Dogs are encouraged at this massive new restaurant/bar/lounge with an expansive outdoor patio centered around welcoming both humans and their four-legged friends (dog menu included). The tropical-meets-midcentury space is filled with velvet banquettes, neon signs, plenty of greenery, and a wall dedicated to the owners’ pups. The Asian-influenced menu features some standout crudo including Tasmanian ocean trout and Japanese yellowtail with charred tangelo along with sharable plates and a smattering of entrees like the Miso sea bass fish and chips. The cocktail program is extensive and features frozen and tap offerings as well. During the day, the lounge flips to an espresso bar and co-working space.

Last year, chef-owner Engin Onural pivoted to become one of the top takeout guys in town, sending diners home with carefully crafted hand-stamped boxes of his super-fresh sushi nigiri, sashimi, and maki rolls, internationally-influenced dishes from the kitchen, and Japanese whiskey Old Fashioned kits. He’s since transformed his parking lot into a groovy mini-container park with plenty of open-air seating and a DJ on weekends. Or you can grab a table inside his sleek indoor dining room or adjacent street-facing patio.

After the debacle that was Draughtsman shuttered last year, restaurateurs Chad Gardner (Roly Chinese Fusion, 533 Viet Fusion) and Willie Rhine (Eight4Nine) have banded together to flip the airy standalone space near the Arrive Hotel into a neighborhood gastropub with roll-up glass doors and plenty of wraparound patio space. The all-day menu features both bar fare like sweet-and-spicy wings, onion rings, and burgers along with salads and entrees. There’s also a serious gin cocktail menu and lots of craft beers.

Here at chef Michael Beckman’s longstanding hot spot, look for an array of innovative veggie-forward farmers market-driven dishes like Scarlet runner beans with collard greens and black garlic; and kohlrabi-and-celery-root soup as well as heartier offerings like a duck leg confit, house-made sausages, and a ribeye with bone marrow butter, plus several wood-fired pizza options. Next up: Look for Beckman to bring an outpost to LA inside the former Odys + Penelope space on La Brea this August.

From the same crew behind breakfast juggernaut Cheeky’s and steakhouse Mr. Lyons, Birba is still bustling with its sprawling outdoor patio, excellent farm-to-table fare, and pizza that rivals any favorites back in LA. Keep it traditional with a margherita pie or go for something more adventurous like the one with prosciutto, honey, and chile oil. The homemade pastas are worth a try too, while the Italian-focused wine list has plenty of worth selections.  

This splashy pink restaurant with an Old Havana supper club vibe has a perennially busy patio, especially during its fabled happy hour which offers discounted food and bargain drinks. The massive menu skews global with Moroccan lamb meatballs, ahi poke bowls, skirt steak asada, and the kitchen’s best-selling buttermilk fried chicken with succotash. Look for specialty martinis and tropical-inspired cocktails and a fun brunch scene, too. 

The family behind local strip mall Mexican joint Felipe’s has opened a second venue in a colorful courtyard space in town that’s heavy on vacation vibes. You’ll find a traditional array of tacos, enchiladas, and burritos along with specialties like camarones a la diabla, a carnitas platter, and an array of ceviches, in addition to lots of reasonably priced margaritas. When the music gets turned up, it means a nearby table just ordered a round of tequila shots. Hey, they’re probably on vacation.

The duo behind this smashburger spot offering first gained a faithful following at Palm Springs’ Thursday night street fair VillageFest, later shifting to pop-up form. Now they’ve settled into a permanent space inside the Hilton hotel, where they sell their Harris Ranch beef cheeseburgers, fried chicken sandwiches, and mushroom burgers on potato buns as well as loaded fries and an impressive house salad.

Lead baker and co-owner Andy Wysocki and co-owner Bill Sanderson started selling bagels out of their home and at the Saturday farmers market before opening this casual store in 2015. The water-boiled bagels are some of the best in Southern California, while the kitchen puts out other baked goods every day.

Hidden away in an industrial complex is Tanya Petrovna bastion of meatless fare. This takeout-only spot offers a selection of sides including an eggless egg salad, smoked chicken pasta, and Moroccan-spiced cauliflower, while heartier offerings include entree-sized salads, sandwiches, and tempeh burgers. Last year, Petrovna rejiggered the small space to become a mini-market with produce, bottled dressings, her housemade seitan-based deli meats by the pound, take-and-bake lasagna, and plenty of plant-based desserts.

The crew behind boutique hotels Sparrows Lodge and Holiday House recently flipped this former sushi spot into a posh restaurant anchored by a wood and marble bar and wrapped in bold wallpapers and poppy art. In the kitchen, executive chef Gabe Woo is churning out contemporary bistro fare, putting his own spin on classics and incorporating seasonal ingredients from local farms. (Think steak frites and grilled California artichokes with a house aioli.) And for a post-pandemic splurge, try the caviar-accompanied Fifty Dollar martini.

Located at the South Palm Springs boutique hotel Villa Royale, Del Rey is a decidedly dark and sexy space with an oak and black marble bar and tiled fireplace — plus a back patio — serving serious cocktails. (The aperol-and-mezcal Baby Sledge is a fave.) The menu still skews heavily Spanish with patatas bravas, garlic shrimp, grilled skirt steak with piquillo peppers, and manchego flatbread.

The tequila bar and restaurant at The Saguaro Hotel continues to serve hip crowds seeking innovative Mexican fare ... now on an attractive covered outdoor patio facing the hotel’s garden courtyard. While tacos like the shrimp and chorizo, carne asada with tomatillo-avocado sauce, and crispy Baja-style Mahi rule the day, the El Jefe nachos are still a decadent dish worth the splurge. Taco Tuesdays (and Thursdays!) are especially popular thanks to $4 tacos. 

After serving as executive chef at the Ace Hotel New Orleans, Ysaac Ramirez is now running the kitchen at the roadside diner within the Ace Hotel Palm Springs, blending Southern dishes with his Latin roots. The result is dishes like field beans with bacon and salsa verde; a slaw-topped fried chicken sandwich; and chorizo-laced grits. The restaurant is currently entirely outdoors, with tables out by the pool for your open-air enjoyment and the hotel brings in live jazz every Wednesday evening.

At this stylish Jonathan Adler-designed wine bar tucked in the back of the Parker Hotel, there’s a standout selection of wines, all priced at $13 a glass, poured by staffers who know their stuff. Pair the vino with an impressive selection of small plates by executive chef Herve Glin, including foie gras macarons, sauteed hen of the woods mushrooms over watercress puree, and a caviar-and-quail egg brioche toast, plus piping-hot and addictive baguettes. Non-hotel guests can only get onto the property with a dining reservation, so make sure to snag one before heading over.