I really liked this place very tasty food reasonable prices. friendly bartenders waiters. This place has a very unique interior such as there you can leave a dollar for yourself and hang it on the wall in any place you want. I liked it the next time I will be there. I will definitely come back. read more

Ski Inn - American Near Me - Niland, California

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We were so thrilled to have found this place basically out in the middle of nowhere! Great atmosphere. Were able to watch the football game front and center. Great drinks and food. read more

I haven't been here in a long time but I'm now posting a review. A couple friends and I were out in the desert camping and we stumbled across this old spot. Its definitely a local watering hole. It is a bit old but I would not describe it as a dive bar in bad way. Its charming. There are signed dollar bills all over the walls and the bar staff we encountered were friendly and funny. This bar is also said to be the lowest elevation in the western hemisphere! So if you're in the desert visiting Salton Sea, East Jesus, West Satan, Slab City, or Salvation Mountain stop in Bombay Beach to grab a drink at the Ski Inn and support local! read more

We came here last weekend 2/15/2020 as we were staying in town and decided to grab some drinks and food. We have been here numerous times before but never written a review. We pulled into the parking lot and noticed that it was completely full which of course is due to the Valentines Day weekend which Bombay Beach was very crowded in general. We opened up the doors and yes indeed it was overcrowded so when we walked in the waitress informed us that it will be about 20 minutes before she's able to come to our table. We started off with a bucket of bud light which is $10 cheapest that I've ever paid for a bucket. The waitress came to our table and took our order so we all ordered their delicious fish and chips. If you haven't had their fish and chips, I highly recommend you to try them. They are cooked in what appears to be a cinnamon flavor and they are very moist and soft and comes with about 3 good size of fishes. The wait time is what could be a little better but this is in the middle of nowhere so I don't expect to much. It is definitely a dive bar with great prices, great food but the service could be a tad better which we didn't mind waiting. We love coming to the Ski Inn whenever we are in town and will continue coming every chance we get. read more

Despite my husband's strong disagreement, we walked in here. It looked dark and closed from outside, but it was okay from inside. We thought that we would run into some weird locals, but this bar was perfectly normal. There were locals here, and we had nice chats with locals. The ski referred to water ski which was very popular in the 70s. There was a book on the counter talking about the Salton Sea published in 2000 and it was fascinating to see how much the lake has changed since then. We bought two beers and it was only $5.50 - good deal. , read more

Ski Inn - Exterior - American Near Me - Niland, California

F---- this place. If waiting 3 hours for a burger sounds like a good time then go ahead.

Awesome Patty Melt, Legit Onion Rings & Cold Beer. If you are in the Salton Sea area you need to stop here. Or not. read more

Ski Inn - American Near Me - Niland, California

Do the right thing folks, and ring that bell near the jukebox when you walk in. It's the least you can do. At $3 a Bud, what's it really gonna cost you anyways? You'll make a few new friends and brighten everyone's day. The greatest part? Owner Wendell is STILL alive and kicking. He will talk shop with you too. I have left probably around 4 dollar bills here hidden amongst the thousands of others, and I try to find each one every time I visit. Part of the draw is the strange twilight vibe the Inn radiates...as if time doesn't move here. You could come back in 5-10 years and everyone that was here when you left will be exactly where you left them right in the same seat, drinking the same beer, with the same t-shirt on. The point is, I think America NEEDS places like this, now more than ever. No Great-California-Road-Trip is complete without a stop here. I sleep better at night knowing the Ski is out there in the Great -American-Beyond if I need her. But alas, the clock ticks, and I worry for the Inn's survival in today's jagged world. If I had Bill Gates F-You money this would be the first place I would buy...and I wouldn't change a damn thing. read more

I love this place! So much. The owners are very sweet! I love Sonya & she works very hard. She made me feel EXTREMELY WELCOME as an outcome from Orange County. Very grateful I met her & got to experience this place, I can't wait to come back! read more

Came back from exploring Bombay beach with some buddies. Walking in, place has an amazing & very welcoming environment. We ordered one of each of the starters & then got the patty melt. One of my buddies told me that some celebrity traveled halfway across the country just to have this place's patty melt, so I got one myself. Fries were great, the fried zucchini and onion rings were also amazing, can't say I loved the fried pickles as much but they were great regardless. Patty melt was also phenomenal. Had a great time here, got to leave a dollar on the wall too! Will always recommend this place if you're ever in the area. read more

If you find yourself out in Bombay Beach, you HAVE to stop at Ski Inn to get the best patty melt ever! I also got the green chile cheeseburger and it was just as good! read more

We really enjoyed our trip to Bombay Beach and were very excited to try this little local spot. The outdoor patio was cute and relaxing even on a warm day. This place has a lot of charm. But it was very difficult to order food/drinks. We were eventually able to order at the bar. The menu online and posted on the wall stated prices of the food we ordered. However, we were charged nearly twice as much when we went to the bar to pay after eating our meal. We were told "the menu online is more than 8 years old" even though the website had just recently been updated and the same prices were posted on a menu inside of the restaurant. We felt we were being charged more because we were clearly tourists and this is the main reason for the lower rating, in addition to below: The meat in our sandwiches was incredibly salty. The fries were good. The coleslaw was ok. My drink was overly sweet. They are cash only, as we saw from a small sign behind the bar after eating our meal and being charged much more than anticipated. They do have an ATM but beware of the added fees. read more

We had an amazing experience here! The owners of the bar are so, so kind. The drinks were wonderful (and affordable) and they had really great snacks too! We had fun decorating dollar bills to hang on the walls and playing music on the old school jukebox. Everyone started chatting with each other (locals and people from all over!) and we had a great time getting to know the other people in the bar. The owner also gave us a tour of the beautiful bar and decorations and showed us currency bills from all over the world. Such a great experience! read more

Went to Bombay beach for exploring. I'm an urban explorer. Very cool! The ski inn was cool, loads of dollar bills in it all over the walls read more

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Such a fun and unique place to experience. The locals are such a fun and welcoming group. Different music groups do surprise concerts. Go check it out read more

Place is cool, people are cool, food is great. That's all o have to say but this app is making me write more in order to post it.

Came here on a whim for my partners birthday as a surprise, apparently someone by the name of Anthony Bourdain (rip) visited this tiny little town years ago on no reservations. I had the grilled cheese it was the only vegetarian friendly option on the menu. It was decent homemade tasting food served with some fries on the side. I could have done without those though, they weren't too good. The service was nice, the people were friendly although there was definitely no one there that was in their younger years, it was a lot of older folk. Overall a nice trip, headed out to visit the bombay beach ruins afterwards, that was awesome too! read more

This place is dated. But still has it. It is a place I would like to have a cold one in. But being I am here on a conference for work and were on a field trip to salton lake. If your in the area I recommend you stop in and check it out. read more

Ski Inn - Waiting to board the bus. Having an ice tea. - American Near Me - Niland, California

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You don't have many options when you find yourself at Salton sea and I think this is definitely one of your better ones! Pretty clean, cool old school divey spot. Definitely has some charm in the fact that it doesn't change and keeps it super simple! They have a full bar, pretty simple menu: think burgers and fries, but they do it well. Cash only, to be expected at this time of joint. Cute little patio in the back. They ran out of 3 things we wanted: pulled pork, the beef for the beef dip au jaus and chicken. So...we just went with other options. Apparently Anthony Bordean loves the patty melt! read more

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I truly always wanted to come to Ski Inn but the exterior made me think we could not go in with kids in tow and that it would not be a great place anyway. Our recent visit to the Salton Sea included us helping tow some Jeeps out of the mud near the sea in Bombay Beach. My 8-year-old kindly wanted to help, so he assisted a group of people pushing on the rear bumper. Mud kicked up and covered his face, hair, and arms. He was a trooper, but miserable. In steps the awesome of Ski Inn. There are few bathroom options in Bombay Beach so I went in to Ski Inn to see if we could use theirs. The lady behind the counter was so so kind and we shared a few laughs when I went in to inquire. She absolutely welcomed my kiddos and the rest of our crew in to clean up, and she even thanked my husband for his willingness to help the stuck Jeepers. After cleaning up we decided to stay and order a round of sodas. Our group of 6 had a nice time chatting, decorating dollar bills for the walls, and sipping on our cans of soda. I can't offer any information on the food or drinks, but I can tell you that these people are so kind and just lovely folks all the way around. read more

We just had lunch here and really liked the place. Very friendly and clean. Great atmosphere and the food and ice tea was great. We'll definitely be back when we in the area. read more

Ski Inn - Lettuce wrapped Ortega burger with fries. - American Near Me - Niland, California

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Loved this place! Found it on a whim on the way to Bombay Beach. The friendly gentleman working at the bar taking orders was so sweet and welcoming. Great service and a super relaxing atmosphere that has plenty of seating and a huge patio area. The food was absolutely delicious, fresh and extremely well priced. I would love to come back here and actually spend an evening with some drinks and get to know the staff more! Keep up the great work Ski Inn! read more

Great place. Dive bar in the middle of the desert. Hippies, rednecks, european tourists, offroaders, artists, city folks all come together to have a beer. read more

One of my co-workers suggested the Sky Inn. She'd never been there but said she'd heard good things. She was right. The food was great the atmosphere was just what I expected; the dollar bills, the juke box, the Whirlitzer organ, the pool table. We got there after seeing the DesertX exhibits at the State Park and visiting the International Banana Museum. I'd like to take an overnight trip there sometime to see the stars. The food was simple, burgers, fries, beers, but the onion rings were well worth the drive. Probably the best I've had in years. WE will be back there. Be warned - they only take cash. No cards. read more

Bombay Ski Inn. Great bar, the owner is awesome and talks about the history of the bar and the city. Sure, mediocre food but cheap drinks. Original dive bars I think. Leave your mark by leaving a dollar and tape it anywhere at the bar. read more

Ski Inn - $2.50 PBR - American Near Me - Niland, California

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We enjoyed our draft beer and taping our dollar to the wall, but we will never know what led Anthony Bourdain to praise the patty melt. After waiting more than an hour and half for our food, we gave up and drove the hour back to Palm Springs for a dinner that likely arrived faster than our Ski Inn lunch. read more

I've been meaning to visit the Salton Sea for a while. I've lived most of my life in California and had heard of this place, but I had a vague notion it was sort of north and east and not something for me. When I finally bothered to check a map and saw it so close to me, I was kind of blown away. Digging into the history of the area sealed the deal for me. Basically an abandoned former vacation spot, California's largest lake is a ginormous ghost town replete with piles of rotting dead fish and abandoned rusting structures. Wound up in Bombay Beach because half the city seems to have been submerged at one point, and then left to rot afterwards. Rather than rebuild, the town just walled off the destroyed portion with a dike and posted a bunch of Keep Out signs that everyone ignores. After wandering around the beach for a while my wife and I decided to find something to eat, and we found the Ski Inn. Other than the small, warped grocery store, there is no other place within 20 miles to get food. It's one of the more recently-painted places off of Avenue A, which I think is the main street here. Inside we found a bar, a long cafeteria-style pub table, and a section for regular seating that probably clears later for dancing. We walked in at about 10:50am and found the bar portion full, so we sat at the pub table with a very drunk man in a very old tank top, and a very friendly toothless gentleman who may or may not have been drunk. The bartender Wendel was charging $2 for Bud Light on tap, and the locals at the bar were paying in coins, counting them out off of stacks set in front of them like at a poker table every time their glasses ran dry. The main room is wallpapered in dollar bills. There were cans labeled "Fish Assholes" set up on the bar for $3 a pop. Wendel, who appears to be around 80, came around the bar and took our order, mentioning that the kitchen wasn't open yet but "she'd be here soon." $7.50 for two burgers, two orders of fries, and a cup of coffee, poverty does have its perks. "She" came in at about 11:15 and fired up our order in about 15 minutes. The burgers were pre-made and about 50% fat, and the fries were thin and crunchy. For the place it was a perfectly acceptable meal. Ski Inn is really an inn from what I could tell. If you ever have an urge to be in a slasher film, now's your chance. Just get, say, two flat tires on HWY 111 right up the road right around 6pm, walk down past dead foliage and some abandoned buildings to the Ski Inn, ask Wendel for a room, and let the adventure begin. At least you'll eat decently. Bring cash. Seriously, there's nothing anywhere around this place. Stop here in an emergency and it's better than you expect. Otherwise, head back up the 86 towards civilization and be thankful you live in this decade. read more

Ski Inn - Yeah, Fish Assholes, what of it? - American Near Me - Niland, California

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You have to stop into this place, it's like stepping into a time machine and going back in time. Owner and staff are very personable, menu is limited, the beer is cold and the interior must have cost a fortune. Cash only read more

The lowest bar dive bar in the western hemisphere. Felt like I went back in time. The bar was full of loud happy people. We got couple of beers and ordered onion rings, unfortunately there was a big group ahead of us and the chef was new, so had to cancel our rings since it took an insane amount of time to get the food. We just enjoyed the ambiance and soaked in all the thoughts from the $1 bills. We did leave one too to stand the test of time. read more

The "lowest bar in the western hemisphere" -the sign. This place is a few 100 feet below sea level. The "realest dive bar you will find in the western hemisphere" -me. This was "the place to be" when Bombay Beach was booming in the 1950s. Called the Ski Inn because people could water ski by to the bar and have a beer. Lunch specials and a communal out of tune piano in the back corner. Bud lights are $2.50. I'd stay away from the taps. You just can't be too safe around the Salton Sea. read more

Ski Inn - Ski Inn: keeping Bombay Beach real since 1950 - American Near Me - Niland, California

Decent food and good company. Service has been somewhat slow but who's in a hurry? Nice local hangout.

We are on a 2,000 mile motorcycle trip and had to see the sights of the Salton Sea including the SKI INN. When we arrived they were in the process of cleaning out all the beer tap lines which I read might be a problem. Once finished we had some draft beers which were good and ordered a hamburger and Patty melt. I couldn't believe how fresh and tasty the food was. Melly said it was the best Patty Melt she ever had. The chef was really cool and friendly and cared about the meals he served. We also stuck our dollar up on the wall behind the bar and chatted up a local gent named George. He gave us good insight on the area. Of course we went and saw Salvation Mountain and Slab City. And checked out all the 'ghost town' dwellings near the Ski Inn. Trippy but cool. read more

Ski Inn - SKI INN! - American Near Me - Niland, California

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We ended up at the ski inn while we were camping. What a quaint little treasure. Small little bar that you could easily drive by, everyone inside was friendly and welcoming but the real treat was getting the outdoor tour from one of the owners who basically did the construction himself. What an amazing and fun space, outdoor fire pits, pool tables and welcoming ambiance. The food was hand made they were Making fish and chips and I could see them hand dipping the fish prior to dropping them into the fryer. Wonderful service, good food and cocktails and just some amazing company read more

Cool place, great vibe, nice patio. We waited 90 mins for burgers & a patty melt and we were served 15 mins apart. At least the food was good, and hot read more

We LOVED this place the patrons make the experience and not to mention the drinks are priced to move. We drove in from LA to check out the Salton Sea and Joshua Tree and came upon this place. We didn't know what to expect, but were welcomed like old friends. A fellow patron also gave us a dollar to write a message on and tape wherever we pleased in the bar. We also got the taco salad which was good, they also had Fat Tire for just $2.50 on draft! If we ever are in the area we will be sure to stop by again! OMG - when we visited this place I said to Ela "I think this is the type of place Anthony Bourdain should visit." Come to find out he already did! Ha :) read more

Ski Inn - The bar covered in dollar bills. - American Near Me - Niland, California

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Love it here! Visited the Ski Inn during a listener party for my favorite podcast, The Gary and Dino Show! The patty melt with onion rings was fantastic and the bourbon was flowing....come along now. Looking foward to my next visit to the Ski Inn! read more

Ski Inn - American Near Me - Niland, California

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Truly the bar at the end of the world. My wife and I went there after an amazing hike at ladder canyon. We had a couple of ice cold beers,onion rings and French fries. We had a some great conversations with the staff and some folks sitting at the bar. I hope one day my kids make it here and find our dollar we hung up! read more

Ski Inn - American Near Me - Niland, California

Actually not really 5 stars but for still being open after all the years, it deserves 5 stars. It is totally funky and fairly unclean but the old ambiance is truly there. They do not greet you when walk in the door, nor do they really seem to care if you are a potential customer. After all they are the only gig in town. But, once you get their attention and get a cheap drink, things tend to cheer up. We ended up being there in shift change and the gay bartender was super entertaining. He also made a killer shaken bloody mary! Anyways, if you stop by to see the dead Tilipea on the beach, be sure to stop off here and the other attractions like the Bombay Beach Drive-Inn! I shall return upon my yearly visit to Bombay Beach, the Salton Sea and the Fountain of Youth RV Resort! read more

Food is 5/10 at best. Servers are good. Kitchen is awful, they took 1.5 hours to get food out. Also a racist staff. there were multiple white families that came in after us and order after us and still recieved their full orders before our party of 4 did(all 4 of us persons of color). fucking worst experience at any place i've been to, Do not recommend, fuck this place they are racist and slow. read more

Ski Inn is on A street because it's AAAaaaaawesome!! Carol, (the bartender), greeted us as we walked in and met us at a table with menus. After we ordered, the owner Jane came over to check on us. Told us all about these cool spots to check out in the neighborhood. Good cheap beer and cool ambiance. Dollar bills everywhere for decor. We added ours above the late Anthony Bourdain's picture. (Respect!!) It was my birthday and Jane played Happy Birthday on the jukebox and had the bar serenaded me. Ha!! Delicious cheesecake, too. Recommend checking out a sunset at the beach and then head here afterwards. You won't be disappointed!!! read more

Ski Inn - American Near Me - Niland, California