Palm Springs may be LA’s adult playground, but it’s also a dining destination.
LessPut Boozehounds at the top of your big group dining list. The sprawling space has a massive outdoor patio, a four-sided bar inside, plus tons of semi-private sitting areas throughout. As far as food goes, we like the Filipino-leaning dishes the most, like the perfectly-simmered adobo chicken and crackly pork lumpia, but all the menus (they have different ones for brunch, lunch, dinner, and Happy Hour) are large and cover a ton of ground, so everyone will find something they like.
After downing a pitcher of mojitos at the pool and singing along to musical theater videos at Quadz all night, a dozen bagels or so is probably necessary. Be the hero of your vacation rental and go to Townie Bagels. The massively popular shop started out as an at-home business before eventually moving into their current brick-and-mortar on Sunny Dunes Rd. just south of downtown in 2015. The bagels here are all water-boiled giving them a crispy, crackling exterior and a perfectly soft interior.
Peninsula is an order-at-the-counter bakery that’s home to the best pastries, bread, and baked goods in Palm Springs. They make everything daily using imported French flour and butter, and when they sell out, they’re out. So no matter how late things went in the hot tub last night, be sure to get there no later than 10am, or prepare for slim pickings. It’s impossible to pick a favorite, but if you see a gooey almond croissant or thick, crunchy kouign amann behind the glass case, get them.
This mostly outdoor restaurant is within doable walking distance of all the major downtown hotels, meaning on Saturday mornings this place is basically a hangover recovery center. As long as you’re OK with that—or are part of that crowd yourself—you’ll have a lovely time. The menu has brunch heavy-hitters like brioche French toast, decadent omelets, and a cheese- and egg-filled sandwich. And in case you’re wondering, there are mimosas and bloody marys on the menu, but no, they aren’t bottomless.
The all-day poolside restaurant at the Drift hotel offers not just good food, but something rarer when it comes to brunch in Palm Springs: legitimate peace and quiet. The tranquil, all-white patio with views of the crystal blue lap pool in the distance feels like you’re on a private island in the Mediterranean, not a roadside hotel in the desert. We love the breakfast sandwich, which comes with juicy carnitas, bacon, fried egg, and refried beans on a pillowy brioche bun.
After hours of laying by the pool doing nothing, reward yourself with a leisurely lunch at The Heyday. The former smashburger pop-up superstar is now located on the north end of Palm Canyon in a retro dining room with dark red booths and stained-glass lamp shades. It feels like a pizza parlor from the mid-80s where everyone’s eating crinkle fries, chicken wings, and smashburgers coated with housemade Thousand Island. There’s also a full bar —our move is the all-day martini and burger special.
The Real Italian Deli is one of those places we wish we had around the corner from our apartment. The small, order-at-the-counter spot is in a large strip mall a few miles outside of downtown Palm Springs, but they make some of our favorite sandwiches in town. You’re going to want the parma, which is prosciutto and mozzarella, on a house-made torpedo roll (crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside) with a side of their mac salad.
El Salvador Cafe is located directly next door to Peruvian Fuego, so we’re not saying you have to do a double lunch, but we’re also not not. In the chillier months (yes, it does get quite cold in Palm Springs), our order will always include a pork tamal and chicken soup, but no matter what time of year it is, a great meal at El Salvador Cafe is one filled with pupusas. We recommend the queso con jalapeno, the chicharron, and the loca.
Gambino’s Creperie is hidden down a tiny side alley off E. Palm Canyon, so don’t get frustrated if it takes you a few tries to find it. Because once you do, you’ll be treated to one of our favorite quick lunch spots in town. Made with a special blend of chimichurri, cheese, and jalapenos, and filled with everything from chicken caesar to turkey cheddar, these are by no means traditional crepes. They’re savory hand-held masterpieces that don’t just look good, but also taste incredible.
Certain scenarios are expected of Palm Springs, like plenty of pool time, a lot of golf, and local residents at stoplights asking you if you know their grandson. But a NYC-style kosher deli in the heart of downtown took us by surprise. Sherman’s is a Palm Springs institution, serving immensely respectable versions of all the old classics. It might be 114 degrees out, but sometimes a hot pastrami on rye and matzo ball soup is simply what needs to happen.