Indio's Food Season Runs From 4 to 9
Dinner in Indio this fall starts at 4 p.m., whether you're eating at the city's biggest restaurant or at its biggest street party.
The former Jackalope Ranch on Highway 111 has reopened as Ranch House Bar & Grill. It serves every night from 4 to 9, and its happy hour runs the whole time. On Saturday, November 14, the 11th Annual Indio BBQ Festival takes over Center Stage downtown from 4 to 9 p.m., the same five hours. Both run on smoke, and both fit inside the same stretch of evening. From now until the Tamale Festival in December, Indio's food calendar runs on that shared evening window.
The property at 80-400 Highway 111 was first built by restaurateur Don Callender, whose family founded the Marie Callender's restaurant brand. Greater Palm Springs Business Insider describes his plan as a dining destination with large indoor gathering spaces, elaborate landscaping, stonework and water features. Ranch House keeps those features. The outdoor dining area still has towering palms, gardens, waterfalls, big boulder formations and a rose garden. Inside, the five main dining rooms are finished in natural stone, wood and iron.
The size explains why the reopening matters. NBC Palm Springs describes a six-acre property. Its late-October ribbon-cutting drew owners, operators and city officials. According to Greater Palm Springs Business Insider, the property has about 26,000 square feet indoors and 15,000 square feet outdoors. It can host anything from 15 guests to 1,200, using four patios, three private rooms that seat 20 to 80, and a garden court that holds up to 150. The company expects to employ roughly 75 people.
General manager Marc Redman explained the plan to Greater Palm Springs Business Insider:
"We've preserved the distinctive character and beautiful surroundings that have made this such a memorable destination, while introducing a new restaurant concept, a new chef and a menu that offers something for everyone."
The menu is built around the smoker. There are several smoker-prepared dishes and prime steaks that can be paired with shrimp or scallops. It also has salads, hand-tossed pizzas, pastas, burgers, sandwiches and starters.
At Ranch House, happy hour covers every hour the kitchen is open, 4 to 9 p.m. daily in the indoor and outdoor bar areas, holidays excluded. Draft beer is $7, and house wine and margaritas are $9. Bar food includes chili cheese tater tots, flatbreads, Angus and pulled pork sliders, and the Ranch House Sampler. Cocktails and alcohol-free mocktails are on the menu too.
Because happy hour lasts all night, timing only matters for the entertainment. There are two standing nights:
On a regular week, those two nights are the anchors. The week of November 9, Saturday has more going on.
The Indio BBQ Festival is at Center Stage, 82881 Miles Avenue, in Downtown Indio, from 4 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, November 14. It's free and open to all ages, with live entertainment and a free kids' zone. The city says this 11th edition will have more barbecue vendors than any year before.
That puts Indio's two main sources of smoked meat on identical hours, one night only. The festival and Ranch House open at 4 and close at 9, so you can't wait for one to finish before going to the other. The choice comes down to what kind of evening you want. Downtown, you get a street crowd, a lineup of vendors and a kids' zone, all free to enter. On Highway 111, you get a sit-down meal in a garden with waterfalls and a happy hour that never ends. The festival takes place once a year. Ranch House will be serving the same hours again on Sunday.
The next stop on the city's festivals calendar is the Cabazon Indio Pow Wow, November 27 to 29. The city lists Native American dance contests for all ages, bird singing and drum contests. There's also traditional Native American food and handcrafted jewelry, dream catchers and other arts and crafts. The city sends readers to Fantasy Springs Resort's Cabazon Powwow page for details.
That's a three-day event, and it's the first time this season the food calendar runs longer than a single evening. The next event covers more ground.
The 34th Indio International Tamale Festival returns to Downtown Indio December 5 and 6, and admission is free. The BBQ Festival fills one plaza for five hours. The tamale weekend takes over the streets around City Hall and Center Stage. According to the festival's FAQ, the footprint covers:
Who's cooking matters as much as the size. The festival accepts restaurants, food trucks, caterers and nonprofits. It also welcomes individuals and community members who want to sell food, as long as they meet City of Indio and Riverside County Environmental Health requirements. The City of Indio has gone out of its way to invite small, home-based and community tamale vendors. The city describes the weekend as tamales, live entertainment, local vendors and family activities.
The FAQ also says tamales for sale can't be made in a residential kitchen. They have to be prepared in an approved commercial kitchen or another facility authorized by Riverside County Environmental Health. That's the change in December. On BBQ night, the smoke comes from vendors working a single five-hour shift. On tamale weekend, family-run and first-time tamale makers sell next to restaurants across four streets for two days.
Here's the run of dates from mid-November into December:
Festival plans can change, so check the city's calendar the week of each event. The Palm Springs Tribune advises diners to confirm hours and reservations directly with Ranch House.
Our team keeps the east valley calendar as closely as its listings, from the Center Stage plaza to the gardens on Highway 111. If you're planning a season in Indio, or hosting family who'll want to know where to be on December 5, Backbeat Homes can help. Work With Us.
Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends.
selling my home
