Iron Door

We cycled through Ocotillo wells and were very happy to find the iron door open. It’s a special place that we won’t forget. Staff very friendly in a genuine way, the bartender even drove up to our campsite to return my phone charger which I forgot there. A must see.

I come out here once a month if not more! This cranky ol’ ya named cookie is a b* she acts like a mute to all of my thirsty group, then nice to one, & then id’s me, randomly cuz she has a mouth full of food while she is to busy sitting down to eat. So as i am wondering who is the bartender? She slouching over looking at me so i go over and ask for a corona and her with a mouth full of food she asks «u got id» really im almost 40 u didnt id nebody else & really for a 5 $ beer hell no! I got a cooler. i just wanted to support but ya whatever… What a b* miss the girls that used to tend here a big ol fat boo… for this cookie b* get rid of her! many better woman’s here to serve than this bar. I will not return till there is another tender. Cheers

Ya can’t give the Iron Door anything less than 5. If you do, you’re just being a dick now aren’t you? What did you expect out in the middle of the forbidden zone? Table service and a frickin’ cheese plate? There’s no civilization for 20 miles!
Ground rules: (repeat after me)
YES, we love to smoke indoors (cheap ones, Raleighs preferably).
YES, we love Natty Ice served in plastic cups.
YES, we love microwaved hot dogs and nacho cheese sauce. I’ll have seconds please.
Every crease and crack on the face of an old local tells a story, just like the ancient dust on the floor. Faded and yellowed-​dollar bills cover the walls like tattered shingles. The faded and yellowed jukebox barely works, and the pool table’s old and crooked with faded and yellowed balls. The old men’s beards are faded and yellowed too. The place looks like it could collapse at any second.
All as GOD INTENDED IT.
Love it or leave it.
$ 3 for pretty much any item. Hipsters beware.

In the words of Toby Kieth «I love this bar…»
We have two big annual desert trips each year and every trip on our way back to the real world we stop at the Iron Door for a cold beer and a microwaved hotdog. There’s something about this place that is just right. From the cash on the walls, to the swamp cooler, it just has it’s own personal touch.

Had a good night here a few months ago. Played the juke box and cut every rug in the place. Riding gear still on cause I pulled up on my quad. Friendly people and fantastic desert people type bar.

I can go either way on this!
It’s a DIVE in the desert so what can you epxect?
The Great — Most character in a Dive Bar yet
The Good — Neat experience
The Bad — Canned beer? gross
The Ugly — Smoking in the bar? double gross
It was fun to decorate a dollar bill and stick it onthe wall. Then we found friend’s dollars from years ago!
I suggest it for the experience

they have both flavours of Budweiser

As good as it gets. Great drinks and even better prices.

Crusing from Anza-​Borrego to the Salton Sea, I called out, «BAR!» to a decrepit, sketchy looking watering hole in the middle of a trailer park town called Ocotillo Wells. My lover flipped a bitch, and we ordered two icy cold beers at one of the most charactery dive bars I’ve ever seen. The banter between the spunky blonde bartendress and her regular customer was priceless. We left our mark on a dollar bill like hundreds of other people have before us. It was awesome.

Natural Light in a can… Awesome! Wow, this place is a trip back in time.
They also have wine on tap… but only the good stuff.

Best bar in the world.
The End.

After visiting Split Mountain this past weekend, I stopped by this place. Went in before opening time. I ordered a draft beer because it was a hot day. Boy it was good. The bar is small, with thousands of old dollar bills taped or stapled to the wall. Women’s t-​shirts and undies are stuck up on the ceiling.
I am not a bar person, but I liked it there. I’d go back again.
BTW, the business is up for sale.

The Iron Door is the nicest bar within 20 miles of Ocotillo Wells. It’s also the only bar within 20 miles. If you find yourself in the area and have the urge to drink beer with a bunch of other crusty demons, this is the place for you.

Listen, if you are looking for something other than a beer keep moving, but if you are not looking for anything other than a cold beer, COME IN, sit down and drink. This is a drinking bar. Mondays they serve dinner (if you are on the list that is) and the rest of the week it is just beer.
Oh and a game of pool on the great desert pool tables (that means they are beat up tables).

This is a great bar if you are off roading in the Ocotillo area. If you are in the OHV area over by the Blew inn head west in the ohv area and cross over the highway when you see the street called split something road. Never heard of cops hastling the riders for going there but thats not to say they dont. Just take it nice and easy in and out of there so as to not screw it up for all of us.
Dollars on the walls, old drunk locals sitting around and getting drunker, music playing and just general good times is what you will find.
If you want to be an asshole you can go up to one of the ladies that work there and let her have it. Really tool it up for her, just be a total prick. She will laugh and then you can register as an asshole there and buy the shirt with your registration number printed on the front.
I was going to but i ended up getting drunk and became nice. Im an asshole all the time but watch out, when i drink… i get nice!
Arrive alide, dont drink and ride! (had to make it rhyme but you get the point)

Most of the time its a desert locals
place but on some weekends when the off road
crowd rolls into Ocotillo Wells
the place is packed with people.
In the summer it just a few locals. Beer Only.
Mostly only snack food.
I gave it 3 star rating because it’s sort of a
classic Desert Local’s Bar worth checking out.
Loss of 2 stars due to Beer only, so-​so atmosphere
& lack of good a music system.