Cactus Jack’s Bar and Grill

One of the first places I visited when I moved to the desert and still go to regularly. That was 16 years ago. A desert classic.

DON’T GO!!!
Grossly mis-​managed steakhouse! I wanted to take my son and daughter to have a nice steakhouse experience. After researched Unilocal,we’ve decided to go to Cactus Jack. What a nightmare experience. First, if we wanted service, we had to wait almost 5 – 10 minutes for our waiter. He was always in the back. We were the only table that he had to serve. Second, He got our order wrong. I ordered a medium rare prime rib, my daughter wanted medium for her filet mignon. Steaks came as direct oppositely cooked. Third, we had to ask for all the services such as fresh pepper, etc. were all other tables got their’s automatically. Fourth, I ordered a hot water at the end. It never came. Fifth, it took him 3 trips to gave us the right amount of to go boxes. Poor guy. He had a tough night. BTW, he never took away the menu and the extra silverware and plate on the empty seat.
Later on, I wanted to talk to the manager. A busboy walked all the way from back and came very close to me and ask me what’s wrong with my dinner? He stayed for the entire conversation starring at me. I thought it was wired because It had nothing to do with him. A minutes later, a gentleman came out and trying to listen to our complain. He was not the manager either. He told me that the manager was busy and cannot come to the front. My after thought was that there were no manager in the restaurant. The gentleman can’t or won’t do anything. He apologized and we left. BTW, we were not even the biggest complained group. Another table was served with a huge cockroach on their plate. They look very upset. I guess we were a little luckier that we only need to deal with bad services.
The restaurant had a Denny’s feeling. Not that there is anything wrong with Denny’s. However, if we were going to spend $ 130 for a 3 people dinner, I expect steakhouse quality. It was not our waiter’s fault. He was just a young man poorly trained that was falsely thrown to frontline without any support.
Save your money. Go somewhere else. You will be much happier!

Ate at the bar. Great bar food and generous drinks. Service was very friendly. I had the hamburger and mushrooms. Both were excellent.

I’m a pretty optimistic reviewer. I rarely give one or two starts… interestingly 2 of my 4 worst ratings were while visiting California… hmmm. Maybe being from the Midwest I just don’t «get it». The only thing that keeps this from being a one star was our waitress… she was very nice and tried her best, but the food was awful. Waited forever to receive our food and the two filet’s we ordered were ridiculously overcooked. I wasn’t going to stick around another 45 minutes for them to try again. $ 150 for dreadful food. If your a visitor I know it’s close to some hotels… but trust me, there are a ton of better options in the area.

My husband and two friends went to Cactus Jack’s to have a drink and watch the last period of hockey playoffs. The manager/​owner insisted to order immediately, which we did. He was incredibly unpleasant with the staff, and abruptly turned off the game with 12 minutes to spare. He didn’t say a word.
We were shocked. But didn’t make a fuss. This party left, and won’t be coming back.

This review is only a four star because I know who the bartender is otherwise it may only be a three star. Shawntel is a great bartender and makes it a great experience. I definitely was not welcome by the locals as they like an older clientele so they need to wise up and embrace the future or they will be out of business sooner than later.

Everything is great here! But my personal favorite is the tomato soup. Pair the soup with there fresh bread and a glass of 14 hands Cabernet and you will be in heaven. I will eat there soup in the deserts blazing hot summer, that’s how good it is.

Working a job here in Palm Desert. No expectations. This is a gem of a spot. No matter where you’re from or where you’re going. Can’t give a better recommendation. The food was solid. The staff are stellar. You are a star here. Can’t ask for more. To be honest, working 10 days straight in Palm Desert, I was really sick and tired of being here before I happened upon this spot. Thank you for a good night!

Great bar food! Prime Rib sliders and awesome moist and spicy chicken wings. Great drinks and great atmosphere. We go here every time we are in the neighborhood.

Ok, so I know prime rib and this wasn’t it. Not really sure what animal this was but for my $ 46 I got a giant slab of mystery meat, about ¹⁄₃ fat (and I don’t mean «marbling», I mean FAT), ¹⁄₃ decent roast beef and the ¹⁄₃ that should have been the best part, you know that extra tender top shoulder, well that was a hard fibrous something I couldn’t identify. Even the shape was weird, sorta like a football — -Ugh!
To be fair, my wife’s pork chop was pretty good and the bread was excellent, ergo the two stars — -but red clam chowder and tossed salad starters were both crap.
Maybe the bar food was better, our companions said it was far superior, but I won’t be back so I’ll never know!

I was in search of hit wings for dinner and hit a jack pot! They were hot, fresh, and attentive. The restaurant was buzzing with people and staff handled the busy flow.

Great rib eye with mushrooms. Order it medium rare. Good service too. Drive in from the OC just for the rive eye.

This is one of those places you drive by and say to yourself, «I wonder what that place is like.» Once you actually get yourself to go, it will forever be on your list of go-​to-​spots. The food is absolute delicious and the service is just how you expect good service to be. I mainly sit outside on the patio to enjoy a cigar and a drink. It’s one of the friendliest bar’s I’ve been too, great crowd. The well drinks are $ 6 all day, and $ 9 premium (at least my Black Label is) and they take very good care of you on the pour.

Awesome prime rib dinner… nice old school steak house with large cuts for their steaks and prime rib. Good customer service.

I came here for NYE, and the food and service was spot on. I had the regular cut prime rib. I think my idea of 16oz and their idea of 16oz are very different. It was a think cut of prime rib. Kimi was my server, and she set a very high bar. She gave 5 star service for sure. In all fairness, all of the staff was exceptional. I am VERY thankful I didn’t see the bread pudding dessert before ordering my prime rib. The table next to me ordered it, and it was mammoth. It smelled heavenly.
I overheard the bartender say that when Cactus Jacks first opened, it was open ²⁴⁄₇. They use to serve breakfast. I can only imagine how ginormous those breakfasts must have been.
One of the reviewers stated that it was fine dining from the waste down. I totally agree. However, from the waste up was like a warm and inviting family room or cognac and cigar bar (minus the cigar smoke). It was a social and relaxing environment.
It is very evident that there are a lot of regulars here. I do think that someone should have suggested to Whitey Bulger that he should have hid out at Cactus Jacks. They would never have been able to spot him out of the clientele. Plenty of back east snowbirds enjoying Cactus Jacks.
I would totally recommend checking out Cactus Jack. Good food; good people, and a nice environment. Very reasonably priced.

Pretty slow service with only one bartender for the bar and cocktail area. It looks like a complete dive bar from the outside but average menu item is $ 20-​$ 30. Food is decent, nothing special. We ordered the asparagus fries (very good), the calamari steak (different approach to calamari, just ok), the shrimp Caesar salad and the mixed seafood avocado California salad (both salads were big but nothing fancy). They have tv’s all around so it’s a decent spot for sports watching.

This is a bar and grill but I told my husband it felt like an upscale dining room from the waist down. By that I mean there were cloth napkins and table covers and the menu selections were $ 20 to $ 30 +. On the other hand there were wall mounted TV’s and the music was contemporary and moderately loud. I ordered the petite filet with added grilled onions and veggies and it was good. I think my steak was bigger than a petite because I couldn’t finish it. My husband ordered breaded Mexican Shrimp which he liked but said if he ordered it again he would have it grilled instead. Our waitress was perfect! Very attentive. We didn’t check out the bar side but it was crowded and it sounded like everyone was having a great time.

FYI: This isnt Palm Springs! Its Palm Desert… Learn it, know it, live it…
One of the friendliest bars Ive ever walked into! Ive been an «out-​of-​town regular» now for close to 7 years. Even though I havent shown up for 6 months+, the bartenders remember me. Thats a huge plus! Ive become friends with so many patrons and staff over the years. Great stories with people who genuinely care and are curious about one another.
The steaks are fantastic! The drinks are even better! Im on my way for Labor Day weekend! See you there!

I came here for lunch and got the Prime Rib sliders. They were very good. I also ordered the soup of the day, which didn’t come until I asked for it halfway through my meal. The waitress was apologetic though and comped me a beer.
The service was a little off kilter as there was more waiting that there should have been. it didn’t seem that busy but maybe the flow was just off that day.
My main complaint is that the male waiter kept calling me sweetie and honey and I freaking hate that.

I read reviews about this place on Unilocal before we left Honolulu. Since we were going to be in the area, my wife and I thought we should give this place a try for dinner and after the first night, it became our regular spot for dining.
The food here is off the hook. The prime rib and T-​bone steak, new york strip and the rack of lamb all were made to perfection. It was just melt in your mouth and super soft. The pork ribs were just fall off the bone goodness. I have to mention the horse radish for the prime rib was something else. It was corse looking and never failed to clear my sinuses. The waitress call it the real deal. loved it! Like the other reviews, I would highly recommend the prime rib.
The shrimp scampi was excellent and not overcooked. The shrimp was huge and cleaned too. The scallops with penne pasta was just spot on. The scallops were slightly crunchy on the outside and super soft and tender inside. We chose the salad with bleu cheese and the house dressing for all our meals which was perfect. The complimentary bread had a light sourdough flavor that was freshly baked and warm when brought to us. This bread is really good.
The drinks are just awsome. They do not hold back on the liquor or the wine. The long island ice teas were just enough to make you shimmy when you take a sip. That people, is how a long island should be with just enough tripple sec to give it some color. The glasses of wine were huge and they were wine glasses too. Even the couple behind us could be heard saying thats the biggest glass of wine they ever seen.
The dining area has two rows of booths on each side and two rows of tables down the middle with a wall that separates it from the bar. The bar is always full but we preferred the booth at the front and reserved table 20 every time we came. Some say its dark but its not that dark. The walls have pictures of Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller and James Garner among other people. It didn’t feel like it was a step back in time but more a time to celebrate the past.
The noise level is loud and most of it comes form the bar. I really didnt mind it one bit and I actually liked it. I like that relaxed feeling like you dont have whisper in order to be proper to a certain extent like in a fancy restaurant.
The customer service here is excellent. On a scale of 1 – 10 its a 10 hands down. The second night we came, our hostess remembered what drinks we ordered the night before. That kinda tripped me out. The following nights, we pretty much didnt have to ask, it was coming out and we felt like regulars. Our waitresses and waiters were great. They were always checking up on us and not to the point where we felt like we were being interrupted or rushed.
My wife and I would like to extend our warmest aloha to Cindy our hostess and Kim, Betty, Joan, Mimi, and especially Tony our wait help who always came and talked story with us. They really made us feel welcome like part of their regular family of patrons.
Indio, you are really lucky to have a small gem like this just off Hwy 111 in Palm Desert. While we passed many restaurants that looked like they were empty and struggling for business in this wide open shopping mall infested area, Cactus Jacks was always banging with business and there’s a good reason why. My first impression was a good one and we patronized this place until our last night. I’m really going to miss this place and all the friendly people. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone staying in this area or just passing through to come and give this place a try.

They pour great drinks. Great bartenders.