Known for authentic Oaxacan cuisine and its colorful motif, the Adobe Grill appeals to an array of tastes with three different dining experiences. A dining area by the kitchen (complete with a cozy fireplace) offers a lively ambiance where you can watch chefs craft everything from fresh tortillas to tantalizing shared plates. A front patio serves up the ultimate al fresco experience, inviting you to relax with a libation while the sun paints the sky as it dips behind the mountain. From the top of the plaza, margaritas flow and the sound of music spills into the air from Adobe’s bar extension, where guests gather to have a good time and listen to live entertainment. Mexico’s Oaxaca region is known for seafood, so you’ll find more of that here than at your traditional Sonoranstyle restaurant. The pork tamales are so tasty they’ve won awards and can be served alongside the equally delicious chicken enchilada and chile relleno. A thoughtful curation of 100-plus types of tequila can be made into a dozen signature margaritas or bespoke cocktails. The locals’ favorite is The Cadillac, created with freshly squeezed juice and served in a grand glass. Savory brunches make Adobe a winner for a weekend out with friends, whether you’re just rolling out of your villa or winding down after a day at the pool.   Photography courtesy La Quinta Resort & Club

Del and Mary Delgado opened the original Las Casuelas in Palm Springs in 1958, but they weren’t the ones who named it. That distinction belongs to a confused sign maker. The Delgados aimed to honor Del’s mother, Maria Farjado, who supported her family during the Great Depression by peddling homemade tamales from her kitchen’s back door. Eventually, the lure of the lunchtime staples had lines of copper miners and other Arizona citizens stretching around the house. The food was cooked in earthenware pots called “cazuelas.” When the Delgados took Maria’s authentic Mazatlán recipes to the Calfornia storefront, they ordered a sign declaring the eatery’s moniker: “Las Cazuelas.” The sign maker accidentally swapped an “s” for the “z,” but the Delgados didn’t have the funds for a redo — so a desert dynasty was born. There are now four Las Casuelas restaurants across the Coachella Valley. Today, Del and Mary’s daughter and granddaughter run the bustling Palm Canyon location, serving up Maria’s take on classic Mexican meals like fajitas, tacos, and, of course, tamales. Other favorites include jalapeño margaritas and shrimp in mojo de ajo (garlic sauce). The restaurant’s longtime employees welcome diners with the same heartfelt hospitality that made the Delgados so successful more than 60 years before. With that enduring reputation for treating (and feeding) guests like family, Las Casuelas Original has proven itself a fine tribute to the matriarch who started it all.   Photography by Kaminsky Productions

Stroll past downtown Palm Springs’ sprawling Las Casuelas Terraza any day of the week and you’ll find a bustling indoor-outdoor space filled with loyal patrons indulging in traditional Mexican fare, mingling over margaritas at the palapa bar, and getting down on the dance floor to nightly live bands. Today, Las Casuelas may be one of Palm Canyon Drive’s most renowned and popular restaurants, but its roots are far humbler. The Las Casuelas legacy traces back to matriarch Maria Fajardo, who cooked meals at a boarding house for copper miners in pre-depression Arizona with her famous earthenware pots and pans known as cazuelas. “She was feeding delicious comfort food to the hardest working of the working class. And that’s what we’re still cooking for our guests,” says Fajardo’s great-grandson Patrick Service, who manages Las Casuelas Terraza with his mother, Patricia Delgado Service. The extensive menu focuses on Mexican-American and Mazatlan-inspired flavors. Combo platters blend classics like enchiladas, tacos, and tamales made from a 100-year-old recipe along with house specialties including carne asada and bacon-wrapped diablo shrimp. And then there’s Service’s favorite combo: the restaurant’s double-cooked pork carnitas paired with a fresh-squeezed margarita. Speaking of margaritas, the bar has more than 100 types of tequila on offer, any of which can be turned into one of Las Casuelas’ specialty cocktails, including the Dosarita, a 27-ounce margarita with a double shot. Since many guests like to taste and compare the spirit straight, the restaurant also serves a variety of flights with three types of tequila to an order. “I always say,” Service adds, “if you can’t take a flight to Mexico, come here and get a flight of tequila.”   Photography by Ethan Kaminsky

Take a bite of our Poblano Relleno, stuffed with cheese, tomato, and garlic, topped with our homemade ranchera and poblano salsa and you’ll see why it’s far from humble. Chef Ernesto Gastelum is inspired by his family recipes that are handcrafted with the best ingredients and served fresh and flavorful in a vibrant space. Let the food speak for itself. Gastelum’s extraordinary dishes will have you returning time and time again for the best of Mexico in the Heart of Palm Springs.