Diners' Choice: Californian restaurants in Palm Springs / Palm Desert Cities

OpenTable

Updated November 05, 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best overall Californian cuisine in Palm Springs / Palm Desert Cities? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyzes more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favorites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Mitch's on El Paseo Prime Seafood

4.8

4.8 (4387)

$31 to $50

Californian

Palm Desert

About the restaurant

Thank you for choosing Mitch's on El Paseo.

Sushi, Specialty Sake Selections, Prime Steaks and Seafood. Serving Lunch and Dinner. Climatized patio, Located at the corner of Portola & El Paseo in Palm Desert. Come join us for great food and a fabulous time!

Top review

Deborah

Dined 3 days ago

My French martini was made perfectly. Salmon was cooked to perfection. Ambiance out on the patio was beautiful on a fall evening. Personnel and owner are friendly and welcoming. Very enjoyable dinner before heading to McCallum Theatre for the rest of the evening.

Cork Tree Restaurant

4.8

4.8 (4127)

$50 and over

Californian

Palm Desert

About the restaurant

Cork Tree Restaurant is built around California products. Local ingredients are used whenever possible and wines of the West Coast, particularly California, are featured.

The wine list is always a work in progress, with a balance of well known wineries, as well as boutique wineries.

Cork Tree enhabits a style rich in California elegance. Large and round booths privately encased in wood and fabric provide intimate spaces for conversation and romance, while providing views of the understated glamour of the dining room. Beautiful Palm Trees and a natural cascading fountain make the Cork Tree Patio wind-protected and well-appointed for dining under the stars. Additionally, depending on the size of your celebration, two private dining options await.

Top review

Christopher

Dined on Nov 20, 2024

Thoroughly enjoyed our dinner, service was attentive and friendly. Will definitely return when back in the area. Thx!

Discover more

Popular dish

Seared Chilean Sea Bass

Popular dish

Organic Rainbow Beet Salad

Popular dish

Beef Filet Mignon

Solano's Bar and Grill - Palm Desert

4.8

4.8 (543)

$30 and under

Californian

Palm Desert

About the restaurant

Solano's Bar & Grill in Palm Desert is brought to you by owner and Executive Chef Paco Solano, a chef known throughout the desert for his seasonal and delicious food, craft cocktails, a curated wine menu, and for creating an inviting and welcoming atmosphere.

Top review

Jimvip

Dined 7 days ago

Good food, service rather slow although not busy, average prices

Alice B.

4.7

4.7 (809)

$31 to $50

Californian

Palm Springs

About the restaurant

Alice B. restaurant and bar from award-winning chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken combines Southern California’s incredible seasonal bounty with Mediterranean-leaning flavors. The culinary vision is a collaborative effort between Feniger, Milliken and acclaimed Executive Chef Lance Velasquez.

This unique dining experience is located at Living Out, a luxury resort-style LGBTQ+ active senior community surrounded by spectacular mountain views. Inspired by the extraordinary life of Alice B. Toklas and her life partner Gertrude Stein, the restaurant establishes a vibrant space where culinary excellence, art, and community converge seamlessly.

We offer indoor & outdoor seating, plus bar seating. Dinner starts at 5PM. Bar menu starts at 4PM. Join us for Brunch on Sat & Sun from 10AM - 2PM & live music on select nights.

Mary Sue Milliken & Susan Feniger are the founders of Mundo Hospitality Group, including Border Grill, Pacha Mamas, BBQ Mexicana, SOCALO, and most recently Alice B.

Top review

Laura

Dined 2 days ago

In town for the Thanksgiving holiday and wanted to stop by to try this place and it did not disappoint! Service was excellent all around. Do yourself a big favor and make sure to order the cheddar biscuits—best biscuit I’ve ever had and apparently they sell out daily. We also enjoyed the toasted nuts, marinated olives and the short rib tortellini. We liked this place so much that we’re planning to come back again before heading home to try some of the other things on the menu that sounded so good (and you better believe we’re gonna get those biscuits again!!).

Discover more

Experience

Weekend Brunch

Experience

Live Piano Bar with Ron Pass

The Tropicale

4.8

4.8 (10298)

$31 to $50

Californian

Palm Springs

About the restaurant

A chic and sophisticated décor provides the setting for our distinctive "world cuisine", a provocative mix of zesty influences that creates a delightful dining experience in Palm Springs, California. Plush high-backed semicircular banquettes surround our dining room and offer comfortable and private seating. The cuisine has a light, exotic feel with an emphasis on Pacific Rim specialties, from Chilean Sea Bass baked in Banana Leaves or Kahlua-Barbecued Pork Chops to all sorts of tasty tapas, salads, wood-fired pizzas, and desserts. The Coral Seas Lounge, a hip mid-century style bar is lined with sexy black leather bar-stools and is reminiscent of the upbeat lounges of old Palm Springs. It wraps around the dining room and leads outside to a lush, tropical, 2000 square foot dining patio where a variety of specialty cocktails and old-school favorites are mixed - an ideal place where friends gather and martinis are sipped under the starlit desert sky.

Top review

Valerie

Dined 2 days ago

The food was absolutely delicious. The ambiance is one of the best in the desert, service was spectacular. Perfect place for our Thanksgiving dinner!

Discover more

Wildest Restaurant + Bar

4.7

4.7 (1314)

$31 to $50

Californian

Palm Desert

About the restaurant

Our philosophy is to attempt to source wild-caught fish, local pasture-raised poultry and grass-fed poultry, as well as plant-based meals that promise to be flavorful options to those who choose to eat meat-free. We offer allergen sensitive options for gluten-free, dairy-free, nut and seed free. Whenever possible we strive to offerproducts without hormones and steroids and the restaurant strives to be cruelty free and to supports local organic, biodynamic and sustainable farms. Provisions not made in house will be sourced from the coolest epicureans. Health conscious casual fine dine in a beautiful setting with live entertainment nightly. Indoor/outdoor dining. Palm Spring's Life best new restaurant and Wine Spectator award winner. GREAT FOOD, GREAT DRINKS, and a GREAT TIME!

Top review

Mike

Dined 1 day ago

Great reservation that was fulfilled exceptionally!

Discover more

King Trumpet Mushroom Calamari

bluEmber at Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa

4.5

4.5 (840)

$31 to $50

Californian

Rancho Mirage

About the restaurant

Experience bluEmber, the resort’s signature restaurant for an inventive spin on California New American cuisine. Enjoy the sophisticated dining room, or sit back and enjoy food and wine pairings on the award winning patio. Cozy up with a cocktail by the fire pit and admire the majestic mountains and lush fairways. Whatever you choose, bluEmber embodies the Rancho Las Palmas experience at every turn with an exquisite menu, variety of fine wines, and unmatched hospitality.

Top review

Pattivip

Dined 1 day ago

Our server Ricardo was wonderful and very attentive.

Lavender Bistro

4.6

4.6 (6686)

$31 to $50

Californian

La Quinta

About the restaurant

At Lavender we combine the finest meats and seafood with the freshest organic ingredients to create unforgettable dishes. Dine indoors in a warm, cozy atmosphere or on our stunning tree-lined patio. Lavender Bistro also prides itself on providing superb live music nightly to set a warm and friendly atmosphere.

For every occasion, to change the ordinary into extraordinary, come join us at Lavender Bistro, "where memories are made!"

Closed for Summer Break from the last Sunday in May until the last Thursday in September.
Re-Opening 09/28/2023!

Top review

Tim

Dined 4 days ago

Food was outstanding, service was prompt and attentive, outdoor dining was refreshing and remarkable 💯

Discover more

Popular dish

Caesar Salad

Popular dish

Dijon & Walnut Crusted Chilean Sea Bass

Shorebird Palm Desert

4.5

4.5 (464)

$31 to $50

Californian

Palm Desert

About the restaurant

Shorebird Restaurant is a coastal eatery that proudly presents a modern take on classic Americana flavors with influences from traditional seafood and steakhouses. Featuring a wood-fire grill and rotisserie, our signature dishes include Duroc Heritage Pork Chop with Brussels sprouts and brandy-poached apples, Faroe Island’s Salmon Mignon with a cauliflower purée, and Harris Ranch Prime Skirt Steak served with a red chimichurri sauce. For those looking for delicious, shareable plates, our Avocado Fries with a green goddess dressing, Twice Fried Chicken Wings with a chipotle gastrique, or items from our “Raw Bar,” are a great way to start your meal.

Top review

Sherivip

Dined 3 days ago

This was about the 6th time we've been to Shorebird and the service was by far the best. Excellent waiter with a great personality. Food was very good, cocktails as well. We'll be back.

Discover more

4.4

4.4 (212)

$31 to $50

Californian

Palm Springs

About the restaurant

Boozehounds Palm Springs was established in 2020 and has served as a go-to restaurant for dog owners from LA, San Diego, Coachella Valley, and beyond.
Boozehounds was started by three friends for one simple reason… they loved dogs and dreamed of owning a place where people could take their pups, enjoy an awesome cocktail or fab meal, and socialize in style. Making sure the pup was the real VIP of course! Choose from the sexy and stylish dining room and lounge facing the gorgeous San Jacinto mountains, dine in the open-air atrium, or enjoy the picturesque vacation vibes at the cabana bar and patio. Who doesn’t love a little mai tai moment?
Both the Atrium and Patio are dog-friendly zones and offer water bowls and a pup-friendly menu. Please note all indoor spaces are human only.
Michelin Guide Restauarant 3 years in a row, and recently nominated best drag show 2023 by GED

Top review

Billvip

Dined 3 days ago

The service was OUTSTANDING. The ambiance was delightful. The food, however, wasn't great. The options sounded better than they tasted. It's definitely a restaurant to return when we want to dine out and bring the dog. Otherwise, I would eat elsewhere.

Explore Diners' Choice best of Palm Springs / Palm Desert Cities

Explore more Diners' Choice lists