JC’s Cafe — Restaurant in Palm Desert

MUST TRY! Wow, talk about a food joint that puts passion into what they do. This is one of those rare eatery's that actually cares about what they serve you. I had the Pastrami. Here's what it was like: Super fresh artisan roll, not too crunchy, not too soft with good flavor and consistency. Perfect for a pastrami. They're spin on this delicious sandwich is a Cole slaw lathered in a delicious chipotle sauce. The cheese tastes of great quality and the Boars Head pastrami is delicious. It's got delicious dill pickles with some unique mustard, not deli mustard, more of a yellow 2.0 . It helps that it is prepared by someone who cares what you're about to eat. The potatoes salad was so good I had to ask about it. The potatoes weren't soggy but also not undercooked. These folks have clearly been in the food game a long time, sprinkled with some paprika and not too oniony, the perfect side to my sandwich. The ambience is cute and welcoming. The bar I found out is old basketball court planks which is a cool story and looks outstanding (I sat and ate at the bar). The owners are a husband and wife who were both there and very tentative. The service was over the top good and personal. The iced tea was fresh brewed and slightly on the strong side for a clean rich flavor. I like when places do this because you can always dilute it with water (my dad likes weak tea, I prefer STRONG). I cant stress enough how noticeable it is that not only have these folks been doing this a long time (it shows in their food and their efficiency) but also that the truly care about what you're about to eat. Massive win from this place I recently found out about. I'll be back...

Absolutely delightful experience! We were greeted by the host who was friendly and welcoming, and seated immediately. The patio was full so our seat was inside, and the dining room was eclectic and charming without being kitschy or cheesy. They have a free book exchange which we loved.

Our server was incredible, and we weren't the only ones receiving excellent service. Every table around us was treated to friendly, prompt, and efficient service.

The food was also really very good. We had a Denver scramble, an order of French toast, and a pastrami melt with Cole slaw. The scramble was perfect, eggs fluffy, and everything, including the potatoes were perfectly seasoned (ask for salsa if that's your jam, because the salsa was delish). The French toast was incredible, not too sweet, not too eggy. The pastrami melt was on amazing crusty bread with the perfect ratio of meat to bread, and the cole slaw was obviously home made and not from a container.

The passion for feeding people well with smiles on their faces was evident from start to finish. My only regret is that we'd never made it here before. We...

I have to say the food was great. Loved the atmosphere and the people. What ruined it was the tip at the end. We had party of 5 and 1 infant. I counted it as 6 and was okay paying 18% tip as the menu stated it automatically gets added to the bill. Guess what? the bill had whopping 30% tip added. When I asked it to be fixed, the lady came back with 20% added this time. I don't know if they were thinking that I don't speak English and would not have said anything but.........it was very disappointing ‐----------- Reply to the owner's comment. I run a small business as well. One, there is no apology on 30%ish initial tip. Two, it is your responsibility to train your servers. I find it interesting they know how to calculate 20% and 30%ish but not 18%. We talked to your server several times but she kept saying we just have to pay and it was correct. Dont blame customers. Three, tip was $22 total which we still left at 18%. $11 was added on two separate bills as my family split the bill amongst two credit cards. I was going to delete this review as I felt bad but...