Where to Eat in Palm Springs for the Perfect Balance of Old and New

Palm Springs offers a dining scene that balances preserved mid-century style with contemporary sensibilities. Classic options include Copley’s in Cary Grant’s former home and Melvyn’s, where Frank Sinatra’s favorite table remains a draw. Modern favorites include Paul Bar/Food, known for a dimly lit bar and long lines, and Rooster and the Pig, a Vietnamese restaurant with a California soul that has gained national attention. Michelin recognition has expanded since the guide began covering Palm Springs in 2022. Bar Cecil is highlighted as a hard-to-get reservation, combining elegance and whimsy with a French-inspired menu. Notable dishes include caramelized onion tart with comté, steaks frites with Café de Paris sauce, and smoked bone-in Duroc pork chop with potatoes au gratin. The Fifty Dollar Martini is described as a decadent choice made with Jean-Charles Boisset vodka and served with house-pickled onion and a caviar-topped deviled egg.

"Palm Springs is full of delicious contradictions, both fabulously nostalgic in the mid-century aesthetic it has preserved and totally modern in its sensibilities. The same is true of its dining scene. You can go totally retro and dine at Copley's on Palm Canyon, a restaurant inside Cary Grant's former home, or sit at Frank Sinatra's favorite table at Melvyn's, one of Palm Springs's most iconic longtime restaurants."

"Lean ultra-modern at one of the city's buzzy spots, like the line-out-the-door Paul Bar/Food, where people clamor for seats at the dimly lit bar; or the Rooster and the Pig, a Vietnamese restaurant with a California soul that has gained massive national attention. It's no wonder that so many dining destinations have gained Michelin recognition since the guide first came to Palm Springs in 2022."

"The hardest-to-get table in Palm Springs is worth every bit of effort it takes to snag a reservation. The lively restaurant, a tribute to British photographer and tastemaker Cecil Beaton, strikes a delicate balance between elegance and whimsy. Bar Cecil serves a French-inspired menu with just the right amount of epicurean excess that has gotten the attention of the Michelin Guide and keeps guests clamoring for seats, even five years in."

"Don't miss the caramelized onion tart with comté, the steaks frites topped with a buttery Café de Paris sauce, or the smoked bone-in Duroc pork chop with potatoes au gratin. For a true sip of decadence, order The Fifty Dollar Martini (which is on the food menu, rather than the cocktail list) made with Jean-Charles Boisset vodka and garnished with a house-pickled onion and a caviar-topped deviled egg."

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