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    The Dez

    4.2 (295 reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 6:00 pm

    The Dez Photos

    Business Info

    THE DEZ ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - The Dez

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    Sarah H.

    Cute little spot for breakfast or brunch! The inside is small but has a lot of grab and go options plus coffee and sandwiches! There's some seats inside and some on the patio so grab them as you can!

    Charmer
    Willy R.

    We ended up going here before the big trek into the unknown of Joshua Tree national Park. Out of 1 million places to stop this was one of them. Wasn't sure if the Dez was referring to the desert and the many treasures associated with a hot, an empty desert, or if it was referring to desert. And my mind melted cheese is quite a dessert and I can appreciate it and eat it after a full meal. So we ended up with the grilled cheese sandwich, a hotdog a sausage, a quiche, some various drink drinks and a cookie. The flavors tickled my tongue. The workers tickled my emotions with too much help. Then I tickled myself after I ate because it was too good. Thank you. if you see me in the desert, don't approach me. I'm usually full. Full of emotions. Thank you

    Rock Climbers Brekkie
    Andrea A.

    Highly recommend this spot for a quick and easy breakfast/lunch. I got a vanilla latte and the rock climbers Brekkie. Both were super good!

    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.

    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.

    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!

    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.

    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 :)

    Service was super nice at big and little dez. Great sandwiches here. Fast coffee that will satisfy. Tried the dez BLT and the club, both fantastic. Also tried the chicken sausage roll, great little meal. The chai was a miss for us personally.

    Matcha

    DO NOT order the matcha, it's super bitter (not sure if it was the milk or they just don't know how to make it). If you ask to change the drink they won't, they will just tell you that's how matcha tastes and offer to add syrup which doesn't help much

    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.

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    1 year ago

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    Kris M.

    come over to the new cafe with indoor seating 100ft west

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    Kris M.

    We love any chance to sing! thank you!

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    1 year ago

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    8 months ago

    This is the place to go for great coffee and the raspberry danish was fabulous. They have other breakfast items as well.

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    11 months ago

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    11 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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    10 months ago

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    Kris M.

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

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    1 year 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!

    You might also consider

    Más o Menos

    Más o Menos

    4.1
    (326 reviews)
    5.4 mi
    $$

    We had talked about coming on our last trip to Joshua Tree but couldn't make it. Super stoked to…read moremake it on our most recent trip because this place is great. Loved the vibes. Very minimal seating inside, but wide open seating outside. Really brings in the JT feels. We came for breakfast, so the weather was still really nice to sit outside. Imagine it would get hot during the day, especially during the summer. Limited breakfast menu, but I love it because you don't need a lot of items to be delicious. Their bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich was fire. Perfect start to the morning. Got some breakfast cocktails to go with it. Really enjoyed their Strawberry Fields. Wasn't sure how the tequila would go with it, but it all meshed together really well. Surprisingly refreshing? But delicious. We also really enjoyed their Maritime Martini. They allow dogs outside, so our little boy lived his best life. Also have a photo booth for purchase, which was fun to use. Would definitely be fun to come here at night or during one of their events. Highly recommend stopping by for a visit.

    It's a cute spot to take photos. They serve coffee and drinks (cocktails) there's a sign that says…read moreyou must be 21 to enter but it wasn't enforced. We got the banana iced coffee, it was refreshing and much needed after a long day of hiking. It did not taste of banana at all and it was made with oat milk which isn't my personal favorite but I didn't read the sign thoroughly, that's on me. I would recommend stopping by if you want iced coffee, not special but not bad at all.

    Photos
    Outside entrance
    Outside entrance
    Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich
    Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich
    Iced matcha with a egg, bacon, cheese on focaccia breakfast sandwich

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    Iced matcha with a egg, bacon, cheese on focaccia breakfast sandwich
    La Copine

    La Copine

    4.5
    (708 reviews)
    10.0 mi
    $$

    We were having quite the day prior to getting to La Copine. We had a 545 reservation but got a flat…read moredriving into town and spent hours at Walmart tire being told "30 more minutes" for an hour and a half. We missed our reservation time but decided to try a walk in because it was the whole reason we came into town in the first place. We were greeted by two really nice hosts who assured us there was room for us sooner than later and we were seated with our dog on the patio pretty quickly. They were so nice to us and doubly nice to our dog! We ordered fried eggplant, gazpacho, ceviche, a lamb burger, and got a lamb burger patty for the dog (we're not order food for the dog people but she was going through it too with the Walmart stuff so why not). We added a couple glasses of wine and their beer shandy and finished with a strawberry shortcake. Every bite was perfect but we rated them- Gazpacho, Lamb Burger, Eggplant, Ceviche. The gazpacho was a hit with the perfect amount of fresh/sweet cantaloupe and spicy-ness. This place was well worth the trip from Big Bear. My wife noted that everyone there that helped us legit looked happy to be there. There was also a medical emergency and the staff was so kind and helpful throughout and checked in on all the tables in the area afterwards. It kind of showed that they are invested in the people that visit.

    What fun! This was a neat little place a bit of a ways from where we were staying in Joshua Tree…read more I've seen the name bounced around, and a couple friends had mentioned it. We got really lucky - reservations open a month in advance, and we were headed to Joshua Tree the next day. I thought for sure I wasn't going to get a reservation and needed to think of a Plan B for date night. But I texted anyway, with an apology for it being so last minute, and they responded the day of confirming me for the next day! Yay! When we arrived, we asked for a seat inside, since it was super windy that day, and they were able to seat us within a few minutes. We got the butter lettuce salad (delicious), the socarrat (lots of peas and pea sprouts - this was AMAZING, and great the next day cold!), their version of bruschetta on their crispy thin bread - the bread was absolutely amazing. And we also got the tomato...um, I can't remember what it's called, but it has a base of sliced tomatoes, with hard boiled eggs, celery, and tuna aioli! Super refreshing on a super hot day. We also got a couple non-alcky drinks and left very happy. It was loud inside for sure - or, bustling, if we want to be more euphemistic. Service for us was a bit on the chilly side, but that might just be the night our server was having. There are 2 single-stalled bathrooms, and parking is very easy in the huge lot they have. I think we might circle back to this place after trying other eats around the area. This was a good time.

    Photos
    La Copine
    Chx piccata $27
    Chx piccata $27
    Mussels $27

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    Mussels $27
    The Dez

    The Dez

    4.3
    (32 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $$

    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!

    Menu is great but they don't allow customization which is unfortunate. Food was delicious, service…read morewas good. They have 2 locations the on the go coffee side is amazing.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Acai bowl
    Acai bowl
    The Dez

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    Food for Thought Cafe

    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.

    Photos
    Food for Thought Cafe
    Veggie burger and sweet potato wedges
    Veggie burger and sweet potato wedges
    Ordering counter

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    Ordering counter

    The Dez - coffee - Updated June 2026

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