Desert Dining Perfected: The Michelin-Recognized Restaurants in Palm Springs

By Susan  |  Meiselman Registry Lifestyle Blog

Okay, let me just say it: Palm Springs has always had great food. But there’s something about earning a spot in the Michelin Guide that feels like an official coronation, doesn’t it? When Michelin’s anonymous inspectors started scoping out our beloved desert oasis, I was intrigued to see who they picked and what they thought.  

We’ve eaten at each of these now Michelin-recognized restaurants in Palm Springs (yes, all of them) and a few others that didn’t make the list but certainly deserved to be on it.

I’m here to give you the full scoop. Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway, celebrating a special occasion, or you’re a local who wants to finally check these spots off your list, this is your guide. Pack an appetite. It’s going to be a delicious ride.

Oh, and at the bottom of this article, I’ve included a link to my personal favorites that didn’t make the Michelin list.

4 Saints

Michelin Recommended  •  Susan Recommended  •  Mediterranean  •  Rooftop  •  Kimpton Rowan Hotel

If you want to feel like the most glamorous version of yourself — with a cocktail in hand and the San Jacinto Mountains glowing in the golden hour light — 4 Saints is where you need to be. Perched seven stories up on the rooftop of the Kimpton Rowan Hotel, it’s literally the highest perch in all of downtown Palm Springs. And trust me, the views are worth every penny.

Chef Ysaac Ramirez has put together a shareable Mediterranean menu with some seriously unexpected Southern twists. I’m talking grilled purple sweet potatoes with Alabama white barbecue sauce, crispy pork belly with fermented Fresno chili, and lamb chops resting on a bed of charred eggplant and mint yogurt. It’s the kind of food that made our teenage kids say “wait, that combination shouldn’t work” — and then immediately said “Wow!”.

The cocktails are equally creative, perfectly balanced, and dangerously easy to keep ordering as the sky turns pink behind the mountains. Go for sunset. Stay for the whole evening. You won’t regret it.

✦  My Must-Order: Branzino with Bilbao chorizo, red prawns, savoy cabbage, beluga lentil, and sauce Mallorca

Bar Cecil

Michelin Recommended  •  Susan Recommended  •  American  •  Downtown Palm Springs

Bar Cecil is the kind of place you hear about from a friend who swears you absolutely have to go — and then you try to make a reservation and realize it books up weeks in advance. The room is gorgeous in that art-filled, dimly lit brasserie way that makes everyone look their best, and the energy is buzzy and fun without being overwhelming.

The menu leans into upscale comfort food done with a seriously stylish hand. Oysters on the half shell, steak tartare, roasted king crab — and then there’s the signature burger with melted Comté and house sauce that locals absolutely rave about. The martini menu is a legitimate destination in its own right (I may have had two). For dessert, get the Basque-style cheesecake. You can thank me later.

Pro tip: They hold back half the room for walk-ins, so if you can’t snag a reservation, show up before they open and put your name down at the bar. A bar seat here is honestly not a consolation prize — it’s a front-row seat to the action.

✦  My Must-Order: Smoked Bone-In Duroc Pork Chop

Boozehounds

Michelin Recommended  •  Susan Recommended  •  Global  •  Dog-Friendly  •  Uptown Palm Springs

Do I love a restaurant that’s equal parts design-forward and dog-friendly? Obviously yes. Boozehounds has such a fun personality — the name alone tells you they don’t take themselves too seriously — and yet the food is genuinely impressive. This place manages to be chic and laid-back at the same time, which is honestly the Palm Springs vibe in a nutshell.

The menu has a global flair that I absolutely adore. Korean fried cauliflower, duck confit nachos, short rib bao buns… and then heartier mains like miso-glazed salmon and wagyu steak frites for when you’re feeling a little extra. Brunch is a major draw too, with ricotta pancakes, matcha granola bowls, and kimchi breakfast burritos that I am still thinking about.

The cocktail list is witty (“Hair of the Dog” — come on, that’s charming) and very well-crafted. Bring your pup. Wear your favorite sundress. This one is a vibe.

✦  My Must-Order: Shrimp & Grits

Cheeky’s

Michelin Recommended  •  Susan Recommended  •  American Brunch  •  Daytime Only  •  Palm Springs

Okay, let’s talk about Cheeky’s. This place has a cult following and once you go, you will completely understand why. It’s a daytime-only (i.e., breakfast and lunch) darling of the Palm Springs food scene, open Thursday through Monday until 2pm, and people are lined up outside before the doors even open. No reservations. All the vibes.

Everything on the menu is made from scratch using local, farm-fresh ingredients, and the menu actually rotates every single week. So you might get carnitas hash one visit and duck confit hash the next. But here’s the thing — no matter what’s on that rotating menu, you MUST order the bacon flight. Five varieties of bacon. Five. I got applewood smoked, strawberry thyme, and a jalapeño one that I’m still dreaming about. It’s absurd and wonderful and perfectly Palm Springs.

Wash it all down with a spicy Bloody Mary or their Morning Margarita (you’re on vacation, remember?). Cheeky’s doesn’t care about being fancy — it just cares about being delicious. And that’s exactly why Michelin noticed.

✦  My Must-Order: Bacon assortment platter

The Colony Club

Michelin Recommended  •  Susan Recommended  •  American  •  Colony Palms Hotel  •  Old Hollywood Glamour

If you’ve ever wanted to eat where Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart used to hang out, The Colony Club at the Colony Palms Hotel is your spot. This Moroccan-inspired oasis drips with Old Hollywood glamour — the lush garden setting, the warm lighting, the sense that something legendary happened here once (it did, frequently). The hotel was a notorious haunt for Golden Age stars, and that history just radiates from the place.

The menu is beautifully laid-back, matching the poolside vibe. Snacks like edamame hummus with house-made flatbread, elevated mains like a perfectly crispy-skinned salmon, and grilled pork chops with cheesy polenta that is pure comfort food dressed up in a tuxedo. But the real showstopper? The frosted carrot layer cake with pineapple and toasted pecans. It’s like a slice of joy on a plate, and I ordered seconds. No regrets.

Weekend brunch here is equally dreamy, with brioche French toast and Blood Orange Mimosas that deserve their own Instagram moment. This is the kind of place that makes Palm Springs feel like a movie set — in the best possible way.

✦  My Must-Order: Beef Wellington, with a seasonal vegetable medley and Sauce Au Poivre

Tac/Quila

Michelin Recommended  •  Susan Recommended  •  Mexican  •  Downtown Palm Springs

We discovered this gem on our first visit to Palm Springs, and it’s become one of our must-visit stops whenever we’re in town.  There’s something wonderfully democratic about Tac/Quila. Look around any given evening, and you’ll see sports coat-clad business types sipping top-shelf tequila on one side, and sunburned tourists in flip-flops trying margarita flights on the other — and everyone is perfectly, completely at ease. That’s the magic of this place.

The menu is elevated Mexican cuisine that covers a lot of ground. Street tacos with classic fillings like carne asada, cochinita pibil, and crispy Baja-style fish sit alongside genuinely elevated dishes like lobster enchiladas and seared ahi tuna tostadas. Everything is perfectly prepared and unique in a good way. It’s easily our favorite Mexican restaurant, in either Palm Springs or back home in Chicago.  The house-made guacamole is a non-negotiable order (seriously, don’t skip it), and the elote street corn is the kind of side dish that steals the show from the main event.

The tequila selection is legitimately impressive, and the margarita flights are both fun and dangerous. Downtown Palm Springs has no shortage of great Mexican restaurants, but Tac/Quila earns its Michelin recognition by offering something for everyone without ever feeling like it’s trying too hard. That takes real skill.

✦  My Must-Order: Any combination of their gourmet tacos. Creative and delicious!

Workshop Kitchen & Bar

Michelin Recommended  •  Susan Recommended  •  Farm-to-Table American  •  Downtown Palm Springs

Workshop Kitchen & Bar is one of those places that Rich and I bring out-of-town guests because it tells the whole story of Palm Springs through its space and food. The 1920s Spanish-style building has been transformed into what Michelin’s reviewers called a ‘modernist temple of polished concrete’ — high ceilings, a long communal table, cozy concrete booths, and a mist-cooled courtyard for when the desert heat is doing its thing. It also won a James Beard Award for its brutalist interior design.

Workshop maintains its own garden in Rancho Mirage and partners with local farms to source produce and proteins. Everything is wood-fired, and you can taste the care and intentionality in every bite. This isn’t just farm-to-table as a marketing tagline; it’s a genuine commitment that shows up on the plate.

Reservations book up weeks in advance (seriously, plan ahead), but if you’re a walk-in, arrive before opening and stake your claim at the bar. Between the design, the philosophy, and the food, Workshop is one of those dining experiences that stays with you long after you’ve left the desert.

✦  My Must-Order: Fried Rice – it may sound like a strange suggestion, but it’s not like any fried rice in a Chinese restaurant.  It’s a fabulous mix of flavors and textures that left everyone in our party of four wanting more.

The Bottom Line

Palm Springs has always been a destination for people who appreciate beauty, design, and the finer things — and this city’s Michelin-recognized dining scene is just the latest proof of that. Whether you’re sipping a craft cocktail at 4 Saints with the mountains at your back, chasing the world’s best bacon flight at Cheeky’s, or losing an evening to Tac/Quila’s margarita flights, there’s something on this list for every mood and occasion.

And hey — if you’re visiting Palm Springs (I hope you are!), you’re already in excellent company. Beautiful midcentury modern architecture and exceptional dining go hand in hand. Now go make those reservations. The dessert is waiting.

P.S. Click here to see my list of great Palm Springs restaurants that didn’t make the Michelin list.

— Susan