Need a place to stop off of Interstate 10 heading into California, to get a sandwich, let the dogs play, but also big enough to park you RV? Look no further than TBK Bakery and Deli in Indio, California. Voted the #1 best restaurant in America by Yelp in 2018.
TBK stands for The Kid’s Business. Originating in Rancho Mirage, California in 1991, by mom and dad; ‘the kids’ went house to house selling mom’s cookie dough. 20 years later ‘the kids’ are grown up and have one of Coachella Valley’s leading businesses, supply three major grocery store chains and operate their own production facility.
Accolades
In 2014 TBK was recognized as Yelp’s #4 rated restaurant in America. In 2015 they were #5 on Yelp yet again and earned a place on the “Top places to eat before you Die” list. In 2018, they were ranked as the #1 top places to eat and had the best reviews for that year. TBK is also the only restaurant for 4 years running to receive a top 5 rating in America on Yelp.
RV Friendly
Located in Indio, California off Interstate 10, TBK is easy to access driving a 5th wheel toy hauler, with a parking lot large enough to accommodate big rigs. It’s hard to pull into places when towing a 42 ft 5th wheel and then having to park it too. This is why is great to have places we know of along Interstates we travel that we can rely on to accommodate our needs.
Dog Park
The most impressive thing about this restaurant is they have a dog park. I love that they have a place for our dogs to relieve themselves and stretch their legs. It is made up of fine dirt, but fake grass can get very hot in the summertime in this area. They have two benches for pet parents to sit, a dog drinking fountain and poop bags with a garbage…so convenient.
The Food
When you first walk into TBK you are greeted by the bakery display with all their yummy baked goods to stop you in your track. As you are deciding on what baked goods you want to get after you eat, you head around the corner and look up at all the variety of sandwiches they offer. TBK offers breakfast items, hot/cold sandwiches as well as a burgers and chicken sandwich options.
I learned about this restaurant from a friend at work who said they had the best smoked beef brisket sandwich he had ever had. The smoked meat sandwiches, mac and cheese and chili are available on Wednesdays only as of this post. TBK offers daily specials Monday- Thursday and on weekends. I had the reuben: hot pastrami, provolone cheese, sauerkraut, pickle chips, thousand island dressing and mustard on marble rye bread. I was expecting the sandwich to be piled high with pastrami, disappointed in the amount of meat. My husband had the OG: hot pastrami, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle chips, provolone, on a french roll. He was smart and ordered double meat on his sandwich. His french roll was on the hard side. He said he should have ordered it on the marble rye. We shared a side of onion rings; good but nothing special. The sandwiches were excellent but not #1, definitely in the top 5. They have a smoked pastrami sandwich as their daily special on Thursdays as of this post, this may very well take the reuben to the next level.
Dessert
So many desserts to choose from, what to try? We ended up getting a cannoli and a lemon bar for the ride home. Both were delicious but not the best we have tried. The best cannoli we have ever had was from Erick Schat’s Bakery in Bishop, California; no cannoli’s have come close to theirs.
Worth A Stop
TBK is definitely worth a lunch or early dinner stop if traveling into/out of California along Interstate 10 through Indio. It’s always a good idea to have a full belly and a dessert on hand to keep you sweet before venturing on and dealing with California traffic. With easy access for a RV, a large parking lot to accommodate, and a pooch playground, it’s the perfect place to take break while traveling.