Pappy and Harriet’s
Located in the ramshackle-looking, not-really-a-town Pioneertown, Pappy and Harriet’s is a four-mile drive away from Joshua Tree on a dark, winding road, but it’s worth every poorly lit turn: the bar has a killer vibe, thanks to a music booker who gets Coachella-bound artists like Bright Eyes and Queens of the Stone Age to play their tiny stages, and a sick food menu that includes killer burgers and steaks.
Joshua Tree Saloon
Known as “The Gateway to Joshua Tree”, this pool table-abetted barstaurant is inches from the entrance to the actual park, and is usually stuffed with locals and tourists who both come out for karaoke on Thursdays and Fridays, live bands on Saturdays, open mics on Tuesdays, and steaks charbroiled by a guy named Irv every day of the week.