I've been to Palm Springs over 20 times. There are 8 restaurants I always recommend to first-time and frequent visitors.

At this point, I've lost count of how many times I've eaten at Workshop Kitchen+Bar. 

Chefs Michael Beckman and Joe Mourani opened this farm-to-table restaurant in 2012, and it's been a mainstay of Palm Springs' fine-dining scene ever since.

Housed in the historic El Paseo building, which used to be a theater and city-council building, Workshop won a James Beard Award in 2015 for having the best restaurant design in North America.

The market-driven menu specializes in modern American cuisine and changes seasonally, so there's always something new and exciting to try. 

My recent favorites are the duck fried rice, butternut-squash risotto, black cod, and diver scallops.

The cocktails are also top-notch. My favorites are the citrusy, vodka-based California Dreamin' and the pineapple-based Pisco Punch.

I celebrated my 40th birthday in Workshop's back room with a custom-created, family-style menu. There's also seating inside in the modernist, concrete dining room and outside in a tree-dappled courtyard.

Dining reservations at Workshop can be hard to come by, but I recommend trying to get one.

If you like having a lot of choices, look no further than Lulu California Bistro, a restaurant in Palm Springs' central downtown area that's served California cuisine since 2011.

I tend to choose the prix-fixe menu, which features three courses and has so many options that I always have a hard time pinning down what to try. However, standouts include the wild-mushroom soup, meatloaf à la Lulu, and flourless triple-chocolate cake. 

The all-day favorites menu, which has everything from pizzas to sandwiches to cheeseburgers, makes it even more challenging to zero in on my selection.

The dishes that almost always rise to the top are the divinely tender braised short ribs, spaghetti Bolognese, and, of course, the hand-spun cotton candy, which is fun to eat, light, and tasty.

Hadley Fruit Orchards in Cabazon, California, is more of a general store than a restaurant, but it's the only place in Greater Palm Springs I go for a date shake. 

Date shakes are a local delicacy, and I've tried a lot of them, but none have been better than the one from Hadley.

Each one blends Hadley pitted Deglet Noor dates with milk and vanilla ice cream. If you don't drink milk, don't worry — Hadley also has a vegan option.

The small is my go-to order since this treat is definitely on the richer side.

Bar Cecil is so popular that reservations go quickly, so I suggest booking early and putting yourself on the waitlist if need be.

With restaurants this popular, I'm always a bit nervous that the food and drinks won't live up to the hype, but that's not the case at Bar Cecil.

Starters, like Cecil's bread rolls and the deviled eggs, perfectly complement the colossal shrimp cocktail, which is, as described, colossal and heavenly.

In addition to having a well-rounded cocktail and wine list, Bar Cecil also lets guests create their own martini. 

The revolving cocktail menu includes espresso martinis along with my personal favorite, the Lost Horizon, named after Frank Capra's 1937 movie that was partially filmed in Palm Springs.

My favorite menu item is the Beaton burger, which pays homage to photographer and designer Cecil Beaton. The perfectly cooked 6-ounce patty is topped with aioli, onion, tomato, and lettuce.

The restaurant presents the burger in a miniature box alongside french fries and a pickle. The "XOXO" on the bun just adds to the perfection.

Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar is just the place for a good cocktail and easy snack. The restaurant doesn't take reservations and can get crowded, but its fresh fare is worth the wait. 

I love the ahi-tuna poke bowl, which comes packed to the brim with veggies, edamame, ahi tuna, and crispy wontons.

Guests can also choose between about 20 cocktails, many of which have island-inspired flavors. The blood-orange margarita is my favorite because of the fresh orange slice garnishing its rim. 

Prices are also very reasonable, with most food items capping at about $20.

To put it mildly, Billy Reed's, which has been open since 1975, is a lot in a good way.

The exterior facade and the decor feel like a grand parlor, and the menu features elevated diner food.

No matter what I've ordered at Billy Reed's, it's been good. It serves lunch, dinner, and all-day breakfast.

I personally love having scrambled eggs with extra-crispy bacon, hash browns, and rye toast for a satisfying dinner. That said, I usually come here for the cinnamon roll. These pastries are so good that I once walked to Billy Reed's to get one when it was 112 degrees out.

Each cinnamon roll is huge, taking up an area that's about the size of a small dinner plate. It's moist on the inside, flaky on the outside, and covered with sweet vanilla icing. The treat is large enough to share with multiple people.

Though Wilma & Frieda has a location in Palm Springs' downtown area, I prefer the one on Palm Desert's El Paseo Drive.

Not only have I found parking easier at the Palm Desert location, but also the inside also feels roomier and a bit more modern. 

The menu is so large that it's almost overwhelming. 

I tend to choose between the meals under the menu's Eeny, Meany, Miny, and Mo sections, which offer a wide variety of breakfast options. If you're looking for something on the sweeter side, the churro waffle is not to be missed. 

Wilma & Frieda also has lunch options, like salads and sandwiches, but I always crave breakfast when I visit.

No trip there is complete without a bloody mary, but if you're trying to keep your meal alcohol-free, the jug of Diet Coke is a great alternative.

Every brunch I've had at Norma's, a restaurant at the Parker Palm Springs, has been out of this world.

Before you even begin dining, you walk through the Parker, an exquisite, Jonathan Adler-designed hotel.

The unassuming restaurant entrance is located past the reception desk, and the restaurant has both interior and garden dining areas. I've eaten in both and love them. 

I love the menu, which has whimsical category names like "Mom Can't Make This," "Benny Sent Me," and "Eggs Cellent." 

The blueberry pancakes, doughnuts, and chilled yogurt with fresh fruit are must-tries. I also recommend adding pecans and macadamia-nut granola to the yogurt.

However, the potato pancake is the standout. The James Beard Award-winning recipe creates an almost deconstructed potato pancake alongside homemade cranberry-apple sauce and sweet-carrot payasam, an Indian pudding. 

You can also choose from a selection of classic brunch cocktails like mimosas, Bellinis, and bloody marys here. Every time I've eaten at Norma's, our server also gave us mini smoothies to kick off the meal.

This story was originally published on April 13, 2023, and most recently updated on April 11, 2025.