The Fox Den

We visited Borrego Springs in the off-​season and had a great stay at La Casa Del Zorro… Amazing customer service at The Cantina/​Fox Den… The wait staff had an Old Vegas feel and were very helpful. The first night I had the Lamb special and the second night I had the Ribeye straight off the menu. Both were perfectly prepared and the sides were very flavorful. Also, I recommend the Bloody Mary… Great mix… We are already planning our next trip to Borrego Springs and will be staying at La Casa Del Zorro again.

I really want to like La Casa del Zorro! It’s beautiful, close to my house and has a decent menu. But the service is uneven at best, occasionally just lame.
In the summer, we didn’t expect much, but it hasn’t improved now that it’s high season.
It’s the little touches that make a great resort, and Zorro doesn’t seem to get that.
At the OTHER high end resort in town, they pack up your leftovers and decorate the box with a few flowers. At Casa del Zorro, they got my carry out order wrong, and graciously offered. .nothing. I had to insist that the rest of the order not be left under the heat lamp while the mistake was corrected. Glad I insisted because the correction took 30 minutes. No offers for an iced tea or any other small compensation, and not a very sincere apology either, they acted mildly annoyed that I couldn’t just be happy with a Reuben instead of the sandwich we actually ordered
I want this to be where our overflow guests can stay, but not at this level of service

As beautiful as this place is the service is very poor.
My partner and I were there with some friends for thanksgiving.
We had a reservation and still had to wait an hour to get a table, they told us to sit down next to the fire place, they brought us drinks but we’re not complementary.
The waiters looked stressed and were running around like chickens without heads.
They brought the wrong wine and left the bottle unopened!
We thought it was a 3 course meal for a single price but apparently it wasn’t.
Finally our meal was served, but it was served cold!
Not sure what’s going on but they need more training for their staff or a better food manager.

Terrible. Beyond terrible. British manager guy is a total jerk & will gouge you anytime he can.

If you want a fantastic Hurricane, Joanie will set you up right! Had an amazing time on property, and the Fox Den was certainly amazing!

Great fried chicken but uneven service. Drinks and food came quickly but then waiter disappeared. Plus the bartender was clueless about what brands of alcohol they served.

Terrible customer service means this place needs a major reboot. The bartenders at The Fox Den are beyond bad. Six people in the entire place and it took at least 5 minutes to even be acknowledged by one of two bartenders who were more concerned with how to use the computer bar system than customers. Then no friendly greeting, more time to figure out how to make a vodka soda with lime, forgetting whether it was lemon or lime in the meantime, and serve a beer, then another 5 minutes to slam a bill down, and another 5 minutes to figure out how to charge a credit card. I am very forgiving of overworked bar staff taking a while, but this was like a comedy parody. How could anyone hired as a bartender, much less 2 of them, be so poorly skilled? Hearsay is that this is standard treatment. With other options in Borrego Springs, why put up with this?

Went for lunch. The food was good-​I had gazpacho, my husband had a Cobb Salad, and we split Mahi Mahi tacos. My complaint is with the service-​inattentive and SLOW. We asked about drinks but only ever got beer and wine menu. The wait staff knew nothing about the wine selection. There were only a few other parties there, which made the slow service that much more apparent. The dining room could use some ambient music, too. It lacks liveliness.

Wow, it was bad.
This is a pretty, out of the way restaurant that I haven’t been to for 25 plus years. My husband ordered the pork special with apples. The microscopic portion came, along with cold vegetables and rolls mid way through the meal. My arugula steak salad was overdone, and (wait for it), NO Arugula. Had the waiter checked in to see how we were doing, I would have told him about it. I assume he didn’t want to hear the feedback, or was used to it. Cute pool area and nice music in the background. I won’t be back… but they kinda don’t need to «raise the bar» as there isn’t a lot out there in Borrego Springs.

My husband and I had lunch at the Fox Den this past weekend. Dan was our server and he was exceptional. Friendly, attentive, I would give him a 5. I ordered a Greek salad which was wonderful and my husband had a BLT. He said it was very good, but could have been warmer. I also had a Bloody Mary, which also was good, but I like it a little spicier. I just added Tabasco. Will definitely go back.

My husband and I were in Borrego for the night, and thought we’d have a nice, romantic dinner by the pool. The wind was really blowing hard, so we decided to eat inside. The hostess told us the dining room was full, but we could eat in their «Cantina» if we’d like. Sure, no problem, it’s got a view of the pool so there ya go. The food was… really not good. I ordered the «special» which was Fish and Chips. Three frozen, supermarket breaded fish pucks that were overcooked with dry, warm, bland coleslaw, and overcooked skinny fries; this is NOT «Fish and Chips» and it was insulting that they’d call it that. My husband had their chicken quesadilla, which was also bland and dry. We couldn’t say anything because we never saw our server again (until we flagged her down for the bill) so $ 35 later, we left there pretty annoyed. If you are going to try to sell yourself as an upscale restaurant, at least have the decency to serve good food that isn’t overpriced.

This place was just okay. It struck me as more of a glorified diner than a restaurant at a fancy resort. I guess since it was off-​season, maybe their menu is limited. I have to be gluten free and it seemed like most of the dishes had a bread component. For example, tacos were only fried fish tacos, no simple chicken or beef options for the tacos. Steaks came in the form of a steak sandwich. Etcetera.
The first night, I had a shrimp appetizer: $ 12 for 4 shrimp. The shrimp were fine. Then I had the baby back rib special with mashed potatoes. The ribs were pretty dry– they had been dry rubbed but had very little sauce, and the actual meat was dry. My husband had the steak sandwich topped with grilled onions, with fries on the side. The fries were pretty hard. The steak was good.
For breakfast, we had the American style breakfast which was eggs, bacon or sausage, toast and potatoes. I had mine without toast and I think they gave my toast to my husband, because he got a plate with a huge pile of bread on it. The potatoes were great. The sausages weren’t so good, neither of us cared for them. They were a bit sweet and had some spices that I didn’t like– not hot spice, but just some combination that hit me the wrong way.
They did have a flourless chocolate cake, which was a little round thing of chocolate, almost like a dark chocolate custard consistency.
The service was fantastic both times we ate in the dining room, very attentive. We also got food for lunch to take out and breakfast take out, and they even put alcohol into to-​go cups for us.

Overall: food was mostly good, service was pretty bad. We were staying at La Casa Del Zorro which is beautiful. We were in a great mood so the bad service didn’t bother us as much as it could have (thus the three stars instead of two). The Mahi Mahi and gazpacho were great! My husband’s burger was badly overcooked. The hostess services were mostly non-​existent. Two nights we had to find our own tables, including asking someone to come bus them and moving tables and chairs around ourselves. We watched many people after us come in and have to do the same. Our waiter was the same guy both nights. He was very nice and trying hard — he just didn’t have the proper training in customer service. He was absent during most of our meal (but didn’t appear to be very busy). That was the case for most of the wait staff. There are only about 15 tables on the patio and I saw at least 4 different servers at one point or another. I just didn’t see them very often! The vibe at the resort is very high class but the service is what you’d find in a Burger King!

The Fox Den would definitely be one of the reasons why I would want to have a habitat in the desert, even though I hate dry heat.
Despite some of these negative reviews I still decided to dine at The Fox Den and I’m so glad that I did!
Customer service was exceptional. Dan was fabulous at accommodating my date and I. He was very helpful in explaining the menu and recommending dishes. I absolutely loved how attentive he was and not in an over bearing manner either!
From my understanding, the menu changes seasonally and we just so happen to get a brand new menu. I got the Mahi Mahi Morsels and apparently I was the first to order it!
No pressure, right? Well, to simply put it, I used to live in Hawaii and hands down, BEST. MAHI. MAHI. EVER. Perfect blend of fish, rice, pico de gallo & asparagus! To top it off, they also had some tortilla (or maybe it was wonton?) garnish. So good!
My date ordered the bacon and turkey sandwich with the infamous fox chips. A delectable choice on his behalf. And between the two of us, we shared a shrimp cocktail appetizer. Sauce was really great and the shrimp were ginormous.
Dessert, we decided on the salted caramel pecan cheesecake that was served with a teeny bit of raspberry sauce. Yet again, perfect portions! Nicely done and compliments to their pastry chef, Debbie!
We left The Fox Den incredibly full and satisfied. I will definitely be back to see what other tricks Chef Kurt has up his sleeve.
The Fox Den is a place I highly recommend to anyone who is in the greater area of Borrego Springs!

When your visiting Borrego, and you want to experience a classic and authentic Up-​Scale Old California establishment, This is It. Some here on Unilocal complain the service is slow… sure other bars have faster service. So what? Plan to spend an extra couple minutes cooling off before ordering. And certainly plan to experience a place like none other in Southern California! This is by far the best resort in Borrego. if you value true southwestern ambiance and architecture. Relax into it. Relax… and know, you are sitting in a real historic establishment. a true piece of California history… not a replicated disney prop. Just being able to walk through La Casa del Zorro is an honor… enjoy it to its fullest while you can! And know that if you want to carry on your evening with a fantastic 5 star meal, just step into the adjacent Butterfield Room for some of the best steak and lobster and wine cellar anywhere! Thank you La Casa. Know you are loved. … from a long time patron and life-​long resident of the Wild West Coast… Thank You.

We had lunch at the Fox Den while exploring the Anza desert and it could not have been better. Dan, the bartender/​server was a gracious host, friendly yet professional as were the rest of the staff at the Casa Del Zorro Resort. The ambience of the pub/​restaurant brought back fond memories of when I lived in the UK, however I do not recall any finer pubs there with a beautiful pool and casita just outside.
I am looking forward to trying the Butterfiled Room when I am there next moth to photograph a wedding nearby.

We decided to try the Fox Den as we were checking in to the Casa De Zorro. The General Manager was actually in the Dining Room at the time and took our reservation. We were seated by the fireplace with a lovely fire going. Our Server was always near enough to notice if we needed anything but far enough away not to be intrusive. Our courses were served in a timely manner and each one was delicious. Please do try the baked cheese, baked garlic and grape tray. Our roasted lamb was cooked to perfection but left us no room for dessert. Our Wine was paired very well with our meal as well. I have no problem recommending this fine dining venue.

We drove from San Diego to Borrego Springs to have lunch because we had great meals here in past years. The steak sandwich was a three star but everything else was a zero star. We wanted to sit on the outside deck, but we’re told they had a private party. We were there from noon until 1:45 and only about six people were on the deck eating before we left. All other seats were empty. Our server was horrible. Don’t know her name, she never introduced herself. We ordered Cabernet after 20 minutes she brought us two glasses of chardonnay. Finally after 30 minutes we got what we ordered. I originally asked for a drink menu and was told they didn’t make fancy drinks for lunch. Not to mention, the bar was not staffed with a bartender, the wait staff went behind the bar for the wine and beer. The other customers, three tables in total were all unhappy with the service. I could go on and on, this place had better step it up a ton if they expect me and I assume a bunch of others to come back.

Lovely vibe, perfect Cadillac margarita, friendly wait staff. Getting ready to eat dinner at The Butterfield Room. So happy that La Casa Del Zorro is back!