Eight4Nine Restaurant & Lounge — Restaurant in Palm Springs

2.5 stars to be honest. Visited July 9 with friends, all of us visiting from out of town. 3 stars mostly for the food, which was good, and the service, which was like fine. Unfortunately the drinks were overall terrible which really ruined my experience. Nice looking place but I came with high hopes which were certainly not fulfilled.

Service: I noted on the reservation that we were celebrating a birthday which was not acknowledged until a sparkler dessert came out (which was appreciated!). We were promptly greeted at the door and led to our table; server and server assistants were attentive to start the meal though water top-up frequency decreased rapidly. We were not quality checked on appies nor were any of us asked if we wanted more beverages even as I finished my first drink while the server was at the table. Mains were brought out seconds after clearing the last appetizer plate from the table.

Food: All the food we had was good. 4/6 at the table opted for their Summer 3 Course which is a pretty reasonable offer. Collectively we had the melon gazpacho, green salad, glazed carrots/braised short rib, carne asada, filet mignon (cooked to a very nice medium rare!)/panna cotta, crème brûlée, caramel macchiato cake. Everything was quite tasty!

Drinks: Ok. I’m sorry but this was just incredibly disappointing. The first image of drinks that I attached was our first round. From left to right: El Samarito (tasted fine but it was on a big cube… with smaller ice chips. Shaken and dirty dumped into a glass with a big cube?! Also… big cube + straw……..), French 75 (was not cold at all, I regret not saying anything about that), the Skinny Watermelon (was good), Mid-Century (a Manhattan riff: bourbon, lillet rouge, bitters. Served on rocks as per the menu, but again a straw? Really? Furthermore, my friend who ordered this drink sent it back for tasting too watered down, which we all agreed with). Upon re-inspection of the drinks section of the menu, I was also confused why only some and not all of the drink descriptions included information on how they were served (e.g. on the rocks, up).

I should’ve just ordered wine after that but alas, I decided to try an espresso martini with my dessert. Good lord. I have never regretted ordering a drink more in my life and I sincerely hope I never will. Visually: wrong colour, no foam, visible ice chips, 4 coffee beans floating listlessly. Taste: like a bad shaft (coffee cocktail w cream liquer), probably because it was - I asked what was in it and, presumably after consulting with the bar, was told “frangelico, bailey’s, vanilla vodka, kahlua, and a shot of espresso”. Great! That is not what an espresso martini is. I took a video to show how ridiculously full of ice chips of varying sizes(!) it was - never mind double strained, it didn’t seem strained AT ALL. I sent it back.

Would not go back or recommend. Or maybe would recommend only to eat and drink...

Food was great. Starters of octopus, pear salad, and roasted carrots were delicious. Mains of pork chop, cauliflower steak, and milanese were generous and well done. Service we found to be bad from start to finish. To start: we were ignored at check in, then told to follow someone to our table.. except the staff member was first showing someone else to their table; we didn't know whether we were coming or going. We felt there was no sense of genuinely welcoming guests, just shuttling people through. We were eventually seated right by the toilets. Someone has to sit there, I suppose; but there were other tables available, and our sense was that this was restaurant policy for diners with children. (We had our 11 and 8 year old with us. The next table along had a similarly aged child, hence the inference.) The table was noisy and by the thoroughfare to the toilets and kitchens. Not a great start. From there, the only word that came repeatedly to mind was: Clunky. Drink order took ages; our server didn't return to take our food order; the order was eventually taken by someone else; food when brought out was dumped on table unceremoniously and shoved in and around our drinks and side plates etc; nobody throughout asked about allergies (one of us was gluten intolerant. Fortunately gluten free options were clearly marked on menu.. but server still dished out bread to everyone.); original server did not once ask if we needed more drinks - I eventually collared him and asked for a glass of wine; he seemed surprised, as was I; etc etc.

The bottom line here is that, despite the really good food, this venue evidently has no genuine focus or concern on customer service. Staff moved around at pace, but with little or no focus on customer experience. Ours was terrible. They seemed confused when the tip reflected this. Perhaps they should take a moment to train their staff properly and reorient the service to match the great work being done by...

Atmosphere is really cool & trendy. The patio was absolutely huge but it was 118° out so everyone was inside. Unfortunately their air was not working well. It was pretty warm in there. They also have a very cool private room, with black walls in sharp contrast to the white & fushia furniture with a very long table that looks like it may fit around 20 people, perfect for a birthday party. It's very beautiful. I loved the crisp white & fushia decor. The light fixtures were really so amazing and eclectic, paying homage to what once was a furniture store. They kept the hanging light displays and hung all different type chandeliers painted all gold in groupings. The white painted enamel chairs are very fun to look at and sit in. They are all different styles from different era's. I know I recognized several different chairs that I've had in my home in the past. Plus they have these white portable stands that you can hang your jackets, purse, bags, etc right at your tableside. Its a really nice touch. The dress is casual, shorts & t-shirts are welcome. The menu is quite versatile, a bit on the pricey side. The portions are big. You could easily share an entree. There burgers are huge! If you are wanting a less expensive, more usual Americana food, ask to see the bar menu. They have a $9 section that may do the trick. The burger is huge! I had a fried egg sandwich with side salad. I was pretty disappointed with the salad, just lettuce.😞 The food over all is good though. Go thsere on your birthday & you will get the most beautiful...