Serves meat, vegan options available. Southwestern Cuisine restaurant where everything vegan is clearly labeled. For brunch there is overnight steel cut oats and a fresh fruit plate. For lunch and dinner there is guacamole, roasted cauliflower, spinach and smoked portobello salad, tostadas, a vegan burger, tater tots, fries, green chile slaw, herb green rice, black beans, and vegan ice cream on request. Open Mon-Wed 11:00am-10:00pm, Thu-Fri 11:00am-12:00am, Sat 10:00am-12:00am, Sun 10:00am-10:00pm.
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72620 El Paseo, Palm Desert, California, USA, 92260
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- Outdoor seating
- Reservations required
- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 10 Mar 2023 by Guest
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Added by CarolineWilmovsky on 10 Mar 2023
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8 Reviews
First Review by CarolineWilmovsky
leafekat
Points +271
Nothing really vegan on the summer menu - Edit
I was excited to try a new place, but the only vegan options are chips, salsa, guacamole, or fries.
Read moreI’ll look again in the fall.
lvasquared
I got excited when I saw green chile stew in the description
Read moreGuest
jeffsheldon
Points +1356
Our expectations were as high as a desert sun - Edit
First Impressions:
Read moreWe arrived for a late lunch on a Friday afternoon around 2:30, and the staff seemed as sparse as tumbleweeds. Perhaps poor management was at play, leaving the hardworking crew unprepared.
Vegan items on the menu were labeled.
Appetizer::
We ordered a platter of chips, guacamole, and salsa & Campfire Cauliflower with a vegan dipping sauce. We waited, and waited…and then waited some more. The anticipation was akin to waiting for a desert sunset, and appetizers were lost somewhere between the kitchen and our table.
Main Course Roundup:
Finally, our main course trotted in: Señor Jimmy’s Smothered Tostada Plate ($15). Picture a crispy tostada, piled high with guacamole, black beans, lettuce, vegan cheese, and tomatoes, we fancied it up by adding Beyond Meat. But alas, the Beyond was merely a crumbled-up burger, not worth the extra cost.
Flavor-wise,was good, once spice and did fill us up.
Appetizers, Fashionably Late: (after we had finished our meal)
Appetizers moseyed over. The Campfire Cauliflower was more al dente than crispy. Flavor? Decent, but not trailblazing.
The soda? Well, the carbonation was flatter than a pancake on a chuckwagon. Chips were ok, and the Guacamole was good, but the salsa seemed kind of plain.
Wrangling the Check:
As the dust settled, I had to track down the elusive hostess for the check.
In summary, Cowboy Cantina—while promising—left us yearning for a little more yeehaw and a little less “meh.”
Pros: Great Atmosphere
Cons: Slow Service , Poor food delivery
lvasquared
Was looking for a 😹 react!
Read moreGuest
JPW
Points +243
Fine dining, shrinkflation - Edit
I reviewed this place one year ago (see paragraph below). Everything is still true with one exception: the portions have gotten smaller.
Read moreTheir vegan menu is limited, but what they do have is delicious. I had the Vegan Pomodoro and the sauce is what made it so good. My wife enjoyed the Prairie Vegan Burger. We split the well-portioned vegan vanilla ice cream, and like everything else, it was great; the taste is such that one would be hard pressed to know that it is not "real" ice cream. Definitely worth the trip.
Updated from previous review on 2023-03-27
Pros: Great flavor, Convenient location
Cons: Limited items, Reservations are suggested, Pricey
Guest
suef
Points +96
Great Vegan options - Edit
Just went to Cowboy Cantina for dinner. The owner is vegan and there are great vegan options to choose from. The staff is friendly and the atmosphere is up scale but not over priced. We will definitely be returning.
Read morePros: The vegan options , Friendly staff, Prices and atmosphere
Guest
PeterWahl
Points +18
Awesome Vegan options - Edit
I loved that the owner Jim is vegan for 17 years. He is just the nicest guy.
Read morePros: The food was amazing , Great atmosphere , Great service
Guest
SoCalCal
Points +2129
A good starting effort for a relatively new restaurant - Edit
I'm reviewing this strictly as a vegan and while there are some good options, there's definitely room for improvement. Hubby and I ordered the Campfire Cauliflower, Señor Jimmy's Smothered Tostada, the Prairie Vegan Burger w/Curly Fries and a side of the Green Chile Tater Tots.
Read moreThe Tostada was definitely the winner being the lowest cost, the largest portion, and the most interesting. There are actually two tostadas under all the toppings and they were still crispy! With all of the lettuce, it reminded me of a Taco Bell taco to some degree, but it was definitely a lot of food, and the herb green rice was interesting also.
Hubby's Prairie Vegan Burger was very messy and he ended up eating it with knife and fork. The tater tots were just regular tater tots with some sauce poured over them. All of the items containing green chile had no heat to them at all, even the tostadas that are marked as mild to medium spice.
The Campfire Cauliflower did have some kick to it being basically "buffalo"-style, which I personally didn't care for. Not a "buffalo" fan and had I known that would be the flavoring, I would not have ordered. The seasoning was also uneven so some pieces were much vinegar-y than others and the cauliflower was cooked enough so that it was soft and limp. Hubby did really like the dipping sauce, though.
All in all, a good effort, but as I mentioned before, definitely room for improvement. Perhaps their non-vegan items are much better, but we can hope the vegan items get better! Staff was very friendly and management/owners stopped by the table to see how we were doing. They definitely seem to care about the customer experience as can be understandable for a new restaurant. Hope they do well!
Pros: Vegan options!, Friendly staff
Cons: Items could use improvement, Somewhat pricey for what you get
Guest
ConnieMcCorkle
Points +54
Excellent food! - Edit
Ordered the smothered tostadas and campfire cauliflower and both were delicious. Generous portions and great atmosphere.
Read morePros: Clearly labeled vegan options, Generous portions, Great atmosphere
Cons: Hard to find, Need reservations
Guest
CarolineWilmovsky
Points +333
Fun and Good Options - Edit
I've been here twice already and it's fantastic. Walk-ins are accepted, but you might be waiting a while if it's a busy day, so reservations are preferred. Otherwise, their food is great. I love that their options are quite different from other places, but beware if you cannot handle spice very well. A lot of their food can be spicy (so I've been told) due to the chiles they add into their dishes - a family member even told me the ranch was spicy for them. If hot foods don't bother you, you've gotta get their smothered tostadas...amazing! I also really enjoy their chunky guacamole with chips and salsa and the vegan pomodoro with vegan feta is delicious as well. I've yet to inquire about their vegan ice cream, but I'm sure I'll get it at some point because I will be back!
Read morePros: Creative vegan meals, Nice/helpful staff
Cons: Pricey, Can get noisy depending where you sit, Mostly runs off of reservations
Guest
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