5 Best Restaurants in Palm Springs and the Desert Resorts, California

Thanks to its misted patio, fast Internet connection, plethora of seating, and, most importantly, fine selection of caffeinated hot and cold drinks, this is a great work-from-café option on the main drag in uptown. The colorful, independently owned, Latina-influenced coffeehouse serves Sisters Coffee out of Oregon, local Townie bagels, Lotus Energy elixirs, fresh-daily pastries, and filling breakfast plates, including smoked salmon toast and chorizo con papas. There's also a vast assortment of chilled and canned beverages alongside healthy grab-and-go nibbles and prepackaged snacks by local makers for those in even more of a hurry.

A chef and a sommelier turned losing their jobs during the COVID shutdown into a pandemic silver lining by starting this French-style frozen-custard company out of an adorable chrome trailer. Not only do they collaborate with local coffee, toffee, honey, and date purveyors, but they also offer unique flavors like lemon-blackberry streusel, kaffir-lime piña colada, and peppermint cookies-n-cream—all served by the pint and half-pint out.

Egg dishes, griddle items, and hearty Mexican breakfasts like huevos rancheros are the morning draw at this Joshua Tree institution, but plenty of people sing the praises of its sandwiches, burgers, salads, and tacos for lunch or early dinner. Taxidermy animals, framed newspaper clippings, old photos, and beer-can lights decorate the interior, and tattooed waitresses and the quirky regulars make it clear that the high desert is unlike anywhere else in San Bernardino County.

In addition to strong cervezas, which are brewed on-site (or at the larger, Chino Hills flagship) in four 10-barrel tanks, this taproom serves up Tijuana-style street food (tacos, tortas, churros, esquites) from a built-in, vintage food truck.

Tucked into the Warm Sands neighborhood is the brick-and-mortar realization of a bagel dream for two dudes who started selling baked goods out of their home and at the weekend farmers' market. Using nonadditive flours and old-school methods like boiling in malted water, they create their round mounds of goodness daily in 22 rotating flavors, from the expected poppy and cinnamon raisin to the less common like the black Russian. The location is nothing to write home about, but it's clean and comfortable and has a few tables outside to enjoy your bagel toasted, slathered in spreads like red pepper hummus or chive cream cheese, or piled high with proteins or veggies. There's also fresh bread and crackers to take home.