Bubba's Bones & Brews - Cathedral City, CA — Restaurant in Cathedral City

I must have gone on a bad day or something because I see a lot of rave reviews on this place. I went today for the first time. I had such high hopes and was so excited after seeing the menu and couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into the food. The service was very good, but I was completely disappointed in the food. I had the Mac Daddy and I expected the complete opposite of what came to the table. I’m from Oklahoma and Texas where the bbq is amazing and the portions huge. The Mac Daddy sounded like a great combo of flavors all in one sandwich. It was completely void of any flavor at all. The burger patty was just plain with no flavor or seasoning. The brisket was dry and no flavor either and tasted like a thick piece of dry ham. And I don’t know why but I expected the Mac and cheese to be more like a baked Mac and cheese or at least more thick in consistency. It was watery and runny and looked like it came out of a can. And it had less flavor as the rest of the ingredients. And there was about a tablespoon of bbq on the sandwich which was lost in all the runny watery cheese that the Mac was soaking in. What would have been great would be baked or even deep fried Mac and cheese on top of everything. But it literally looked like they just opened a can of Mac and cheese and poured it all over the top which just made everything wet and filled the plate with running Mac and cheese. I don’t ever write reviews because I just don’t like saying bad things about restaurants. But I just had to write this one. It just wasn’t good at all and had zero flavor. Maybe I just picked the wrong item, although that was recommended to me by the server. So I will surely try it again and hopefully next time get something better. But I would definitely not order the Mac daddy again or anything that has Mac and cheese on it. I’m sorry for the poor review, but maybe you might possibly what to rethink the runny Mac and cheese, and maybe ad some seasoning to the food. I have seriously never had bbq with no flavor to it. It just...

We had a chance to eat at this wonderful BBQ place on Ramon Road in Cathedral City. Very nice restaurant and outside eating area. Care has been taken to ensure cleanliness and the interior decorations, tables & chairs all picked out with the customer in mind. We started out with the House Made Pretzel. When it arrived the presentation was spot-on and oh, the pretzel was hot and perfectly made. Soft, cooked in a brick oven, wonderful cheese sauce and I was even asked if I wanted mustard. Being a mustard lover I was delighted. The server was outstanding and didn't rush us and we were reviewing the menu to see what we wanted. We then ordered the brisket. My sides were the jalapeno pinto beans with just the right amount of heat and corn on the cob that had been cooked on the grill. My partner had the brisket as well and had the coleslaw and french fries. Not your average french fries by-the-way. Fluffy and perfectly cooked. Some time goes into making these delectable fingers of potato. The BBQ sauce that accompanied the brisket was perfect. Not too sweet, not too tangy, not too overdone - just right. A side of four different BBQ sauces were placed in front of us and they as well were perfectly done. This will be a return to place for us. The selection of beers, wine and now they have a liquor license which I am sure will add to their business. I am afraid this small place on Ramon will quickly grow. I am glad they have the outside seating because I have a feeling they are going to need it. We are definitely returning. So much more on the menu I want to explore. Owners, waitstaff and cooks are all working hard to make this...

Been looking for at least decent BBQ in CV, so had to try Bubbas. Overall it's good and I would go back, but probably to try the burger.

We got the sampler platter for 2, which gave us brisket, baby back ribs, pulled pork, sausage and a quarter chicken so we could try most of everything. So first off, don't expect a real smoked BBQ experience here. Didn't detect a smoker used at all in any of the meats, just more or less roasted. The hits I'd say were the brisket and the sausage. Brisket was flavorful without too much fat, the sausage was tasty too. But the chicken, ribs and pulled pork were overcooked. All of it falling off the bone which isn't really a bad thing, but cooked to the point of on the mushy side is. This is also indicative of frozen meat. There was virtually no difference between the pulled pork and the rib meat.

Over on the plus side, I did like their sauces. Their basic BBQ sauce was on the sweet side, the spicy bourbon had a come through bourbon flavor, and the sweet chili sauce and mango habanero were also tasty. The two sides we chose were also good. The jalapeno pinto beans were nice and spicy, the mac n cheese was also good, but not the best. Corn bread was dense and not much corn flavor.

Service was perfect, attentive but not overbearing. Prices were about average for a BBQ spot. Atmosphere was nice, although trying to convey a roadhouse feeling in a strip mall. Full bar with a good selection of house cocktails and beer.

I would go back to try their burger, I'm curious about it. And I'd give the pork another try (small order), to see if they just...