeteria (Ironwood Terrace), their food is better for the prices... read more

I've lived in Tucson for almost 28 years and can't believe I had not eaten at the Ocotillo Cafe' before! We had reservation for a party of 5 for dinner on a Sunday evening and we all loved the food and service! I had the Grilled Wild Caught Salmon and Summer Succotash. I wasn't sure I would like the Succotash but I was pleasantly surprised. The fish topped with chimichurri was cooked to perfection and had a wonderful flavor. They also had some great IPA's to drink. Our waitress was very attentive and answered all our questions. I love visiting the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum even more now that I know about the Ocotillo Cafe'! read more

What a gem at the Desert Museum! Steak with grilled veggies tender and spiced right. Lots of meat on the tacos. Try the refreshing limeade. Great service in a beautiful setting. read more

Who knew you could find a fine dining restaurant on the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum property in Tucson? Our dining experience at the Ocotillo Cafe was delightful - beautiful decor, lovely patio, good food and nice service. Once seated we were brought a loaf of warm bread. Although the menu had some intriguing dishes I opted for the bacon-swiss quiche. While tasty, the quiche was unusually chewy. It was attractively served on a fresh fruit platter. The coffee was great! In hindsight I should have been more adventurous and ordered one of the other menu offerings with Sonoran cuisine which did look very good. A lesson for a future restaurant visit! read more

My best friend came to visit so of course the thing you must do I go to the Sonoran musuem. We got hungry after being outside for a couple hours and walked over to the cafe. The cilantro pesto was amazing, to the point that I started day dreaming about making it at home. I had fish and my friend had fish tacos. My dish was delish! Not much more I can say. Will definitely go back next time we are out there. I definitely recommend it. read more

After the Venomous reptile show we were hungry. The choice was the fast food cafeteria or this restaurant... the cafeteria was mobbed so we chose the cafe and we are glad we did....what a surprise...the staff was obviously very well trained and professional...we chose the ceviche appetizer..it was wonderful...we paired that with a salad and the tacos which were equally good....prices were reasonable....overall a great experience... read more

the setting was great and the waitstaff fine, but unfortunately I did not get what I ordered. I wanted the mahi taco, but there were no sauces other than just the fish and the paco de gallo. very dry and boring. read more