These are the 10 best restaurants in Palm Springs, ranked by local expert

Variety is the spice of life and it’s also the defining principal of the Palm Springs restaurant scene. Local restaurants offer a mix of flavors and styles sure to please even the pickiest of eaters. The Coachella Valley’s best restaurants range from the upscale and elegant to the hole-in-the-walls servings some of the desert’s best-kept secrets.

Most Palm Springs restaurant owners and chefs are as well known as their establishments, and it’s not uncommon to run into an owner or a chef while dining around Palm Springs. Many restaurants update their menus regularly, incorporating new trends, seasonally produce and customer requests to serve food that truly pleases the customer. A number of restaurants also incorporate prix fixe menus, allowing diners to sample a few of the chef’s new or signature dishes at a set price.

Local restaurants focus just as much on their ambiance as they do their dishes, often excelling in both. Restaurants are often inspired in their décor by modernism, retro style, old Palm Springs and the desert’s natural beauty. Restaurants like Le Vallauris offer outdoor dining on the tree-canopied patio, allowing patrons to enjoy dinner under the stars. Other restaurants, like Melvyn’s, remain true to their classic Hollywood roots, while restaurants Spencer’s master the classics for all three meals of the day. These ten restaurants are just a sample of the variety found in the Palm Springs restaurant scene, and they offer some of the best dishes, ambiance and service found in the Coachella Valley.