Lovely atmosphere with great service and food. Ashley was our server and she was friendly and accommodating. White tablecloths add a nice touch. The food has always been top notch. My husband loves the pork shank. I had the salmon, which was excellent. We started with the beet salad and tuna appetizers, which were great. Overall a very nice dining experience. read more

First of all Erin our Server was beyond amazing!!!!! Promptly seated on time for our reservation. Cocktails were great, brought our own bottle for dinner ($20 corkage fee). We all started with a salad. I got the wedge which was good, the blue cheese dressing was pretty mild and for my taste could have been more "blue cheesy." My other friends got the Caesar and kale, which were all delicious. Dinner: duck and risotto ( duck had better, it was over) but the risotto was on point. Filet Mignon was over charred on the outside, inside perfectly pink and well seasoned. Had the 36hr pork shank, so tender but everything on the plate was soooooo bland. All my friends tasted it as well as said just basic more salt and pepper would help. Scallops with boood orange risotto was the FAVORITE!!!! Had the trio of creme brûlée and the chocolate parfait. I'd order both again. We Finished with Irish Coffee and espresso martinis which were all delicious. I'd probably go again when in Palm Dessert. Might sit at the bar and just do drinks appetizers and dessert. read more

Was there this past Monday night and was disappointed. The service was terrible and the food wasn't much better. A friend had the lamb and hers was good. The rest of us had the filet and the prime steak which was not very good. For the prices you would expect more. read more

It is fine dining. Service and food are superb. Of course, you are going to pay for such high levels. But when you want "nice" this is the place to go. read more

Have always wanted to go here and we finally did for a birthday . When we made reservation I told her we were celebrating a birthday. As a surprise the slice of cake delivered to table at end of meal. We ate inside and its white linen tablecloths and candle lights decorated each table. The place is classy at best. Dark walls beautiful decor await. Wait staff roll around cart with bread. There are at least 4 waitstaff plus the head waiter serving each table. Very impressive and attentive staff. Everything served at the appropriate time no looking for your food and when waiter brings the food he knows exactly who has what entree. Meals served were scallops, beat salads, lamp chops, sea bass and each one came with a distinctive taste. All dishes were exceptional. We will be back to this fine dining. read more

Simply delicious. The service was prompt, not overbearing, coureous, friendly, and above and beyond the call of duty! I loved the walnu, cranberry bread so much the serve staff brought me nearly a loaf of it to take home! From the salad to desert, everything was prepared perfectly, served quickly, and eaten promptly! I had the salad with the gingerbread dressing....uniquely wonderful. The butternut squash soup was rich without being overly fatty (in fact, there is no cream in the soup and you'd never know). My friends had the scallops and a halibut...each equally delicious. read more

We came in from Kansas City and had just a wonderful experience. The service was great, formal enough, but kept it light and fun. They were very helpful with our reservation as well because we were with a group where we never knew how many would actually come. Most importantly however was the food. Wow. It was great from the Mushroom Ravioli, Fish Tacos all the way through the Pork Shank and Blackened Cod. If you are in Palm Springs and enjoy great food, it is a MUST GO. read more

Amazing service, amazing foods and ambiance. This was the 3rd wedding anniversary that we dined there. The staff made our 22nd wedding very special. read more

Cork Tree - 22nd Wedding Anniversary - New American Near Me - Palm Desert, California

Excellent service and food. We had the Cioppino sea food and the prime stake-awesome! read more

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This is my first Yelp review, but the attitude at the front desk was alarming. We had reservations for several days as I'm in town seeing my mother for the first time in months and were treated so rudely - first they informed us we'd now be inside instead of outside which we weren't comfortable with for safety reasons. They yelled at us on the phone when we tried to explain we had made the reservations specifically for outside. When we arrived for the reservation, they asked us to sit and wait for an undefined amount of time. After twenty minutes we asked for information on seating and the front desk associate very rudely just kept telling us she had no idea when we'd be seated. Same after 45 minutes ..... and we are still waiting. Cramming people in a small space and dismissing requests for information, and acting aggressively all the while, felt out of place and unnecessary for what seems like a nice spot. read more

Portion controlled. Everything is small portions. Dont try to share a plate. Not enough food and they charge you. Dont bother thinking your gonna get a free dessert for your bday or anniversary cause they charge you for it. You get just two pieces of bread each...no more. They act like their hurting financially. Too sad but we wont be back. read more

Great Birthday Dinner with great service from Ross. Outstanding food that was well presented. I highly recommend the House Special 36 Hour Pork Shank & also the Chilean Sea Bass. Much better food, value, & service than most all of the name restaurants in our area. read more

One of the worst meals I've had lately. And horrid service. Took 20 minutes to get bread I had the sea bass and friend had the scallops. They were both bad and made us ill. When we told the waitress and the manager they refused to acknowledge the issues and kept telling us no one else complained all evening and tried to refuse to take the dishes off our bill. And refuses to apologize for any issues with kitchen or service. At least the wine was good read more

First time here and so glad we tried it! Ordered a mix of items from the bar menu and everything was fantastic.

Came here just for drinks and tried their crab cakes from the bar/lounge menu. Very good. Worth a try. read more

Yummmm!!!! We were in Palm Springs for the weekend and decided to come here for dinner Saturday night. I made reservations a few days before just in case! Great ambiance, great food.. just everything that I was hoping for. Our server was Andrea and she was great. Very helpful with our meal and made sure everything was perfect! We all had the prix fixe which consisted of 3 courses and it was delicious and a great deal. We were also told by our server that the prix fixe menu changes every 2 weeks so we are definitely looking forward to our next visit! What more do you need... a great meal.. a fantastic bottle of wine.. great company... sounds like a good time to me! ENJOY! read more

Searching for best restaurants in Palm Desert, my husband and I ran across the Cork Tree and tried to make a reservation for Friday night at 6 to 6:30 - no luck, it was 5 or 9:15. I was very reluctant but my husband really wanted to try it. Thank heavens we did!!! Best dinner we've had in years! From the hostess, our waiter, Greg, to the manager and wine steward, everyone was warm and gracious. We started with the Escargot en Croute which was an amazing taste of absolutely unforgettable escargot with a parsley, garlic butter sauce and bits of braised short rib served in a small ceramic pot with a puff pastry crust over the top. Perfect start. On to salads. We chose the mini wedge and the seasonal house salad. The wedge was perfectly proportioned as a small serving and was delicious. The seasonal salad had oven-dried tomatoes, pickled onion, shaved radish and goat cheese over mâché with a vinaigrette. Loved the salad, especially the tomatoes and onions. Of course both the cranberry and sourdough bread served were excellent as well. For the main course my husband chose the swordfish special served with roasted baby carrots, asparagus and mascarpone, bacon, chive mashed potatoes - oh and a perfectly seared scallop. The swordfish was moist and tender, the accompaniments cooked and seasoned to perfection. I had the salmon with a crab/horseradish crust - delish! We ended the meal by sharing the Cork Tree version of a banana split - a rich and silky chocolate mousse on a hazelnut wafer with a caramelized split banana served with a small scoop of ice cream and a cherry sauce. So glad we shared it and had some coffee to finish. Altogether a sinfully rich and delicious meal with wonderful wine in an intimate booth. Couldn't ask for a better evening with attentive, unobtrusive staff. Definitely our favorite Palm Desert restaurant. Thank you, Cork Tree!!! read more

was in town for a very chill and low key bachelorette, and decided to stop by cork tree for dinner since it was right down the street from our hotel. was amazed!!! what i ate: - half dozen oysters (special): very fresh, very tasty. such a great way to start the meal - lobster mac + cheese: the bride made an audible gasp when she read "lobster mac + cheese" off the menu. we agreed to order this as a starter we could call share. this was absolutely glorious. the cheese sauce wasnt heavy at all, but still creamy and full of flavor. and it was a great way to start since we shared this amongst 6 girls. lobster was also divine in this. added just the right amount of luxury to an already delicious mac + cheese - salmon w/crab topping: ordered this as my main entree and i was very happy. the crab gave the salmon just an extra bit of umph and richness. seafood heaven. the spinach and potatoes also made it very light. - california bouillabaise: the bride ordered this and it was the star of the night. the broth was light, but chock full of flavor. it was full of various seafood pieces, and honestly just sooooo good. - lamb chops: these adorable lamb chops begged to be picked up and eaten with your fingers. i help the small chop and nibbled to my hearts content. the lamb was perfectly seasoned and cooked. - duck breast w/risotto: the duck was a perfect medium rare and cooked to perfection. the seasoning was just right. the bride doesnt like duck, but after having a bite of this, changed her mind. i let her know, this is how duck should be prepared! the mushroom risotto that came with this dish was earthy, creamy, and divine. - fries: who can say no to fries? these were cooked beautifully. crispy hot and fluffy inside. - cheese plate: this dessert course came out with 4 cheese: a brie, humboldt fog, a blue, and manchego. also came with some dried fruit, honey, toast. our server was also kind enough to bring us some sweet toast. i love cheese. i loved this plate. i wish i had been hungrier enough to eat more. - trio of creme brulees: chocolate, regular, and... i think the third one was caramel? while the flavored ones were nice, my favorite was the plain creme brulee. the chocolate one tasted more like a chocolate mousse. but hey, not complaining, we ate everything - coffee: great coffee! perfect way to finish your meal pros: - FOOD: nearly everything we ordered was perfect! i didnt try a few dishes, but the ones i tried were just soooooo tasty. my mouth is watering just thinking about it. im so glad we went with a bigger group so i could try a bit of everything - perfect portions: the portions arent small by any means, but not gargantuan. i really appreciated it cause sometimes you get overwhelmed when a huge plate comes out - service was excellent! our server (i think his name was greg) was very charming and knew what he was doing. he had great timing and paced our meal perfectly. he really added to the enjoyment of our meal! - decor/ambiance was very nice. i also really liked the small walk in wine cellar they had right next to the hostess stand. - bathrooms were very clean and pretty - very easy to make a rez with them short notice - plenty of parking in the lot - looked like there was a patio area cons: - the patrons tended to be more on the older side. (what do you expect while in palm desert/springs?) our group was by far the youngest. is this bad? eh... in the beginning i had to admit i was a bit intimidated with the ambiance, as it leaned more towards stuffiness. but after we opened our bottle of vevue cliquot i relaxed and we all enjoyed ourselves - price is steep, BUT, this isnt a casual restaurant. this is a nice, white table clothes, with someone picking up breadcrumbs between courses. i mean there was someone who it seemed like his sole job was to pass out bread to guests. so... when you think about the service, and the quality of the food, the price doesnt seem that bad - this is really random, but the music sucked. i mean, the music wasnt bad... if were at a kareoke bar. but at a nice restaurant? it seemed off. they should look into changing up the music! our group commented 3 times during dinner when we heard some random song play *note* corkage fee is $20/bottle. would i come again? if i was in the area, yes! read more

We were judged the moment we walked thru the door, me and my 14 year old, who clearly wasn't going to be drinking. We were sat at a table right next to the kitchen, which shouldn't even be a table location based on the noise in the kitchen. I asked if we could move, since there we other open tables and booths available but I was told by the host that they were all reserved. They remained empty all night. The manager walked over to every other table to ask how their meal was, but not to ours. $118.00 later, bad vibe, wouldn't return because of lousy treatment. read more

I feels strange to go against the majority here but our dinner at Cork Tree just deserved a 3 star - it was -A-OK. We had a Mushroom Ravioli appetizer - 3 little ravioli that didn't taste much like mushroom. Good but not not really worth $14. We had the pork shank and salmon for dinner. The pork really was very good - really tender without being dried out at all. It came with a small salad and garlic mashed potatoes - good accompaniments. My salmon had a horseradish crust and came with spinach and potatoes and a beurre blanc sauce. The salmon was perfectly done but really lacked flavor, the spinach was just spinach and the potatoes were boring. We also had a side of spinach alfredo - very good - nice flavor from the alfredo without being too much. Service was good and it's a classy place - cloth tablecloth and napkins and a nice atmosphere. As I said A-OK but not a 4 or 5 star for me. read more

Had were a terrible experience 5/2/2019. Three couple were seated in the beautiful outdoor patio and were immediately given menus and asked if we wanted drinks. All declined drinks until dinner items were selected (pairing wine with food). Ordered a Cakebread chardonnay, which was not chilled! Waiter, served and didn't seem to care that it was not chilled. Eventually ordered another bottle, also not chilled, but eventually brought an ice bucket. It appeared that the Corktree doesn"t keep their white wines chilled. Dinner was served and the food was just okay, at best. Waiter never asked if we were pleased with the food (we were not). Food quality was mediocre at best. Have been to the Corktree previously and had a much better experience. read more

Love this place and closeby. Best service besides Wally's of the Desert. I think pricing has come down since I last dined here. The bar is cozy and prices reasonable. Food is excellent. I can't say more, because the best is hard to beat! read more

During a short four day vacation to Palm Springs we dined at the Cork Tree twice. That should tell the reader a lot. With all the dining options available in the area, we selected the Cork Tree for two dinners. The service was outstanding, the wine list more than sufficient and the menu left us with too many selections. read more

After being nothing but frustrated trying to find decent restaurants in the Palm Springs area that are actually OPEN during the summer, I was sent to Cork Tree by a previous employee there. I had been told about an amazing foie dish, but when I called to try to make a reservation, I was told the dish had just been removed from the menu for the season. They could tell my disappointment, and when I arrived, everyone was MORE than accommodating, making sure I was very comfortable and apologizing that I was so disappointed. I decided on the tasting menu, with wine pairings, and was amazed again and again at the flavor combinations that were sent to my table. Every dish was perfectly balanced, and showed a creative side that I only wish as a chef that I could possess - who would think to put braised pork on TOP of sea bass? Crazy? Maybe. Delicious? Most definitely. The final course that I chose was a cheese course. They had my favorite cheese in the world, yet they somehow made it even better (how can it not be better with truffles added?). A butterscotch creme brulee also showed up miraculously at my table and could not have been more perfect. The wine pairings nicely accented each dish and even allowed me forgive a French chef for only having California wines on his list ;) And the best part when I got my bill? VERY low prices compared to other restaurants I have had a similar dining experience in. The staff was amazing. Everyone from the bartender to the bus boy made it a point to talk to me and make sure my dinner was going well. The chef came out several times to talk to me and even sat down at my table for a while. You could tell he just loves food and everything about it. Since I have rambled incessently, I shall leave it at this. Go to Cork Tree. You will not be disappointed. read more

It's always nice to sit outdoors and the patio at Cork Tree is perfectly adequate. A few more trees might disguise the fact that you are sitting next to the parking lot in a strip mall. Our service was erratic. Our waitress was prompt with menus, drinks, quite personable but once the entrees arrived we did not see her again for at least 1/2 hour. Water glasses were empty. Dessert became a non-issue since we got tired waiting for dessert menus. My husband ordered Patagonia seabass and it was pretty unattractive and tasteless. The beets in the beet salad were also pretty tasteless. The mushroom raviolis had too many conflicting flavors- the asparagus was cooked perfectly but the tomato compote and manchego cheese overpowered the delicate mushroom raviolis. read more

I'm late writing this review as I was here a week ago. I've been thinking about it since I left. The food is phenomenal, the atmosphere is very pleasant especially outside. Can't wait to come back and go here again. read more

Went here for anniversary & had an amazing dinner- lobster bisque w/ scallop & crab cake, oysters, caesar salad, duck tacos & linguini w/ prawns- everything was so delicious - highly recommend it! Will be back if in the area again:) read more

THE BEST Scallops I have ever had. We had a party of 4 and everyone really enjoyed their dinner. Still my favorite!

This is still one of the best restaurants in the Valley. I have been back numerous times. They, totally, understand the dining experience.... service, food, and atmosphere. read more

This was not my first visit to this restaurant, and it won't be my last. The food and ambiance are consistently pleasing. Even if you choose to eat in the bar the quality of the drinks and food is great. Last night we had beet salad, ravioli and mini lettuce wedges and they were all delicious as appetizers. For our entrees...I had the salmon which was delicious and had a beautiful presentation. Our friends had the scallops which were lovely and the sea bass which was also delicious. We had desserts, the trio of Creme brûlée and each was equally great, the apple crisp with salted caramel...fantastic, and the molten chocolate cake is decadent. We had delightful service from when we sat down until we finished. I highly recommend Cork Tree...lucky us because we live around the corner! read more

Palm Desert is a culinary wasteland. It's truly void of good food. There are, however, two standouts in this, well, desert, and one of them Is the Cork Tree. The food is solid. Their duck is a winner (both the tacos and the entree) and so is their fish (I can't remember if it was sea bass or some other white fish, but it was tasty). The service is great... All in all, I highly recommend it. If, like me, you're stuck in Palm Desert. read more

What a great find. I visit Palm Desert about once a year and stay right near here. I have always driven into town for dinner but who knew this was right here. We sat outside which was lovely. We could hear the road a little but mostly we heard the water feature. The service was great and the food delicious! I actually went with my kids and they loved it as well. We had too much bread as that was super yummy. I had salad and the chicken. My kids the sliders, the beef skewers and the mac and cheese. All if it was so good that we over stuffed ourselves and were too full for dessert. Well almost.... I will be back! read more

We are from out of town and Yelp restaurants and Cork Tree came up . Decided to give it a try. Our server Joshua went above and beyond with his service . Super polite and gave us extra bread to take home . Will return . read more

If you're in the desert and looking for a quality restaurant where the food is of the highest quality and full of flavor, go to Cork Tree! This place gets it right, from the soups to the cheesecake with bannana and caramel sauce. They have something on the menu for everyone and everything I've had on my 3 visits has been outstanding. read more

My wife and I had several appetizers for supper, and my recommendation to Cork Tree is try to keep it simpler. The mushroom ravioli was so overwhelmed by the sauce, cheese and vegetable toppings that you couldn't even taste the mushrooms. The bleu cheese stuffed in the artichoke hearts and the prosciutto which they were wrapped in made the artichoke hearts just a mushy filler. Use perhaps half the ingredients, focus on freshness, and the restaurant could really rise up to its aspirations. The service was very quick and courteous, on the bright side. read more

unbelievable- all I can say is get the "wedge" and a filet and you will be happy. Great service Great Wine selection.

I have to update my review based on my subsequent experience with the restaurant-my last meal there was really good but unfortunately I guess my husband Carl S. REALLY liked it because he took his girlfriend Bonnie Kalanick there for a romantic dinner-don't know if they got champagne, too! After 6 years together I don't know if they care about champagne!!! read more

What a great little secret! We were heading to Morton's and changed our mind last minute, both restaurants are located in the same shopping center and we thought we'd try something new. We sat at the bar and it was a very friendly atmosphere. Great steak skewers, pork shank is outstanding! Fresh ingredients and attentive staff, win win. read more

Lucky us. We live around the corner from the Cork Tree and it has become our favorite place to go for a special meal. Chef Hervé, from France, prepares and presents food in the French manner. The menu is varied and is especially appealing because one can order two starters and have them served sequentially if you are not up for a big meal. The service never disappoints and the place is quiet. One can actually carry on a conversation! Yes, it is a bit pricey, but worth it for a special occasion. Go there! read more

Wow. Wow. Wow. From the glorious soup tasting to the triple creme brulees for dessert. Wow! My husband had the 36 hour pork shank. He said he didn't need a knife. So tender, so good! All four of us were so happy with our meals and dining experience. Book mark it, folks! read more