The Palm Springs Guide
Where to Eat in Palm Springs
Since 1999 we’ve celebrated our guests’ birthdays, anniversaries, proposals and Tuesdays at these tables. The valley eats wonderfully well — Mexican kitchens older than most of the hotels, French dining rooms in historic houses, fish tacos with a blues band. Out of hundreds of good restaurants, these are the ones we recommend first, by kind of food, so you can find your table fast. Something here for everyone — that is rather the point of this valley.
Hungry for the whole trip? See Where to Stay in Palm Springs and Things to Do in Palm Springs. Within each kind of food, the tables below earned their place the way we trust most — the best reviews in the valley — and two marked favorites are simply places our family loves.
Fine Dining
Fine Dining in Palm Springs
Le Vallauris
Downtown · Classic French fine dining in a 1927 house — white tablecloths, a garden patio, and the valley’s most romantic room. A splurge, and the one for anniversaries.
Copley’s on Palm Canyon
Uptown, Cary Grant’s former estate · Upscale American under the palms where Cary Grant once lived — special-occasion Palm Springs at its most graceful.
Spencer’s Restaurant
Tennis Club neighborhood · American Continental beneath the mountain; the patio brunch is a valley rite, and dinner is just as fine.
Wally’s Desert Turtle
Rancho Mirage · Elegant California fine dining since 1978, live music in the room — Restaurant Row royalty.
Lavender Bistro
Old Town La Quinta · A twinkle-lit patio and New American cooking — the east valley’s most romantic dinner.
Steakhouses & Grills
Palm Springs Steakhouses
Mastro’s Steakhouse
El Paseo, Palm Desert · The big-night steakhouse — classic cuts, live entertainment, celebration energy.
La Quinta Cliffhouse
La Quinta · Steak and seafood built into a rock outcropping, with the whole valley spread out below — go at sunset.
Mr. Lyons
South Palm Canyon · A 1945 steakhouse soul in a modern room — martinis, leather booths, and Palm Springs history on the plate.
Melvyn’s
Ingleside Estate · Old-Hollywood classic — the lounge Sinatra’s generation made famous, still pouring.
Mexican Restaurants
Mexican Restaurants in Palm Springs
El Mirasol Cocina Mexicana
South Palm Canyon (and at Los Arboles) · The Castañeda family’s kitchen since 1985 — handmade tortillas daily, a mole poblano people write home about, and margaritas with a following. We love this place, plain and simple.
Las Casuelas Nuevas
Rancho Mirage, Restaurant Row · Hacienda-style, family-owned since 1973 — big patios, live music, generations of celebrations.
Las Casuelas Original
Downtown Palm Springs · The 1958 original — Sonoran family cooking in the heart of town; where the story started.
El Mexicali Cafe
Indio · Family Mexican famous for shrimp-stuffed chiles güeritos — worth the drive east, especially in festival season.
Seafood & Oyster Bars
Seafood in Palm Springs
Shanghai Red’s
Downtown, behind Fisherman’s Market · Oysters, the famous Baja fish taco, and blues in the courtyard — we love Shanghai Red’s, and after one evening there, you will too.
Fisherman’s Market & Grill
Downtown · Shanghai Red’s casual sibling — fish and chips, clam chowder, counter-service ease at lunch.
Pacifica Seafood
El Paseo, Palm Desert · Fresh seafood above El Paseo — the refined end of the fish list, and a shoppers’ reward.
Dinner, then the perfect ending. A couples’ massage after a long, happy dinner is the Palm Springs way to close an evening — we come to your hotel room or rental, any night until 9 PM. (760) 808-4205 · PalmSpringsSpaMassage.com. Bringing the celebration home instead? Our gift cards make the cook’s night off complete.
Breakfast & Brunch
Breakfast & Brunch in Palm Springs
Farm
Downtown, La Plaza · A Provençal garden café — the valley’s highest-rated brunch, and dinner by prix-fixe after dark.
Elmer’s Restaurant
East Palm Canyon · The breakfast institution — German pancakes and bottomless welcome; thousands of happy regulars can’t be wrong. Easy on the wallet, generous on the plate.
Cheeky’s
Uptown · The bacon flight alone is famous — creative brunch, a lively patio, and a line that moves faster than it looks.
Italian
Italian in Palm Springs
Birba
Uptown · Handmade pizza and pasta under the string lights — Italian the Palm Springs way, outdoors and unhurried.
Sushi & Asian
Sushi & Asian in Palm Springs
Rooster and the Pig
Downtown · Modern Vietnamese-American, small room, big flavors — arrive early; it’s walk-in only.
Sandfish Sushi & Whiskey
Uptown · Chef-driven sushi with a serious whiskey shelf — sleek, modern, date-night ready.
French, Belgian & Mediterranean
French & Mediterranean Restaurants
Bar Cecil
South Palm Canyon · A French-American bistro with a designer’s soul — book ahead; everyone wants this table.
Si Bon
Rancho Mirage · A Belgian bistro beloved from breakfast through dinner — waffles in the morning, escargot at night.
Catalan Mediterranean Restaurant
Rancho Mirage · Spanish paella and tapas on Restaurant Row — made for sharing, made for groups.
Casual Local Favorites
Casual Palm Springs Favorites
Sherman’s Deli & Bakery
Downtown · New York-style deli since 1963 — towering sandwiches, matzo ball soup, and a bakery case of memories.
TKB Bakery & Deli
Indio · The sandwich legend of the east valley — oversized, house-baked, and rated among the best anywhere. Worth every mile.
The Tropicale
Downtown · Retro-tropical and full of life — dinner, a lounge, and a patio that feels like a party.
Eight4Nine
Uptown · Bright, eclectic New American — lunch with friends, dinner with flair.
Cocktails & Small Plates
Palm Springs Cocktails
Paul Bar / Food
East Vista Chino · A speakeasy soul with serious New York-style food — the locals’ worst-kept secret.
Truss & Twine
Uptown · Golden-age cocktails and elevated bar food, by the Workshop team — small, dark, excellent.
A Night In
Dinner Delivered — A Night In at Your Rental
Some nights, your own table wins — especially after your massage, with your feet up and the mountains turning pink. Order in and let dinner come to you:
DoorDash
The valley’s restaurants on one app — from kitchens on this very page to your hotel or rental door.
Uber Eats
Restaurant meals delivered across Palm Springs — and groceries too, for the morning after.
All are welcome at our table — and at yours. However you eat your way through this valley, end the day in good hands: massage and facials at your hotel, your rental, or poolside, every day 8 AM–9 PM. PalmSpringsSpaMassage.com · (760) 808-4205 — rest in our strong, safe hands.
More of the Guide: Where to Stay in Palm Springs · Things to Do in Palm Springs