The Thirsty Palms — Restaurant in Palm Springs

A Carnivore's Delight (and More!) The Thirsty Palms has clearly found a winning recipe for success, even if their kitchen does get a little backed up on busy nights. Our recent Thursday evening visit during Village Fest confirmed this, despite the reported 45-50 minute wait for food. Let me be clear: the wait was absolutely worth it!

Walking in, I was immediately struck by the vibrant but relaxing atmosphere. It's clear they've put thought into creating a welcoming and enjoyable space. This positive vibe was amplified by the exceptional staff. From the friendly manager to the attentive servers, everyone seemed genuinely invested in ensuring a pleasant dining experience for all patrons. Even with the added pressure of a bustling Village Fest crowd and extended outdoor seating, they handled everything with grace and professionalism.

Now, let's talk about the food. As a carnivore, I was aiming for a pure protein experience. I attempted to order my meal with just meat – lamb chops, steak, and shrimp – no sides. While the kitchen staff, bless their hearts, seemed to have missed the no-sides memo, the resulting dishes were so delicious. Everything was cooked to absolute perfection. The lamb chops were tender and flavorful, the steak was cooked precisely to a medium rare, and the shrimp were succulent and bursting with freshness. Each element was a testament to the chef's skill and the quality of the ingredients.

While the unexpected sides were a delightful surprise (even if they weren't part of my initial plan!), the star of the show was undoubtedly the perfectly prepared meats. I wholeheartedly recommend The Thirsty Palms to anyone looking for a truly satisfying meal, particularly those with a carnivorous inclination. Just be prepared for a potential wait on busy nights, and trust me, it will be worth your while. This is a restaurant that clearly understands the importance of not just serving delicious food, but also creating a memorable and enjoyable dining experience. Highly...

This unfortunately, was an awful experience. They are a new restaurant, that did a wonderful remodel from the business that was previously located there. I can't really explain this but somehow the menu does not match the look of the restaurant. It looks like a big diner chain location except with a bar and a higher price point. A man I believe you be the owner, who was way too casually dressed greeted us at the door. As opposed to seating us himself in the nearly empty restaurant the owner goes to fetch a young man for the job, who only told us "Sit wherever you want." Once we were sat, it took that same young man 8 minutes to come to our table to get our drink order even though by that time we were ready to place the entire order he was off too quickly for us to convey that. It was about another 5 minutes for those drinks to arrive and the order to be placed. I ordered the roasted beet risotto $23 and my partner ordered roasted chicken $28. After an additional 24 minutes our food arrives. No one comes to the table again after the food is dropped off. If they had checked on us they would have gotten an earful about the bowl of paste they gave me that somehow simultaneously tasted like overcooked and undercooked rice. We also would have complained about the dry chicken quarter my partner was served. How do you manage to dry out a thigh/leg quarter, first of all and how the hell do you price it at $28? We had to flag down our waiter for the check, which we paid and left hungry. Management did a great deal of work or the beautiful remodel now they need to do the same with their entire concept and staffing including the chef. Otherwise it will be another...

We will start out with the good! The hostess (and I think owner) was very kind and sat us right away outside with our dog. The food was also fantastic and came out in a reasonable amount of time. The French and “Originally” Schnitzel were very good. The drinks seemed well made and were tasty, with a nice bite (not weak).

Now the bad. We were promised a bowl of water for our dog which never came, not the end of the world. The wait staff came to our table maybe every 20+ minutes or so? The table next to us was also infuriated about this. So not just an us problem. When we asked the owner for water they seemed non pressed (we had been empty for 15+ minutes). We had to flag down the waitstaff for every interaction other than the original one. The table next to us was very upset that when they asked an owner for the check that they seemed annoyed. Not our experience but interesting to see that it was not just us.

Sadly, the service almost made me give this place 2 stars however I rounded up because they are hiring and the food was very good. We were open with owner and wait staff about the time it took, and so was the table next to us. They offered the table next to us something free (they declined) and gave a half apology to us.

Overall, if service improves they have potential, but they are losing locals and tourists very quickly (not just us on that night). Food and ambiance are critical, they have that down, but without good service the risks are...