Red Ocotillo

This place is amazing. I created a Unilocal account just to be able to give them a review. The food is delicious and the service is really great!
I was in the area for a couple of days and came to eat here both days. I wish I lived closer, so I could come more often!
Thank you!!!

He server is wonderful and he food is awesome. We stayed at the resort and ate here twice for breakfast and once for lunch. Have to have their chicken fried steak. It is cooked to perfection.
Definitely our go to spot when we return to Borrego Springs.

Parking is easy and close, we were greeted by our waitress with a smile, service was quick. Onion rings I ordered were amazing and came with homemade delicious ranch dressing. Also ordered a Cobb salad and my dad had a hamburger. I can not tell you how fresh, delicious, and well prepared these meals were. This compared fantastically to the fact that we Jamie st popped out of the desolate desert. The restraint has big windows with a view of the distant mountains. I really liked the bright and cozy feel of the place. Eat here, you’ll like it ;)

I had the red o benedict, the food was ok. The rosemary garlic potatoes had no seasoning, they were plain not mention pricey for the mediocre amount of food. The waitress was also the server. She was a really nice lady but was the only one running the whole place with one guy cleaning tables. The service was not bad but the food took awhile. ALSO, this place has exposed fiberglass insulation hanging from the ceiling. THATS JUST DANGEROUS.

Went there for breakfast. Tasty fairly priced menu with half-​orders available. Nice atmosphere and interior design. Good service. Plenty of parking.

Solid 5 star breakfast. I had ½ order bacon crumble eggs bene, and a side of bacon. Bacon was great, bene was cooked perfectly. Hubby had the southern fried steak & eggs. Steak was tender & gravy was flavorful. Highly recommend for breakfast if you’re in town. Plus, breakfast is served all day.

Our second day in Borrego Springs and we’ve just finished our second lunch at Red Ocotillo. Very good comfort food with excellent quality ingredients plus a little creative twist such as crushed pineapple in the cole slaw (delicious), amazing sauce and carmelized onions on the patty melt. Had an awesome BLTA today with thick slabs of great bacon. Nice patio seating. Oh, and Sculpin on tap. Some other places in this town are good but dark and closed off from the surrounding desert. This place is bright with big windows looking out on this incredible valley. Definitely recommend.

05/​18/​2016
A Solid 4 ½ Stars for A Small Borrego Springs Joint.
A group of us decided to try The ½ Pound Bacon Cheese Burger on Wed Night. Wow. Outstanding is all we could say.
The Early Bird Special on Wednesdays is their Burgers.
It was Cooked a perfect medium rare just the way we like them and it was a huge burger patty. I’m guessing a bit bigger than the ½ pound advertised. Thick and Juicy and seasoned just right. The Bacon was Krispy and Tasty as well. It came with a nice order of delicious french fries. And for the Special price of $ 8.95 on Wed nights it’s a Great Deal also. Service was good and fast this night for us and we all left happy campers. We usually go across the street to Carlees Place for what was The Best Burgers In Borrego and now is the Second Best Burger in Borrego. We only live about 20 Min away in Ranchita and will be coming here more often now.
Thanks Red Ocotillo.

Great breakfast spot in Borrego Springs. Good food, good coffee, good prices.
Our server Tony was great! Even brought out some fresh made coffee cake to tie us over before our food came out (and it came out quick!).
The outdoor patio is great. We came in May after some rain, so the weather was a perfect 70 degrees out.

I really was not expecting to find great food in the middle of nowhere, but Red Ocotillo proved me wrong. We ended up in Borrego Springs during Coachella weekend this year (it’s a long story), and I have to say, I was a little concerned about finding good food when we first pulled into Borrego Springs. Thankfully, Unilocal pointed us to Red Ocotillo, and I had one of the yummiest meals that weekend at this tiny little place in town.
I ordered the bacon benedict and my boyfriend got the breakfast burrito. Both items were served with potatoes, and we both got coffee as well. The meals were both delicious. The poached eggs on my benedict were perfectly done, and the hollandaise was super creamy and yummy. Service was great. The view from the patio was beautiful. The restaurant had a really great laid-​back and positive vibe. This place is kid friendly and pup friendly :)
Don’t know when I’ll be back to Borrego Springs, but I’ll definitely stop by this place for some food if I ever find myself in the neighborhood again.

Considering the remoteness of the location, it could be five stars.
I live in the city, not the desert. Lots of choices of where to go where I live, but I wish there was a place like this near home.
The food was prepared like it was at someones house. Someone that was a good cook! Sandwiches were generous and fresh. Salad was as good as you’d get in LA or SF, or Tulsa.
French fries were crispy, cooked all the way through (amazing how few places can get fries right). Ice tea was fresh brewed with fresh mint leaves in in. Excellent.
The service was what I expect in a remote location –slower (not slow). Great experience, would definately go back

Place has the slowest service ever. 10 min after chasing down a waitress to take Order.
The Place is riddled with flys; yuk. Plus no indoor AC so it’s hot.
Not rally impressed with the menu or service. Not sure what’s up with the 4 star review.
Left a low tip since service was not important to them.

We chose this place for Saturday breakfast based on the high reviews, but our experience was quite a bit different. Perhaps it was due to an usually busy weekend, but service was extremely lacking.
After waiting about 10 minutes and being passed numerous times by employees, we had to get up to ask for menus. Eventually we placed our omelette orders, and they arrived 45 minutes after we sat down. Fairly tasty, but we didn’t feel so well afterwards. The coffee was quite bad, and adding cream and sugar didn’t remedy it. We later had to get up to find the waitress to pay.
Also, make sure you like dogs if you eat here. Every table around us had a dog without the best of pet parents, sitting their dogs on the chairs or ignoring them begging at our table.

We have been here several times and it is oiur first choice when in the area. The food is excellent and the employees are friendly and efficient. There is a nice variety to the menu, and whoever runs it obviously cares.
There is also easy parking for our RV.
Get there early, it can get crowded!

Terrific atmosphere, good food. Ordered three egg omelettes (good, but could be more moist), which came with potatoes (fantastic), and well-​buttered toast. Nice to sit outside in the shade, enjoy good nosh, and listen to Bach violin sonatas, which was a delightful surprise to hear in Borrego Springs. Pleasant brunch experience.

They make a damn good burger. Fat and juicy, and all the toppings are fresh. Fries were good too and it’s in a cool mid-​century modern building.

Love this place. Basic and good pancakes, hubby had an omelette he liked a lot. Nice to have a decent breakfast place in Borrego. FYI, the coffee is pricey at $ 3.50 but it’s good.

We decided to stop here after spending a few hours around town. It was dinner time and the restaurant was full, so we decided to sit and eat at the little bar.
We ordered the four cheese penne pasta with chicken and a club sandwich; both meals were good. It took awhile to come out but the restaurant was busy and it looked like there was only two people cooking. So it is understandable. Everyone working there was constantly moving doing something and working hard.
If I’m every in town again, I would go back to Red Ocotillo.

Was over at the old Hobart Hotel over at Indian Head and saw on the credenza in their lobby that they also owned the Red Ocotillo. The menu listed a vegan black bean burger, which was truly a surprise to me, so we headed over.
The décor of the place was really quaint. The young waiter was nice but not terribly forthcoming about what came as a side, so had to draw this information from him.
Food came out in a reasonable amount of time. And all of us were satisfied with our dishes. One of our party asked for onion rings and they didn’t come out, but wasn’t missed as the portions were more than expected and they were really an impulse anyway.
The solitary restroom was clean and well-​stocked. One of the rare spots where a vegan can eat in this town.

I ate here twice. In the evening, I had fish tacos, which are found on the appetizer menu, although it’s essentially a large meal. The service was good, and the fish tacos were battered and fried and were quite good. Nice atmosphere.
I came back during the day with my girlfriend. I had a breakfast burrito, which was fine, nothing amazing, but it was good and fresh. Lisa had eggs, toast, and bacon. All was fine. The atmosphere to me looked nicer during the evening but was still all good, and the service during the day was a little slower.
Red Ocotillo is a good alternative if for some reason you don’t wish to eat at Carlee’s, which is also a good choice when eating in Borrego Springs.

Straight forward and tasty. No big surprises. The omelette was just right in many ways: size, amount of filling, and preparation. You get to build your own, picking up to four items. The eggs were cooked well and I appreciated that there was not an over-​abundance of egg. It came with house potatoes which were very tender and nice. The coffee was not the greatest, one cup was burnt and the next was rather cold. They brought by some free coffee cake while we waited for our food, a very nice touch. The service was attentive and friendly. I would go back for sure.

My breakfast steak I had ordered was to be medium rare. I had to return it as it was well done. My whole plate was taken to replace it with a medium rare steak. My plate was returned with the steak and frozen eggs and potatoes.
Coffee was offered to my wife, but I was passed up. My cup was empty and stayed that way until we left. The servers are very nice but they need more practice. The food for both of us was about $ 41.00.

Had a great late lunch here. Cute, clean place with nice décor and a good menu. Food quality was great, just wish my wonderful cup of albondigas soup was a bit bigger! Perfect place for lunch in Borrego Springs!

Fantastic! We went here for dinner and loved the atmosphere/​music, the service was phenomenal, great food at a great price. Will definitely make this a stop any time we’re in town.

I have been coming to Borrego Springs for about 4 years mostly working the Canadian Military when they come out for jump operations. I have eaten at all of the restaurants in town but have now finally found my favorite. I do not know why I have avoided this place in the past but I am glad that I stopped in today for lunch. I went in around 2 PM and there were a lot of cars parked out front and I almost did not go in because I hate crowds. The inside of the Restaurant has nice décor and they ask that you seat yourself. Even though the place was very busy it does not feel cramped. The wait staff takes a little while to get to you but they were very courteous. I ordered the Turkey Swiss sandwich and my side was a salad instead of fries. I bit into the sandwich and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The salad with the balsamic dressing was awesome.
The prices are on par with the rest of the town but the quality of my food is what sets this restaurant apart from the rest. If you eat here you will be happy.

EXCELLENT!!! Loved our lunch and outdoor seating. All fresh and yummy. Huge hamburgers and they bring a lovely pitcher of iced tea to the table.
Thank you!

Fantastic little restaurant that seems more at home in Solana Beach or La Jolla than in Borrego Springs. Atmosphere, attention to detail in the food, and modern options make Red Ocotillo stand out in what otherwise feels like a desert highway stop of a town.
The burger was excellent as was the service. An adjacent table seemed to be having a yearly meet up of older couples and while I can’t understand why someone would come to Borrego Springs annually, I can understand why they’d choose to meet here.
*Caveat; I know nothing of Borrego Springs, if it sounds like I’m bagging on the place that’s just because I have never spent any time there. I just stopped for gas and a bite to eat.

This is as good as it gets out in Borrego Springs.
Breakfast is served all day. You can order benedicts as half orders ~ but what I was able to instead was order one Red Octillo (smoked salmon) and one Bacon. Both were delish!~ the eggs were cooked perfectly and the yolk was runny. The Rosemary garlic potatoes were delicious as well!
Different ‘happy hour’ specials throughout the week between 5:00pm-6:30pm.
The burger was actually once of the best I’ve had too! I don’t eat red meat often but my man does so I always get a little bite of eat one he orders. The burger here is high on our list!
Our waitress noticed how parched we were and was kind to leave a carafe on the table. The tables also come with little table lamps that you can turn on. One thing I noticed at each table is they had an outlet — super convenient for charging your phones esp if you use it often for finding directions!
So glad we chose this place over Carlees. It has that diner feel but the service and food are really great! I highly recommend this place if you’re looking for good eats in this town.

Anyone upset by coming to a desert location in off season and expecting immediate service should know better than to come to borrego springs. Things happen on their own time. so now you know.
Also, it’s a desert. Bugs are part of the landscape.
Now that’s out of the way, I’ve enjoyed ocotillo since it was at the palms. You won’t be let down. Of all things, fish tacos are pretty impressive, as was the Benedict.

Oh, where to start with this review? I’m actually, morally torn.
The situation was this: We were staying at Casa Del Zorro and decided to venture out for breakfast. This place was HOT AND NEW on Unilocal so we gave it a chance. Yeah, we’re lazyface breakfasters so it wasn’t a TOTAL SHOCK when they said they were out of eggs at noon on a Thursday. Fine. I ordered a ahi tuna salad and bf ordered a tuna melt.
Whilst we were imbibing our coffees and waters, bf felt something on his leg, and whacked it away. It was a cockroach, and it landed heavily beneath the table next to us.
Now, look – this place was clean, almost impeccable. I get that in 111 degree heat some gnarly insects might take up residence like fucking A/​C-​seeking ninjas. What I didn’t get was the complete lack of urgency amongst the staff about removing said insect once it was identified and, like, determined a total and gross nuisance.
A bunch of us lifted our legs so the creature wouldn’t see us as a viable means of transport. It was large, though, the length of your thumb-​digit and it stopped to groom itself near the left side of my dining chair. Once it ventured on, we followed the eyes of our neighbors. It crawled up the wall and soon was over our heads, slightly to the left. Boyfriend asked for a broom and dustpan, but basically asked the universe because we didn’t know if anyone aside from the flustered waitress worked there.
Finally, a local sitting at the next table attempted to corral the beast with a napkin. It landed on his shirt and he ran outside to fling it off.
We we’re all relieved.
My salad was pretty darn good.
They only charged us for my bf’s sandwich bc of the «bug situation»
So it was like… good customer service, but also not?

Great spot. Came here with 9 friends after glamping and they did a good job accommodating us! Crumbled bacon Benedict was delicious.

Wow my wife Jan and I had dinner here 7÷3÷2015 and am I glad we did.
What a great place to eat here in Borrego Springs.
The food and service were very good with a great selection to choose from on the menu. Each day there are several specials to choose from also.
I started with a mixed salad. Very Nice.
Jan had The Grilled Tuna Salad. A nice looking salad but the Tuna was lacking any flavor. (Could for sure use some seasoning.)
Would not order again.
I had The Spaghetti and Meatball Dinner Special. Wow, Very Good.
Comes with Garlic Bread and Three Good Sized Meatballs.
The sauce was Home Made and very tasty with lots of fresh ingredients so you know it didn’t just come out of a can or jar. I Highly Recommend It.
Their is a great selection of other dinners on the menu to choose from and we will be back to try more.
The service was spot on fast and efficient.
Breakfast is served all day and night. Some of the best in town as Jan and I have tried it in the past.
All in all a gem in the Desert.

Forget eating at The Arches at Borrego Springs Resort… take the 1.8 mile commute and EAT HERE!!!
Do not let the outside appearance of this little «diner» fool you. Inside the quaint and unassuming little roadside establishment is easily some of the greatest cuisine that you’ll find in Borrego Springs. It is upscale food dressed in a casual setting. If you come in wearing shorts, a shirt and flip flops, you’ll fit right in.
We came here on a Friday evening after a disappointing experience just trying to get seated at the restaurant in our resort. And thank goodness for small favors, we had an excellent dinner. It was so good that we came back for breakfast the next day and dinner the next night!
Carlos was really nice, very friendly and a great server.
I can’t say enough great things about this place!