10 Best Restaurants in Palm Springs and the Desert Resorts, California

The flavored bacon flight, hangover-halting Bloody Marys, and the rest of the self-described "quirky comfort cuisine" have attracted legions to this casual breakfast and lunch joint for more than a decade, which results in epic waits on weekends (no reservations accepted for groups smaller than 10). Once seated, the well-oiled service machine is fast and furious—just pray the homemade cinnamon roll-croissant hybrids haven't sold out yet. For lunch, in addition to the morning all-star dishes, you can nosh on globally and seasonally influenced soups, sandwiches, and salads.

At this charmer of a bistro in downtown’s historic La Plaza, you can cross the pond without a passport by tucking into Provençal-style staples like sweet or savory crepes, bouillabaisse, croque-monsieur sandwiches, and omelets—all made from scratch using true-to-the-name ingredients, plenty of dairy products, and amour. Savor breakfast and lunch daily as the sun warms your skin; the setting becomes even more magical after dark thanks to string lights, clinking wine glasses, a gurgling fountain, and a five-course prix-fixe dinner offering.

People love traveling with their pups, and at this inventive uptown bar–restaurant, Fido is welcome to join you at tables on the big enclosed patio, which is accessed via the doggy door, naturally! You can savor spirits, snacks, and more substantial plates—many with Asian/Filipino leanings, like blistered shishitos, garlic noodles with galbi (Korean short ribs), or chicken adobo—while your dog can chow-chow down on a gourmet selection from the canine menu. If you aren't accompanied by a furry friend or you want to chill in the air-conditioning, head inside to the cute, trendy, and mutt-free main dining room.

No matter what time or day it is, this swanky restaurant in the Uptown Design District buzzes with pals toasting promotions and celebrating birthdays, couples on dates sharing beet carpaccio and oysters, singles mingling in the lounge, and tourists who were lured from the street by the jovial sounds and tantalizing smells wafting out of the polished white (with pops of Barbie pink) rooms and expansive patio. The look may be a little late-'90s, early-aughts Miami, but the menu is pure Pacific Coast with favorites like ahi tuna poke with house-made kimchi, steelhead niçoise salad, mesquite-smoked carne asada, and curried-cauliflower steak.

Using his grandmother's passed-down family recipes from Mazatlán, Mexico, Florencio Delgado and his wife opened their original restaurant in 1973. Five decades later, the Delgado descendants are still pumping out hearty and traditional plates of fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, and harder-to-find stuffed-pepper dishes like chile en nogada. Imported art and crafts lend festive charm to this casual but crowded culinary institution, which has an expansive garden patio.

For more than a decade, Lulu has been feeding desert denizens and vacationers a little bit of everything—seriously, if you can't find something on the lengthy menu of soups, salads, pasta dishes, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, seafood, other star proteins like pork ribs and filet mignon, and desserts (cotton candy!), you likely don't eat human food. Dine in the spacious, quirky multilevel dining room or outside on the terrace with prime Palm Canyon people-watching.

The swank steak house and Sunday-brunch stalwart occupies a historic mid-century modern structure in the Palm Springs Tennis Club at the base of the San Jacintos. Between the club connection, ritzy ambience, and selection of old-fashioned fancy food (veal chops, duck, creamed spinach), Spencer's clientele skews toward power lunchers and socialites. If you do find yourself craving crisp-skin whitefish or liver and bacon with raspberry vodka essence, try for a table on the low-lit and dreamy deck.

Discerning diners, even those whose names don't appear on the registry of The Colony Palms Hotel, know to book a table here for contemporary takes on white tablecloth staples like beef Stroganoff (here, made with short ribs and fresh pappardelle), green beans almondine (jazzed up with a brown-butter-and-cider glaze), or shrimp "cocktail" (barely recognizable but lip-lickin' good). Now overseen by chef Michael Hung—who cut his teeth at Daniel, Aquavit, Jardiniere, and La Folie—the restaurant emphasizes California seasonality and sourcing from farms and aquaculture operations to pack punch into everything from the small—say, preserved lemon compote and ginger scallion relish—to the large, like chicken schnitzel or vegan meatloaf. Take breakfast or weekend brunch on the sunny patio with the gleaming pool in view, but, after dusk, never settle for anywhere but the elegant dining room, with its grandiose floor tiles, avian wallpaper, and doting maitre d'.

The pink-and-green palette, botanical wallpaper, oversize globe pendants, gold trim, tile floor, and velvety banquettes draw the pretty people and those who follow them on social media to this Martyn Lawrence Bullard–designed gem at the Sands Hotel. But it's the Mediterranean-Moroccan cuisine—think lamb tagine or harissa chicken—and punchy drinks that keep them happy and snapping.

This popular watering hole and fine-dining eatery is part mid-century supper club (some nights feature live jazz), part Miami kitsch (pops of pink neon, marlin wall art, and apps served in glass seashells), and all good time. Sip from the extensive martini and mojito list; bask in the gorgeous glow of a flambéed baked Alaska from one of the main dining room's tall leather booths; or nosh on protein-packed salads, pork chops, pizzas, or Sunday sushi amid tropical plants and water features in the outdoor area.