Where to eat and drink in Palm Springs right now

16.10.2024 - 21:23 / lonelyplanet.com

Oct 16, 2024 • 6 min read

Palm Springs is the California desert’s restaurant hotspot, but it wasn’t always so. For much of the last century, the city – and the Coachella Valley to its southeast – felt like chiefly the realm of retirees and golfers, with ho-hum dining to match. 

My, how things have changed. As a nonstop stream of visitors of all generations, cultures and interests seeks desert heat and cultural cool, the restaurant scene has busted wide open. 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. 

Foodie favorites come and go, yet somehow Cheeky’shas been on top of its game since 2008. Its hidden courtyard (or minimalist, cool interior) is the place "to scene" and be seen at breakfast and lunch, over a seasonal menu that 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, crispy shallots and more, 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 eggs and, of course, bagels and lox – with walls of nostalgic photos to prove it. Slept in? They’ve got you; breakfast is served all day, alongside its daytime menu: a massive sandwich board, generous entrées and towering cakes. 

Koffiis such a local institution that they might as well just change the spelling. Its multiple locations all seem to be filled with friends catching up over cappuccinos, lattes, tasty teas and snacks like quiches and muffins. 

Tucked away 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 from Chef Tanya’s Kitchen (see below). 

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