What are the hardest tables to get in the desert?
One measure comes from OpenTable, a website and app for making reservations at restaurants. The service releases monthly lists of the 10 most booked restaurants in major cities and regions.
In the Coachella Valley, many of the restaurants that made the latest list are upscale steakhouses. But there are also a hard-to-reserve spot with trendy decor and a popular Mexican restaurant with shareable dishes. And one high desert spot made the list.
Here’s a look at the top 10 most booked restaurants in the Palm Springs area.
1. Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, Palm Desert
Eddie V’s is known for its seafood and steaks, though it offers other entrees, too. It has a swanky atmosphere — perfect for special occasions when you want to dress up and splurge
on dinner. The V Lounge at the restaurant even features live music to make eating there a real occasion.
Menu highlights include the chilean sea bass, North Atlantic scallops, tableside steak tartare, morel-crusted lamb chops, wagyu strip steak and bananas foster butter cake. There’s also an assortment of cocktails and wine to pair with dinner. One cocktail that sticks out is the 24 Karat, which features vodka, Grand Marnier, peach liqueur, rosé and raspberries and is served with a gold sugar rim.
Details: 73-040 El Paseo in Palm Desert
2. Tac/Quila, Palm Springs
Tac/Quila is an almost guaranteed hit. The Mexican restaurant’s menu is full of tasty bites — tacos, enchiladas, ceviche and carne asada, to name a few. Ordering appetizers is a must here, with a few standouts being the beer tempura avocado bites, trio of quesadillas and stuffed guerito peppers.
The restaurant also features a bar that serves beer, wine, cocktails, spirits and non-alcoholic beverages like horchata. It has a craft beer on tap flight and margarita flight for guests that want to try multiple drinks.
Restaurant patrons can sit inside to enjoy the pattern tiles, pops of red and green, interesting artwork and cozy lighting. There’s outdoor seating as well for guests who want to enjoy the atmosphere of downtown Palm Springs.
Details: 415 North Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs
3. Bar Cecil, Palm Springs
It’s no surprise to learn Bar Cecil is among the most reserved restaurants on OpenTable, considering that getting a reservation is (almost) the only way to eat there.
The restaurant is gorgeously decorated — eclectic wallpaper, artwork everywhere you turn and bar shelves that look straight out of Architectural Digest’s “Open Door: Inside Celebrity Homes” series.
But Bar Cecil isn’t just a pretty place to eat. The food is also delicious, featuring dishes like Cecil’s bread rolls with date and sage butter, red Thai curry mussels, pan-seared halibut, steak and frites, and cacio e pepe. Restaurant patrons can enjoy their meals with an assortment of drinks, with one highlight being Bar Cecil’s “The Fifty Dollar Martini” that includes house pickled onion and deviled egg with caviar.
It’s no wonder the restaurant is almost always fully booked. Guests can expect a long wait or even to be turned away at the door if they try to get a table without a reservation.
But if you're willing to stand in line outside for 30 minutes or so before it opens, you might be able to snag a coveted spot on the list for a first-come, first-served bar seat, with the full food menu available. If it's truly your lucky day, waiting could even get you a table if a diner with a reservation has cancelled — but don't count on it.
Details: 1555 South Palm Canyon Drive Unit H-104 in Palm Springs
4. Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar, Rancho Mirage
This is another swanky restaurant featuring steak, seafood, cocktails and an excuse to dress dapper. There’s a good variety here to meet anyone’s preferences, including vegan dishes like the Impossible burger and truffle pappardelle. Foxy’s Kitchen + Bar’s website says it has “a classic, old-school speakeasy vibe that will take you back to the good ole days, while listening to the best Foxy playlist on the planet.”
Details: 69-950 Frank Sinatra Drive in Rancho Mirage
5. Mikado, Palm Desert
Mikado is a Japanese steakhouse at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert. It offers Teppanyaki dining, which the hotel’s website says “involves knife-twirling chefs using fire and steam to create a festive experience and mouthwatering menu of steak, chicken and seafood delights.” That means that restaurant patrons can see the food they order cooked in front of them.
If you’re not interested in Teppanyaki dining, Mikado also serves dishes like sashimi, sushi, fried rice, chicken katsu and coconut shrimp. There’s also no shortage of drinks, which include sake, cocktails and Japanese beer.
Details: 39-698 Desert Springs Drive in Palm Desert
6. Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Palm Desert
Ruth’s Chris Steak House has many locations in California, including Anaheim, Fresno, San Diego and Sacramento. Its Palm Desert location is reminiscent of old school hotel or casino restaurants, with patterned carpet, white tablecloth draped tables and dim lighting.
The menu features the chilled seafood tower, calamari, ribeye steak, stuffed chicken breast and crab cakes. Of course it also has the classic sides for steak, such as baked potato and grilled asparagus. There’s also wine and cocktails that include a pomegranate martini, brown butter old fashioned and blueberry mojito.
Details: 74-740 CA-111 in Palm Desert
7. The Copper Room, Yucca Valley
The Copper Room is in Yucca Valley, but OpenTable has included it in its "Palm Springs-Palm Desert" area list. Joshua Tree, Pioneertown and Yucca Valley are roughly a 45-minute drive from Palm Springs, which means tourists and locals will often venture out there to enjoy the high desert’s beauty.
The Copper Room has a charming retro desert diner vibe. There are wood-paneled walls, checkered tiles, a stone fireplace, live music and a gorgeous view. Located next to the Yucca Valley Airport, it has an interesting past. A pilot had a private airport and restaurant (The Copper Room) constructed in the late 1950s, according to the restaurant’s website.
Its menu includes the seared tofu sandwich, seared mahi, tomahawk steak, matcha pannacotta and flourless chocolate cake. The Copper Room also offers wine, beer and a medley of cocktails.
Details: 57-360 Aviation Drive in Yucca Valley
8. La Quinta Cliffhouse
As its name suggests, La Quinta Cliffhouse is located on a cliffside in La Quinta. That makes its outdoor patio the place to be, with seating under twinkle lights and beside rocky cliffs and greenery. It makes for a unique dining experience.
The restaurant offers classic upscale American cuisine — filet mignon, prime ribeye, seared scallops, braised short rib and prawn pasta, to name a few. It also has a wine list, beer and cocktails, such as a peach blossom cosmo and strawberry basil mule.
Details: 78-250 CA-111 in La Quinta
9. Si Bon, Rancho Mirage
Si Bon is a European bistro in Rancho Mirage. Its interior features red cafe chairs, artwork and dangling round lights. Unlike other restaurants on this list, Si Bon offers breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. This is a good pick if you’re craving European dishes like crepes and duck pâté.
Breakfast items include Belgian waffles, a French cheese omelet, a croissant sandwich and an “All American Breakfast” that comes with three eggs, Belgian cubed fries, maple bacon or pork sausages and focaccia. Dinner features include the “9 Holers Escargot Waffle,” beef stroganoff, wiener schnitzel and filet mignon.
Details: 40-101 Monterey Avenue Suite E5 in Rancho Mirage
10. Mastro’s Steakhouse, Palm Desert
This is another classic steakhouse with locations throughout the United States. It’s got a luxurious, formal interior with dim lighting that makes it great for celebrations or a date night you just want to make particularly special. It has an elegant atmosphere, which the restaurant maintains by requiring guests to follow an “upscale dress code.”
Menu items include the lobster cocktail, Hamachi with crispy onions sushi roll, bone-in ribeye, Alaskan halibut and sides like garlic mashed potatoes. It has award-winning wines, and guests can see bottles upon bottles of them stored in their view.
Details: 73-405 El Paseo Suite 120 in Palm Desert
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Dinner, anyone? See most-booked restaurants in Palm Springs area
