Walking through the doors of The Old Spaghetti Factory is like stepping onto a highly stylized movie set. Towering red tufted booths, crystal chandeliers, and wood-beamed ceilings throughout (there’s even a dining room fashioned out of a vintage trolley car!), the place feels more like the Beast’s castle from “Beauty and the Beast” than a restaurant. Fantastical, whimsical, and oh-so-much fun, there’s truly no other spot like it in the desert. And the food is excellent, too!
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Even though this intimate restaurant is primarily referred to as a “hidden gem,” lines to get in stretch well past the front door most nights. One cocktail in, and you’ll know why. Paul Bar/Food is one of the city’s best spots – the kind that locals beg people like me not to mention on websites like this for fear of those nightly lines growing even longer. But the joint is certainly worth the wait, thanks to its meals, libations, atmosphere and service, which are some of the best you’ll find in the entire Valley.
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Initially established in 1975, Billy Reed’s is a Palm Springs icon! Serving up hearty staples in an inspired retro atmosphere, it is not hard to see why the place is so beloved. Boasting ample-sized booths, rich red accents, Tiffany-style lamps and carved woodwork at every turn, the place feels like Disneyland in the desert and is worth a trip the ambiance alone, though the food is stellar, too! The Cobb salad is honestly one of the best I’ve ever had! The eatery is also well known for its Boston Cream Pie and other sweets, with all desserts homemade daily in-house – “just as your grandmother wished she could make them,” per the menu.
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A Palm Springs landmark, Las Casuelas was originally established by Florencio Fajardo in 1958. Known for its stellar fare and vibrant ambiance, the eatery has been a local favorite ever since. (Even Elvis was a fan!) Still owned by the Fajardo family today, there are now multiple Las Casuelas restaurants dotting the desert, but the South Palm Canyon Drive outpost is the most beloved – and the most inviting! Comprised of multiple patios befitting of its name (“terraza” is Spanish for “terrace”), it is typically packed most hours of the day, but the long wait times are well worth it.
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This charmingly intimate café (an offshoot of the popular Farm restaurant next door) offers such deliciously inventive fresh fare as Cauliflower Ceviche, Tomato Tartar, and Watermelon Gazpacho. My favorite dish is the Hand-Carved Turkey Sandwich topped with avocado, provolone, basil pesto, and caper aioli, while my mom prefers the Beef Carpaccio, offered with watercress, frisée, and pecorino Romano cheese. The hand-crafted cocktails are also a must!
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Beloved for its formidable drink selection and award-winning American comfort fare, this spot is often heralded as having the best nachos in the desert – and that is not hyperbole! Served one-layer deep on a cookie sheet, allowing for an ideal chip-to-topping ratio, you will not find a better version anywhere else in the Valley! The eatery’s other menu items are just as tasty, with everything – and I do mean everything – made fresh in-house, and the craft cocktails superbly shaken and stirred by expert mixologists.
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My monthly lunch group’s go-to spot, this vegan gem proves that plant-based can be downright delicious. Everyone I take here is bowled over by the fare, even the diehard meat-eaters. I’m partial to the Egg-y Salad, while my bestie Heidi swears by the Banh Mi & You sandwich. Don’t skip the onsite “kreamery,” serving some of the desert’s best ice cream, or the adjoining pet store, which regularly hosts cat adoptions.
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This gem sits tucked inside the Sunnylands Center at the fabled Sunnylands Estate, the former home of philanthropists Walter and Leonore Annenberg and a stomping ground of countless U.S. presidents. While the salads here are great and inexpensive, the real draw is the ambiance. Overlooking the spectacular Sunnylands Gardens, this place has views for days! Post-meal, be sure to explore both the Center (admission is free and exhibits change regularly) and the surrounding landscape – every inch of it is spectacular!
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A beloved spot for burgers, this place is a mid-day go-to. With basic offerings like the American (topped with Swiss, onions, lettuce, pickles, tomato and special sauce) to the Fresno Fig (served with fig marmalade, melted goat cheese, bacon, tomato, onion, arugula, and spicy porter mustard) you can go high or low-brow here, and will not be disappointed. The salads are also exceptional and the beer and whiskey options plentiful.
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Vegan, gluten-free and, paleo friends – this is the spot for you! Owned and operated by functional nutrition counselor/chef Lorraine Ornelas, the eatery boasts a highly specialized menu offering smoothies, juices, elixir shots, and entrees geared toward every dietary restriction and preference known to man. Need a glow-up, toxin flush or immunity boost? Plant-based, low-carb, celiac? Lorraine has got you covered, no matter what ails you! And the fare is incredibly tasty, to boot!
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