Food Tour in Palm Springs

A recap of our fun afternoon with Desert Tasty Tours

Take a vacation to Palm Springs, California, and you’ll be met with a desert oasis filled with palm trees and 1950s memorabilia. There are lots of things to do here including the Aerial Tramway, Air Museum, and the Palm Springs Art Museum. But the thing we were most looking forward to was the food tour!

Organized by Desert Tasty Tours, our intimate group of five embarked on a seven-stop culinary excursion up and down the main drag, Palm Canyon Drive. Arnie, boasting that he was 81-years old, was a downright hoot. His charming stories and historical tidbits were just what we needed to keep us rolling and laughing in between each stop.

Stop 1: Kaiser Grille

After meeting Arnie and the rest of our new foodie friends at a nearby fountain in downtown Palm Springs, we walked to our first location, Kaiser Grille. Founded in 1992, this local hot spot prides itself on offering as many natural, fresh, and local ingredients as possible on their menu. We tried a mini version of their Prime Rib Sandwich, which came with bleu cheese, grilled onions, and horseradish all nestled within grilled focaccia. Dunk it in a little au jus and wash it down with some Chardonnay, and we were off to a great start!

Stop 2: Village Pub

This restaurant-by-day becomes a hopping nightclub when the sun goes down. We sat on the front patio with yellow metal chairs and striped umbrellas. The tasting for our second locale? Fish tacos with shaved green cabbage, pico de gallo and spicy ranch dressing paired with the Village Idiot Amber Ale. It was a hit!

Stop 3: Tutti Frutti

This frozen yogurt store serves up over 100 different flavors throughout the globe. But what makes their location in Palm Springs unique? They offer a locally coveted Date Shake made from dates harvested right there in the Coachella Valley. We also tried a myriad of frozen yogurt flavors including chocolate, raspberry, apple, and coconut.

Stop 4: Olive A’Sudden

This quaint shop invites people to taste and discover gourmet balsamic vinegars and olive oils from around the world. As a little treat for food tour guests, we got to take home a small bottle of our favorite flavor. I chose the Blackberry-Ginger Dark Balsamic. I can’t wait to make some salad dressing at home!

Stop 5: Brandini Toffee

Though this toffee shop has locations all around the U.S., it was founded right here in Palm Springs in 2006. Soon-to-be-entrepreneur Brandon Wiemer started perfecting his toffee recipe while fundraising for a high school trip to Europe. The outcome was so successful that not only did he fund his trip, but he also had a list of orders when he returned. A little known fact is that he created his recipe such that the toffee wouldn’t stick to his braces! We sampled their famous almond toffee and toffee popcorn.

Stop 6: Bill’s Pizza

This unpretentious pizza joint offers ooey gooey slices of sourdough-crusted pie piled high with all kinds of goodies. Choose one of their specialty pizzas or build your own from their long list of toppings. In homage to the area’s musical history, we tried the Elton John, which featured artichoke hearts, tomatoes, cooked spinach, red onions, and feta.

Stop 7: Lulu California Bistro

Nostalgic yet modern, this hip and busy restaurant has large portraits of famous actors and actresses including Lucile Ball. We rounded out our tour with flourless triple chocolate cake. Decadent and sweet, it definitely was a great way to satisfy our taste buds and leave us filling quite full!

We had such a great time on our tour with Desert Tasty Tours! Visit them the next time you’re in Palm Springs for a food-driven experience.

And next time you’re in Colorado Springs, hop on a tour with us! We offer public and private tours that will leave your mouth watering.

Cheers, Your Rocky Mountain Food Tours Team

(So, what’s a food tour, anyway…?)

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