In the 1990’s, the alt-rock band the Counting Crows wrote “we drove out to the desert/just to lie down beneath this bowl of stars/we stood up at The Palace/like it was the last of the great Pioneertown bars.” And indeed, that is just what Pappy & Harriet’s is, a palace of a bar that sleeps under a bowl of stars in the desert of Pioneertown. Pappy’s, as it’s referred to by the locals, is a large bar, restaurant, and music venue in an old Western motion picture set built in the 1940’s.

Before it was Pappy’s, the building functioned as a cantina set for old Western motion pictures. Later, it became a fully operational outlaw biker burrito bar called The Cantina, owned by Francis Aleba. In 1982, Aleba’s daughter Harriet and son-in-law Pappy bought The Cantina and re-named it after Pappy and Harriet’s. In 1994, Pappy passed away. Harriet still lives nearby. Today, Pappy and Harriet’s is owned by a couple of New Yorkers.

Lots of famous musicians have performed at Pappy’s, including Paul McCartney, Ricki Lee Jones, Queens of the Stone Age, Neutral Milk Hotel, Niko Case, Modest Mouse, Leon Russel, and Robert Plant, amongst many more. Often, bands in the area for Coachella will stop in and perform between festival weekends.

The food at Pappy’s is delicious, especially the BBQ, but even their vegetarian additions. They are open Thursday through Monday for lunch and dinner. Reservations are highly recommended.

53688 Pioneertown Rd, Pioneertown, CA 92268