Ocotillo Cafe — Restaurant in Four Corners States

I took to the desert today, Nikes strapped on and blue jeans buttoned, with the expectation that I would be spending a hard day walking through the dusty landscapes of the Saguaro Desert. But the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson has a wonderful secret I didn't seek, nor expect. Tucked inside the living museum, down a winding pathway lined by all manner of cacti and desert flowers, and hidden amongst the giant Saguaro cacti in the desert heat is an oasis called the Ocotillo Cafe. Named after an indigenous cactus-like plant found all over the area, the restaurant is serving up some seriously tasty grub! Sit on the back terrace for the most relaxing experience: a desert garden with native flowers and fruiting cacti, where hummingbirds, butterflies, and a native breed of docile bumblebee feast on the nectar of nearby flowers. You'll enjoy your own feast while you're there, as well. Local flavors and fresh ingredients lend themselves to an amazing culinary treat. Enjoy prickly pear agave margaritas while noshing on a generously-portioned charcuterie of fresh, local finds, including house-smoked chicharrones, local-made chorizo, green pepitas brittle, and house-pickled chollo cactus buds. Main courses include decadent dishes like the green adobo chile-spiced sirloin with Peruvian purple potato hash, house smoked lardon, garlic confit hash, and tomato cumin jam. Or try the mesquite smoked pork belly with sweet ancho-agave glaze, molasses baked beans, and orange-citrus jicima slaw. If you weren't a fan of museums nor deserts before, become one now. This little gem is worth the hike down the dusty...

If you have time for a more leisurely sit-down lunch while at the Desert Museum, you must check out the Ocotillo Cafe. It is a sit-down, table-service restaurant so feels less rushed than a quick-service place. Write your name on the clipboard outside and they’ll call you when ready, but note the restaurant is not large so you may be waiting for at least 10-15 min. Keep your eyes peeled while waiting - there was a tiny hummingbird nest in the tree literally right above our heads!

They have a great cocktail menu - I recommend the Prickly Pear Cosmo which was tart but good, they also have a Prickly Pear margarita which appeared to be quite popular. For food, they have some local specialties, we got the fried cactus with jalapeño ketchup and Sonoran dogs. All food was very good and I do HIGHLY recommend the Sonoran dog! It is a...

*Must purchase museum entry ticket or membership to get to the restaurant.

We drove in for lunch on a Friday. The restaurant is about a ten minute walk from the entrance. It was pretty busy but there were two tables available at noon for us to choose from for our party of two. I asked for prickly pear lemonade, they were out but provided a limeade instead. We ordered a cheese crisp and cactus fries, both were large appetizers. I ordered the Mojo Chicken, which had a crisp and refreshing salsa that blended well with the smoky chicken and savory asparagus. The environment is enchanting, with amazing art, and the path to the restaurant is surrounded by flowers in early April; the weather wasn’t too warm yet. I very much preferred this dining experience over others available at this...