Best Tapas Restaurants in Palm Desert

The service and ambience were excellent but the tapas varied. The shrimp tapa was outstanding. The sauce was so good I ordered more bread to finish the dish. The meatballs were just okay. The mushroom tapas were not too my taste. The pork empanadas were overcooked. I spoke to another guest who came more often who also said some tapas were better than others. They suggested I try the mussels on my next visit.

I always take other reviewers info with a grain of salt: are they REAL foodies, do they dine often, are the in a rush, are they chronic complainers, etc. So I ignore the negatives and focus on the positives and go anyway. And then once we go and discover this AMAZING pace called Italica, I contemplate wether or not I want to write a review because we have found a GEM and don't want to share it with too many people, maybe we should keep a great place for oursleves...but alas, this place is TOO GOOD not to tell you about it. In a nutshell: amazing ambiance, actually its super cool! Staff: awesome and knowledgeable and so friendly and attentive! Craft cocktails are yummy but they do the "usuals" well too, and have a nice wine selection! Food: very very very good! I am legitimately Italian, so it is authentic and offers a nice variety of pastas, proteins and salads and the appetizers are delicious. Parking was easy, finding it was easy, having a leisurely and truly enjoyable dinner was easy as this place has it all. The decor and ambiance is VERY cool, take the time to look around (and yeah, even check out the commode!) Italica caters to real foodies who have a lust for life and time to relax, enjoy the company they're with and savor a dining delight.

We recently dined at Catalan and were thoroughly impressed by the food. I had the scallops, and they were absolutely divine—some of the best I’ve had in the area. My husband ordered the lamb chops, and he really enjoyed them as well. Service was also friendly and attentive. We will definitely be back.

Excellent food, we had breakfast lunch and dinner and all were great. The service is outstanding. Wines are great!

Jocelyn was great and made the experience very fun. She was very helpful and accommodating in answering questions and making recommendations.