Palm Springs and the Desert Resorts Restaurants

During the season, restaurants can be busy, as many locals and visitors dine out every night, and some for every meal. An influx of talented chefs has expanded the dining possibilities of a formerly staid scene. The meat-and-potatoes crowd still has plenty of options, but you'll also find fresh seafood superbly prepared and contemporary Californian, Asian, Indian, and vegetarian cuisine, and Mexican food abounds. Most restaurants have early-evening happy hours, with discounted drinks and small-plate menus. Restaurants that remain open in July and August frequently discount deeply; others close in July and August or offer limited service.

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  • 1. Cheeky's

    $

    The flavored bacon flight, hangover-halting Bloody Marys, and the rest of the self-described "quirky comfort cuisine" have attracted legions to this casual breakfast and lunch joint for more than a decade, which results in epic waits on weekends (no reservations accepted for groups smaller than 10). Once seated, the well-oiled service machine is fast and furious—just pray the homemade cinnamon roll-croissant hybrids haven't sold out yet. For lunch, in addition to the morning all-star dishes, you can nosh on globally and seasonally influenced soups, sandwiches, and salads.

    622 N. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, California, 92262, USA
    760-327–7595

    Known For

    • Pastries baked daily, juices pressed in-house
    • Eggs collected from Cheeky's own chickens which eat a special diet
    • Spacious outdoor patio

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner
  • 2. Farm Palm Springs

    $$$$

    At this charmer of a bistro in downtown’s historic La Plaza, you can cross the pond without a passport by tucking into Provençal-style staples like sweet or savory crepes, bouillabaisse, croque-monsieur sandwiches, and omelets—all made from scratch using true-to-the-name ingredients, plenty of dairy products, and amour. Savor breakfast and lunch daily as the sun warms your skin; the setting becomes even more magical after dark thanks to string lights, clinking wine glasses, a gurgling fountain, and a five-course prix-fixe dinner offering.

    6 La Plaza, Palm Springs, California, 92262, USA
    760-322–2724

    Known For

    • Seating in a fragrant, flower-filled courtyard
    • House-made jams, French press coffee, baked-Brie board
    • Boozy brunch

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner Wed. and Thurs.
  • 3. Boozehounds

    $$

    People love traveling with their pups, and at this inventive uptown bar–restaurant, Fido is welcome to join you at tables on the big enclosed patio, which is accessed via the doggy door, naturally! You can savor spirits, snacks, and more substantial plates—many with Asian/Filipino leanings, like blistered shishitos, garlic noodles with galbi (Korean short ribs), or chicken adobo—while your dog can chow-chow down on a gourmet selection from the canine menu. If you aren't accompanied by a furry friend or you want to chill in the air-conditioning, head inside to the cute, trendy, and mutt-free main dining room.

    2080 N. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, California, 92262, USA
    760-656--0067

    Known For

    • Freshly baked cookies and milk (or milk punch)
    • Happy hour daily in high season and Friday–Sunday in summer
    • Instagram-worthy design

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed. in summer
  • 4. Eight4Nine Restaurant & Lounge

    $$$

    No matter what time or day it is, this swanky restaurant in the Uptown Design District buzzes with pals toasting promotions and celebrating birthdays, couples on dates sharing beet carpaccio and oysters, singles mingling in the lounge, and tourists who were lured from the street by the jovial sounds and tantalizing smells wafting out of the polished white (with pops of Barbie pink) rooms and expansive patio. The look may be a little late-'90s, early-aughts Miami, but the menu is pure Pacific Coast with favorites like ahi tuna poke with house-made kimchi, steelhead niçoise salad, mesquite-smoked carne asada, and curried-cauliflower steak.

    849 N. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, California, 92262, USA
    760-325–8490

    Known For

    • Colorful plates made from scratch
    • Energetic scene
    • Brandini toffee s'mores fondue will knock your socks off
  • 5. Las Casuelas Nuevas

    $

    Using his grandmother's passed-down family recipes from Mazatlán, Mexico, Florencio Delgado and his wife opened their original restaurant in 1973. Five decades later, the Delgado descendants are still pumping out hearty and traditional plates of fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, and harder-to-find stuffed-pepper dishes like chile en nogada. Imported art and crafts lend festive charm to this casual but crowded culinary institution, which has an expansive garden patio.

    70–050 Hwy. 111, Rancho Mirage, California, 92270, USA
    760-328–8844

    Known For

    • Vast margarita menu
    • Table-side guacamole presentation
    • Lively happy hour

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Dinner reservations essential, Closed Tues.
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  • 6. Lulu California Bistro

    $$

    For more than a decade, Lulu has been feeding desert denizens and vacationers a little bit of everything—seriously, if you can't find something on the lengthy menu of soups, salads, pasta dishes, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, seafood, other star proteins like pork ribs and filet mignon, and desserts (cotton candy!), you likely don't eat human food. Dine in the spacious, quirky multilevel dining room or outside on the terrace with prime Palm Canyon people-watching.

    200 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, California, 92262, USA
    760-327–5858

    Known For

    • Separate vegetarian/vegan and gluten-free menus
    • Three-course, prix-fixe weekend brunch ($28)
    • Local art collection

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No breakfast weekdays
  • 7. Spencer's Restaurant

    $$$$

    The swank steak house and Sunday-brunch stalwart occupies a historic mid-century modern structure in the Palm Springs Tennis Club at the base of the San Jacintos. Between the club connection, ritzy ambience, and selection of old-fashioned fancy food (veal chops, duck, creamed spinach), Spencer's clientele skews toward power lunchers and socialites. If you do find yourself craving crisp-skin whitefish or liver and bacon with raspberry vodka essence, try for a table on the low-lit and dreamy deck.

    701 W. Baristo Rd., Palm Springs, California, 92262, USA
    760-327–3446

    Known For

    • French–Pacific Rim influences
    • Loyal waitstaffers who know the menu up and down
    • High prices

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Reservations essential for Sunday brunch and dinner, Closed Tues. and Wed.
  • 8. The Colony Club

    $$$$

    Discerning diners, even those whose names don't appear on the registry of The Colony Palms Hotel, know to book a table here for contemporary takes on white tablecloth staples like beef Stroganoff (here, made with short ribs and fresh pappardelle), green beans almondine (jazzed up with a brown-butter-and-cider glaze), or shrimp "cocktail" (barely recognizable but lip-lickin' good). Now overseen by chef Michael Hung—who cut his teeth at Daniel, Aquavit, Jardiniere, and La Folie—the restaurant emphasizes California seasonality and sourcing from farms and aquaculture operations to pack punch into everything from the small—say, preserved lemon compote and ginger scallion relish—to the large, like chicken schnitzel or vegan meatloaf. Take breakfast or weekend brunch on the sunny patio with the gleaming pool in view, but, after dusk, never settle for anywhere but the elegant dining room, with its grandiose floor tiles, avian wallpaper, and doting maitre d'.

    572 N. Indian Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, California, 92262, USA
    760-969–1818

    Known For

    • Wine Wednesdays with discounted bottles
    • Attentive, knowledgeable service
    • Chic dining room dinners, sunny poolside brunches
  • 9. The Pink Cabana

    $$$

    The pink-and-green palette, botanical wallpaper, oversize globe pendants, gold trim, tile floor, and velvety banquettes draw the pretty people and those who follow them on social media to this Martyn Lawrence Bullard–designed gem at the Sands Hotel. But it's the Mediterranean-Moroccan cuisine—think lamb tagine or harissa chicken—and punchy drinks that keep them happy and snapping.

    44--985 Province Way, Indian Wells, California, 92210, USA
    760-321–3772

    Known For

    • Retro-racquet-club aesthetic
    • Chorizo shakshuka
    • Cocktails inspired by the spice route
  • 10. The Tropicale

    $$$

    This popular watering hole and fine-dining eatery is part mid-century supper club (some nights feature live jazz), part Miami kitsch (pops of pink neon, marlin wall art, and apps served in glass seashells), and all good time. Sip from the extensive martini and mojito list; bask in the gorgeous glow of a flambéed baked Alaska from one of the main dining room's tall leather booths; or nosh on protein-packed salads, pork chops, pizzas, or Sunday sushi amid tropical plants and water features in the outdoor area.

    330 E. Amado Rd., Palm Springs, California, 92262, USA
    760-866–1952

    Known For

    • Globe-trotting menu
    • Happy hour (all night on Wednesday)
    • Celebrating special occasions

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Reservations essential

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