Would you go back?

[+ purplekow]

When I first moved to Palm Springs, the teller at the bank recommended a Mexican restaurant nearby for lunch.  Having lived in Mexico, I was looking for something authentic and tasty.  The food at this place was excellent and after a few visits for solo lunch, I invited a few friends to join me.  We all agreed that the restaurant was a hidden gem, with great service and excellent food.  It has a nice patio for outdoor eating.  

A few weeks after out lunch, one of my friends told me he had gone back with a few of his friends but he would not go back.  Apparently, there was a large cockroach crossing the floor and when it was pointed out to the waitress, she sidled over, stepped on it and then cleaned the area.  The friend stated that they finished their meal, which was excellent, but he would not go back.  

Now, this is a Mexican restaurant in the desert.  It was not the roach so much but rather the casual step and clean that upset my friend, though he admits the rest of his party was amused by it.  

So is one roach, squished and cleaned enough to turn you off to a restaurant with good food, good prices and an authentic feel?

I have not been back, but I would consider going, but it is probable that  I would not recommend to others.   Then again, I lived in Mexico and nothing says authentic Mexican so much as a random roach.  

 

Edited Wednesday at 09:14 PM by purplekow

[Reggyreg56]

Good food or not I would not go back there.

[samhexum]

The first waterbug I ever saw was at Juniors restaurant in Brooklyn when I was a young'n.  It didn't stop us from returning.  I don't remember if this was before or after my father found a full toolbox (which I still have) on the sidewalk on our walk back to our car one night after dinner.

[BuckCanucked]

It's Florida. Plus, palmetto bugs and german roaches are not the same. Which did they see? If you have a house, you have rats. If you have a restaurant, you have rats and roaches. I had a relative who lived in a nice doorman-monitored apartment 21 STORIES above Columbus Circle and she had roaches. All for $2400 a month in 1990 dollars.

There's an old joke that says "if you want to lose weight, eat only Chinese food, but enter through the kitchen." I used to play poker with my town's health inspector. He once advised that "if you stay out of (area known for authentic ethnic, family run restaurants) and avoid (alas, my favorite Chinese place in another area) you'll be pretty much okay." My neighbor used to do QA for a junk food company. Look up how many rat hairs the gub'ment allows per cup of tomato sauce. Honestly. A roach? Unappetizing but hardly a biohazard. (Plus, what would they have the server do? Scream and run, fog the area? I don't think I'd say much more except to clarify roach v palmetto, apologize, and palm the carcass in a napkin.)

Sushi restaurants are different but frankly pests vs bad fish is a toss up. And sushi is delicious.

Edited Wednesday at 10:21 PM by BuckCanucked

[BuckCanucked]

19 minutes ago, jeezifonly said:

This is grossing me out. Please let's return to the posts about resting ass. 

Yes, can we talk about sex, including those already-dated slide shows in middle school health class?  The ones with the oozing STD sores? Especially on "pizza day" in the cafeteria. 🤌

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

2 hours ago, purplekow said:

When I first moved to Palm Springs, the teller at the bank recommended a Mexican restaurant nearby for lunch.  Having lived in Mexico, I was looking for something authentic and tasty. 

 

2 hours ago, purplekow said:

Apparently, there was a large cockroach crossing the floor and when it was pointed out to the waitress, she sidled over, stepped on it and then cleaned the area

Sounds like they really were intent on re-creating the authentic Mexican experience. 

Just add questionable-quality water with a chance of Montezuma's Revenge after the meal, and it's like the restaurant really was in Mexico!

[Lotus-eater]

About a dozen years ago they dug up a large stretch of Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs to upgrade the sewer and water lines. Guess what else they dug up? A lot of big roaches, which scurried all over the sidewalks. Unfortunately, you can't completely get rid of them.

 

Edited Thursday at 12:25 AM by Lotus-eater

[+ claym]

I would do takeout!

Edited Thursday at 02:13 AM by claym

[soloyo215]

Not a big deal to me. I'd return.

[MikeBiDude]

I’d go back, no question.

[MaybeMaybeNot]

My mom and a friend went to a favorite restaurant of mine. Her friend found a roach in her salad.  I have never gone back.  

I think I will avoid any Mexican restaurants with a patio in Palm Springs. 

Edited Thursday at 03:06 PM by MaybeMaybeNot

[+ purplekow]

As a coincidental occurrence, at the gym last nigth I was speaking with a returning seasonal resident who mentioned on leaving that he and his husband were going to their favorite restaurant.  It was indeed the restaurant of which I am speaking in this thread.  I decided NOT to tell them the story.  After all the food is good and why bring up this event.  

[DenverDad]

16 hours ago, MaybeMaybeNot said:

My mom and a friend went to a favorite restaurant of mine. Her friend found a roach in her salad.  I have never gone back.  

I think I will avoid any Mexican restaurants with a patio in Palm Springs. 

Try Low Desert 

https://lowdesert.net

[wsc]

22 hours ago, Lotus-eater said:

About a dozen years ago they dug up a large stretch of Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs to upgrade the sewer and water lines. Guess what else they dug up? A lot of big roaches, which scurried all over the sidewalks. Unfortunately, you can't completely get rid of them.

 

I was having a difficult enough time with talk of cockroaches and oozing STD-sores. Then someone has to bring Charo into the picture!

Check, please!

[wsc]

On 2/11/2026 at 4:12 PM, purplekow said:

When I first moved to Palm Springs, the teller at the bank recommended a Mexican restaurant nearby for lunch.  Having lived in Mexico, I was looking for something authentic and tasty.  The food at this place was excellent and after a few visits for solo lunch, I invited a few friends to join me.  We all agreed that the restaurant was a hidden gem, with great service and excellent food.  It has a nice patio for outdoor eating.  

A few weeks after out lunch, one of my friends told me he had gone back with a few of his friends but he would not go back.  Apparently, there was a large cockroach crossing the floor and when it was pointed out to the waitress, she sidled over, stepped on it and then cleaned the area.  The friend stated that they finished their meal, which was excellent, but he would not go back.  

Now, this is a Mexican restaurant in the desert.  It was not the roach so much but rather the casual step and clean that upset my friend, though he admits the rest of his party was amused by it.  

So is one roach, squished and cleaned enough to turn you off to a restaurant with good food, good prices and an authentic feel?

I have not been back, but I would consider going, but it is probable that  I would not recommend to others.   Then again, I lived in Mexico and nothing says authentic Mexican so much as a random roach.  

 

Are you sure Julie Andrews wasn't there trying that old trick from Victor/Victoria, but the cockroach once again escaped from her purse instead of landing in her salad?

[Mark_fl]

Does anyone who has an exterminator or roach baits still not had a roach in their house? When one runs out, would you not eat at home any more? 

The restaurant is probably cleaning better than you are.

They probably should have comped the meal that day though.

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

49 minutes ago, wsc said:

Are you sure Julie Andrews wasn't there trying that old trick from Victor/Victoria, but the cockroach once again escaped from her purse instead of landing in her salad?

 

 

[Luv2play]

We have cockroaches in Canada but because they thrive in warm climates and our frigid winters not as many as in southern climes. I have never seen one in any of my houses over my lifetime. 
When I lived in Geneva, Switzerland my upscale apartment had them and they were impossible to eradicate.

My Swiss neighbours blamed the foreign diplomats from the third world who lived in our building saying they brought them in their household furniture but that is another topic. 
 

When I visited a friend in Manhattan in the 80’s in Turtle Bay in a nice doorman building it had cockroaches. Im sure practically every place in New York has them to some extent.

So what is the big deal. I think stepping on it and then washing the area was the appropriate response. 

[MaybeMaybeNot]

6 hours ago, DenverDad said:

Try Low Desert 

https://lowdesert.net

It seems to have a patio. So, only if @purplekowand his friend give it the all clear.  

[Becket]

A roach in a Mexican restaurant in the desert is not unheard of. But don't stomp on it and squish its guts out while I'm enjoying my beefy burrito..

[+ purplekow]

2 hours ago, Becket said:

A roach in a Mexican restaurant in the desert is not unheard of. But don't stomp on it and squish its guts out while I'm enjoying my beefy burrito..

What would you have them do?   They are elusive little critters and if you do not stomp right away, they will definitely head for dark areas.  The squish, I would presume is under the shoe, so ample time to look away.  I saw several roaches out in my outdoor space and immediately put down traps in my home.  I did not put them outdoors as my dogs would surely eat the traps.  So far, I have had no indoor visitors that lived to tell the tale.  

[+ Just Chuck]

A friend of mine who’s a health department restaurant inspector told me that every restaurant has roaches and she’s has to evaluate their insect management programs.  Even the hospital clean places have to constantly work on not leaving food and trash in a way that can feed them and to eradicate them constantly.

 

[Nue2thegame]

True story. Several years ago two couples were having Sunday brunch at a fashionable Chicago Rush Street eatery. A large omelet was presented to my companion at the time. As she was approaching the omelet with her fork, a large roach emerged from under the omelet. Totally out of character, she looked at the three of us and said, “I’m going to pretend like that didn’t happen”. She continued to move in with her fork when upon a second cockroach emerged from under the omelette. I was watching this across the table with disbelief but, fork in hand, I impaled the second cockroach in the middle of her plate. My recollection of what followed is less clear but I do recall some mayhem with several screams from our table, additional diners around us, overturned chairs, a completely undone service staff and the four of us (maybe more?) departing the restaurant unfed to look for another restaurant. Haven’t been back. 

Edited 15 hours ago by Nue2thegame

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

23 minutes ago, Nue2thegame said:

Haven’t been back. 

I don't blame you!

[+ Charlie]

If you were eating on the patio, I wouldn't be upset by a roach. If it were in the kitchen, I might not eat there again. The local paper in Palm Springs prints weekly reports from the health inspectors of their evaluations of local restaurants, and tells you what grades they give to the restaurants, and why. I always read them.