It really has all the elements: great alcohol, unpretentious vibes, aesthetics and a great staff.
I was at Tiny Pony either opening day or the day after, and I was just passing through. And it was just a great alternative to L.A. My friends would bring speakers and we do, like, psychedelic trance parties. I’ve been going out to the desert since I was 18. I see the most different, diverse people from all walks of my life, you know-real estate agents, my waitress, my dentist-and they’re all going in and checking out Tiny Pony. With social media and the way we can communicate around the world these days, you can’t put the genie back in the bottle, and I feel like that’s ultimately going to be our saving grace. I really do believe that the children will save us. I have a niece who’s 11, and she has already said, “I like girls, and I just want everyone to know,” and she’s just completely open about it. The fact is that queer community and queer life are becoming more the norm and not so hidden. I saw that on the menu, and then it was like, black beans, pickled carrots, jalapenos… It was like a frickin’ American hot dog had crashed with a taco truck. The next time I went-my girlfriend’s a vegetarian, so I try to eat vegetarian as much as possible, but I love hot dogs-I had this bacon-wrapped hot dog. The first thing I tried was the Cadillac Margarita and it was amazing. Maybe once a week it’s an evening hanging out with friends. Often it’s for a hot dog and a beer for lunch before I go back to work. It’s nice for people coming out to have something in the town that they grow up in. I think it would be good for her to have something like that in the town that she grows up in, that’s inclusive and that she feels she can be a part of. Jessica: My little cousin here who is 13 just came out as gay. What does it mean to you to have a Pride event in the town you grew up in? But the community at Tiny Pony is just unreal. And I’ve heard around town, too, that some of the more grungy bars that aren’t newer and younger aren’t necessarily a safe place if you are someone other than white and cis. We probably need that, because in some situations you really do need to be safer. I’ve never been one to be shy of it, but Jessica is really conscious of the surroundings we are in, which is good. But we got up to the door and I saw a Pride flag and I was like, alright, here we go! When we walked in, there was all these beautiful gender-nonconforming staff. So I didn’t know what we were walking into. There’s a lot of homophobia and racism in Yucca Valley in small pockets. I told Laura, “I don’t want to hold your hand we’re in Yucca Valley.” I was afraid. Jessica: Our first time that we went was opening night. Jessica: It was very easy to underage drink, or we would go out into the desert and do a bonfire because there really wasn’t much else to do, but now that’s changing. What was nightlife like growing up in Joshua Tree? Jessica (31, she/her) and Laura Myers (33, she/her) There wasn’t anything like this for her growing up. For Joshua Tree–raised Jessica Myers (and wife Laura Myers), it’s thrilling to see the community come together for such a cause. Regular Mia Torres-who works by day as a welder and carpenter-canvasses shops and restaurants throughout the area to bring the community together for a celebration of queerness, while choreographer, DJ and dance instigator Ryan Heffington is planning to spin house music into the wee hours at the Tiny Pony afterparty. The space is aflutter with preparations for Joshua Tree Pride on June 18.
To get a sense of the scene on any given evening, we talked with the people who know Tiny Pony best: The Regulars. Tuesdays bring rowdy karaoke crowds for $5 tequila shots, and weekends welcome out-of-towners with a hearty brunch. Open seven days a week, Tiny Pony kicks off Mondays with “Cheeseburgers in Paradise,” featuring tropical drink specials and half-off burgers. Bartender Bryan Paris, who got his start barbacking at The Monster across from the Stonewall Inn in New York City, mixes drinks like the Green Juice, which-you guessed it-features fresh-pressed green juice and a spirit of your choice. The ever-evolving menu is the work of chef Sorcha Murnane, a trans man who dreams up fan favorites like the Loaded Yuca Fries, smothered in cheese and topped with crunchy bacon. The bar serves as a watering hole for all desert folk: transplants collaborating on art shows, contractors looking to shoot pool after work, and families young and old with kids and dogs in tow.