Headed to Palm Springs, California for the weekend, but not sure where to eat? Not to worry- there are some fantastic places to score vegan food in this desert oasis, from artisanal ice cream to a deli cranking out some of the best house-made plant-based “meats” on the planet. Here’s my guide to enjoying a weekend full of eating vegan in Palm Springs.
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Breakfast
Palm Greens Cafe
This eatery focuses on using organic and fresh ingredients, with a dizzying amount of vegan and gluten-free dishes (all of which are clearly labeled on the menu and the staff are well-aware of).
While the restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch daily, the menu really shines in the morning, with comfort food options like French toast, breakfast tacos, and biscuits and gravy. If you’re feeling like kicking off your day with a lighter option, consider, instead, a deliciously creamy date shake, made of (you guessed it!) local dates and almond milk, or an acai bowl. The endlessly delicious food offerings are served up in a light and airy dining room or, if you’d rather indulge in the California sun (you’re in Palm Springs after all!), snag a table on the restaurant’s colorful patio.
The owners of this restaurant operate a sister restaurant just two miles down the road called Mid Mod Cafe, which is also open for breakfast and lunch and offers a very similar menu to Palm Greens. Mid Mod has a slightly more casual feeling than Palm Greens, so you can pick which location to try depending on the vibe you’re going for.
The only drawback to Palm Greens and Mid Mod, in my opinion, are the prices- a breakfast plate will run you about $10-14, which certainly is not cheap by U.S. standards. That being said, Palm Springs is a resort town and the prices of food, not just at Palm Greens and Mid Mod, but on a citywide basis, certainly reflect the luxurious, upscale nature of the city (i.e., you can expect to pay more at all of the restaurants here as compared to most U.S. cities).
Nature’s Health Food and Cafe
This laidback stop has a fast casual vegetarian cafe, serving up fresh-pressed juices, healthy breakfast and lunch options (think breakfast burritos, stuffed with scrambled tofu and medley of locally-grown veggies, and “fish” tacos, made with homemade guacamole and pico de gallo), and an organic espresso bar (even offering vegan bullet proof coffee!).
While you wait for your order to be prepared, you can peruse the shop’s small grocery market, stocked with unique vegan and natural health items. There are plentiful seating options- either a few tables inside near the grocery area or several tables out on the sunny patio. While the ambiance is definitely more on the casual side, the prices here make up for it- almost everything on the expansive menu is $11 or under!
Lunch and Dinner
Chef Tanya’s Kitchen
Any restaurant with the tagline “Eat plants. Look good in your pants” gets a gold star in my book, but, charming tagline notwithstanding, this little all-vegan deli dishes up some of the best food I’ve ever had, period. Helmed by Chef Tanya Petrovna, the original founder of Native Foods Cafe (a chain of vegan cafes across the United States), this eatery reinvents deli classics, like a Cuban sandwich or macaroni salad, along with burgers, soups, and desserts. Thanks to the house-made proteins, cheeses, and sauces, every menu item is absolutely delicious.
Similar to a deli, most of the food is served in a grab-and-go fashion (perfect to pick up before heading out for a hike!), although there are a few seats inside and out front. The shop is a bit off the beaten tourist path of Palm Springs, in a more industrial neighborhood, but I promise once you bite into a grinder sandwich, thick with peppered seitan, cashew cheese, and kale giardiniera, the extra ten minute drive will have been well worth it!
Natural Sisters Cafe
A Palm Springs vacation is incomplete without a stop in Joshua Tree National Park. To fuel you up for all your hiking in the desert, stop in this unfussy vegetarian cafe in the town of Joshua Tree, serving up burgers, wraps, and ridiculously enormous sandwiches, with options like an eggless tofu sandwich and chop salad. The food is served in a fast-casual style, with friendly and knowledgeable staff that are happy to point out vegan or veganizable options. Make sure to grab a dessert before you leave- the pie is out of this world!
Juniper Table
If you’re looking for a more upscale dinner option, your choices in Palm Springs are unfortunately a bit limited. Juniper Table is one of the few restaurants in Palm Springs providing a more formal vibe with a few vegan options, in a modern and romantic setting in downtown Palm Springs. Snag a table outside to sit underneath the twinkling fairy lights and on weekends, listen to the live music performed outside the restaurant.
When we visited, there was a vegan mushroom cheese steak and patty melt, using Impossible meat, on the menu, which were both delicious and quite filling options. The menu changes seasonally and at the time I’m writing this post, it appears the cheese steak and patty melt have been replaced by an Impossible burger. Therefore, I’d recommend checking out the menu online before you go to ensure there’s something you’d enjoy.
Similarly, I will note that Juniper Table is a bit on the pricey side- for example, the Impossible burger and fries cost a whopping $22 when we visited. However, if you’re looking for a date night spot to grab a fancy cocktail and dine by candlelight, this is a solid option.
Dessert
Kreem
Last but not least, what would a weekend getaway be without a little dessert? Kreem is one of those hipster artisanal ice cream places (which, to be clear, are totally my jam), with inventive flavors like ube (a type of purple yam), studded with marshmallows, and coconut latte.
This retro-chic storefront is always scooping anywhere from three to seven coconut-based vegan ice creams and sorbets (as well as dairy ones), all of which are lovingly made by hand in-house. Beyond the unique flavors, the texture of the ice cream is perfect- creamy and decadent. Definitely worth a stop while you’re in Palm Springs.
And with that, I hope I have prepared you well to have a weekend of vegan deliciousness in Palm Springs. What was your experience like there? Did I miss any hidden gems? If so, let me know in the comments below!
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