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    The Dez

    4.2 (288 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 6:00 pm

    The Dez Photos

    Business Info

    THE DEZ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - The Dez

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    Storefront
    Jessica N.

    Came here for brunch. I was already craving sandwiches so this was perfect. There is indoor seating and a bit of extra seating in the front patio. Menu is small but all the sandwiches sound really appetizing. While we were browsing through the menu, there was a patron that was ordering and out of nowhere fell to the ground, unresponsive. The entire restaurant went still, but the staff there quickly rushed to her and made sure she wasn't hurt and called emergency assistance. The woman eventually came to and the paramedics came to check her out. These types of situations are difficult and no one really knows what they would do in the moment. I applaud the staff for springing into action and for staying calm. After the commotion, the restaurant, still in shock, slowly went back to normal. I placed an order for the Roasted Turkey Breast sandwich. It came with a chipotle aioli, bacon, white cheddar, lettuce, and tomato. The sandwich came with a side of chips. I was not prepared for how big this sandwich was! I ate half and saved the other half for later. The sandwich was really delicious, fresh, and light. The bread was perfectly toasted. I can be picky with sandwiches, but I would definitely come back and try everything on their menu. Prices were reasonable as well. I will say, a few days later, I was in Palm Springs and the party next to us was talking about The Dez, haha. So I guess it's a place people know.

    Regina M.

    The best meal we had the whole weekend. Stopped by here before hitting Joshua Tree National Park. Parking was easy and nearby farmer's market every Saturday. Portions were HUGE and tasted so fresh. Service was FAST. Chai was delicious.

    Inside
    Lisa W.

    The Dez is a fun little place to visit while you're in Joshua Tree. This place has tons of snacks and everything you'd need for a little charcuterie board or sweets after a day of hiking or sight seeing. It's also a good place to get gifts or souvenirs. There are apparently two Dez's and I believe this is the bigger one. I came in for coffee and a quick snack. I got a vanilla latte and a spinach and cheese quiche. Service was friendly and fast. I got my coffee quickly and they heated up my quiche as well. It's a good option for coffee but they also have sandwiches, pastries, and lots of unique snacks.

    Charcuterie plate (veggie)
    James K.

    Delicious, healthy food and warm service (4/5 Green Stars) I would definitely come here again and recommend trying it out for a meal or camping/hiking provisions. I had the Hummus & Lentil (V) - seasoned lentils tossed with lemon vinaigrette, baby lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes & red onion served on pita bread. I recommend eating it all together on the pita rather than deconstructing it with your fork, by the way! I also had the vegan sausage roll and thought it was excellent. And I know sausage rolls - they are one of my all-time favorite foods. The Beyond Meat sausage was combined with delicious pastry that was slightly spicy - I think they used Hot Italian sausages. And do not ignore the homemade ketchup that goes with it - it's really good! Staff members were very friendly and the restaurant is fun, unpretentious and stocked with good provisions. It's also dog-friendly, according to a cute write-up on DogTrekker : ) I'm giving the Dez 4/5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact, based on the following: * A good chunk of the menu is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Reducing our meat intake is a key action for mitigating climate change, deforestation, water use, water pollution, and of course animal suffering. * Some ingredients for vegan dishes are organic - chickpeas for the wrap, brown rice for the Buddha bowl and cocoa for the almond joy date balls. * It's an inclusive restaurant - an important feature in this climate. * Room for improvement: skip the beef as it really has ridiculously big environmental footprints (carbon and land) compared to eggs, chicken, and pork. Use compostable to-go boxes instead of polypropylene.

    Lentil hummus wrap
    Alexa M.

    Came in with Lauren for a bite before heading into the park. Grateful for Kaylie's help on what to order but as a picky protein eater, didn't feel the kebabs were what I was hoping for. There's a few cute market items for purchase, seating and even gelato and other treats for take away. The vanilla / rainbow sprinkle cake looked AMAZING but I had some restraint and held off. Thankfully, Lauren shared her pita with me and we ate everything and were fueled for the park!

    Date shake with oat milk
    Sarah K.

    Officially my fave cafe in JT! It's really small inside but they somehow have SO much stuff--lots of gourmet salsas, chocolates, ice cream, and other food items you can purchase to go or as gifts and plenty of ready made meals. There's also some savory pastries and desserts behind the cashier that I didn't try but they looked delicious. They also have a decent sized menu of hot and cold sandwiches. I got a bbq beef panini and omggg it was the perfect bite to have right before I left to go back on the road. Very tender meat, crispy bread, and just the right amount of sauce. The sandwich also came with some chips. They also have an amazing date shake that you can get with different types of milk but the cashier recommended oat milk and I do not regret that choice bcuz the drink was SOOO creamy. There's also so many chunks of dates in the smoothie and it wasn't too sweet and perfect for a hot day. Overall great customer service with very friendly staff and delicious food :)

    Caramel vanilla iced latte with oat milk.
    Brittany C.

    I ordered a caramel vanilla iced latte with oat milk. My boyfriend ordered a sugar free hot latte with oat milk. Both drinks were very good. They also sell food, but we did not order any food. It is a small location so they ask you to wait outside after ordering. It was quick and easy to order. Seem very popular and busy. Wait time wasn't long. The workers were friendly. No seating.

    Genezaret C.

    The DEZ has two locations, this was the smaller one (they limit 4 people inside at a time). The bigger location is only 100 feet away where they have indoor seating. They have variety of breakfast and lunch options. We ordered their Turkey Pesto sandwich and the Lox Bagel. Wow! Their turkey pesto sandwich was utterly amazing and so good. The staff were super helpful and patient as it was our first time at Dez. I'd come back!

    Echosworld O.

    Friendly, delicious and welcoming. The food was great and the waiter was attentive. The location was a bit lonely and empty for the day we came in but hope to revisit again

    Alice A.

    Cute little shop, coffee is good, and they have a nice variety of food for takeaway! The only downside is I ordered an avocado toast and it came with a lot of wilted arugula which I took out. Would definitely expect fresh arugula / ingredients when paying for food.

    Confetti cake

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    8 months ago

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    Kris M.

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    9 months ago

    Great coffee and really cool amount of food options as well, would highly recommend stopping here.

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    Kris M.

    Thank you Matt!

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    Kris M.

    Oh no. You got your food. Though .. right..?

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    11 months ago

    This is such an awesome spot. Great coffees, cheeses and other snacks. Always friendly staff to go along with the great offerings.

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    Kris M.

    Thanks Mac!

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    2 years ago

    The lemon bars and chocolate croissants were really good! The service was also excellent

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    Page 3 of 8

    The Dez Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - The Dez

    Do they have seating indoors or outdoors?

    I don't believe there's any seating indoors or outdoors, at least last time we were there. It's only takeout.

    How did they come up with the name for this place?

    YES! exactly its short for "the Desert"

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    4.4(703 reviews)
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    I love La Copine. It always impresses. Great food, and easily, the best-prepared, most delicious…read morefood in Morongo Basin (Wonder Valley-29 Palms-Joshua Tree-Yucca Valley-Morongo Valley). This time, I had the Steak Sando (crispy wagyu ribeye, salted cabbage, tonkatsu sauce, horseradish, pain de mie), which was cooked to perfection. The horseradish added a nice little "bite" to the food without being overwhelming, and the wagyu and sauce were amazing. As a bonus, the service is always friendly, smiling, and attentive (but not too attentive), and the people who come here are often smiling and friendly as well. I am giving this five stars. This is a restaurant that would earn five stars no matter what location it was in, whether a large, cosmopolitan city or out here in the rural high desert. It's good by any measure. Absolutely recommended.

    The arrogance of how they take reservations is uncool. I listened to the long winded outgoing…read moremessage that you get when you call for a reservation. You are instructed to send a text request, because they say "it's fun", and that they want to "connect with their guests".... What's not "fun" is that they don't follow up- I texted at 11am two days prior to the day I wanted to confirm....And there was never any attempt to connect. Save yourself the headache and just book a table at Ash & Vine in Palm Springs- it's charming and the food is MUCH better, and most importantly-it's an enjoyable experience

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    8 Star K - Spicy pork is so delicious

    8 Star K

    4.6(271 reviews)
    5.9 mi
    $$

    A hidden little Korean spot right before entering Joshua Tree National Park and honestly one of the…read moremost unexpected finds in the desert. From the outside it looks like a total hole-in-the-wall, but the food tasted very authentic and home style, like something comforting you'd eat at someone's house rather than a commercial restaurant. Everything tasted clean, fresh, and not overly salty or greasy. The owner was extremely kind and even brought out complimentary appetizers for us, which made the whole experience feel warm and personal. Service overall was genuinely friendly and welcoming. What made the place even more memorable was the interior filled with plants everywhere inside the restaurant. Kind of ironic and funny considering you're literally about to enter the desert at Joshua Tree, but somehow it made the place feel cozy and relaxing. Definitely one of those random travel food stops that ends up being more memorable than expected.

    If you're looking for Korean food after a long day at Joshua Tree, this is the location to come to…read more The restaurant is very clean, and you can tell that the owner takes pride in their space. There is parking at the front so it was very convenient to not have to worry about that. You have to go up to the counter to order your food, and then it is brought to you. The person that was working at the counter was extremely nice. I would definitely give them 5/5 for the service. I ordered bibimbap, short ribs, beef bulgogi, and fried chicken. The short ribs were my favorite. They were very flavorful and well cooked. The bulgogi was also very solid- you can never go wrong with this order. I expected the fried chicken to be more Korean style fried chicken, but it was regular. I would probably stick to the traditional dishes.

    Photos
    8 Star K
    8 Star K - Kimchi fried rice omg

    Kimchi fried rice omg

    8 Star K

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    The Dez - Roasted turkey sandwich 5/5 STARS!!!!!!!!!

    The Dez

    4.3(31 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $$

    I had heard amazing things about The Dez, so I stopped by this afternoon to try a flat white... it…read morewas so good. Also grabbed the lemon meringue pie and a hot chocolate lava cake and dang they were good. Such a great vibe in there, the staff were so friendly. I'll definitely be back!

    The coffee shop was highly recommended by our Airbnb hosts with a gift card given for it as well!…read moreStopped by Sunday morning around 11am. It's located in a small plaza but parking was easy to find. First entering there r alot of food goodies sold including take away sides/meals. Looks crowded but no one ordering. There was an influx of people past 11am but the line moves so fast! I asked what was their most popular breakfast sandwich and the dyed red haired girl at the cash register said the turkey club sandwich. I dont like bacon so she suggested they remove that and sub avocado so i went with it! And also got the matcha hot with oatmilk. Partner ordered tuna melt and drip coffee. They give u a buzzer tho they ended up delivering it to our table. The cashier was really nice and entertained all my questions about the sandwiches and how they prepared their matcha. (It's not the matcha powder with the sugar already in it, whew! It tasted pretty ceremonial but not sure if it was- added one pack of sugar and sweetness was perfect for me. Just a tad grainy but overall very nice!) Sandwiches were delivered to where we were sitting after 10-15 mins or so. They are huge! And wow i dont normally order sandwiches these days bc i find the meats questionable and not pleasant to eat but this sandwich tasted so fresh. The meat and cheese.. the veggies.. the sourdough bread was cherry in top, nicely toasted with some butter or sauce. I took a half home and it was still tasted good a few hours later. I like how they add chips and the avocado on the side where i can dip the chips and put on my sandwich. My sandwich tasted so fresh with quality ingredients which im so happy about! My partner also enjoyed his tuna melt and coffee.. he said it was huge as each side of the tuna melt had a huge scoop of the tuna salad. Overall, the bustle and service/vibes of this cafe were so enjoyable and all the food so good! Recommend!

    Photos
    The Dez - Interior

    Interior

    The Dez - Acai bowl

    Acai bowl

    The Dez

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    Food for Thought Cafe - The best ever muffin

    Food for Thought Cafe

    4.5(41 reviews)
    2.6 mi

    Food 5/5 Service 4/5…read moreAmbiance 5/5 This cafe is authentic and makes fresh everything. The sourdough sandwiches tasted amazing. The burrito bowl came in regular bowl but tasted very good. The cold pressed juice was a good add on. Definitely will recommend this place.

    The two stars are for the view, which is nice of the Joshua trees, but that is where the positivity…read moreends. The woman at the counter, whose name I didn't get but who had pink and white striped hair, refused to serve my boyfriend even though the website said the cafe was open, the door sign said the cafe was open, and people were in the cafe itself eating and drinking coffee at a few of the tables. She said the cafe was closed because she was too busy, even though there were only a few people around. When I asked if it was possible to get coffee, she said alright but we should order the drip coffee because she wasn't very good at making anything else. While we sat and drank our coffees, a group of about six women came up and she let them order food and coffee for the group. A man was next in line and she told him the same thing she told my boyfriend: that she was busy and the cafe was closed. This pattern continued. She served women in groups of any size, but men who asked were told that the cafe was closed. This is unacceptable and I will not be returning, however nice the setting.

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    Food for Thought Cafe
    Food for Thought Cafe - What a colorful breakfast plate with a sweet potato. What a comfort that meal was.

    What a colorful breakfast plate with a sweet potato. What a comfort that meal was.

    Food for Thought Cafe - Ordering counter

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    Ordering counter

    The Dez - coffee - Updated May 2026

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