Palm Springs dinner runs from white-tablecloth institutions to chef-driven rooms in restored mid-century buildings: steak houses with old-Hollywood pedigrees, patios under the palms, and tasting menus worth dressing up for, all minutes from Gloria.
Dinner in Palm Springs is its own kind of ritual. The desert heat softens as the sun slips behind the San Jacinto Mountains, patios flicker to life, and a town built on mid-century glamour settles in for the evening. The dining scene here runs deeper than its size suggests: old-school supper clubs that once fed the Rat Pack sit a few blocks from ambitious new kitchens that draw food lovers in from Los Angeles. Whatever mood the evening calls for, there is a table in town that matches it.
For a taste of the classic Palm Springs evening, start with the institutions. Melvyn's at the historic Ingleside Inn has been serving continental fare with tableside flourish since the days when Frank Sinatra held court here, and the piano bar afterward is half the reason to go. Mr. Lyons, a revival of a 1945 steakhouse on South Palm Canyon, pairs dark, clubby rooms with serious steaks and martinis. And Spencer's, tucked against the mountain at the historic Tennis Club, offers one of the prettiest settings in town for a long, unhurried dinner.
The new guard is every bit as compelling. Bar Cecil, inspired by the photographer Cecil Beaton, brought a jolt of energy to the south end of town with its French-leaning menu and art-lined walls, and it remains one of the toughest reservations in the desert. Workshop Kitchen + Bar, set in a dramatic concrete-and-leather room in the Uptown Design District, builds its seasonal Californian menu around the wood fire and shakes some of the best cocktails in the Coachella Valley. Sandfish brings polished sushi and an impressive whiskey list to a sleek space that feels plucked from a much bigger city.
When the occasion calls for something livelier, Palm Springs delivers there too. Rooster and the Pig serves punchy Vietnamese-American plates in a buzzing room where the porchetta and papaya salad have earned a devoted following. Tac/Quila pairs elevated Jaliscan cooking with a deep tequila selection on a lively corner of North Palm Canyon. Eight4Nine, in the Uptown Design District, is a favorite for celebratory dinners, with its striking white interiors, garden patio, and a crowd-pleasing menu that runs from seafood to steaks.
And then there are the nights that are really about the setting. The Tropicale channels retro resort glamour with its sprawling, twinkling patio and globe-trotting menu, ideal for a group that wants dinner to feel like a party. SO.PA at L'Horizon offers open-air dining under the palms with the mountains looming close, one of the most romantic tables in the desert. On a clear evening, which is most evenings here, dining outside is the whole point.
One of the pleasures of staying at Gloria Palm Springs is how close all of this sits. From our adults-only hideaway in downtown Palm Springs, many of the best tables in town are a short stroll down Palm Canyon Drive. Begin the evening with a quiet moment in the gardens or by the private heated pool, walk to dinner as the mountains turn violet, and wander back under the desert stars. With just eight accommodations, the return home feels as calm as the evening out was lively.