Best Palm Springs restaurants include these 5 brunch spots
Enjoy our guide to the top five brunch locations in the Coachella Valley, from a Mexican eatery to a French cafe.
If you’re in town for the Coachella or Stagecoach music festivals, welcome! You picked one of the best times of year to explore our home.
The Coachella Valley’s nine cities boast a wide offering of restaurants, and there are several that have popped up closer to the festival venue — the Empire Polo Club in Indio — in the last few years. If you’re looking to fuel up before heading to the fest, here are just a few of our favorites.
Consider this your complete desert dining guide for the weekend.
Indio Taphouse
Downtown Indio has blossomed since I moved here five years ago, and it’s become one of my favorite places to grab a drink (Rosemary HiFi), a bagel (The Dune Room) or Mexican food (El Mexicali Café II). But if you’re looking for a place with a beautiful outdoor patio, a big drink menu and great pub food, there’s nowhere better than Indio Taphouse. I’ve been to this beer bar/grill several times and have always enjoyed myself, but never has it come more in clutch than when I went to a show in Indio recently and was so hungry after, I was slowly losing my mind, and this place was an oasis of pub fare in a literal and figurative late-night eats desert. I highly recommend the chicken sliders, which are best paired with one of the dozens of brews on the beverage menu (I personally paired mine with a Calidad Mexican-style lager and was a happy camper).
Details: 82-867 Miles Ave., Unit 1, Indio. 442-400-3480, indiotaphouse.com
— Niki Kottmann
Chula Artisan Eatery
Chula Artisan Eatery is a Mexican restaurant serving fresh food that includes some vegan and gluten-free options inside a cute interior. If you have a vegan in your group but aren’t thrilled about eating vegan food yourself, this is a good choice so both of you can leave happy and full. Its options for those who eat animal products include sticky bacon dates, carne asada fries, pozole and huevos rancheros. Vegan options include its chula vegan pancakes and a vegan bowl that is filled with black beans, hummus, quinoa, sweet potato and veggies. And don’t forget to grab one of Chula Artisan Eatery’s baked goods on your way out for a little treat at home.
Details: 47-150 Washington St., Suite B, La Quinta. 760-227-6616, chulaeatery.com
— Ani Gasparyan
TKB Bakery & Deli
A sandwich-lover’s heaven must look something like TKB Bakery & Deli. It’ll make you repent for every other sandwich you’ve taken a bite out of. TKB’s got both hot and cold sandwiches, as well salads and sides like fries and onion rings. You’ve possibly seen its food truck roaming around, but its physical location is worth you driving to it for a change. It’s a large building with a trendy interior and lots of seating that could accommodate any group size. It’s perfect for various occasions, including a quick bite to eat before heading to the festival grounds. TKB also has a bakery that serves sweet treats and drinks. Really, it’s everything you could pray for.
Details: 45-334 Golf Center Parkway, Indio. 760-775-8330, tkbbakery.com
— Ani Gasparyan
The Pink Cabana
This pink paradise is perhaps the most Instagrammable of all the eateries on this list, and that means you won’t be able to go without seeing at least one bachelorette party on an impromptu photoshoot. But if you’re like me and you enjoy eating in beautiful spaces where the vibes are joyful, you’ll feel right at home here.
The Pink Cabana is nestled inside the gorgeous, Moroccan-inspired Sands Hotel & Spa, and is located just steps from the property’s luxurious pool. The restaurant was designed by Martyn Lawrence Bullard, who took inspiration from the iconic tennis and racquet clubs of Palm Springs in the ’50s and ’60s, so you’ll feel like you just stepped off the court with Marilyn Monroe and went to the most stylish spot you could find for a refreshing post-game cocktail. All the drinks on the Pink Cabana’s menu sound incredible, but I can personally recommend the Golden Hour, paired with truly any brunch item.
Details: 44-985 Province Way, Indian Wells. 760-321-3771, sandshotelandspa.com/dining-bar/
— Niki Kottmann
The Café at Shields
Even tourists may have heard of Shield’s Date Garden, the famous place in Indio with the giant armored soldier with his shield and sword pointing you toward the gift shop — where you can get a date shake at the diner bar, and browse for mementos of your trip to the desert. What you might not know is that there is a great café in the back with fantastic breakfast and lunch options (it closes at 2 p.m. each day). As you might guess, along with traditional fare, there are some fun date-centric menu items, too, like a date omelet, date pancakes or how about their signature date burger? That’s a burger topped with sauteed Deglet Noor dates, bacon and melted bleu cheese. It’s a family friendly place as well with plenty of kid-friendly options and there’s even a walking path and sculpture garden in the back for patrons to work off that date shake that you simply must try.
Details: 80-225 Highway 111, Indio. 760-775-0902. cafe.shieldsdategarden.com
— Shad Powers
Little Bar
Little Bar is aptly named. It’s a low-key, small spot indoors but also has outdoor seating if you get claustrophobic. It’s happy hour special is until 6 p.m. and includes craft cocktails, beer, seltzer, wine and spritzers. The bar’s drinks range from the sophisticated, like espresso martinis and its take on an old fashioned dubbed a “bold fashioned,” to the more free-spirited, like jello shots and white claw. It is a casual bar sure to please the drinking habits of even the most eclectic friend group. Little Bar also serves food, including filling entrees like a cheeseburger and shareable bites like their filthy fries that are loaded with melted American cheese, grilled onions and special sauce (quite similar to In-N-Out’s animal style fries).
Details: 73-560 Palm Desert Drive North, Palm Desert. 760-565-1965, little-bar.com
— Ani Gasparyan
Cork & Fork
For something a little different, this tapas spot in Indio works for any appetite. Tapas, of course, means small plates, which makes Cork & Fork a great place to try new things and share them with your squad. The tapas menu includes standards like truffle mac and cheese, poke nachos, or beef sliders, but also some outside-the-bun options like pickled Vietnamese cucumber, edamame dumplings or Thai shrimp cakes. Don’t fret, there are also full-plate options for those anti-tapas diners out there. And don’t forget about the “cork” part of Cork & Fork. They feature a wide selection of wines to pair with your meal, whether small plate or large.
Details: 49-890 Jefferson St., Suite 100, Indio. 760-777-7555, corkandforkwinebar.com
— Shad Powers
RD RNNR Libations Pints & Plates
RDRNNR is the type of place that could be described as an upscale sports bar, and it’s conveniently located right in Old Town La Quinta. The menu is sophisticated, and the food is thoughtfully prepared. Meanwhile there are a lot of TVs playing the big game, and you wouldn’t be out of place letting out a little scream or a fist pump when your team scores. Plenty of libations to choose from, too.
Details: 78-065 Main St., Suite 200, La Quinta. 442-400-3255, roadrunnerlq.com
— Shad Powers
Black Cat Pizza
Detroit is 2,265 miles away from Palm Desert — and it can sometimes feel even further than that. Luckily, this strip mall pizza joint that opened in late 2024 is helping to bridge the distance. While it’s still a newcomer to the local dining scene, the perfect balance between the crisp and chewiness of its Detroit-style pies — yes, that’s the square kind — have already made them among our local go-tos (we love the diavolo de miele, which combines pepperoni with hot honey). While you’ll want to split a ‘za or two with your companions, there’s also salads, sandwiches, desserts and a surprisingly varied selection of appetizers for a pizza parlor. Seriously, where else are you going to find fried calamari, Buffalo wings and Brussel sprouts with pancetta on the same menu?
Details: 72-795 Highway 111, Suite G-2, Palm Desert. 442-282-8019, instagram.com/blackcatpizza_pd
— Paul Albani-Burgio
El Mexicali Café II
It may look a little unimpressive from the outside as part of a small strip mall, but when you step inside El Mexicali Cafe II, you are instantly transported to … CHILES GUERITOS RELLENOS de CAMARON. Sorry. Was trying to get deeper into the description of this restaurant without mentioning its signature appetizer, but I couldn’t. You have to get the chiles gueritos rellenos de camaron, which are yellow peppers stuffed with shrimp. Unmatched. The rest of the menu includes all the traditional items you’d expect from an authentic Mexican restaurant including menudo. You can have your guacamole made tableside. Charming décor. When someone wants authentic Mexican in the desert, this is a go-to recommendation.
Details: 43-430 Monroe St., Suite A, Indio. 760-342-2333, elmexicalicafe2.com
— Shad Powers
El Mexicali Cafe II named one of USA TODAY’s best restaurants of 2026
Take a look inside El Mexicali Cafe II in Indio, California, named one of USA TODAYs best restaurants for 2026.
Places to grab brunch in Palm Springs before the fest
Staying in Palm Springs and driving in (or being shuttled into) the festival every day? You’ll need to fuel up beforehand. Consider grabbing breakfast, lunch or, better yet, brunch, at one of these classic Palm Springs spots.
Farm Palm Springs
I like to think of this Palm Springs fixture as two restaurants in one. By day, FARM serves up crepes, omelets, benedicts and other French favorites within its chic, countrified digs. Come night, FARM moves to a multi-course prix-fixe menu (which is presented on a large chalkboard that is brought to each table). While the prix-fixe offerings change every few weeks, you can typically count on their being at least one beef entree, a seafood one and a vegetarian option (although the OpenTable page makes clear that vegans need look elsewhere). Make sure to save room for dessert, a perennial highlight here.
Details: 6 La Plaza, Palm Springs. 760-322-2724, farmpalmsprings.com
— Paul Albani-Burgio
Sherman’s Deli & Bakery
Sherman Harris moved to Palm Springs in 1950 and opened this carbon copy of the classic New York City deli in 1953. That’s more than 70 years of dishing up almost comically big portions and packed-to-the-gills sandwiches. Breakfast, lunch or dinner they have all the Big Apple deli classics: Bagel with lox and cream cheese, a stacked Reuben sandwich with a side of matzo ball soup, or maybe some corned beef on rye. The menu is vast, though, and in no way confined to the New York staples. And don’t forget the bakery with breads and sweets galore. Sherman’s is so popular that the Sherman family had to open a second location in Palm Desert with the same premise, NYC deli decor and menu.
Details: 401 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs. 760-325-1199 or the second location at 73-161 Country Club Drive, Palm Desert. 760-568-1350, shermansdeli.com
— Shad Powers
L’Atelier Café
The taste of French cuisine is only a short drive away at Palm Springs’ L’Atelier Café. Start your day right with a classic quiche Lorraine with ham and Gruyere cheese, or a variety of crepes, including lemon sugar, strawberry or Nutella. For lunch, sandwiches and paninis options give you plenty of offerings to chew on, including a goat cheese panini with tomatoes and honey. No trip to L’Atelier Café is complete without stocking up on an assortment of pastries. Macarons, croissants, beignets and more are available to satisfy your cravings.
Details: 129 La Plaza, Palm Springs. 760-778-7895
— Ema Sasic
