Restaurants

There are hundreds, likely thousands of places to eat in the Coachella Valley, from ramshackle taquerias to chic foie gras palaces.

As it’s impossible to list every restaurant in the desert, we’ve chosen those that work well for both locals and visitors because of their food, service, price, (good) quirkiness, atmosphere, or some combination thereof.

To help you find your way to a great meal, we’ve organized the restaurant listings by cuisine. That’s not exactly rocket science, we realize. Then within those categories you’ll find the all-important coin component, and some discussion as to why the place is listed in the first place. As we’re of the persuasion that most places are suitable for kids who don’t mind eating past the mac-n-cheese, you won’t find broad chunks of No-Kid Zone here, and that includes some places that might have a large array of tap handles. If we think junior should sit one out, we’ll tell you. With a few exceptions, we do not list dining spots inside casinos or hotels, as these tend to go through frequent changes. We also do not list fast-food places or huge national chains but instead concentrate on those restaurants that are unique to the desert or not widely represented outside the region. Rest assured, you will be able to find all the insipid fast-food places here: McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Jack in the Box, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, Arby’s, Burger King, and so on. The moderately priced chain restaurants, such as Denny’s, Ruby’s Diner, Tony Roma’s, Hamburger Hamlet, IHOP, California Pizza Kitchen, and Marie Callender’s, all reside in the desert if not this book. On the high end, the chain prohibition means you’ll have to find the likes of a Ruth’s Chris or a Morton’s of your own volition; psssst, they’re here.

A word about geography: Wherever you are in the desert, you’re never far from a good selection of dining spots. The layout of the valley, with Palm Canyon Drive-become-Highway 111 running right through the middle of each city, means that most large shopping, dining, and entertainment clusters are right there, taking advantage of the constant flow of traffic. So, in Palm Springs, you’ll find most restaurants along Palm Canyon Drive downtown and in the half mile or so around the downtown core.

Restaurants in Cathedral City follow this rule as well, with a collection of fast-food places on the western city limits and more upscale places to the east. In Rancho Mirage the stretch of highway known as Restaurant Row stretches from Shame on the Moon on the western city limits to Wally’s Desert Turtle on the east. In between these two elegant signposts is The River, one of the desert’s most popular eating/retail/entertainment complexes. A number of regional chains, such as P. F. Chang’s and the Cheesecake Factory, are here, as well as a fine selection of dining and drinking places, from the ubiquitous Starbucks to Baja Fresh, the Yard House, Piero’s Acqua Pazza, and Fleming’s Steakhouse.

In Palm Desert, restaurants are concentrated both on Highway 111 and along El Paseo Drive, which parallels Highway 111 for a number of blocks. Here you’ll find eating choices that range from fast-food outlets and high-quality chains such as California Pizza Kitchen, to quirky locals spots and haute cuisine. As Palm Desert fades into Indian Wells on the east, the restaurant tally drops precipitously while the gems-per-capita quotient rises, perhaps peaking at the Renaissance Esmeralda’s Sirocco, an Italian restaurant of legitimate note.

La Quinta also has its share of fine dining, with restaurants scattered all over the city, from the old-become-new downtown to small shopping malls and La Quinta Resort.

Restaurants in Indio are more down-to-earth, with the full complement of fast-food eateries as well as a number of moderately priced Mexican, Italian, and American places.

Choosing where to eat in the Coachella Valley is often a matter of deciding how far you want to drive and where you want to be at the end of the evening. And if you’re suddenly starving at the end of the day, just head to most any stretch of Highway 111/Palm Canyon Drive as good food is always just a few minutes away. Restaurants come and go, and one that’s been a mainstay for 20 years may have moved, closed, or been renamed by the time you are using this guide. Also, hours change with the seasons. A place that requires reservations in February may be happy to take walk-ins during the summer. Always call ahead to avoid disappointment. The same holds true for days of operation. During high season, most restaurants are open seven days a week. There is no consistent day of closing for six-day restaurants, though Monday and Tuesday are most common. Again, call ahead.