Review Ocotillo Cafe - Tucson

I love this cafe in the museum. Just a quaint little space that's also a bit romantic. The food selection for Sonoran desert nights is small, but well encompassing most dietary preferences. The food is outstanding and everything tastes wonderful. The service is even better, with some of the most friendly wait staff I've ever met. All in all, I look forward to returning!

First class dining located at the Aiizona Sonora Desert Museum. The drive there takes some time however is a wonderful scenic roue culminating in a leisurely meal with good food and great service. The chips with guacamole and trio of salsas was a great starter and a bargain. The vegetable tamale was different, good, and I recommend it. **TIP: For those not driving try the prickly pear margaritas. The make a good one! Walk off your meal with a stroll thru the museum outdoor pathways. (If you found my review helpful, please "like" it for me. Thanks!)

We enjoyed a perfect spring lunch outdoors at the Ocotillo Cafe at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Amazing chef & service, Thanks Katie! We had the carnitas, avocado, elote, heirloom tomato, tortilla strip salad, the steak frites with crispy sweet potato fries, tortilla soup and jicama mandarin orange slaw while sipping an orange blossom beer. My 360 photos were taken with a Ricoh Theta Z1.

Delicious food and excellent service! The local wine was surprisingly tasty and the salad with roasted veggie was divine. Highly recommend!

Beautiful. inside and outside seating. Good selection of tasty foods from the grill or flavorful soutwest entrees. Better than expected.

What an unexpected surprise. Our group of 8 enjoyed lunch there today. Everything was superb. The restaurant ranks among Tucson's best. We were expecting overpriced tourist food, what we got a five star experience. The Topopo salad was the best I had ever ordered in Tucson, Several of our guests remarked the burger the offered was the best ever. Everybody raved about everything they served. Not a huge menu, but this is serious food made with world class produce, meats and ingredients. Bravo!

Creative and tasty meals that was served in this fun cafe. The wait staff was very professional but the chef’s creations were quite fun. Several in my party ordered different entrees and we traded mouthfuls ... never had such exotic choices in a museum. But don’t worry if you want comfort food - they also have meat, potato, and sandwich options.

This is one of the very best restaurants in Arizona. We eat here often and the menu choices are always delicious. You can explore a wonderful museum and have a great lunch!

Went in for Easter Brunch. It was wonderful. The food the delicious. The outdoor seating, beautiful and the service was stellar. Thanks.

Nice place to eat and take a break before going out for more of the Desert Museum.

Excellent burger with prickly pear cactus strips that are deep fried and crispy. The sweet potato fries were yummie.

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 desert path!

Good option for a meal inside the museum. Food is Mexican-American fusion. Portions are large, entree and shared starter will be enough. Fair prices.

Certainly the best restaurant west of highway 10 and for me the best food I have had in tucson and not for lack of trying. Only wish I could bring visiting friends without memberships.

Very nice restaurant! Love the concept and layout. Every Zoo in country should have something as amazing as this place.

Great place to take a break. Or just stop in and get a cold drink.

Quality sandwiches. Nutritious options. Hydration variety water, power drinks. Close by entrance with covered seating nearby.

Oh my gosh I just love the southwestern tamale very good food excellent service too

I love eating at the Ocotillo Cafe! The dinner's during the Cool Summer Nights are my favorite and I try to eat there at least once a month during that season. I always love taking my family and friends there as I know the food will always be top notch. Also THANK YOU so much for having so many options for those of us with dietary needs. I was blown away that almost the entire menu is, or can be altered for gluten free, vegan/veg. Thanks for making us a priority, and not an afterthought. Absolutely adore the artwork in the cafe as well, the mural on the wall is incredible!!

Fabulous setting, fabulous food! I love it there as it is, Ocotillo Cafe is the icing on the cake!

Beautiful setting and delicious food. Prickly pear margaritas are yummy!