Quick facts

  • Old-school red sauce: Riccio's in Palm Springs, Mario's Italian Cafe in Indio, Le Donne on El Paseo in Palm Desert
  • Newer kitchens: Il Corso and Cipolline Osteria in Palm Springs, with a second Il Corso on El Paseo
  • Pizza: Bill's for sourdough from a brick oven, Giuseppe's for Chicago deep dish, Birba for a date-night pie
  • Book ahead: Friday and Saturday dinner from October through April, and any table of six or more
  • Hours: most of these places serve dinner only and shift by season, so check each site before you drive

The best Italian restaurants in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley fall into three camps: red sauce rooms like Riccio's and Mario's, newer kitchens like Il Corso and Cipolline Osteria, and pizza spots led by Bill's, Giuseppe's, and Birba. Which one you want depends on whether tonight is a group dinner, a date, or a takeout box on the patio. Almost all of them open for dinner only, so plan around 4pm and later.

Picture 6:45pm on a Saturday in February, six people, no reservation, and everyone quietly decided on pasta. The valley punishes that kind of optimism. This guide stays on the Italian side of the menu, and for every other cuisine the best restaurants in Palm Springs guide has you covered.

Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs at dusk, lined with tall fan palms and glowing street lights

Photo: Visitor7 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Palm Canyon Drive after dark, where most of the city's dinner options sit within a few blocks.

Old-School Italian Restaurants: Red Sauce and Steakhouse Classics

Riccio's Steak & Seafood, Palm Springs

Riccio's at 495 N Palm Canyon Dr is Italian-American in the steakhouse sense. Its own dinner menu lists lobster ravioli at $26, cioppino at $36, canelloni at $24, veal at $34, and a filet at $45. That spread makes it the easy table for a group where one person wants pasta, one wants a steak, and one wants fish.

The site lists daily dinner starting at 4pm, and the Find a Table button links to OpenTable. Call (760) 325-3111 if the group is large.

Mario's Italian Cafe, Indio

If you are staying in Indio and want dinner without crossing the valley, Mario's Italian Cafe at 81939 Hwy 111 is the local answer. The cafe says Mario started it in 1972 and that everything is made from scratch each morning. The menu runs from baked lasagna and cannelloni to eggplant parm, sausage Marsala, and pizza, and it is open daily from 10:30am to 9pm with takeout and delivery.

It is a casual room that calls itself family-friendly, which suits a festival weekend when a reservation fight is the last thing you want. Stay at Terra Luz or The Cozy Cactus and a tray of lasagna turns into dinner on the patio. For more in town, see the Indio local gems guide.

Covered back patio at The Cozy Cactus in Indio with outdoor sofas, a coffee table, a ceiling fan, string lights, and a hot tub

The covered patio at The Cozy Cactus, a good landing spot for a takeout pasta night.

Le Donne and Mamma Gina, Palm Desert

Le Donne Cucina Italiana at 72624 El Paseo is family-owned and operated, and its site says it has been in business more than 30 years. Hours listed there are Monday through Saturday, 4 to 9pm, closed Sunday, and the phone is (760) 773-9441.

A few doors down at 73705 El Paseo, Ristorante Mamma Gina is the other long-standing El Paseo Italian dinner. Check its site for the current menu and hours, and reserve for weekend nights. More on this side of the valley is in the Palm Desert restaurant guide.

Modern Italian Restaurants in Palm Springs

Il Corso, Palm Springs and Palm Desert

Il Corso sits at 111 N Palm Canyon Dr, Suite 180, and serves Italian and Sicilian dishes from Chef Mario Marfia: house-made pasta, wood-oven pizza, and seafood, with nightly specials on top. Hours are 4 to 9pm Sunday through Thursday and 4 to 10pm Friday and Saturday. The restaurant lists both a patio and a large dining room, and it says reservations are typically needed for dinner, especially weekends, though bar seats take walk-ins when there is space.

Book by phone at (760) 656-3770. The same group runs a second Il Corso at 73520 El Paseo in Palm Desert, which helps when your valley day ends on that side of the freeway.

Flames burning inside a blue-tiled wood-fired pizza oven

Photo: Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. A wood-fired pizza oven. Il Corso lists wood-oven pizza on its menu.

Cipolline Osteria, Palm Springs

Cipolline Osteria is on South Palm Canyon Drive and is open Wednesday through Sunday, 4 to 10pm, closed Monday and Tuesday. Its site describes salads, pizzas, fresh pasta, rib-eyes, and desserts, with bar happy hour from 4 to 6pm and 9 to 10pm. Reservations go through Resy, and live music is posted for Thursday evenings and early evenings Friday through Sunday.

The restaurant takes a summer break each year and posted its 2026 reopening in mid-August, so a quick site check beats a wasted drive in the off-season.

Where to Find the Best Pizza in Palm Springs

Search for pizza in Palm Springs and the list gets long fast. These three come up most and do different things.

Bill's Pizza is the casual valley staple. Pies go into gas-fired brick ovens (the restaurant says never conveyor-style) on a sourdough crust made fresh daily, and the menu lists 22 specialty pizzas, including a white pizza and a buffalo chicken. The Palm Springs shop is at 119 S Indian Canyon Dr, open daily 11am to 9pm except Tuesday, when it runs 12:30 to 8:30pm. A second location is in Palm Desert, and both take online orders for pickup or delivery.

Giuseppe's Pizzeria at 1775 E Palm Canyon Dr, Suite 410, is the Chicago deep dish option, with hand-tossed pizza and pasta for anyone who does not want a deep pan. Check the restaurant's site for current hours and ask about bake time when you sit down, since deep dish is slower than a thin pie.

Birba at 622 N Palm Canyon Dr is the one to book for a date or a small group, serving pizza, pasta, and cocktails in the Uptown Design District. Hours have shifted by season, so check its site or call (760) 327-5678 before you go. If you want more options, the Greater Palm Springs pizza roundup and the Visit Palm Springs Italian guide list more spots.

Stay Close to the Table

If your plan is a few Italian dinners in a row, the base matters more than it sounds. In Palm Springs, The Sundune keeps you near downtown Palm Canyon and the Uptown Design District. In Indio, Terra Luz and The Cozy Cactus are both walking distance to the Empire Polo Club, with full kitchens for the nights you would rather order in.

Wood dining table with rattan-backed chairs in the Terra Luz dining room, framed in a carved wood mirror

The dining table at Terra Luz in Indio, set up for a group dinner of takeout pizza or pasta.

Italian Restaurant Reservations and Group Dinners in Palm Springs

Book Friday and Saturday dinner the moment your dates are set, and call for any group above six rather than relying on an app. Cipolline books through Resy, Riccio's links to OpenTable, and Il Corso takes reservations by phone, so each one has a clear route.

Group of diners seated around a long table with red tablecloths, wine glasses, and a wall-mounted wine rack behind them

Photo: PattayaPatrol / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. A group dinner at a long table, which is the setup worth reserving ahead.

Walk-in routes exist. Cipolline's bar happy hour runs 4 to 6pm, and Il Corso says bar seats take walk-ins depending on space, so an early start often beats a 7pm wait. Several of these restaurants close for part of summer or adjust hours by season, so a two-minute check of each site settles it. For other cuisines on the same trip, the Coachella Valley food guide picks up where this leaves off.

Kid-Friendly Italian and Patio Dining

Pizza-and-pasta spots like Mario's, which calls itself family-friendly, and Bill's are the lower-stakes picks for a table with kids. For fancier rooms, ask about kids' options when you book. The Palm Springs with kids guide has more family-friendly ideas.

For patio dining, Il Corso lists a patio on its site. For anywhere else, ask when you book, and in July and August request indoor seating, because a 108 degree evening is not a patio evening. Save room for dessert, since tiramisu is a standard Italian finisher worth asking about wherever you land.

Tiramisu topped with chocolate curls and shavings on a speckled plate

Photo: Syced / Wikimedia Commons, CC0. Tiramisu, the standard Italian dinner finisher.

Italian Restaurants in Palm Springs: FAQ

What are the best Italian restaurants in Palm Springs?

Il Corso is a strong modern pick with a patio, Cipolline Osteria serves pasta, pizza, and rib-eyes Wednesday through Sunday, and Riccio's covers the old-school steak and seafood side. Birba is the usual date-night pizza answer.

Where can I get good pizza in Palm Springs?

Bill's Pizza for sourdough from a brick oven, Giuseppe's for Chicago-style deep dish, and Birba for a sit-down pie. Cipolline and Il Corso also serve pizza on fuller Italian menus.

Is there good Italian food in Indio?

Mario's Italian Cafe on Hwy 111 is the long-running local option, open daily with takeout and delivery. For a sit-down dinner with more range, plan a drive west to Palm Desert or Palm Springs.

Do Palm Springs Italian restaurants take reservations?

Most sit-down ones do. Cipolline uses Resy, Riccio's links to OpenTable, and Il Corso takes bookings by phone. Casual spots like Bill's and Mario's are built around walk-ins and takeout.

Which Italian restaurants in Palm Springs have patios?

Il Corso lists a patio next to its main dining room. For any other spot, ask when you book, and in summer ask about indoor tables.