Palm Springs Restaurants
All this week I have been sharing info about the creative retreat Lauren and I put together this summer. For the last two years, we have hosted this weekend in Palm Springs for several reasons. It is relatively close to the mostly OC based creatives that attend, it’s usually warm and sunny making pool time a necessity and the desert has great food, people and atmosphere. And I freaking love it. I’ve already shared with you my favorite places to stay in Palm Springs (a few updates coming soon!) but today I thought I would share the Palm Springs restaurants that make my stomach happy. Special note: Palm Springs has “seasons.” During low season (summer) some restaurants close. Check with each of these places before heading over to ensure that they are, in fact, open. It took me years to finally try Cheeky’s because I was never in town when it was open!
And here are my qualifications: I like to eat, I like good design and I like great customer service. These are my personal opinions and none of these are sponsored. These are the places that I eat at, time and time again.
Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out no matter where I am. These pancakes, King’s Highway at the Ace Hotel, might be the best I’ve ever had. For serious. This is one of my favorite places for breakfast in the desert. They are open for lunch and dinner as well, but breakfast is my fave. The food is always great, the atmosphere, with its 70′s macrame art and hipsters, is always interesting and you can always count on a good meal. The rattan elephant head on the wall is also a favorite of my kids.
Their menu is diner-esque but with modern, foodie twists. This Coffee Cake french toast was kicked up with the basil shortcake bread and a lemon caramel sauce. YES! Tasted as good as it sounded. We come here even when we are not staying at the hotel. It is worth it.
Cheeky’s is another breakfast spot go-to. It is very popular and wait times can be long but in my opinion worth it. I always try to go during the week or sort of at an off time. The restaurant is pretty small so know that going in.
This restaurant has a bacon “flight” of 5 flavored slices of bacon. What?! So good! The menu is fairly small but all of it is delicious.
Even the granola is to die for. They offer a few cocktail choices as well as healthy juice concoctions. Cheeky’s is open for breakfast and lunch only.
I adore the decor. From the orange chairs to the bright wall art the restaurant is casual but cool and fun.
I just found Farm Restaurant this summer. I happened by this sign and decided to investigate further.
The restaurant is tucked back behind some retail stores and next to a tiny outdoor wedding chapel. Open for breakfast and lunch, they are French country ish with a menu that reflects that. Their Facebook page says it is a Spanish Restaurant…I totally don’t pick that up but either way, it is super tasty!
They serve French presses to each table to brew your own coffee and have great savory and sweet choices. This mushroom Swiss crepe was SO good. And they have some sort of banana brulee’d french toast with a bourbon sauce that will make you cry.
And if you are just looking for a quick grab and go muffin and delicious coffee drink, head to Ernest Coffee. They serve Stumptown Coffee and have a friendly, but cool vibe. I didn’t get any good shots of the interior because sometimes I feel weird taking pictures of places. Especially when I’m by myself (nerd alert). Check out their site to see how it looks. It is really well designed and it’s location makes it perfect to grab a drink heading in to our out of town.
For lunch, I regularly head to Citron at The Viceroy. I love to sit on their poolside patio, all cute in a striped cabana, but that can sometimes can feel like you are in an oven. Thank you desert heat! The air-conditioned restaurant is just as lovely though. With a Hollywood Regency vibe, this white and yellow dining room is small but delightful.
My go to lunch is the shrimp tacos, but everything on their menu is amazing. They used to have a mac and cheese short rib grilled cheese sandwich that was insane! And it just feels right to have a glass of wine with lunch here. What? It’s vacation.
A new favorite lunch spot is Appetito. Located across a side street from The Ace Hotel, this newish restaurant is crazy amazing.
The decor is cool with a nod to a mid-century modern vibe but done in a modern way. The dining room is bright and airy and the staff is the best in the valley.
The shishito peppers are super yummy. Just know going in that 1 in 10 is super spicy. Found that out the hard way. But that won’t stop me from eating them. The flavor is amazing!
These meatball sliders are an absolute favorite of mine! And the fresh pasta on the menu will make you wish that this restaurant was right down the street from your house. I would absolutely be a regular here if I lived in the desert. The staff is super friendly, helpful and all around fantastic. While I’ve only had lunch here, so far, there is a bar in the back of the restaurant that I’m sure draws evening traffic. Looking forward to trying out more menu items here!
A favorite dinner spot is Workshop Kitchen and Bar. Located in the north part of town, this sign will help you find the restaurant that is tucked back in a courtyard.
And then there is the punch. I mentioned the punch in my wrap up post from my recent creative retreat but this punch is a must if you have at least 4 people in your party. But you WILL need a driver. And probably some RESQWater. But it’s so good!
And then there is the food! All of it. So good. The menu features names and locations of the local ingredients. And there is something to please everyone. The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to order several items and share them amongst the table. That is always the best way to get to taste all the things that sound good to you.
Another dinner favorite is Birba. Birba is owned by the same people who own Cheeky’s and is literally located right next door. This restaurant is pretty much all out doors, with the exception of a covered bar area. The atmosphere is cool and it is rad to be able to dine under the canopy of trees.
Their pizzas are delicious! This one was a potato pizza that I had a few visits ago. SO tasty! This group also owns and asian inspired restaurant, called Jiao, but I haven’t tried it yet. If Cheeky’s and Birba are any indication, Jiao is probably awesome.
If you are looking for a great bar to check out, head to Bar. Yup, Bar. They serve craft cocktails and have a really cool vibe. I loved the music they were playing and it feels dive-y without being scary. These bartenders know their stuff and can guide you to the drink that you would enjoy most. I had a ridiculously delicious Old Fashioned here and am looking forward to my next visit.
Another hidden gem is Crave Palm Springs which is a Cocktail and Dessert Bar. The decor is nice and simple, and it is located on the second level of a building that looks like it houses both offices and some retail.
I did not try any of the cocktails here but the desserts were some of the best I’ve ever had! I have a wicked sweet tooth and these dessert were amazing. You can tell that the chef takes a lot of care and puts their heart in each and every dessert that comes out of that kitchen. This lemon curd dessert was INSANE!
As was this vanilla creme with brulee’d bananas. We also tried the Hazelnut Caramel Crunch…life changing. I also hear that they are open for breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays and have their own version of the Cronut and that the coffee is delicious! I hope it works out that I can try that out on a future visit!
Also worth noting:
Palm Greens Cafe is a little spot located in a strip mall by one of my favorite thrift stores in the desert. This cafe serves organic, clean foods, free of additives and corn syrup. I have never eaten here but have gotten a few of their fresh juice drinks which were amazing! And I just love their recreation of the Endless Summer poster on their small patio. Suzanne Somers is rumored to bring her excess home-grown fruits and veggies here for the restaurant to use so they don’t go to waste.
If you have the time, check out Norma’s at The Parker Palm Springs. I headed over for breakfast on a past trip and it was fantastic. The food was really great and they started everyone off with little smoothie shots. It is a little pricey so know that going in so your jaw doesn’t drop and hit the table upon payout…While you are there, check out the rest of the property that is designed beautifully.
Lulu is a bistro located right in downtown on Palm Canyon. They serve a nice little breakfast and have a great atmosphere. They have a pretty standard menu but it never disappoints. I’ve heard that if you are looking to do a bachelorette party up right, they can cover you there too. Although it sounds a little too risqué for me. You will find none of that during the breakfast hours.
El Jefe at The Saguaro Palm Springs is a great place to stop in for an afternoon drink and snack or a late night shot.
Tinto, also at The Saguaro, is a great dinner option. The restaurant is less casual than El Jefe but not stuffy at all. The plates are great to share among friends.
On our most recent stay in the desert we tried out BluEmber, which is on property at Rancho Las Palmas. Not knowing there was a large shopping center directly across the street from the hotel, we decided to try out the hotel’s fine dining restaurant. We were happily surprised to find that we had an awesome experience and ended up eating there the next night too. The kids dined with us both nights and were not out-of-place at all. In fact, the restaurant had a kid’s buffet set up, that both my kids LOVED (and my kids can be really hard to please)! And they had a summer promotion going on where the kid’s eat free when the adults order entrees. Not a bad little deal!
At the same time, they had a special summer deal for a 3 course meal for $30. The first night I started with this caesar salad, then had mushroom ravioli and ended with a strawberry shortcake. YUM! The food was delicious, the service was fast and it was an awesome find.
They even had fantastic desserts like this macaron ice cream sandwich platter… It was as good as it looks! This was my dessert for the second night.
And Trio should not be overlooked as a dining option. This burger was delicious as were the homemade potato chips and Mac and Cheese entree. Looking forward to trying more items here too.
Man. This post makes me want to go to Palm Springs. And eat.
What are your favorites? Leave your go-to spots in the comments so I know where to check out on future visits!
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