Three Desert Dinner Spots Worth the Drive

Great food, great drinks and rooms you will want to linger in. Here are three places in Palm Desert and Palm Springs that we loved, from a sexy Mexican fusion kitchen inside a hip hotel to a restaurant with a surf pool and mountain backdrop to a cozy wine bar a bit farther out.

1. Maleza at Drift Hotel, Palm Springs

Maleza is a super cozy, sexy restaurant serving sophisticated Mexican fusion dishes and amazing, delicious cocktails, tucked inside the Drift Hotel. The menu calls it a Mexico City-inspired kitchen and mezcal bar, and the room fits.

We sat at the bar, but there is plenty of cozy seating inside. One sitting area has a candle-lit fireplace, and elsewhere you will find black-and-white checkered tables and cushioned banquettes along the windows, with cacti and paper lanterns adding to the glow. The staff was friendly, and the whole evening felt easy.

Candle-lit fireplace sitting area at Maleza

What we ordered. Everything was made for sharing, and one dish stood out:

Tuna Tostadas: Hands down the best thing on the menu for us, and one of the best dishes we have ever had.
Shrimp ceviche: Bright and beautiful, topped with edible flowers.
Wagyu skirt steak: A great sharing dish, served with sweet corn mole, crispy maitake, chopped salsa verde and mushroom butter.
Wave Pool: Our cocktail of choice, made with gin, melon, cucumber cordial and lime. Fresh and refreshing.

Shrimp ceviche topped with edible flowers at Maleza

Wagyu skirt steak with sweet corn mole, crispy maitake and salsa verde

Good to know: Dinner is served daily from 5 to 9 PM, and happy hour runs Sunday to Thursday from 4 to 6 PM. Tacos Y Tunes is every Tuesday on the patio, with taco and drink specials and live music from local artists. Reservations are available through OpenTable. 284 S Indian Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, malezarestaurant.co/palm-springs.

The verdict: Great food, great drinks and a room you will want to stay in.

2. The Restaurant at the Palm Springs Surf Club, Palm Springs

The Restaurant at the Palm Springs Surf Club is a beautiful spot, and the setting is half the fun. You can sit inside or outside, with the surf pool and the mountains as your backdrop. It is great for brunch with bottomless mimosas, and just as good for dinner. The atmosphere is great either way.

The entrance to The Restaurant at the Palm Springs Surf Club

Walk in through the glass doors and a patterned tile entry leads you into the dining room. On the patio, tables line the railing above the pool, with cabanas and daybeds beyond. A big screen plays surf footage while the mountains turn purple at dusk. It was a very enjoyable experience in a very nice setting.

The surf pool and mountain backdrop at the Palm Springs Surf Club

What we ordered:

Salmon (the dinner special): Delicious and affordable, served with mashed potatoes, carrots, asparagus and broccolini. The sides were delicious too.
Pipeline Painkiller: A tropical, icy cocktail with a pineapple wedge that fits the surf-club mood.

Dinner special salmon with mashed potatoes, carrots, asparagus and broccolini

The Pipeline Painkiller with a pineapple wedge

Fun nights to know about: Jeopardy nights are on Wednesdays (the Jeopardy Bar League runs 7 to 9 PM), and Friday is date night with a $25 menu for two.

Good to know: The restaurant is open to the public, with no admission or parking fee to dine. Dinner hours are Wednesday and Friday from 5 to 9 PM, with longer hours on Saturday and Sunday, and it is closed Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Weekend happy hour is 3 to 5 PM in the bar area. Reservations are highly recommended through Resy. 1500 S Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs, (760) 205-3634, palmspringssurfclub.com.

The verdict: Great food and cocktails in a setting you will not find anywhere else.

3. La Fe Wine Bar, Palm Desert

La Fe is a bit of a drive from our house, but it is worth the visit. It is about a 20 to 22 minute drive from Palm Springs. You will spot it on El Paseo by the glowing sign above a hedge wall lit from below, with string lights overhead. By dusk the whole entrance has a warm glow.

La Fe Wine Bar entrance at dusk on El Paseo

Inside, the atmosphere is cool, hip and cozy. Backlit wooden shelving lined with bottles runs the length of the Wine Room, and a long communal bar with leather stools sits under cage pendant lights. It is dim and golden, the kind of room where you settle in and do not check the time.

And the wine list is amazing. The shelves are stocked with Napa and Paso Robles Cabernets, and some bottles are tagged with prices so you can browse like you are in a shop. The Wine Room is open for bottle purchase, so you can take something home too.

The Wine Room at La Fe, with backlit shelves and a long communal bar

What we ordered. La Fe's menu is tapas-style and made for sharing, so we ordered a bit of everything:

Empanadas: Out of this world. Golden and crisp, served on a slate board with a dipping sauce. Do not skip them.
Albondigas: A must-order.
Chimichurri steak: Prepared to perfection.
Heirloom bruschetta: Delicious.

Golden empanadas and a beet and arugula salad at La Fe

Good to know: Happy hour runs daily from 5 to 6 PM, including a charcuterie board and select bottle for $50. They also offer a wine club and tasting events (reservations required), and the Wine Room can be reserved for group gatherings. 73900 El Paseo, Palm Desert, (760) 565-1430, lafewinebar.com.

The verdict: Great wine, shareable plates and a room you will want to linger in. Worth the drive.

Final thoughts

Three very different rooms, and all three are worth planning a night around: cocktails and Mexican fusion at Maleza, dinner with a view at the Surf Club, and wine and tapas at La Fe. Hours and menus change, so check each restaurant's website before you go.

Cheers,

Florence and Zachary