Where to eat and drink in Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs is the California desert’s restaurant hot spot, but it wasn’t always so. For much of the past 50 years, the city – and the Coachella Valley to its southeast – was chiefly a realm of retirees and golfers, with ho-hum dining to match.

My, how things have changed. The restaurant scene has busted wide open against a nonstop stream of visitors seeking desert heat and cultural cool. A low-key buzz hovers over the town from breakfast through dinner and after dark, spanning a spin-the-globe selection of cuisines to updated OG classics now loved by a new generation. And almost all of them can be enjoyed indoors or out.

Follow the locals to these top places to eat and drink in Palm Springs.

Breakfast

Foodie favorites come and go, yet somehow Cheeky’s has been on top of its game since 2008. Its hidden courtyard (or minimalist, cool interior) is a scene for being seen at breakfast and lunch. The seasonal menu might include yam hash, fried chicken and waffles with maple thyme syrup, or huevos rancheros. Whenever you go, the signature bacon flights are a fun side.

Across town, King’s Highway at the Ace Hotel does zhuzhed-up comfort food: avocado toast festooned with a collage of tomato jam and crispy shallots, or a scramble whose bevy of ingredients starts with charred corn, Oaxaca cheese and squash blossoms. It’s all served in an airy, gorgeously restored former diner – or poolside.

And what old Hollywood playground would be complete without a Jewish deli? In the heart of downtown, Sherman’s Deli and Bakery has been dishing out the classics since the 1950s – benedicts, omelets, pastrami and, of course, bagels and lox – with walls of nostalgic photos to prove it. Slept in? Sherman's has got you; breakfast is available all day, alongside its daytime menu. There's a massive sandwich selection, plus generous entrées and towering cakes.

Coffee (and a treat)

Koffi's multiple locations all seem to be filled with friends catching up over cappuccinos, tasty teas and snacks like quiches and muffins.

Off the main drag, fun and funky Gré Records & Coffee is equal parts art space, record shop and coffee bar. It’s easy to get lost in the racks of vinyl or browsing the latest works on the walls.

Then there’s Frisky Business Cat Café. Its mission is to find forever homes for its resident felines, but you can enjoy hanging out with the kitties over a beverage or plant-based snack.

Lunch

The sandwiches, burgers and salads on the lunch menu at the golf clubhouse restaurant Escena Grill are credible if not groundbreaking – but the views are nothing short of inspirational. Grab a seat by the floor-to-ceiling windows or on the modernist veranda, then sip an Arnold Palmer while drinking in the panorama of the San Jacinto Mountains in the distance.

From the expansive to the intimate, The Barn Kitchen at Sparrows Lodge is as cozy as it sounds, and in true Palm Springs style, you’re never far from the pool or a citrus tree. Dishes are approachably gourmet, focusing on Coachella Valley and California ingredients. The smashed cucumber starter brings a kick of salsa macha and peanut; or try the chicken salad, heady with tarragon, or the Niman Ranch burger.

Secluded off the central La Plaza, the courtyard at Farm feels like a getaway to the French countryside, complete with sweet and savory crepes, omelets and sandwiches. Dinner is a more formal affair.

Chef Tanya’s Kitchen is a point of pilgrimage for local vegans. She founded the first nationwide plant-based restaurant chain in the USA, and now she does up sandwiches, burgers, salads and desserts – many made with the house seitan – from this unassuming storefront on the east side of town. Seating is at a premium, so you might want to take yours to go on a picnic or a hike.

Dinner

Lively Lulu sits at the crossroads of downtown, and at some point you’ll probably be there. The lure is almost irresistible; pops of color lead to an equally colorful crowd in its buzzy, two-story dining room and flashy bar. Patrons sip cocktails and chow on salads, pizzas, burgers and the signature meatloaf, plus many plant-based and gluten-free options. It’s open for lunch and weekend brunch, but it really comes alive nightly.

Palm Springs is a steak and martini town, and Mr. Lyons bills itself as a having “steakhouse classics with a modern edge.” Atmospheric and clubby, it does steaks, bone-in pork chops and Yorkshire pudding – meat or veggie. At the more casual bar, you might opt for a cheesesteak sandwich made with silky prime rib, crab Rangoon, martinis from dry to espresso, or the Single Village Fix cocktail, with mescal, pineapple gum syrup and lime juice. There’s even a speakeasy, Seymour’s.

Sushi in the desert? Sandfish goes the extra mile, pairing Japanese whisky with nigiri, edamame, yellowtail collar, bao buns and the namesake Sandfish roll, an explosion of spicy tuna, crab, avocado, fried potato threads and delectable garlic and teriyaki sauce.

Some of Southern California’s best restaurants are in strip malls, as proven by the Rooster & the Pig. Arrive for the 5pm opening (or prepare to line up) for this creative, contemporary Vietnamese spot featuring spring rolls (fried or fresh), salads like jasmine tea leaves, and large plates made for sharing: shaking beef with cucumber and tomato salad, sautéed eggplant, lemongrass pork noodles, and sweet and tangy tiger prawns.

El Marisol is an honest to goodness Mexican throwback, featured on TV’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives for the multilayered flavors of its chicken in mole. The shrimp doña diabla packs a wallop of spice, and the spinach enchiladas are the definition of soothing comfort food. Wash them down with generous pours of strong margaritas.

Bars

Palm Springs is practically synonymous with cocktail culture, and there’s no shortage of places to tipple while watching the sunset or staying up late. The High Bar sits atop the city’s tallest building, the Kimpton Rowan hotel; the mountains feel practically close enough to touch.

The one-block stretch of Arenas Rd east of Indian Canyon Dr is LGBTQ+ party central; among the half-dozen nightspots, your barhopping might include the nonstop upbeat energy at Chill Bar, show tunes or karaoke at Quadz, or dancing the night away at Hunters.

Mid-century tiki bars have an outsize presence in Palm Springs. Off Palm Canyon Dr, sharp-looking Bootlegger Tiki is on the site of the city’s original 1953 tiki bar. Down the street and up the stairs, dimly lit Tonga Hut serves up zombies and pupu platters under black-light art. The Reef at the Caliente Tropics hotel lets you down mai tais poolside, as you chow on kalua pork and loco moco bowls. There’s even an LGBTQ+ tiki bar, Toucans, complete with dance nights and drag shows.