What’s the best restaurant in the Palm Springs area? Here are 10 of the most essential places for excellent food.
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.
To put together USA TODAY’s Restaurants of the Year list, journalists from across the country pooled their expertise to select places they know, love, and recommend.
El Mexicali Cafe II, the Indio staple located just south of Interstate 10 that has become the grand dame of the city’s enviable collection of Mexican restaurants, made the list at our recommendation. But there are many other restaurants worth celebrating across the Coachella Valley and in the nearby High Desert.
Presented in alphabetical order, here are 10 other spots that we wish were on the Restaurants of the Year list.
Burger Box
It’s hard to imagine the Coachella Valley without this classic roadside fast food stand, which dates back to 1954 but somehow feels even older than that. So we were by turns heartbroken and then cautiously optimistic when the iconic spot suddenly closed in 2024 only to be resurrected by one of its longtime employees several months later. That optimism turned to delight and relief when we finally visited the reopened Burger Box and found that virtually nothing had changed. Not the burgers, which maintained their greasy simplicity, or the shakes, which were as creamy as ever, or even the prices, which continue to make this spot the best bargain in the entire valley.
Details: 81-201 Indio Blvd., Indio; 760-636-3318
Churrasco Brazilian Steakhouse
Somewhere inside all of us is a caveman who hankers for a nice big plate of meat (or at least most of us; you do you, vegans). Over the past two years, this restaurant on the south end of Palm Springs’ downtown has become the desert’s go-to place for satisfying that most primal of urges. While the all-you-can-eat set up means it’s worth trying as many of the 15 cuts of meat as you can squeeze in your stomach, diners should definitely make sure to leave room for a couple of pieces of the house special picanya, a tender cut of thinly sliced top sirloin seasoned with rock salt. They’ll also find all the other trappings of a well-run Brazilian steakhouse, including well-dressed gauchos (the workers who bring the meat from table to table), colorful caipirinhas (the classic Brazilian cocktail made with a sugar cane liquor, lime and sugar) and a dream of a salad bar packed with enough tempting pastas, cold cuts and, yes, veggies that you could happily skip the steak entirely. Of course, we could never in good conscience recommend such a course of action.
Details: 450 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-409-7555, churrascobr.com
Parker Palm Springs: Counter Reformation
Palm Springs and its surrounding cities are home to plenty of restaurants where you can spend big bucks in pursuit of what is supposed to be a mindblowing, deeply memorable fine dining experience. Counter Reformation is among a much shorter list of such spots that dependably deliver. The intimate space within the Parker Palm Springs resort recently went through a three-month revamp that culminated with the debut of an impressive new menu of small plates meant for wine pairing. Highlights of our recent visit included the quail egg topped with caviar and crème fraîche, a ham mousse dish and a beef tartare. We also admire Counter Reformation’s commitment to its own bit: all 22 seats are along the bar and doled out on a first-come first-served basis — so don’t try to make a reservation.
Details: Inside the Parker Palm Springs at 4200 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-770-5000, parkerpalmsprings.com/food-and-drink
Giant Rock Meeting Room
Maybe we’re just snobs, but we wasted years being consistently underwhelmed by the Coachella Valley’s ho-hum pizza options. Then we made the trek to this surprisingly hip desert hangout off Highway 247 a few desolate miles north of Yucca Valley and, well, we just wish they would open a satellite location closer to Palm Springs already. Could the tiny map dot that is Flamingo Heights really be home to the desert’s best pizza? I’m here to tell you that the answer is definitely yes. While the popular gastronomy hub La Copine just across the road sucks up most of the culinary accolades afforded to this stretch of desert highway (and for mostly good reason), this spot is more than deserving of a stop for those taking the scenic route to Big Bear or even Vegas. Heck, it’s even worth making a special trip just for a ‘za.
Details: 1141 Old Woman Springs Road, Yucca Valley; 442-272-1472, giantrockmeetingroom.com
Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa: Grapefruit Basil
We know what you’re probably thinking. A hotel restaurant? In a resort branded after a company that specializes in making kitschy shirts for pasty Midwestern dads? Seriously? Yes, seriously. We were as surprised as anyone, but the breezily-casual-yet-classy vibe, tasty takes on flatbread, charcuterie and other bar favorites and unforgettable Mexican Hot Lava cake (a strong contender for the best dessert in the desert) have made us believers. We also love the versatility here. You can enjoy a special occasion-worthy meal consisting of crab cakes, truffle risotto and filet mignon. Or you can come for the great happy hour (3-5 p.m. daily, including weekends) and nosh on the aforementioned snacks while sipping on our favorite frozen cocktail, the icy 808 (basically a frozen mai tai).
Details: 45-000 Indian Wells Lane, Indian Wells; tommybahama.com/restaurants-and-marlin-bars/
Joe’s Sushi The Cabo Way
Whether you’re looking to enjoy the high-end culinary spectacle that is Sandfish or just get a quick fix from the straightforwardly named Sushi on the Run, the Coachella Valley is home to no shortage of solid options for raw fish. Yet there’s something about this comfy joint tucked into an unassuming strip mall near the interstate that keeps us coming back for more. The specialty sushi rolls, which incorporate Mexican ingredients such as jalapeno sauce, cilantro and mango that one wouldn’t expect to find in more standard Japanese sushi (that’s what makes this Cabo-style sushi), definitely have something to do with it. So do the affordable lunch specials; you can get a plate full of sushi here for about the same price as a typical burger. But we also love the friendly staff and particularly the way the friendly owner and sushi chef seems to always make it a point to visit with his customers. There’s also a second location in Coachella, in the strip mall that houses the Walmart Neighborhood Market.
Details: 40-100 Washington St., Unit 131, Bermuda Dunes and 83-103 Avenue 48, Suite 1F, Coachella; 760-360-7849 (Bermuda Dunes) and 760-619-2829 (Coachella), joescabowaysushi.net
The Heyday
Restaurants don’t get much cooler than this atmospheric haunt on the north side of Palm Springs, which feels like the kind of place you’d happen upon after hours of driving across the open desert with only the tumbleweeds to keep you company. Except you won’t find many cowboy hats or country bumpkins here; the vibe here is more akin to a fun hangout featuring all your coolest but still down-to-Earth friends from LA. Slide into one of the vintage looking booths that contribute to the quirky vibe and nosh on tasty classics such as the smashburger, a fried chicken sandwich and, our favorite, wings that may just be the best in town. We’re also big fans of the burger martini special. “Is this a thing?” the menu quips. It is now and we’re sure glad for that.
Details: 1550 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-297-6937, theheydaypalmsprings.com
La Baguette Vietnamese Sandwiches
If we could bring only one thing from Orange County to the desert, it would be a beach. But if we could choose a second, it’d definitely be the dizzying collection of pho and banh mi spots that make up a good portion of the county’s vibrant Little Saigon community. Until then, however, we keep content with frequent trips to this no-frills Palm Desert storefront. You’ll find all the Vietnamese staples here, including pho, rice bowls, egg rolls and Vietnamese Iced Coffee. But we can’t seem to branch out beyond the delicious bánh mì sandwiches that are the focus here. We think they’re even good enough to impress visitors from the OC.
Details: 34-580 Monterey Ave., Unit 106, Palm Desert; 760-620-5308, labaguettesandwiches.com
TKB Bakery & Deli
To be honest, we spent our first couple of years in the desert rolling our eyes every time we passed one of the I-10 billboards touting that this Indio staple was named the best restaurant in America way back in 2018 by Yelp (something tells us they didn’t use the most scientific of methodologies). But then we finally tried one of these glorious sandwiches and, well, we kind of started to get the hype. Subsequent visits have confirmed that while TKB might not quite be the best restaurant in the country, it’s a pretty darn good place to get a sandwich. We love the decadent and rather intriguingly named Dirty Riverside (jalapeno focaccia bread topped with roast beef, bacon, pepper jack cheese and more). But the Trump Card (a similar sandwich made with turkey and salami instead of roast beef) is the top seller for a reason. Saving room for dessert is difficult here, so plan to grab one of the eyepopping baked goods from the dessert case on the way out to enjoy at home. We promise they taste as good as they look.
Details: 45-334 Golf Center Parkway, Indio; 760-755-8330, tkbbakery.com
Olga’s Tacos
In a valley where good tacos can be found on pretty much every other block, this joint is worth going out of your way for. We’ve been patronizing Olga’s since it was merely a counter in the back of a run-of-the-mill convenience store. Now it has its own comparatively spacious digs, with a mural depicting Frida Kahlo and other legendary figures from Mexico’s history on the wall and a TV showing music videos from Peso Pluma and other Latin hitmakers. That all makes for a comfortable spot for noshing on not just tacos, but also tortas and burritos (when it comes to the meats that go inside, we love the classic asada the most). It also has a few seafood dishes such as a shrimp cocktail you might not expect to find at a typical taco shop. While we can’t get enough of the tacos, we sometimes opt for the equally tasty chicken quesadilla, which makes for a filling a meal on its own.
Details: 67-850 Vista Chino, Suite 105, Cathedral City; 760-832-8488, olgasrestaurant.com
Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Email him at [email protected].
