Palm Springs Restaurant Tips

There are 175 places to eat in Palm Springs, from fast food to fine dining, so there’s no need to ever go hungry, no matter what you’re looking for. Cuisine ranges from Asian to Vegatarian, and everything in between. You’ll be surprised at the variety of restaurants in this small city, almost all within walking distance from your Palm Springs resort. Many restaurants are owned and operated by award winning chefs, so you can expect some remarkable dining experiences.

Some restaurants are geared primarily to visitors; others are more local “hang-outs.” Some do a lot of advertising, while others do no advertising at all, but on any weekend during the visitor season it is almost impossible to find an open table from 7:00-8:30 pm.

A few things to keep in mind about dining in Palm Springs:

Palm Springs is an early dining city – Few restaurants (although the number is slowly growing) serve dinner past 10:00 pm, especially during mid-week. If you are looking for dining deals, many restaurants offer “early-bird” specials in the late afternoon.

Fine dining attire is California casual – Remember that most people are off to dinner after a day of golf, hiking, or lounging by the pool. For men, shorts and a colorful shirt is acceptable at even the most high end restaurant. I can’t think of any Palm Springs restaurant that requires a jacket and tie.

Some restaurants are closed during the summer – Although some restaurants do close completely for a portion of the summer, more and more are either simply limiting their mid-week hours or completely eliminating their closures. You will still find plenty of good restaurants in Palm Springs during the summer.

Restaurants do come and go – Due to the small size of Palm Springs, the comings and goings of restaurants may be more noticeable than in larger cities, but every year some close and others open. It is often hard for website portals to keep up with all the changes.

Whether you’re looking for a quick breakfast to start the day, a casual lunch on an outside patio or an evening of fine dining and entertainment, there are many great choices in Palm Springs. I can recommend a pizza place that serves what I consider the best pizza I’ve ever eaten, a restaurant that grows its own herbs in their on-site herb garden, a bakery that will deliver a fresh sandwich box lunch or salad to your resort, or one of the well kept reasonably priced local secrets that most visitors never find.