At the La Quinta Resort & Club and PGA West. Above the casual Twenty6 restaurant and bar is La Quinta Resort & Club’s signature Mexican restaurant, Adobe Grill. Featuring a bold Oaxacan motif drenched in vibrant colors, rustic Old World accents, and vivid folkart woodcarvings (complete with a cozy, double-sided fireplace), the grill cultivates good times with live mariachi music and a spacious dining patio. A diverse array of authentic cuisine is served amid a spread of guacamole (prepared tableside), fresh tortillas, and other tasty offerings. Spicy brunch dishes and a selection of shareable appetizer plates during happy hour make this 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. To complement the award-winning pork tamales (try them for supper with the combinación plate that also includes a chicken enchilada and chile relleno, drizzled in salsa ranchera or salsa verde), Adobe features a dozen or so signature margaritas, as well as bespoke cocktails mixed from the bar’s more than 100 varieties of topnotch tequila.

A lot has changed in Palm Springs since 1958, but one constant is the city’s favorite mom-and-pop Mexican restaurant, The Original Las Casuelas, a family-owned staple on North Palm Canyon Drive that recently marked a major milestone: its 60th anniversary. While there are four Las Casuelas restaurants in Greater Palm Springs, there is — and always will be — only one original. And they have the loyal customer base to prove it. First opened by Maria and Florencio “Del” Delgado, the couple eventually handed down the restaurant to their daughter Florence and granddaughter Alana Coffin (pictured, with Coffin’s son Connor), who continue to run the family business using the same recipes the couple brought from their native Mazatlán, Mexico. Everything is made from scratch each day and many of the regulars are part of the same families who began dining here decades ago. “There are five generations of families who continue to dine with us,” says Coffin, whose grandparents opened the restaurant in 1958. “They’re like family to us. We love hearing all of their stories and memories. There’s a lot of history in this building and I think that people are drawn to that.” They’re also drawn to the restaurant’s authentic Mexican fare including the ever-popular chiles rellenos, Maria’s famous spinach enchiladas, and hearty combination plates. The all-day breakfast menu is full of traditional delectables like huevos rancheros, machaca, and huevos con chorizo, and even those in the mood for classic American fare will be pleasantly surprised by one of the best cheeseburgers in town. While the restaurant has served plenty of celebrities over the years, none was more famous than the King himself. “Elvis Presley used to come here,” Coffin says. “He had his favorite table — which is still here — and he loved the fajitas with his favorite ranchero beans.” Coffin, whose grandparents put her to work in the restaurant at age 11, is immensely proud of her family’s legacy and looks forward to serving the Coachella Valley for many years to come. “It all started here,” she says. Las Casuelas Original 368 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262 760-325-3213 theoriginallascasuelas.com

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.