Top Pan Asian Restaurant in Palm Springs
Wangs In the Desert
424 S Indian Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States
So Chinese food in Palm Springs is lacking, so I really do want the recently reopened Wangs In the Desert to succeed. But Ive got to be honest in writing this review. Hopefully mgmt. will read it and make some improvements.First, Ill talk about the atmosphere and service:Upon entering the host person was very nice and escorted us to a table for two. Unfortunately the table was set between the kitchen entrance and the bathroom hallway. So we were constantly skirted by staff going in and out, and also the host stopped at our table 3 times during the evening explaining to people where the bathroom was. There is an illuminated wall next to this badly placed table (see pics), which should just be eliminated altogether given the amount of traffic that flys around this table. And the fact the restaurant was only about 20% occupied, we could have been seated elsewhere. The overall inside dining room is quite dark, especially in the back of the restaurant; overhead can lights are very dim. One table of four was seated in the back and they constantly had to wave the waiters down for everything. Our service was actually good, our waiter was very hospitable but apologetic several times about the delay. Seemed to be the general mood at other tables.Menu and food:Upon looking at the menu, there were no beverages listed anywhere on the menu odd and we were not given a drink list of any kind. I assumed they had soft drinks so I just ordered that to be safe. The lemon lime soda arrived in a small glass about 1/3 the size of the water glass, had to ask for refills. The prices (see pics) are quite steep, so I began to think this may be some really great Chinese food! The hot and sour soup was good, although fairly standard. We ordered two spring rolls, ($9.00 for just two) that while crispy and delicate on the outside were gooey/slimy inside. I had the Kung Pao chicken, which had a fair amount of chicken, peanuts and bell peppers, that was good tasting but it had a huge amount of onion. The ratio of onion to the other ingredients was too much. Companion had Mandarin Pork, the menu said wokked pork that had a coating of bread crumbs or corn starch of some kind that wasnt mentioned on the menu. They felt it was fine but heavy on the sweet side.Overall, it wasnt a great dinner. In the end with two sodas, soup, a small appetizer and two main dishes, tax and tip it was well over $100 No alcohol drinks either!I will go back perhaps in a couple months to see if theres been improvement in some areas, maybe request to sit on the back patio in good weather instead of the dark cavern inside. Would I take my friends there? Nope, there are much better Asian food places in Palm Springs... but with a little menu tweaking, and atmosphere design upgrades perhaps Wangs could fill the Chinese category so badly needed in Palm Springs? And maybe elevate themselves to equal the prices they expect.
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Johannes
196 S Indian Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States
I really enjoyed my meal here the other night.Came on a Wednesday night around 7:30pm with my parents. We were seated at a table inside near the windows so we could look out onto the street while we ate. We were seated with drink menus, and once we turned down drinks we received food menus and fresh bread. Each of us was given three small slices of bread, served with some kind of pesto spread. It wasnt actual pesto, as it wasnt oily or buttery in any way, it was drier.My mom and I shared a mussels special for a starter. It was a 5-star dish: humongous mussels perfectly cooked and served in a sauce of thai chili, fish sauce, passionfruit, and maybe a few other tropical fruits. It was a great combination of spicy and sweet, and the fruits included created a unique taste I had never had before in a mussels dish.Dad got the Mamas Schnitzel - 4-stars. It was piled high with arugula, which he wasnt thrilled about, and thought the arugula mentioned would just be a bit, not a TON. He also thought it came on potatoes, which it didnt, but he thought it was tasty, that it was a good sided portion, and there was lots of cheese and tomato.Mom got the Lemon Caper Schnitzel - 4-stars. She said it wasnt as lemony as she expected, but the veal was tender and perfectly cooked. She liked the sweetness of the cucumber dill dish served on the side, but said her broccolini was oversalted.I got a Veal Medallion special - 5-stars. Three generous chunks of veal served perfectly rare inside. The veal was accompanied with a mushroom sauce and crunchy asparagus that wasnt overcooked at all. It was served with cheesy lobster spätzle which was like a more delicious mac and cheese with huge chunks of lobster.Overall, the place was really cute. Ambiance was on point, it was perfect for a cozy parents dinner and looked like a great date spot. Our server had all dozen specials memorized and was incredibly friendly. Id definitely make this a regular stop when Im in town.
1501 Uptown Gastropub
1501 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States
I usually only use Google to leave 5 star reviews so this is unusual for me and it could have been avoided.We ate here for dinner while in town for a conference. I've eaten here several years ago and it looked exactly the same. The food tasted great but I also need to share that the rest of our experience was strange and I don't think I'd return because of it.We showed up a little after 5pm for dinner without a reservation (it was a Monday). We were told we could sit at the bar right away and we said we'd prefer a table. We were then told they could seat us right away but we could only use the table for one hour. That's fine, we're just two adults from out of town wanting to eat dinner.It took quite a while for a server to come by or anyone else to bring water to the table. I get it, the service industry is a tough spot to keep staffed and it's been that way for quite a while. I used to serve and bartend so I know how high the turnover is.When we did get our server, I pointed to the Bright Cider right at the top of the draft beer menu printout and ordered that. I considered other drinks but thought it was a good deal for $5. But when I got the bill, I'd been charged $11 for a Cosmic Crisp Cider - not what I ordered.When I asked the server about it, she provided an explanation that they don't have the Bright Cider (listed on the menu) and only have the Cosmic Crisp Cider (not actually listed on the menu). They had served me what they had but not given me the option to make my own decision when the price was not commensurate. “But it tasted great, right?” she suggested.I wouldn't have chosen an $11 cider. If I was going to spend that sort of money, I would have spent a little more and ordered a cocktail instead. Just let this be a lesson. Properly inform your guests and let them decide for themselves.
Ruben and Ozzys Oyster Bar & Grill
241 E Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States
Really good food and super service. One of the waitresses had a bit of an attitude but the busboy more than made up for it by bringing our dog water, my drinks and the heater. So many other restaurants will defer to the waiter or waitress, but not this kid. He did it all.As for the food, it ranged from good to great.Great: oysters were fresh and plump. Truly amazing for the desert. Rubens special and cheesy garlic bread. Shrimp and fish tacos.Good: The clam chowder. Enjoyed it, just had better.Needs work: fries - ordered well done, but still not crispy at all. Salsa - they didn't have any. Tapatio, Cholula or Tabasco only. Should have ordered extra Poco de Gallo for the tacos, but didn't come to mind at the time.Prices were really good if you order from the lunch menu. Portions might be smaller, but I didn't notice and had left overs for dinner.Pro tip: get there when they open. We got there right at Noon and there were open tables. 30 mins later and they were packed with a line waiting.
Spencers Restaurant
701 W Baristo Rd, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States
Had the worst experience at this place. Came to eat breakfast on a Sunday and the first red flag should've been the servers attitude. He came off as condescending when asking questions about the menu items. We all ordered the 3 egg breakfast which apparently comes with Salmon/Onions which we didn't realize as it's not in the description. Upon getting the orders, 2 of us do not like fish or want onions in our eggs. The server was no where to be found and we had to wait about 5-10 min for him to finally help us. We explained the problem that we don't want salmon in the eggs. I later clarified that we also don't want onions and let him know we just wanted the eggs only. He didn't really acknowledge the concern or anything and probably didn't seem happy we were sending something back but I tried to ignore it and just move on. Our 1 friend finished eating and we both were still waiting for our food. We were contemplating just leaving bc we are 45 min in and 2 of us hadn't eaten yet. The food finally comes so we are willing to stay and finish the meal however this time the eggs had onions. We were so over Spencer's and just even having to deal with the server again and have to go thru the same issue and spend another 20 minutes trying to flag him down and getting this corrected. So we opted to just leave, pay for the 1 meal and get going.The server did not seem happy about this and it got to the point where he was arguing with my party saying that he got our order right, how we ordered it. It was such an awful experience bc clearly he doesn't understand customer service. I know what we said and we wanted our eggs plain. At the end of the day, we werent going to pay for our meals if they were wrong and couldn't eat them. Didn't really understand the need to argue by the host stand that he was right. Like really? We just tried to get out of there as quickly as possible.He also asked if we wanted them packed to go, which came off as snarky vs helpful since he knew we couldn't eat the meals. I don't get why he needed to approach us. Just give let us pay with the hostess and leave. An overall miss and would never come again.For the one meal we did get, still not a positive experience as the eggs were cooked wrong. We asked for over easy and they were over hard.Outside was nice and looked relaxing but it was so hot even with the fans going. Not really an enjoyable experience either. Maybe it's different inside but wouldn't recommend if it's hot to sit outside.The lady at the host stand Kimberly was gracious and took care of us so we could leave.
Rooster And The Pig
356 S Indian Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States
The Rooster and The PigMy partner and I had a chance to experience dinner at “The Rooster and The Pig”Echoing other reviews, the line upon arriving at 4:50pm was quite long, but we were able to get seated right away. They open at 5:00pm, so I definitely suggest getting there at 4:30-4:45PM if you want to get seated right away. Otherwise you may have a little bit of a wait.The menu was very interesting seemingly taking a more gourmet take on traditional Vietnamese food.For Starters we had the following:1. Fish Sauce Wings: A nice light crispy finish on the chicken wings and the right amount of sweet and savory between the fish sauce and sugar. I would get these again.2. Calamari: Excellent. Crispy battered finish, with just the right amount of ‘chewiness'. The spice was excellent… just a bit spicy and the right amount of saltiness.3. Vietnamese Crispy Rolls: These were OK. Between the jicama and glass noodles we found those to be a bit overpowering.For the Mains we had the following:1. Pork Belly Fried Rice: This was good, overall. A little more bland, but definitely had some great starting tastes. The chunks of pork belly and crispy shallots were awesome.2. Shaking Beef: Pretty good. Would have enjoyed a little more flavor in the sauce, but the meat was very tender, and high quality.The Experience:Overall pretty good. The waiter was attentive. The dishes were on the smaller sides. Echoing some of the other reviews, the food is good overall, but there wasn't anything that struck us as amazing.At the beginning of our meal, we asked out waiter if we could place an additional order of Pork Belly Friend rice to go, and he was a bit hesitant saying that the manager was very picky about placing to go orders. This didn't make any sense to us, but we remedied the issue by placing two orders of fried rice right away and taking the extra to go.We also ordered two Vietnamese Iced Coffee's. They were a little strong, so my partner asked if we could have just a little extra condensed milk… again the waiter was very hesitant, but said he would ask the bartender if we could have some… to which he said no. We found that was odd. Would have gladly paid extra for it.Interesting place. Food was good, but the overall experience seemed a little… interesting.
Boozehounds Palm Springs
2080 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States
As a frequent visitor of the Palm Springs area, I was hoping I had found a great new spot to brunch with and without my pup. But as much as I wanted to give this place five stars, at this moment I cant.Walked in with no reservations on Sunday memorial weekend. Everyone was very kind. And the hosts had walked away for about a min. Not unusual long, and in that time we had servers and supporting staff inform us someone would be right with us. Host came up. Friendly told us it would be 45 min wait. But bar was first come first serve. Took the bar option.Sat at the bar. Was acknowledge in a appropriate amount of time from the bartender. Bartender was kind. Placed our drink order. Received our drinks rather quickly. Placed our order and then waited about 40-50 min for our meal. Placed a burger order. Wasnt asked how we would like the burger, I state this because if we had ordered it well, I could be a little more understanding on the wait. Not that I would order it well to begin. Also ordered the tuna seared salad.We waited, after the 30 min mark we thought about asking for our food. Especially because Im not sure if its the whole bar area but where we were seated it was freezing. The air vent feels like it blows straight down. The couple next to us also commented on how cold. They debated if to grab a sweater. That is when I started looking around and realized we werent the only ones showing concern for their food order. Everyone who had sat down at around the same time were waving down staff to ask about their food. Couples and bachelorette parties. With pups and without pups. We ate our food. And the people next to us order the same thing about 15 min after us and still hadnt received their food, till after we had finished eating.Once our food arrived it was good. Nothing in particular to rave about. Especially after such a wait. Burger was cooked perfectly. Not over done and served hot. Salad lacked a crispness to the greens. But the crisp onion helped bring a little texture to the plate. Dressing was pretty basic. Tuna was of a decent quality. Bartender was pretty attentive. Especially because we werent drinking alcohol. But he was busy. Asked someone else for hot sauce and it got lost. Never received it.Space is clean and simple decor. Lots of patio space for pups. The pup menu is cute. Staff is kind. Seems a little understaffed. Both in bar and kitchen. But they are trying their best and staff doesnt relay that to the customer. I just am hyper observant and noticed it wasnt an isolated incident to us. I only gave it 4 stars because of how well the staff did with such unfortunate circumstances. But this was very close to a 3 star review if it werent for them. Im hoping it was just an off day and we can visit again to a better experience. Because it does have all the potential for a 5 star review.We have no issue coming back if friends were to suggest it to give it a second shot. But we will not be recommending this restaurant for the time being.
Fuzion Five
285 S Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States
These people will NOT honor your reservation.I made a reservation to have dinner with them @6:30pm on a Saturday night several weeks ago and was bringing my relatives visiting from Canada. It is after all a lovely restaurant with good food that I've visited many times before. To my disappointment, we arrived there @6:30pm and they had just given the last couple of open tables to the guests that walked in before us. I mentioned to our waitress that we have a reservation made for 6:30pm and she soon realized that she messed up (didn't know that a reservation was made). She apologized and asked us to wait at the bar which we did. She brought the drinks menu and invited us to get a drink if we wanted. I asked her if the drink would be complimentary and she immediately told us that they were not going to be complimentary. We waiting around for approximately 10 minutes and realized that most people really had recently begun their meals so we decided to get up and leave. I asked my waitress to have the manager to come out and talk to me and she told me she was the manager. I was shocked because this person handled the whole mishap in a very poor way to begin with. I expressed my frustration and told her that we were going to just leave. She apologized again for the inconvenience and ask for my name and address and offered to send me a gift card for our inconvenience. After several weeks of not getting anything in the mail I realized that I will never get a gift card from them. It is a shame because I used to frequent that restaurant and they now lost a customer. I felt compelled to finally share my story so others people become aware of their lack of professionalism. A reservation there may likely mean very little to them so beware.
Peppers Thai Palm Springs
396 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States
Although the food is good, the customer service left me baffled. When we walked in no one greeted us, no one showed us to our seats, so we sat ourselves nobody brought us menus so I went over told the waitress got ourselves some menus nobody brought us water until it was time to order. I figured maybe there busy, hey its ok it happens. So when a person gives a tip, I reflect on the experience I had did I feel taken care of, I gave what I thought was appropriate...the other girl did the same the other girl gave nothing...the waitress who never came to check on us, came out after us in front of anyone who was walking by shouting we forgot to tip I was humiliated...totally ruined our lunch. I thought one of us had forgotten to pay...it was completely unecessary. Im a regular there unfortunately I dont think I will be back. I did call the manager to express my disappointment, and even he said tipping is optional, we are happy tippers we just didnt feel taken care of.Update:Excuse me...??? ...You are an owner of an establishment that thrives by satisfied clients...All Im doing is sharing my experience as a client. Nothing in my review was made up.... You are right sir I did get humiliated-but not by writing a review but by YOUR WAITRESS.. I mean really going outside and shouting at your clients for a tip EVEN AFTER THE FACT THAT WE DID TIP....dear readers go at your own risk.
Chada Thai Cuisine
1418 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States
Since this place is conveniently located about 1000 feet from my front door I really wanted it to be, at the very least, moderately good. Alas, it isnt. Which is not to say that the food here is bad. It isnt. Its just not very good Thai food, and Ive eaten a lot of it, from Phuket to Honolulu. I have ordered from here three times, each time ordering something different in hopes that I would discover a dish worthy of a good review, Each time I have been disappointed. My last order consisted of Cashew Nuts with Beef, and Pad Kee Mao with Chicken. The beef dish was bland, with the cashews seemingly boiled in to the dish, which left them soft and soggy instead of firm and crunchy, as I have experienced this dish elsewhere. The Pad Kee Mao was even worse. It was completely void of flavor. It was as if the chef forgot to add any seasoning. No saltiness, so savoriness, no heat or spice. Nothing. Its like it was a movie prop. It looked good, but it had no discernible taste. If this dish was a car it would be a Nissan Versa. Yes, it may get you around, but it is completely devoid of substance or style. The few wilted basil leaves that were there could not save this dish. I resorted to throwing a tablespoon of Grandmas Sauce in to it just to make it taste like something.In short, this isnt bad food. All the ingredients were fresh. This just isnt good Thai food. I havent tried their curries, which I will grudgingly do at some point. Something on this menu must be edible, right?