Frontier Café

Busy but spacious spot with filling food (4/5 Green Stars) I arrived at what was probably close to peak time – around 10 AM on Sunday. The line was quite long and the food took a good while to arrive. I would have been wondering if it was forgotten except that I could see that everyone’s food was taking around 15 mins to come out. I didn’t mind – I had my coffee and excellent people-watching entertainment. The clientele ranges from locals in cowboy gear, rainbow gear, or tats and baseball hats, to tourists, UCLA hotties in faux fur, and geeks on laptops (that’s me). The contrast is pretty funny. I appreciated that the server at the counter took a minute to explain that they only use veggie sausage in their sandwiches so there’s no chance of a mix-up. My breakfast sandwich (veggie sausage, egg, and cheddar) was very filling and the side of veggie bacon (seitan) was tasty but salty. (Pro-tip: take some veggie bacon for your hike as salty snacks are good to replenish your electrolytes). The coffee was just okay – I just had a drip and it seemed over-roasted to me (I’ve heard others say this about beans from Joshua Tree Coffee). A medium/light toast would be better, in my opinion. Prices are reasonable and there’s a nice mix of cool inside seating and sun or shade outside. Props to the friendly staff. I’m giving the Frontier Café 4.5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact, based on the following: • A large amount of the menu is suitable for vegans and vegetarians. • It’s actually a genius move to just replace regular sausage with veggie version and make that standard in the breakfast sandwich. It’s an excellent way to show people who might otherwise never try the veggie option, that meat substitutes are pretty good these days. • Cool homemade items like vegan bacon (seitan) and vegan cookies. • Coffee beans are organic – from Joshua Tree Coffee, I believe, since they sell their beans there too. JT coffee is above-average in terms of environmental impact. • Food is served in compostable trays. • I like the little details like fair trade certified sugar and the interesting United Sodas drinks for sale. • Inclusive place that feels welcoming to everyone and, through this, brings people together. • Room for improvement: ditch the beef. It has much larger environmental footprints than other meats.

Loved this quaint little cafe! Recently stopped in with a group of friends (new to the area), and we were all very impressed with the menu options. Prices in California in general are higher than our Midwest norms, and this cafe was no exception- but it was worth every penny. I ordered the grilled cheese (added avocado), a hot peppermint tea, and a couple immunity and vitamin C shots. Laidback, cool atmosphere- overall great experience! Captured one pic of a friend’s egg sandwich (below).

Sausage, Egg, and Cheddar: 4/5 This was a great deal. It tasted like a sandwich you could make at home in the best possible way. I really like veggie sausage patties, so brace for it since it’s the main protein. The mayo they use was tasty and did not overpower the sandwich. I loved the very small salad of arugula on the side, a great way to brighten a normally very heavy breakfast. Americano: 4.5/5 Strong, dark, and not acidic. My perfect Americano. If you like something with lots of complexity, especially fruity notes, you may not like this. Tempeh Bacon: 3/5 This was a side order and they give you a good amount! It was very smoky, maybe a little too much liquid smoke, and salty. While I know it is trying to emulate bacon, it wasn’t crispy at all. It was just kind of wet and salty, mot my favorite. It was very tasty crumbling it into the potato salad though, I would recommend doing that. Potato Salad: 3/5 Flavor was decent and very traditional. I’m not a big fan of celery so I was glad this did not have any. The dressing tasted fine, but it was strangely separating/curdled. Also, the potatoes tasted old, you know when they get kind of leathery and shriveled from being in the fridge for too long. Ambiance: Casual. It has a desert hipster kind of vibe. Service: The staff was nice but food came out painfully slow. We waited for almost 20 minutes for a sandwich. Parking: Street parking on a wide street.

Youthful crowd, healthy food. Very cute atmosphere inside outside paint's peeling a little great Windows. Outdoor seating seems to be popular with the younger crowd.

Love the vibe and menu. Ordered the yogurt parfait and found it a tad too sweet. They were generous with the honey.