El Mirasol Cocina Mexicana — Restaurant in Palm Springs

Bienvenidos El Mirasol.

Como la flor... Like the flower, sunflower that is. Located on the south end of Palm Springs just past Downtown off Palm Canyon Drive / Avenida Olancha. They have a very small lot on the corner, so if you see one, go for it! We got lucky and got one of those few. Plenty of street parking throughout that is close by.

My first time here, but came highly recommended via locals and super frequenters like my boyfriend.

My first impressions of this great spot, with awesome service, fun options for comidas (food) y bebidas (drinks) was stellar.

Definitely expect a wait on weekends, but not too much of a long one (we had about a 15 minute one and it went pretty fast, a few parties behind us had a little longer). You can call ahead for reservations.

The Veggie section of the menu is pretty solid. I had Burrito Vegetariana sin queso. It was pretty nice. Most of the entrees come with beans and rice on the side of your entree. Huge portions of everything, but I didn't eat the rice.

They make all their rice in chicken broth and note this as well as the possibility of preparing dishes without rice or cheese/queso at the bottom of the menu. Very accommodating for preferences and dietary needs.

We had endless chips and salad between being sat, ordering and enjoying out meal.

We had just finished drinks close by so weren't up for Margaritas or anything, but wow did they look awesome. As did the Mezcal, Cervezas, Vinos, Tequilas y Mas.

You can try anything from ensaladas to postres or aperitivos, entrees via combination plates and their house specials (Especialidades de la Casa).

Nice patio and inside, very spacious place.

The jefe (possibly the owner) visited our table and was really kind. Even brought us a refill of chips and salsa.

All types of heat levels (mild, medium and hot).

Definitely excited to go back and try their cocktails and...

This is a Southern California original. Mostly outdoor seating, thick with vegetation, Mirasol is hidden away off Palm Canyon Drive in the Movie Colony area, offering what can only be called "authentic Mexican food"and beverages in a zen-like setting. This is a restaurant made for the season in Palm Springs with most of it's seating outside with ample heaters to ward of the desert nights. In the summer you are stuck with a small dining room and bar, unless you really like 100 degree evening.

The place is family run, we met many of them the night we dined, from dad in the kitchen to Karina the daughter, who told us a great deal about the place. It is lovely and quiet, and adjacent to a small boutique hotel also run be the family.

The food is not the light fare found in some recent Mexican locations, it is sauced and plentiful and yes with beans and rice. It is good. Each table has a giant bottle of their homemade hot sauce. Believe it, hot is the word. And delicious, too.

I can't say that the service was friendly or fast, it was adequate, but not personal, maybe a little brisk. Not complaining mind you, but it kind of takes the shine off the total offering. Maybe it was the night or maybe everyone had a tough day or maybe we did something to shut down the feeling of family that Karina was so good at, but it kind of felt like we were intruding. Better service would have earned an additional star.

But the food is the star. I had the pork burrito, and it was enough for my wife and I to share with no problem. We saw a couple of shrimp dishes go bye the looked wonderful.

The cocktails were good, although the Skinny Margarita was a bit of a let down for one member of the party.

It is on a very busy street but can be hard to fine, follow your gps, and there is parking in the rear which is nice and unusual for the area. Well...

Living in New York City the past 3 years, I have been deprived of quality Mexican Food. The crazy thing is, that sentence is a HOT take if you say that to an NYC native. I've found the hardest thing to explain is the blatantly obvious that everyone has decided not to see.

"Well there's this one place DEEP in Jackson Heights..." You've just never been to LA or San Diego, and that's okay. That'd be like me saying LA Bagels are just as good as NY bagels, but I would never say that because I'm not absolutely delusional.

All of those two intro paragraphs to say, we came to El Mirasol last night for the first dinner of our family Palm Springs trip. A typical, no frills Mexican restaurant. One bite of these Chorizo Nachos had me thanking god I'm back in the great state of Southern California, where quality Mexican food can be found on seemingly every street corner. The Zo is SO different out here.

I went with a large skinny margarita to take the edge off and the Shrimp in Pipián for my main. One of my pet peeves is when a shrimp dish comes with 4 shrimp. I'm a grown man, you think 4 shrimp is gonna meet my protein goals? I felt the good Lord smiling down on me when the dish came with 9 shrimp, mexican rice, refried beans with melted cheese on top, and hand made corn tortillas that were to die for. Not a lot can rival a handmade corn tortilla.

This plate was delicious. One of them ones. Had me grateful to be back on the coast with superior Mexican food.

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