Bontá Restaurant & Bar

Excellent food. Excellent service!!!

We recently discovered Bonta, and have had 3 meals there thus far — love Love LOVE this place. It has become our new go-​to «not in the mood to cook on a Thursday night» or «need comfort food» kinda place. The owners go out of their way to make you feel at home, are truly interested in your experience, etc. The weiner snitz. to die for. We had the summer price fixe and you just can’t go wrong. Worth the short trip from Palm Springs — at least for us.

Although we have all eaten at the upstairs restaurant that Chef Hector ran at the Camelot theater this was the first time any of our group had been to Bonta. Since it was restaurant week we took advantage of the prefix menu which was wonderful. we all enjoyed our food and had a wonderful evening. Plan on going back many times.

We were in Palm Springs last week and had dinner hete. Very warm and wonderful staff and owners. I had the skirt steak and it was delicious. The calamari was a great appetizer. My spouse had the chicken and it too was very good. Next time we are in town we will be back.

The wife and I were looking forward to trying out happy hour here, as we had never been. We chose a high-​top off to the side of the bar, next to a window.
The décor here seems strikingly reminiscent of when this place was the Brazilian place, Picanha, except that the salad bar area has been replaced with various «artwork» items that appeared to be for sale.
The bartender, Matt, came over and took our drink order fairly quickly, although he had no idea what a «Union Jack» was (it was their only craft beer offering, from Firestone Walker). After clearing up that confusion, he brought our drinks in a timely manner. Wife had a house Chardonnay.
On their «lounge menu,» nothing really jumped out at either of us. I ended up ordering the homemade Argentinian sausage on a bun (it had an Argentinian name, but I don’t remember it), while the wife ordered something that looked like four small mozzarella balls, each resting at the end of a crostini, three of which looked like they had been rolled in or dusted with different spices. The wife is a huge cheese fan, but she was not impressed, saying that two of the cheese ball things were too spicy.
My sausage on a bun was fine, but due to the size of the bun and the curvature of the sausage, it was a little difficult to eat. It came with sides of a tomato/​onion mixture, and a (dipping?) sauce. I ended up pouring the sauce over the sausage, as the ramekin it was served in was far too tiny for dipping. Pouring the sauce did make the bun a little soggy, but that was not too terrible, since the sausage was a bit on the dry side.
After we were nearly done with our food, the wife ordered another glass of wine, and I ordered a gin & tonic. No complaints about any of the drinks, which were unremarkable, and fairly priced at $ 4.50. I would have appreciated seeing one or two local beer offerings, especially on tap.
The relatively reasonable pricing here prevented a two-​star review, but this is not a place I’ll need to rush back to any time soon.

We only had drinks and appetizers at the bar so take here is somewhat limited. It is a rather non-​descript part of Cathedral City off of 111 so it is easy to miss.
1. Staff are incredibly friendly
2. Drinks are generous.
3. Appetizers were terrific
4. Prices are fair.
The atmosphere is a bit dark for my tastes but other than that it was well worth the visit.

Empanadas, Gaucho Pasta (a basic marinara and sausage penne), Chicken Parma (typical), and Pork Weiner schnitzel… tasty, large portions, friendly staff. Food is good, but lacks flair. Simple and satisfying. The table tops are very small for a party of 4. No booths, all wood chairs… I gave an extra star for great potential and very personable owners.

Another fabulous dinner at Bonta. Brought family and they loved it as well! Food and staff are great! Petra and Hector are wonderful hosts.

What a delightful find! Chef Hector and his sweet Hostess wife Petra helped made our dinning experience wonderful.
The mix of Hector’s South American roots and Petra’S Germanic roots make for a great selection on the menu. So glad we saved room for desert, we tried three different selections and all were delicious.
Can’t wait to return and try more dishes.

My wife and I had the absolute pleasure of having Hector and Petra cater our wedding 5 years ago. We just recently found them at Bonta and decided to drive the two hours to go there for our anniversary a week ago. Absolutely everything we ordered was phenomenal. Chef Hector has a serious talent for preparing seafood. I eat shellfish and fish everywhere I go, and I have never had food prepared so perfectly. The mussels with chorizo we’re unbelievable, and I ate the entire appetizer myself. Chef cares about every little ingredient he uses, and it shows. It was great catching up with both Hector and Petra and we’re so happy we can come back regularly! THANK YOU GUYS!

Three generations of ladies dined here and all three enjoyed it immensely. It’s hard to say what region of food is served here. I could only narrow it down to approximate continents… I’m going to say South American and European. Surprisingly enough, the chef is able to do all of them well. We were there for the Tango Show so they had a set menu. First course was empanadas. The crust was light and flaky and the filling (beef with olives and raisins… a better combo than it sounds) was delicious. Next was a salad (lettuce, hearts of palm, tomato, onions and an herb-​y oil and vinegar dressing) that was fine but not extraordinary. The main courses were all great. The braised short rib was tender and luscious. Super tasty sauce and the mashed potatoes were a perfect complement. My daughter’s cannelloni was filled with ricotta and spinach, inside of al dente cooked pasta with a perfect blend of cream and tomato sauces on top. My entrée was the grilled trio (chicken, steak and sausage). It was surprisingly well executed (moist, well seasoned and not over-​done) though the side dish of tomatoes and undercooked onions was a little underwhelming. Dessert was caramel flan that we gobbled up even though we were beyond stuffed.
As far as the Tango Show goes, I would say it was less of a show as it was some people dancing the tango while you are eating. Still, it was kind of cute to watch the seniors trip the light fantastic. Though I guess if I use that phrase (trip the light fantastic??), it kind of bumps me into the senior category myself. lol
The venue itself is spacious and airy with interesting art pieces throughout. The owners showcase the local talent by displaying their work in the restaurant. It’s like dining in a gallery. We loved the open feel and were fascinated by the art. The restaurant is very active in supporting the community. I think that’s what boosts this restaurant from a 4 to a 5 star review, the people. The staff was wonderful and Petra (the owner) made us feel welcomed, appreciated and special. From the time of our reservation, through to the time we said goodbye, she seemed like a dear friend. As we left, she asked how we had heard about the restaurant. I told her through Unilocal.She said she would appreciate an honest review. My daughter and I thought it was so refreshing she didn’t ask for a good review; she requested honesty. Well, Petra, we honestly adore you, love your food and can’t wait to come back to your restaurant again! Thank you for such a fun and memorable evening!

We made our first visit to Bonta after hearing good reviews from friends. Well, my friends were correct! We had the Schnitzel and Cordon Bleu. Both were perfectly prepared. I lived in Germany for 6 years and had many Schnitzels. The one I had tonight was one of the best I’ve ever had. The Cordon Bleu was also perfectly prepared. The service was excellent and staff friendly. This is definitely a place we will visit again.

I went to a Cathedral City Chamber of Commerce event here and the service and food were great. The chef and his staff were professional and super nice. I’m glad they had a nice salad because I don’t know Brazilian food at all, and I’m not sure I would have liked it. But you can’t go wrong with a yummy salad. Highly recommended for the convenient location (sandwiched between two movie theaters) and abundant parking.

Thanks Chef (and owner) for accommodating a vegetarian lunch today. I loved my chopped salad. Bravo!

A really nice place right next to the Mary Pickford movie complex that offers lots of options for a group with maybe different tastes. The husband and wife owners, one German and one Argentinian, have succeeded in offering the best of the two cultures, and then thrown in some very well-​made Italian food for added flair.
My wife had the Spinach Cannelloni, and loved it! Unlike some places that douse the pasta in cheese, this one benefited from the chef’s light touch, allowing the flavors of the spinach, the cheese and the sauce to work together nicely. It was light, not heavy and doughy.
I had the roasted butternut squash soup for starters, and it was really nice. Just enough spice, but still letting the flavor of the squash come out in front. I make that soup myself and mine is pretty good, but this one had a bit more sophistication than I can achieve.
For an entrée’, I had the skirt steak and fried potatoes. It had a salad on the side, so the entrée’ really served as a whole meal. Really nicely prepared. I would only have loved a side dish that was more than French Fries, even if that’s the traditional Argentinian way to prepare it. I thought the price justified a little more effort in the side dish.
Oh, and the drinks that started the evening off were terrific! My Manhattan came exactly as ordered, with just a splash of extra Vermouth. The bread was fresh, and sure was tasty.
While we didn’t try any of the German food, we did see it going by on plates throughout our meal, so it must be popular! Next time, I’ll try that!
The chef owner came by during dinner and he was gracious, friendly, and just a really nice person to talk to. His wife, who hosted, was just as nice, and spent a good bit of her time chatting with my wife as we were leaving.
Go, you’ll be surprised and impressed by the choices, the setting, and the quality of the food and the service.

What lovely people! The service was excellent. The food was delicious. I had the skirt steak, which was perfect, flavorful. Petra was so friendly. She made us feel as if we were guests in her home. We will definitely be coming back. Run, do not walk, to this fabulous restaurant.

We had a delicious meal at Bonta. The service was excellent and outside dining was very nice. My husband had the Argentine Skirt steak which was delicious and I had the German special (rolled beef) which was very tasty. We finished off with Apple Strudel, served by the chef himself. We will definitely go back to try other dishes.

Great food! Fun menu with many choices.
Charming server (Owner Petra)
Great service.
Desserts were absolutely AMAZING!!!

Bonta has so many things I enjoy, from the savory, rich tapas to the heat underlying the Argentinian dishes or the delicious German inspired schnitzels, it’s all divine! Most recently, for dinner I had the unbelievably unctuous French Onion soup which was to die for– aromatic and loaded with herbs, so yummy. Then the Argentinian skirt steak with chimmichurri and frites so tender the meat cut like butter and sauce had that hear that I crave. Guests had clam chowder, rack of lamb, hearts of palm salad and fish and chips all of which they raved over. Fabulous cocktails — dirty martini and Moscow mules gave our table a fun buzz and we had a blast! Compliments to the Chef and the entire restaurant for fantastic food and service!

The service was absolutely incredible. My family and I came for their prix fixe Valentine’s Day dinner. The food was absolutely delicious, and as someone with a lot of dietary restrictions with a prix fixe menu, the entire staff was incredibly accommodating. Except for some fish bones I encountered, which is understandable with fish, the food was outstanding and I have nothing but positive things to say about the food and service. Petra is an absolute pleasure!

We had a delicious Valentine’s dinner – the food and presentation were delicious. In addition, although it was a prix fixe menu, the staff was more than happy to accommodate dietary restrictions of several people in our party. The barramundi was delicious and the risotto with corn was divine. Serving champagne was a nice touch as well, but we had to ask for it at the beginning of the meal. The only incongruous thing was that the bar was playing ESPN on a big screen in the corner. Overall, a wonderful experience and delicious food. I would go there again.

Great place with a great diverse menu! We’ve been there several times and have tried many different dishes and have not been disappointed. The owners Hector and Petra are about the two nicest people you could ever meet. Happy hour menu is fantastic!

We come to Palm Springs every February and we were pleasantly surprised to have such wonderful food. Our party of four each had a different meal and each was delicious. Our waiter Sam and Petra the owner were very hospitable and made us feel right at home. We shared two desserts that were scrumptious We will be back and recommend others to check out this restaurant.

first time at Bonta last week, but won’t be the last! the skirt steak was amazing. the housemade dressing was amazing. the chicken parmigiana was amazing. everything had a pleasant kick, which I love.
Petra stopped by our table and we had a lovely conversation. really impressed w/​the dedication of the owners — you can taste it in the food. see you soon!

We have been driving by this restaurant for about a year and finally stopped in last night. The other reviews do not exaggerate — it was fabulous. We had the empanada trio for appetizer. Simply delish. I had the sole and it was absolute perfection. Everyone was very happy with their choice. Sabrina, our waitress and owners’ daughter was extremely attentive. One of the owners, Petra, checked in with us several times. It could not have been any better. We will definitely be back. Do not miss the best secret in Cathedral City!!! Oh and PS prices were extremely reasonable and they don’t gouge
on bar prices!!!

Decided to try Bonta last night and glad we did. Food and service was great. Nice variety on the menu… eclectic and fun!

We ventured into this place after a movie nearby. It wasn’t supposed to be this way, but with three kids and out-​of-​town visitors in tow, we needed nourishment.
Upon entry, I wasn’t sure what kind of restaurant it was. It seemed to have an Asian theme, but then there were European and Latin hints. It was a Saturday night, a bit late, and it wasn’t very crowded. However, once seated, we realized that this is a spacious restaurant with higher ceilings. As we looked around, plenty of tables were occupied.
Meals were all top notch. I lived in Europe for years and had to try one of the German dishes. Wienerschnitzel was as good as any I have ever had. The friend’s rouladen was said to be delicious. The true barometer of a restaurant like this is the French Onion Soup. Two of our guests had it and raved A-​MAZ-​ING… And it’s not often one can find Edinger and Schneider Weißbier — I had one of each.
We can’t wait to go back and support this family’s business again. We are happy and proud that it’s a part of the Cathedral City repertoire.

From the moment we walked in we had such a warm welcome! The hostess was so sweet and was incredibly kind to our toddler. She brought us a coloring book and crayons with her favorite characters on it. Needless to say it allowed us to have a nice quiet meal. The food was amazing. It’s such a nice change to see a restaurant with an incredibly diverse menu. Before we even revived our food Petra came over to talk to our daughter and see how we were doing. My husband’s only complaint was they weren’t insanely large portions because his meal was so good. We cannot wait to come back!

We found this restaurant sort of by accident as we are from out of town but we are delighted! The menu offered many desirable choices– we ended up with the schnitzel and the tortellini in garlic cream sauce — Delish! Our waitress was wonderful and helped with decisions and also offered appropriate choices for our children. We met the owners and they are just lovely, very welcoming! We will certainly be back when we are in the area.

This is one the best finds in the desert. Hector the owner and his wife are two of the sweetest business owners and people. The food is truly amazing and the atmosphere is one of a kind.

While in Palm Springs for work, I needed somewhere casual and tastey for dinner. So of course I Unilocaled somewhere near the hotel and this was first on the list. I made an easy reservation using the online booking tool from the Unilocal app and voila! 15 minutes later I was being seated.
The restaurant is very large and pretty, while being casual. The staff were attentive but not over bearing. Being California and the drought I did have to ask for water but that is to be expected given the circumstances. The negroni cocktail I ordered was strong and a good price.
I got the Lamb Stew, which was nice. But pretty much exactly a deconstructed cottage pie. Which isn’t a bad thing, just not exactly what it’s advertised to be on the menu. I still enjoyed it and the portions were massive. When in the area next I will most likely return. They had some German items on the menu that looked tempting.

Bonta is a rather spacious & large which may not work to its benefit since that makes it feel a bit cold & distant. A smaller space with closer tables may let the warmth of the husband chef making his rounds & the wife receptionist team be more noticeable as well as making the restaurant look filled w/​the same number of guests so that having moveable partitions to halve the restaurant space could be a solution. The unused space can be used for private banquets or for the overflow crowd.
Summer Menu $ 19.99 for 3 courses ends September 30, 2015 (Such a deal!!!) Choice of 2 salads, or soup; 12 main courses; Bread Pudding or Argentinian Crêpe.
1) Arugula Salad & Hearts of Palm: leaves were Rucola con Folie Argente Verde/​silver green arugula which had a very subtle scent of peanut oil & a refreshing bitterness. The canned chopped palm was soft & added a bit of sweet woodiness. The dressing was light, possibly olive oil & a splash of vinegar for gastrique to enliven the freshness, but the dressing was nuanced as to not interfere w/​the main ingredients. I asked for some parmesan to add an undertone of fermented dairy to round out the flavours. (Of course, at this price point, I didn’t expect Parmigiana Reggiana, not even Grana Padana.)
Note: Bread which looks like a mini baguette is particularly flavourful w/​good yeastiness, fresh baked sweet aroma, soft yet dense texture. Finding great bread is rare in the U.S.
2) Schnitzel Cordon Bleu would be a Schweine Schnitzel in German w/​a stuffing of ‘Black Forrest Ham’ & Gruyère cheese sandwiched in a big slab of pork loin breaded & baked. There is a rich, brown crème sauce that is associated w/​the Jaeger Schnitzel which implies the use of mushrooms in the cream sauce. This dish was a joint German/​French effort since the ‘Cordon Bleu’ portion was the inclusion of the cheese & ham while the rest was more Germanic in inspiration. And the addition of dried Tarragon/​Estragon to the sauce made a flavour reference to Sauce Béarnaise.
I realize that at $ 19.99 extra touches can not be included such as the use of a bit of cognac/​brandy to the crème sauce to add a more oaky, alcohol fermented sweet oakiness as well as marinating the pork loin in white wine to keep the meat moist, soft, tender, but for the price, this was a meisterstueck/​masterpiece.
Accompanying the Schnitzel Cordon Bleu was mashed potato w/​scattering of parmesan & butter for the bread can be added in for extra butteriness, and Rot Kohl which is sweetened red cabbage, red wine vinegar, cloves, possibly bay leaf & apple. The Rotkohl was a good agrodolce/​vinegary sweet offset to the meat intense Schnitzel.
1−2a) Wine pairing was Malbec from LLama Winery, Argentina which was a bit rough w/​tannin, slightly sour/​acidic which was balanced by sweetness & a fruity black berry-​blueberry taste. 2^nd glass was Malbec from Kaiken Winery which has smoother rounded tannins, mellower acid, dried cherries, blackberry tones, touch of oak, may have been the superior choice.
3) Argentinian Crêpe claims this name due to the drizzling of Leche Asada/​condensed milk, which seems to be ubiquitous throughout South America, onto the crêpe. The crêpe was moist, soft, pleasantly rubbery, ultra thin rolled into a rectangle w/​two festoons of crème chantilly. A good espresso may be the best pairing for this dessert at Bonta. I wanted to experiment & pair it w/​a Jerez/​sherry w/​its oxidized nutty bitter sweetness, but the bar did not have it as well as not having Port.
Chef Hector & his wife/​hostess, Petra, are both very hospitable reflecting a more gemuetlich/​homey, comfortable old world approach to restauranting. Chef Hector comes out to greet & welcome his guests when duties from the kitchen allow, and Petra scans the room to make sure all is well as well as to escort them to their tables. Their food spans many cultures such as Argentina, French, Italian, Austro-​German. Part of that is because Chef Hector has traveled widely and by also having a wife from Saltzburg, Austria, birthplace of Mozart. Just for the extremely inexpensive & accessible special Summer Menu: 4 Unilocal stars.

I was a bit skeptical coming to an Argentinian restaurant because I don’t know much about their food. However, the waitress was very helpful with pointing out good dishes. The waitress was also very attentive and made sure that we had another glass of out drinks when we were empty.
We started out with appetizers. We had the garlic pesto fries, the chorizo platter, and the calamari. The appetizers were delicious. The garlic pesto fries was not too salty, nor too garlicky. It had the right amount of cheese where it wasn’t overwhelmingly cheesy. The calamari was good. Eat them quick though because they cool down pretty fast. The. Dipping sauce looked spicy, but was not spicy at all. The platter was alright. Not for me, but I ate it. The meat was cured and I don’t look forward to cured meat. But from all the cured meats I’ve had, this one was alright. Usually cured meats are too salty, but this one was fine — I ate it without anything else and was fine.
For the main course, we had the skirt steaks. The presentation of the food was excellent. In fact, all the dishes that came out were presented beautifully. The chef came out to introduce himself as well as serve the main course. He was also the owner. The salad was a bit bitter for my taste, but the fries and steak were great! I ordered the steak medium, which was perfectly cooked. The meat was not bloody, but still juicy and tender. The chimichurri sauce and the tomato and onion condiments were great for dipping and adding extra flavor to the food.
I had dessert as well. The panqueque is a crêpe. Not the best I’ve had, but still good. Wasn’t too sweet. Better than most crêpe places.
I came all the way from Riverside, and it was worth the drive!
The pictures that are on Unilocal were not flattering. I reposted some of the dishes and hope they work for you :)