The Joint — Restaurant in Ridgecrest

What a treasure trove of memories this place is! We dropped into The Joint while visiting Randsburg on Mon Nov 28th ‘22. Born & raised in S Africa, we were fascinated by this historic mining town which was, along with nearby Johannesburg, named by S African miners who had traveled from SA to CA for the new gold rush in 1895. We met Neil, the owner, as he was cleaning up after a crazy busy Thanksgiving weekend which drew 10,000 people to the town (!), but he assured us that it’s normally way quieter than that. He was officially closed that day but opened for us and a couple of thirsty off-road heavy-duty bikers, and over the next 20 mins and a cold one, he gave us all a fantastic verbal history tour of Randsburg and his bar. The Joint was built in the early 1900’s and has been in his family since 1955, when his feisty Italian Grandmother ruled the roost with a sharp tongue and strict rules about foul language! As you can see from the pics, this place is filled with 80+ years of fascinating historical photos and memorabilia that will transport you back to bygone mining years and the tons of stories created along the way. The Joint is THE place to visit, get a cold one, and hang out in Randsburg, CA. Highly recommended,...

We began going to the Joint three years ago. It has become our go to lunch place when returning from our annual Eastern Sierra camping trip. They have a limited menu of Burritos brought from an excellent food truck in Bishop CA. Sometimes they might have pizza too Today was pool day with 25cent games of pool to be played. We were also invited to join the birthday parties starting at 3:00 too. The service and the atmosphere is really why we enjoy going to the Joint the owner ( Mayor) is attentive and full of local legends as well as her friend Ina(?) that has so many stories to tell. This weekend 9/17/23 is old West days in Randsburg with miner demonstrations a parade and mock shoot outs with the local bandits. A journey back in time on a lazy afternoon. See you soon...

Went in the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend, it was the only place in town open. Sat down at the bar, had a couple beers (they have a good selection and we had IWBC Mojave Gold and Red). Ordered burgers, they were solid. Had a nice chat with some locals. The best part? We showed up right before 8 PM (remember this was a weeknight in a tiny old town), and after we finished, and after they brought us our second beers about 9, we learned they close at 8. They stayed open another whole hour just for us, visitors they'd never even seen before. Now THAT is service! They never mentioned it, we never felt rushed. Great little...