Best Contemporary American Restaurants in Desert Hot Springs

I rarely give five stars, and when I do it's usually for a grand dining experience that Michelin rates three stars. But our lunch at Spencer's yesterday with a dear out-of-town friend hit a ball of simple pleasures out of the park. The setting is iconic Palm Springs, so beautiful, comfortable and soothing. Our lunch of some of the best split pea soup I've ever had and salmon over a tastily dressed salad (we all had the same thing) that was perfectly cooked to our medium rare request was thoroughly enjoyable. The bottle of albarino that accompanied the food was one of the cheapest on the wine list (a great value), and simply delicious. Service is warm and there when you want it. All in, the experience was just about perfect. Kudos to Spencer's!

This was a bucket list experience for us when we purchased a home in Palm Springs and we were blown away by the amazing staff who made us feel like we were their favorite customers. Food was beyond amazing. Best steak I’ve ever had. Thank you for a wonderful memorable experience!

How wonderful it was to spend this Christmas Eve with special friends at Eight4Nine. A true treasure in the desert. Food, service and ambiance just perfect! Our server Sean was on it. He couldn’t have been more welcoming and efficient. Eight4Nine you are loved by so many. Thank you for the marvelous times and memories!

I want to take Chad home with me. But if I have to let him stay, then I hope all patrons get to experience his magic. But he does not work alone. Clearly the kitchen staff is amazing. Loved the tuna tacos, Caesar salad and lamb t-bone. Normally I don’t order dessert but I highly recommend the sticky pudding. Bottom line this is a 5* hands down.

We try to pick great restaurants for our dinner while vacationing. Since we wanted to take the tram anyway and the menu at The Peak seemed interesting, we got late afternoon tickets, saw a beautiful sunset, watched the lights come on across the valley and got a real surprise...the best meal so far in Palm Springs. The menu looked good; chef was supposed to be talented; prices were comparable to the restaurants we have been enjoying so we took a gamble not expecting greatness and hoping for good. We were astounded! We went to some of the big-name places in Palm Springs and have enjoyed a week of great dining, but The Peak amazed us. Service was good as one might expect. Some of the places we visited were nicer discounting the fact that we were at 8500 feet above sea level. The food was what surprised us. Great Osso Bucco and the Mushroom Ravioli was top notch! Best food on this vacation and a perfect Old Fashion too. We didn't expect this degree of fine dining as a part of our arial tram adventure, but we are so glad we gambled and were big winners!