Like most visitors, I head to Palm Springs to chill: to bake in the sun, to watch the colors of the San Jacinto Mountains change with the seasons and the daylight, to do as little as possible. A culinary tour is never my driving agenda in the desert — and yet it’s also my nature (and my job) to always be looking for my next great meal.
Tourist-oriented restaurants abound, so places that radiate individual character and serve consistent, careful cooking tend to stand out. There’s rarely a short wait for a good meal out in Palm Springs. These are 10 restaurants where I’m happy to wait in line or jostle for a last-minute reservation. For this guide I stayed within the Palm Springs city limits; dining through the surrounding towns is fodder for a future project.
