Pappy & Harriet's — Restaurant in Yucca Valley

This is one of those places that halfway there you start doubting whether you're on the right road or off you missed it. Then you begin to think that maybe you should've just eaten at the place you passed 10 minutes ago. Then you start googling something on the route only to realize that you are truly out in the wilderness with no hope. And then it appears... An oasis in the middle of the desert and you rush to find a parking spot!

The exterior is your typical western saloon bar and as you step in you're greeted by a mix of cutesy signs and posters with a few newspaper articles scattered about. A prominent sign behind the host warns you that wait times are 1hr and 45 minutes and your heart sinks. A very friendly young man asks me how many people and I answer 1. The worst possible number where all the seating is 4 tops and I begin to calculate how long the drive is back into town where I can get something, anything to eat, I'm starving. He nods cheerily, grabs a menu and beckons for me to follow him! It's a miracle! I am seated and a young lady places a much needed glass of water and a menu and promises to be back in a minute. As my eyes adjust to the light inside, I'm greeted by the happy banter of a very eclectic mix of patrons. There's a group of people that look like they're regulars, chatting with everyone, there's a group of young teens excitedly documenting every dish for their insta, at the bar there's a very gruff looking biker in his leathers, replete with the prescribed chest length beard, arm tattoos and big belly. I quickly look away lest he be annoyed by my staring and just then he breaks into a beautiful smile and I want to hug this teddy bear of a human! There are artists, punks and everyone in between and I settle into my little corner. The walls are adorned in every manner of posters proclaiming the dates that various bands have played there on their little stage that's along one wall. Again the mix is eclectic and there are some surprisingly big names in there. The waitress is back and I order a half rack of ribs, the slaw and a sasparilla, go ahead, laugh. The food arrives in good order, simply plated in a steel plate and I dig in. The drive, the torment, the uncertainty, all are redeemed immediately! The ribs are cooked perfectly. They are perfectly tender and succulent, full of flavor and moist, and the sauce is wonderfully tangy, sweet and has just the right amount of kick to it. I am in heaven and all is right with the world. I was so happy and delirious that I tried to pay the very bemused lady with my National Parks Pass, much to her amusement and my embarrassment. All in all a most wonderfully fantastic meal. Next time I'll be sure to prepare myself mentally for the drive, but I will certainly be back!

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Don’t buy tickets for venues, or VIP…..just go for late dinner……Came from Canada to explore the area, thought what better way than to visit Pioneertown with a concert to John R Miller show, at Pappy & Harriet’s. Treated like trash the moment we stepped in the door. Staff at the front desk have no idea about the concert venues. You’d think for all the venues this place hosts they would have designated staff??? No. Or if they in fact did, this group was so new to it, I wouldn’t let them do it again, ever. No signage of where to go. Weren’t ready for doors open at 8pm…. It’s not the restaurant but somewhere near the side or back. Very Little lighting around the building so if I’d been on my own would not have felt safe. There was one “security guy, holding a detector - he was very unsure of himself, yet feeling empowered with his baton, yet not thorough at all, as I was never checked. The other guy was trying to tell people where to line up and kept changing the purpose of the lines. Absolute mayhem. He was loud and obnoxious and I suspect high? No other explanation I can ascertain. The hostess was kind and held her cool but clearly could not control the baboons around her. We were told we could get VIP seating for $10/person, which we found out later was just an extra money grab. Received wrist bands for “VIP” They did not have a set amount of tables so we were set aside for a while, then asked to share, then a separate table became available and we were seated at a great table with good views. Ordered drinks and food. Only to discover some of those around us with NO VIP WRIST BANDS??? AND No concert tickets?? They were restaurant patrons. LOL. Large security guards walking around the seating area of the supposed “VIP” lounge, and our table, literally staring down patrons….what! I paid for 2 concert tickets, then an up charge of $10 x2 for VIP, sitting next to those just here for dinner, which we also did, then being looked at as if we could attack at any moment? Then the waitress came around to say we needed to settle up, before the opening act had even started. When I advised her we were here for the concert she had a blank look, “ well, I’m done at 9:30?” When asked about future drinks, she responded, “ I guess you’ll have to up to the bar?” The opening act started with a sip of his beer, and a song, “we are all dogs,”. Not even kidding! It got worse from there. John R. Miller RIP, sorry dude, did not stay,….not welcoming, not enjoyable, not sure if you could’ve made the evening better, but sleeping was more applicable than this treatment. When I mentioned the service to the hostess - she responded, “ we hope you’ll try and give us another chance.” WHY would I waste my time? Long story, make it short….Just go late...

UPDATE- we tried this place again to hopefully have a better experience and it literally ended up so much worse! We put our name on the list and were told it would be 60-80 minutes and it ended up being 2 hours but the annoying part is they kept telling us to come check in every 15 minutes so we couldn’t even really explore pioneer town during the wait. We eventually sat in the beer garden and let the hostess know and after 30+ mins and I checked and they said they called my name back there and skipped me so we had to wait another 20 minutes - it was ridiculous. Then when we were seated, half way through our meal the table next to us had a kid that got sick EVERYWHERE! It took the staff nearly 5 minutes to start cleaning up and this family just sat there with their kid continuing to get sick. It ruined our dinner and our server just acted like nothing happened. I know the situation was out of the restaurant’s control but there is a way to promptly and discreetly clean up something like that. Also our server obviously knew we were grossed out and wanted to leave ASAP - she easily could have comped a meal or a side or a drink as an apology but nothing. Our meal was honestly ruined and as a local, I will never return and never bring guests visiting here again.

ORIGINAL REVIEW - This place is definitely a place you go for the experience and for fun music performances/shows.

We arrived and put our name on the list and were told it would be 60-80 minutes (we explored pioneertown as we waited) but luckily we got seated within 30 minutes — but our server didn’t stop by for nearly 20 minutes! He honestly ruined the experience for us because he rarely checked in and we saw him constantly mixing up drink and food orders with all the surrounding tables. At one point I saw him giving our drinks to the table next to us and I had to wave at him that those were ours. Every table complained at some point to him for some issue.

We enjoyed the food but it was very pricey and everything was a la carte (so no sides included with entrees). My friend ordered a pulled chicken sandwich and it was completely cold which was odd - I worked in food service so it came across as if it was heated up in a microwave and just didn’t get warm enough in the middle.

The atmosphere was super fun and we really enjoyed that - we got to experience sound check for the artists performing later that night which was cool.

I would recommend this place for appetizers and drinks while listening to live music but probably not for a full meal...