Review of Slash X Ranch Cafe

Slash X Ranch Cafe is a restaurant that caters to off-road enthusiasts, including bikers, quad riders and four wheelers. This fine restaurant is located a few miles south of Barstow, in the Stoddard Valley area of the Mojave Desert. After a hard, dusty day of hitting the hundreds of trails that Stoddard Valley has to offer, park your Jeep in front of Slash X Ranch Cafe, and enjoy a delicious burger, and the coldest beer south of Barstow.

As with all of reviews that I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.

Photo: It's a little past 06:00 in the early evening on Sunday, May 29, 2023, and after the third day on the trail, we're at Slash X Ranch Cafe, to enjoy a "OHV Special with Cheese," along with an order of "Freedom Fries." This fine restaurant is located about 8 miles south of Barstow, CA on Highway 247, also known as "Barstow Road."

My friend Tom and I had been enjoying amazing four wheeling in and around Stoddard Valley, at CA4WDC's 51st Hi Desert Roundup four wheel drive event, which is held every Memorial Day weekend. The ranch in back of the cafe is base camp for this event, thanks to the gracious owners of the restaurant. There are 40 acres on the property and over 50,000 acres of B.L.M. land to four wheel and enjoy. Hi Desert Roundup is one of the premiere four wheel drive events on the west coast.

It was awesome to be able to camp behind the restaurant - along with the other 200+ vehicles at the event - as we could simply hike over to the cafe, enjoy food and drink, and hike the short distance back to camp, without having to drive or worry.

Photo: As you enter the restaurant, you'll notice the funky decor, dominated with beer signs and countless American flags and banners, which seem to be everywhere. Look up to the ceiling and it's covered with hats, of every shape and size, but mostly every variety of ball cap under the sun. There is even a bicycle hung from the ceiling... how many times do you find that? You'll also see mounted deer and other animals that inhabit the desert near Barstow. "Western" would be a great word to describe the decor of the dining room and the bar.

Slash X Ranch Cafe truly caters to the dirt bike, biker and four wheel drive crowd, but it's a family-friendly cafe, and everyone is welcome and treated like a rock star.

Photo: The menu is posted on the wall as you enter the restaurant, on an old-school white board, which makes it easy to update. The prices are very reasonable and the food is delicious.

Photo: You make your selection from the menu, and then you go to order line. You place your order, pay for it, and you're given a receipt with your name on it. When your order is ready, one of the chefs will call your name and you pick up your order at the bar. Better yet, if you're sitting at the bar, your order will be brought to you.

Photo: The main dining room is furnished with mostly high bar-type tables, which adds to the festive atmosphere. It's definitely a "biker" bar, both for the dirt bike and the road bike crowd, but everybody is welcome and treated like family. The staff and all of the guests are super friendly. Napkins are stored in galvanized buckets, and each table, and place at the bar has a squeeze bottle of ketchup. Yeah!

Photo: Another view of the main dining room.

Photo: "Americana" decor and American flags decorate the entire main dining room, bar along with the small dining room off to the side.

Photo: This friendly group of dirt bikers spent a day enjoying the fun at Stoddard Valley and are now enjoy refreshments in style.

Photo: There is a narrow dining room off to the side, that's used for an overflow when the main dining room is busy. Like the rest of the restaurant the decor is very western. The large water cooler if filled with ice water, and you're free to enjoy it and fill your water bottle, when you leave, before you it the trail again.

Photo: Tom and I are ready to enjoy our burgers and fries. Unfortunately, the bar and the main dining room were packed, so we sat at the small dining room off to the side. We didn't get served, as when Tom's name was called, he picked up the burgers. A fellow diner took our photo - thanks - but kind of blurred it, due the low lighting.

Photo: Tom is a happy guy, as he shows off his "OHV Special with Cheese" burger, along with his order of onion rings. Like the two previous nights, we shared a pitcher of 805 beer.

Photo: From the "Burgers" section of the menu, we went with the "OHV Special with Cheese," and a side of fries. Yes, we enjoyed "OHV Special with Cheese" every night we dined, but when you're a "foodie" and a burger fanatic, what more could you ask for?

The burger started with a medium size sesame seed bun that was lightly toasted and it was fresh as it gets. "OHV Special" includes TWO patties of choice beef - probably a quarter pound - lightly seasoned and cooked to a perfect medium. The beef was topped with a slice of perfectly melted American cheese, and Thousand Island dressing garnished the bun. Veggies included tomato, lettuce, and in my case, onion. You can order the burger "your way," and in Tom's case, he omitted the onion.

The fries, or as Slash X calls them, "Freedom Fries," were medium cut, and deep fried to a semi-crispy golden brown on the outside, and white, juicy and tender on the inside, just the way fries should be. The fries were delicious, and made for the perfect side to the burger.

Such a delicious burger! The "OHV Special" just might be the best burger in the Mojave Desert! Talk about "comfort food..." ... one bite into the burger and I was rewarded with a taste sensation, as the meat-to-bun ratio was perfect and everything worked together to make for a perfect burger. Unlike other burgers, I could taste the cheese, which complimented the meat, bun and veggies. I noted the meat, bun and cheese were hot, and the veggies were cold, which truly makes for a burger sensation. The burger was juicy, flavorful and the Thousand Island dressing made this an "old school" burger in every way. Slash X Ranch Cafe serves an amazing burger!

As an aside, we paid around $36.00 for two burgers, fries and a pitcher of 805 beer, which was certainly reasonable for such a delicious meal.

Photo: On the way back to camp, we went out the back door on to the patio, and struck up a conversation with this friendly trio, who were also attending Hi Desert Roundup.

Photo: It's around 07:30 in the evening, Saturday, May 28, 2023, and after a day on the trail, were here to enjoy another amazing burger. We spent a long day on the trail, running Doran Canyon, and were hungry, and ready for another pitcher of 805 beer. Note the four wheel drive and dirt buggies parked in front of the restaurant.

Slash X Ranch Cafe is open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only, from 10:00 to 21:00 on Friday, Saturday from 08:00 to 21:00 and 08:00 to 17:00 on Sunday. Breakfast is served on Saturday and Sunday. If you're driving from a distance, you might want to call them in advance, as their hours sometimes vary, and you can always "friend" them on Facebook.

Photo: A peek into the kitchen after I placed our orders shows one of the talented chefs at work, and burgers cooking on the grill.

Photo: A ZZ Top - "old school" Texas rock band - lookalike sits on a shelf above the bar, with an acoustic guitar on his lap. Look up, and you'll see a few of the hundreds of ball caps that are tacked to the ceiling.

Photo: Since we'd been on the trail later than we'd expected, there were open seats at the bar, so we grabbed a couple of bar stools. The ladies in the photo are waiting to order at the order line, and friendly Todd and Julie are taking orders.

Photo: After I placed our order I ran into these two friendly ladies who were enjoying this fine Saturday evening.

Photo: The bar is quite large and is the centerpiece of the main dining room. It features a wide array of beer on tap, more beer in bottles, and the talented gentleman who runs the bar can mix practically every drink that you can imagine. Like at the tables, the galvanized pails contain napkins.

Photo: As I placed my order tonight, I was able to get a great look into the kitchen and photo the talented chefs at work. These ladies have talent!

Photo: Cheers! The friendly bartender gives us a toast with the pitcher of 805 beer that we ordered. Slash X Ranch Cafe serves the coldest beer in the Mojave Desert, south of Barstow.

Photo: Meet Julie, our friendly hostess who brought our burgers and fries to us with a smile. Since Tom and I were sitting at the bar, we were awarded sit-down restaurant service.

Photo: Thanks, Julie, for taking our photo, as we're ready enjoy our delicious "OHV Special Burgers" and have been enjoying the pitcher of 805 beer. The gentleman is a member of the Desert Burros Four Wheel Drive Club, camping next to us, who simply couldn't resist to "photo bomb" us. Quite a character!

Photo: From the "Burgers" section of the menu, we went with the "OHV Special with Cheese," and a side of fries, for the second night in a row. How can you argue with perfection? Between the two of us, a pitcher of 805 beer refreshed us, and didn't cause us any worries, as we were camped in back of the cafe, on the ranch property.

Photo: Early Friday evening, May 27, 2023, it was time to head over to Slash X Ranch Cafe to enjoy a burger and onion rings. Base camp for Hi Desert Roundup is located behind the restaurant, on ranch property, thanks to the generosity of the owners. Check out the California Four Wheel Drive Association's web site for all of the fun and family-friendly events this fine organization offers. Hi Desert Roundup is held every Memorial Day weekend.

Photo: This friendly family is enjoying a great meal at the cafe. Cheers!

Photo: Hundreds... maybe thousands? ... of hats, mostly ball caps, adorn the ceiling and make for a unique dining experience.

Photo: The friendly gentleman who tends to the bar gives us a toast, as we wait for our order to arrive. You don't have to wait long for your order to arrive, especially if you sit at the bar, as the service is fast and friendly.

Photo: Meet Todd, our friendly host who brought my burger and onion rings to me with a smile. Like all the staff, Todd was super friendly and treated us like family.

Photo: Tom and I are happy, as our burgers and onion rings have arrived, and we're ready to enjoy. We ran one of the trails today with the Desert Burros Four Wheel Drive Club, out of nearby Apple Valley, and we were hungry four wheelers tonight.

Photo: From the "Burgers" section of the menu, we went with "OHV Special with Cheese" along with onion rings. Such an amazing combination!

I've already thoroughly talked about this delicious burger, which would make the "burger fanatic" cartoon character "Wimpy" proud. Burger lovers will savor the goodness this burger offers at Slash X Ranch Cafe.

The onion rings were simply out-of-this-world delicious! The order included a mixture of large, small, fat and skinny onion rings, which is always the perfect combination, as you enjoy a little bit of everything. The onions were sweet, and battered perfectly, and deep fried to a rich, golden brown. When you bit into each onion ring, you were rewarded with a "crunch," as the battered outside was crispy, but the onions were tender, juicy and sweet. Oh man! If you love onion rings, Slash X Ranch Cafe is the restaurant to head for!

If you're a fan of off-road recreation, and you enjoy good food, great people and good times, and cold beer, park your bike, Jeep or quad in front of Slash X Ranch Cafe and enjoy a cold beer or two and one of the best burgers you'll find in the Mojave Desert. Fine food, cold beer and super friendly staff... you'll find it all at Slash X Ranch Cafe, located south of Barstow, CA.

Slash X Ranch Cafe
28040 Barstow Rd.
Barstow, CA 92311
760 252-1197
www.slashxoffroad.com