I dined here recently and enjoyed the food and service and have been here several times over the past few years. However I am giving this experience 3 stars as the music was very poorly chosen and did not match the aesthetic of the bar. With the bar decorated in posters of idols like Elvis I was expecting to hear some exciting hits. But instead I was lulled into a zen spa combined with the mundane route of an elevator. The strange elevator spa relaxation music turned me off from an exciting night out and felt very mismatched in a place that should be thriving on classic Palm Springs nostalgia and excitement. The music put me to sleep and made me want to stop ordering drinks and instead take a nap. It was ill suited to a bar and the friends I was dining with agreed. A simple fix would be to change the music to have something more upbeat and fun. Aside from the music killing the ambiance, the service and dining was up to far. Shoutout to the bartender Christian for some awesome drinks and service! I enjoyed the mixed drink he recommended for me. read more

Food and service was awesome ! BUT IF YOUR WANTING A PIANO MUSICIAN this isn't the place. They will choose boring songs played on the speaker than them actually playing the piano . Even after multiple tips to play piano popular songs they will choose songs not popular on piano and play radio songs. Being a dj of people's choice and noticing the entire restaurant fall asleep with there non piano choice of songs was painful read more

Highly recommended by our resort. Giving drink orders she convinced people to order lemonade instead of iced tea. The lemonade was made from a mix. Will update food later. Just a bad start to push lemonade from a mix. 0* Food was good, everyone enjoyed their meals. Drink pushing still leaves a bad taste in our mouths. Up to 3* Shame for serving lemonade from a mix and then recommending it as delicious lemonade Please do better. Manager did make everything right. So up to 4* read more

Food was delicious. Had a great server. Love the vibe. Only thing that was annoying was when I called to make a reservation they gave me the wrong time for the dueling pianos so we unfortunately didn't get to experience that since we were there too early. read more

Kitchen 86 - Bars Near Me - Palm Desert, California

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The food at Kitchen 86 + Bar is addictive! We had Boom Boom Shrimp for the first time and ended up ordering it in our tacos, too! Our server was attentive and helpful in the old-school way. I ordered a cosmo, which was top-notch! My boo ordered a Kalifornication cocktail and was very happy with it! There was a DJ playing some great mixes, so we moved to the dance area and had a blast with DJ Tina Turntables. :) My date noticed that the restaurant is well designed: you can sit near the dance floor, or in the main dining room, where you can talk. We thoroughly enjoyed our night out on El Paseo in Palm Desert and had a blast at Kitchen 86! read more

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Came here for a nightcap and really enjoyed! Good service, yummy Aperol spritz! Nice outdoor patio and live piano music!

We used to really like it here. Not anymore. Still a nice atmosphere and really good service, but the food quality seems to have gone down along with portion sizes. Of course prices have increased as well. Won't be going back. Pizza and the bang bang shrimp. Or whatever they called it was okay but not how we remembered. read more

All I can write about is the lack of service. I was dining alone. I approached the hostess and asked for a table outside. It was less than half full. I sat down and within seconds had a water pitcher and glass on my table. The female server followed up with a menu and asked what I wanted or do I need a couple of minutes. I said one or two minutes please. That was the last I saw of her. I sat for about 18 minutes waiting and waiting. I finally took the hint and left. I walked across the street to DAILY GRILL where I am writing this review and treated very well. I've already been acknowledged 3 times while waiting for my food read more

Kitchen 86 - Outside patio - Bars Near Me - Palm Desert, California

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Kitchen 86 + Bar on El Paseo offers a cute casual spot for drinks or for dining. With ample seating indoors and outdoors it's great for small to large parties. Came here on a quiet Tuesday night and there were a couple of patrons at the center bar as well as outside. With wanting to for a quick appetizer bite, we opted for appetizers consisting of heirloom tomato with burata drizzled with sweet vinegar and olive oil. The tomatoes were fresh and plump and the burata was creamy and delightful. And secondly, the lucid meatballs were simply amazing, with its tasty well seasoned meat topped with a ricotta whipped cheese made for a fantastic appetizer. Highly recommend! Great service, ambiance and a bountiful menu selection make this place a fun atmosphere read more

Kitchen 86 - Heirloom Caprese Salad - Bars Near Me - Palm Desert, California

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Disappointing service. Sat over 10 mins on a not-busy Sunday staring at menus. Finally found the hostess who got us a server after another 5 mins. Then he wanted to give us water and leave. Food was fine - had sandwiches - and arrived in reasonable time. And then we wanted to pay but no check so over an hour. Here's what really annoyed us: no one apologized for our wait, not the hostess or the server. (And yes another table near us left after getting menus and no waiter). read more

Got to be honest with you--my friend picked this place to dine at--she dined here before--but when I arrived at the front and looked at the menu, and saw a large bar and TV sports screens and people all over eating pizza and yelling --I thought there was little hope the food here was going to be good. It did seem like a fun place. I was hoping the fire department would come for some reason and tell us we can't dine here before we were seated or the hostess would lose our reservation and tell us they are full. But it turned out to be the Best Meal Ever! I had the Salmon (39), Kale Caesar Salad, shared the Chicken Dish, and finished with Bread Pudding. Everyone of those dishes was excellent and the best you will have anywhere. If you see my picture of the Salmon dish with rice and veggies--you can't see the Salmon. That's because it was a relatively small piece of Salmon--probably between .25 or .33 lb. I am an expert in Salmon and I buy .5 to .6 lb for myself. But they are using very high quality Salmon like you get at a fine dining restaurant such as Ocean Prime and they know how to perfectly prepare it. I would like to see them up the portion size to .5 next time--that at the $40 price point I think they can bump up the salmon portion and maintain the same profitability. But this meal is outstanding. They cut the sharpness of the Kale with a great tasting refreshing egg-less dressing that I would buy if sold in the market. They bake one sheet of Bread Pudding a day and sell it out--I found out why. It's outstanding and comes with vanilla ice cream. I would definitely come back here for this same exact meal. Service was helpful and efficient. Parking is on the street and free. They sometimes have entertainment, but not when we were there. read more

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Our family enjoyed our time at Kitchen 86 on Mother's Day 2025. We had the sweetest server by the name of Yesenia "Yessi". She went out of her way to assist us with our menu inquiries and was so friendly and accommodating to our needs. We were disappointed with the food though. The presentation was nice but the taste and quality was not that impressive. My mother ordered the pastrami and I had the turkey sandwich but the amount of meat was very skimpy. Overall though we appreciated that we were able to get a reservation just a few days before a holiday and had a nice time. read more

Kitchen 86 - Interior seating - Bars Near Me - Palm Desert, California

Good service. Excellent entertainment with Dueling Pianos. Cocktail selection was unique and excellent read more

Kitchen 86 - Bars Near Me - Palm Desert, California

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Amazing service the booms are delicious the Mac & cheese is the best not to mention the banana split desserts with an extra of vanilla ice cream read more

Went to kitchen 86 last night at 5:15 pm. Many many empty tables. There were two hostesses. One was truly scary looking, tattoos, multiple facial piercings. My first thought was who would ever hire someone to "host" that appeared like she crawled o out of a drug den. The scary looking hostess asked if we had a reservation and we said no. She rudely told us she could not accommodate us despite the tons of open seating inside and out. We told her we were there for a happy hour and would not be long. She continued to say we could not be accommodated. I wish she would have at least been kinder or friendlier but she was rude! I also wish she had simply directed us to the bar where we would have happily sat. Her rudeness and appearance were so off putting. Not sure what the restaurant was thinking using her as a hostess. Bad look and won't be back! read more

Always feel like home here ! It's my go to - There is always a cold beer waiting for me before I sit down ! Travis and the crew are the best ! read more

Kitchen 86 is a total vibe. Definitely go there for the bar hang... I've been there a few times the time about a year ago. It was so so loud, but my friend said that they dropped the noise level which I was super happy to experience. Definitely has a cheers. Everyone knows your name kind of vibe if you mix it with neon, dance club,, California desert ambience. For sure worth a visit if you're here. read more

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This used to be a favorite. Tonight 10/27/25 we had an awful service experience. We were seated quickly. Ourwaitress forgot our taste of beer three times. They brought a salad first but we wanted it with our dinner. Then 10 minutes later the took my salad even though we had not eaten it. Then the brought our pizza but took it away without saying anything. Then they brought out both orders 10 minutes late. Then the waitress asked if we wanted a beer to which my friend said no. The waitress turned around & walked off. Terrible service. The food was just ok. read more

Split the street corn, bianca pizza and berry salad. Food was ok, but not amazing especially for the price. The street corn was especially bad and feel like it should just be removed from the menu completely. I feel like this is a good place to go with a group where people can order all different types of cuisines -pizza, taco and/or curry dishes. The outdoor seating area was also very nice. I was a bit put off at the start with the service though when the hostess only gave us one menu and then gave me attitude when I went back inside and asked for a second one. I'm sorry, you have a lot of people you are sitting but you would move people out the door faster if you don't have to have people waiting to look at a menu. Perhaps implement a QR code on the table for people to use? Server was very nice and helpful. Overall, don't think I will be back. read more

Really great value for El Paseo. Very good food, great friendly service, nice atmosphere. Very reasonable prices, especially compared to neighboring restaurants. 50% better than Porta Via at 30% lower cost. Definitely one to return to. read more

Unique menu with fun options. A bit pricey but worth it in this area of tourism. I had a lunch pizza and was impressed. (I knocked off a star only for the prices for a lunch pizza.) read more

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My absolute favorite restaurant on El Paseo! Breakfast- I always order carnitas Beni and a Bloody Mary! It's my favorite My dad usually gets the breakfast pizza and I always steal a slice because it is delicious as well! Dinner- Love the pizzas! Blackberry and. Margherita and my favorite! Also can't go wrong with boom boom shrimp or garlic fries as an app My boyfriend loves the Cognac Rib Eye! My dad and step mom love the burger! As for the staff! The manager Natalie is such a gem! She is so friendly and always remembers us! Travis makes the best drinks and even when he's busy he is quick and efficient so I never have to wait to long for my drink! Tyler is our favorite server. He's always so attentive and offers suggestions even though we always seem to order our favorites! read more

Danielle was fantastic and really made our visit excellent!! You won't go wrong here with so many fun options - all super yummy!! read more

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Great service for brunch/ bottomless mimosas was amazing! Esp for a group of 9. Wish there wasn't fruit on the waffles but the chicken was SO good. Bread is bomb, to add mozzarella is $3 wish parking was better but would def wanna try the pizza or pastas, or boom boom shrimp! read more

Kitchen 86 - Boom boom chicken and waffle - Bars Near Me - Palm Desert, California

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Tried this place a number of times and was never completely satisfied with our meals. Was a REGULAR years ago and will not return.

I love this place. Never disappoints, great menu with a variety of options makes it great if you have a big group and no one wants the same thing. The service is impeccable, everytime I've gone the servers are true gentleman and super sweet, the food is always 10/10, truly for such a variety of different things to serve on the menu, these kitchen staff is on point and does an amazing job. If you sit at the bar, such a fun time as well, cocktails are so yummy and the service is superb. When in doubt where to eat on El Paseo- you can always rely on kitchen 86!! read more

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Went for my birthday. They make the best Vegan pizza! Carol, my wife, had her usual steak salad. The meat was a perfect rare. The service is always outstanding. Kitchen 86 continues to be one of our go-to restaurants. read more

5 Star Service, 3 Star food...service held this rating together with value for the dollar spent. We arrived and were greeted immediately with a friendly smile and offered a place to sit. We chose outdoors. It was a very lovely winter day in the CA desert. We waited for over 10 minutes for someone to acknowledge us even though there were several servers and food runners walking by our table, and the 2 hosts that sat us. We had to flag down someone to ask for help. This was not a good impression. But, Gina was exceptional. Although she was not our server, she took our order and put it in immediately. Our order came out promptly and she checked on us regularly. She turned the situation around. She even recognized that our order needed to go in before a 10 top so we didn't have to wait additional time. The food was good quality and portion. The price for the meals was very reasonable. The flavor of the food was so-so and could use more flavor varieties/spices. Mom ordered the scrambled di man on a . She said the flavors were very good. She enjoyed her dish, except she would've preferred larger chunk potatoes. But that's just a preference. It's not a reflection of the overall food. We both shared this seafood ceviche, which definitely was not to our standards. It was simply shrimp, pico de gallo, lemon juice, and a few capers topped with avocado. Nothing spectacular. It appeared to be dry but no extra flavor or seasoning to accompany the lemon juice very boring. The server offered to bring out Cholula and Tapatio, without us asking for , which we accepted. For her to volunteer this information , this leads me to believe that others have asked for additional ingredients. The restaurant may consider tweaking this menu item so the guest don't have to ask for more to make their meal taste as it should. I ordered the shrimp tostada. The portion of shrimp was a little heavy, but most people would say that's good. The shrimp was flavored nicely lots of garlic however the tostada lacked shredded lettuce and plate was watery as if the vegetables were soaking in water and not thoroughly dried before placing them on the plate . The beans had a smoky flavor which was great however the portion was so minimal. It was as if it was a thin spread of beans on a tortilla. The lettuce was also minimal . So it just appeared that I had an abundance of shrimp on a little thin bed of lettuce, which was on a spread of smoked beans. What would have been better is to reduce the amount of shrimp and increase the beans which are less expensive and lettuce. Make the salad the size of the big flour tortilla shell. You would still make more money because using less shrimp and adding more volume to the meal was what this needed. like I said in the beginning, the service took the lead for this rating. We have been there before for dinner and really enjoyed our pastas. This is the first time for brunch and we will go back again. read more

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My wife and I have been coming to this spot for a long time when we are in Palm Desert. It's always been good but tonight was bad. Margaritas were absolutely horrible . I told the server but they came coming out just as bad. World Series were starting no audio, we moved into the bar area, asked if they can change the channel to the world series. But the freaking bartender wanted to watch the Monday night football game. And had a freaking sissy fit and would not change the channel. Dude I'm the freaking customer, your Margaritas suck and you are pissed off because I asked you to change the channel so that we can watch the world series. We are never coming back, even though this was our favorite place in Palm Desert. Bye... read more

We were underwhelmed with our meals. The brussel sprouts were very hard (like undercooked), and the roasted beets were not very roasted. The salad was just kind of meh. The steak was good, but for the prices and service (and given all the options in the area), there are much better options. read more

Completely disorganized and poorly run. Walked in and asked for a table of two. Restaurant was busy but still plenty of empty tables. Tons of servers running around so clearly no staffing issues. Was told by the hostess that it would be a 10-15min wait. Ok, no problem. Two more parties came in right after me and told the hostess they didn't have a reservation -- but the hostess promptly seated them. What the hell?! I asked the hostess "what's going on? Why were they seated before me?" And she just said, "...oh yeah, sorry...". No offer to fix things was offered. Unbelievable. Forget this place. Mole's next door has miles and away better food anyway. read more

Food, service, outstanding, ambiance, The best place in town, prices are great, friendly

The food, service, and ambiance were excellent. Foodwise, it doesn't seem like you can go wrong. The Sausage+Peppers pizza was wonderful, the Funghi pizza was great but dense, the India Curry was outstanding. Our server Natalie was on top of things and impressive. Didn't need to write down our orders and was super friendly. Ambiance was great - the blue accents lends a relaxed atmosphere and a cool piano on stage made me want to perform here. There were a few issues: there were indications of poor communication between staff, where a reserved booth was given to the wrong group, and the wrong meals were delivered. Both of these appeared to be due to the same server. I also like to ask servers to recommend the 1 quintessential dish that would represent their restaurant, but Natalie's eyes sort of glazed over at this request. When servers just start listing their most popular dishes, it suggests to me that the restaurant doesn't actually have a standout, and I tend to just order what I was looking at anyway. However, in this case, it ended up being a fine choice. I was there with my family, but the bar also looked like a fun place to chill with a date. Might have to try that next time. read more

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Hector was soooo nice. He saw that I was about to pass out from sitting outside because we have a pet. So dog friendly! He made sure we were catered to. Food was delicious. Bolognese was my dish for breakfast and I LOVE having these kinds of dishes for breakfast. We enjoyed our bottomless mimosas . Can't wait to go back! read more

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We had a birthday celebration there, the food was so delicious. Service was great and the live music was wonderful. We all had a great time. read more

Kitchen 86 - Steak salad - Bars Near Me - Palm Desert, California

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I love Kitchen 86! The food, drinks, and service are consistently amazing. I've had Gerrick as a server a few times and he never disappoints. I highly recommend the pizza's and the boom boom shrimp. Don't miss the dueling pianos on Friday and Saturday. read more

This may not be a very fair review since this was a group event. Anyway, my Ladies group met up last night for a Hoedown event at Kitchen 86. Approx. 60 people. The menu was preset with choice of 1/2 chicken, ribs or Mac n Cheese. The Mac & Cheese was supposed to be a pork chop but somehow that changed which is fine. However, the Chicken choice was supposed to be a 1/2 chicken as listed on the menu. I ordered the ribs which were very good. However, my husband chose the 1/2 chicken entree. He only got a leg & a thigh on his plate! A salad was a starter, and however good, it was so tiny! Hardly a salad at all. In closing, dessert was equally tiny as far as portions went. It was carrot cake, maybe 2"X2" piece. My dessert portion was so tiny, the waitress actually gave me a 2nd dessert because she felt so bad, my piece was so tiny. And I never even asked! Tickets to the event were $75-$85 pp. So I would think portion on some of these dishes could have been much better. And don't say, 1/2 Chicken when a leg & thigh is all you plan to give. read more

Kitchen 86 - Our Republican Ladies Hoedown! - Bars Near Me - Palm Desert, California

I enjoyed eating here. The service was great. My son ordered their mac and cheese and it comes with this blow torched cheese. The server was nice enough to let us know when to start recording and now we have our son's reaction to blow torched cheese forever. My husband got the blackberry pizza and he liked it. I got the calamari and it was good. Only thing that's stopping me from giving 5 stars is the price of the food. I think it's expensive for the portion size but we enjoyed everything else. read more

I had the fish and chips sub salad instead of the fries. It was lightly breaded, best I've had in a long while.

Great food and amazing service!! Gina took great care of us, as well as the rest of the staff