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

OpenTable

Updated December 05, 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best overall Californian cuisine in Palm Springs / Palm Desert? 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!

SO.PA at L'Horizon Resort and Spa

5.0

5 (738)

$50 and over

Californian

Palm Springs

About the restaurant

An ADULTS ONLY destination by Reservation. SO•PA has a NO PETS POLICY.

Decadent, refined, and intimate, SO•PA offers a unique alfresco dining experience. Join us for dinner in an intimate outdoor setting under the stars as Chef Igor Krichmar presents the seasonally enticing menu. Your elegant, yet relaxed evening includes world class cocktails and a sophisticated, yet approachable wine cellar curated by our in-house Certified Sommelier. You won't want to miss an aperitif or digestif at our exclusive fire pit and poolside bar. VALET is COMPLIMENTARY.

**2024 Winner of Diners Choice Award**
During cooler climate weather, SO•PA maintains its temperate and warm ambience with strategically placed heaters in addition to our intimate alfresco firepit.

Top review

JenniferVIP

Dined on Nov 29, 2024

Very lovely experience from parking to after dinner cocktail. The staff is happy to be here and wants you to be happy too. Love the ambiance for a nice, relaxing night out in beautiful Palm Springs..

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Experience

4-Course Xmas Eve Menu w/Optional Wine Pairing

Experience

5-Course NYE Tasting Menu & Optional Wine Pairing

Mitch's on El Paseo Prime Seafood

4.8

4.8 (4413)

$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

MaryVIP

Dined 1 day ago

Never disappoints. Great service great food. We love this place

Wildest Restaurant + Bar

4.7

4.7 (1326)

$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

SandyVIP

Dined 2 days ago

We shared the tuna, cauliflower and the squah blossom. I cannot wait to go bake for the butter cake but we were FULL! I want to try other things on the menu, but I also want more of what I had! DELICIOUS with great service and a GREAT WAITER!!

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King Trumpet Mushroom Calamari

Cork Tree Restaurant

4.8

4.8 (4140)

$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

Melissa

Dined 4 days ago

Food was excellent and the service was friendly and attentive. Lovely.

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Popular dish

Seared Chilean Sea Bass

Popular dish

Organic Rainbow Beet Salad

Popular dish

Trio Crème Brulee

Alice B.

4.7

4.7 (836)

$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

MargaretVIP

Dined 1 day ago

Great food and service. Chef Susan is there to check on all the tables to make sure the customers are enjoying. NY strip steak absolutely the best; branzino fabulous, pork shoulder very tasty but a little fatty. Must get the cheddar biscuits. Just a fun place with a pleasant vibe.

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Solano's Bar and Grill - Palm Desert

4.8

4.8 (544)

$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

Denise

Dined 5 days ago

Absolutely GREAT. Food is fantastic and perfectly proportioned. Service is impeccable. . . Perhaps the very best restaurant in the desert . The Chef is wonderful and his creations are unbelievable. A not to be missed experience . .

The Tropicale

4.8

4.8 (10328)

$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

Judy

Dined 5 days ago

We had great food and drinks and friendly professional service. Best happy hour!

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bluEmber at Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa

4.4

4.4 (841)

$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 on Nov 29, 2024

Our server Ricardo was wonderful and very attentive.

Lavender Bistro

4.6

4.6 (6720)

$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

Judy

Dined 7 days ago

The whole dining experience was beautiful. The patio lights, holiday decorations, server and live music was perfect. Our dinners which included Rib Eye special Was fabulous and so well presented. I would definitely make this my #1 place to go for special occasions.

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Popular dish

Caesar Salad

Popular dish

Dijon & Walnut Crusted Chilean Sea Bass

Shorebird Palm Desert

4.4

4.4 (477)

$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

LindaVIP

Dined 5 days ago

This is the place to be for a festive environment, attentive staff and very delish meals with a twist! Peach sangria is heavenly, Wagyu burger was extremely good and who doesn’t like fried avocado? See ya soon Shorebird Palm Desert.

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Celebrate the Festive Season at Shorebird

Explore Diners' Choice best of Palm Springs / Palm Desert