El Mirasol, Las Casuelas, Casa Mendoza y mas
It's difficult to find bad Mexican food in the Coachella Valley, right?
Ah, Mexican food, a Coachella Valley staple, and something I’d be happy eating every day for the rest of my life. I agree with a maxim spoken among locals who say, “It’s hard to find bad Mexican food around here. It’s all so good.”
We’ve been dining up a storm since moving here two and a half years ago, and I thought a good compendium of our forays into the wonderful world of Mexican food would be helpful to longtime Desert Diner readers as well as guests at the popular Casita Caballeros in our backyard.
Vamos!
El Mirasol Cocina Mexicana was the first restaurant we ducked into in Palm Springs, and I still fondly recall those sizzling, crispy, hockey-puck-sized pork carnitas, slathered with guacamole and wrapped up in a steamy, soft tortilla. I also remember how good that first, large Cadillac margarita tasted. (…as well as the second margarita, and then calling Uber to drive us home!). I love the house-fried tortilla chips and perky salsa. Its signature Dona Diabla hot sauce. The flautas. The taquitos. The shrimp enchiladas or the crispy tacos. The linen napkins. The sauteed spinach you can ask for off-menu if rice and beans is not part of your low-carb diet. Oddly, there are no fajitas, but I find the shredded meat and vegetable machaca a nice substitute.
El Mirasol has two Palm Springs locations, one north, the other south. We prefer the northern one mostly because we can walk there from our house, and we enjoy the buzz of the mango-tree-shaded, see-and-be-seen patio. And the fact that we’ve been there so many times, we are now welcomed back like family by the always attentive staff. If I had to pick my favorite Mexican food spot, this would be it. Reservations are now accepted, and necessary, on busy Friday and Saturday nights during peak season.
UPDATE Jan 2025: Last year some friends recommended that we try Tlaquepaque, located on the southern and somewhat seedy end of Palm Canyon Drive downtown. It’s located between a shuttered Rite-Aid and a busy Grocery Outlet Bargain Market. The parking lot out front is frequently packed with the white trucks of local latino contractors…a very good sign. Inside, nearly always busy at lunchtime, you’ll find bulky wooden furniture and epoxy tables, a friendly, smiling staff, a jukebox playing Mexican music, and tables full of noisy families, contractors and a few brave tourists. Our favorite dishes include the pork carnitas (crispy and hot), the creamy guac and chips, taco salad con pollo and enchiladas Suizas. Compared to other downtown restaurants, prices are quite reasonable. We always leave Tlaquepaque happy and satisfecho!
Next up on my list of favorites is Las Casuelas, which with three locations feels un poquito like a chain, but not enough to avoid it. We feel that the food quality is best at the enormous Rancho Mirage location (Las Casuelas Nuevas, on Highway 111). But we love bringing guests to the downtown Palm Springs location (Las Casuelas Terraza on Palm Canyon) to sit outside under the palapa and listen to the live band. (For romance, ask for one of the cozy two-top booths surrounding the space.) It’s nice to be able to stroll through downtown after your meal, plus parking is easy in the free city lots and decks nearby. We’ve had a couple meh experiences at the smaller Las Casuelas Original on North Palm Canyon, so tend to avoid it. All locations can fill up fast during peak season, so make reservations (it’s best to call).
For drinks, we like Terraza’s spiked and not-too-sweet aguas frescas made with blood orange, jamaica (hibiscus), tamarindo (a sweet-sour pod fruit), or guayaba (guava) or Nueva’s Pomerita (pomegranate margarita). Our favorite mains include the chicken or beef fajitas, enchiladas Suizas, chiles rellenos, and the cilantro chicken salad. We always start with a bowl of the creamy (vs chunky) guacamole with our starter chips. The traditional nachos are the best in the valley to me, piled high with thoroughly melted cheese and other goodies, plus the serving is enormous— ask for a half order if it’s just for one.
Next on our list of favorites is Casa Mendoza Mexican Grill & Bar. This might be our favorite for food quality, if it were not so far away from Palm Springs… it’s a good 30-minute drive to Old Town La Quinta. What we like best about this place is that it feels very local and non-touristy. The menu is lengthy, varied and more authentically Mexican than most places.
We tend to go there for lunch on weekends, especially when I get a hankering for its ceviche tostada made with mahi-mahi. Dios mio, it’s good, not too filling and perfectly matched with a cerveza Bohemia con limon. During the cooler months, I like the Caldo Tlalpeno (Chicken soup made with fresh chicken broth, shredded chicken, zucchini, chipotle, and carrots sprinkled with cheese and cilantro.) For mains, our standbys are the fajitas trio (steak, chicken, shrimp) or the traditional chunky carnitas, seasoned with an unusual hint of orange. If you like mole, it’s really good here, too.
Service is normally friendly and attentive, but can also be indifferent at times. Sitting at the gorgeous Talavera tile bar is a great way to enjoy drinks or a meal while watching a game on the big screen. Bonus: Casa Mendoza is a favorite of Cindy Crawford who owns a house nearby… we’ve spotted her twice!
We’ve only made a single visit to Tac / Quila, which has a good reputation among locals and visitors. I remember really enjoying a watermelon margarita, the fun and festive environment on the sidewalk overlooking the Palm Canyon main drag. The Cal-Mex food beautifully presented on black plates tasted great, but felt a little overpriced, so we stuck with a sort of tapas-style meal. It has an impressive list of premium sipping tequila and mezcal ($16-$26) for aficionados. But we’ve not been back. Have you? Tell us about it in the comments.
La Bonita’s is a hole-in-the-wall, plastic-tablecloth, diner-style restaurant in the thick of things on the northern side of Palm Springs downtown core. It’s friendly and fast. Prices are decent for downtown, but a little steep for Mexican food. My main memory of our meal there was sitting at the counter watching the cook skillfully make two taco shells of crushed Flaming Hot Cheetos and cheddar cheese on the griddle, feeling attracted and repulsed simultaneously! Has anyone ever tried these? Tell us about it in the comments.
Blue Coyote Grill and Rio Azul Mexican Bar & Grill (ask for it’s delicious salsa negra) are both good downtown options, and have become our standbys when we can’t get into Las Casuelas or El Mirasol. We are hearing a lot of positives about the brand new Clandestino (from the folks who run Farm and Tac/Quila), located downtown near the Rowan hotel, and hope to give it a try soon. Also good, and very authentic: the growing number of popular streetside taco stands that pop up around town— get ready to practice your Spanish, and try the tacos de bistec or al pastor!
In our previous review of El Patio in downtown Palm Springs, we wrote: “While the service was friendly and efficient, the atmosphere picture-perfect, and our lunchtime conversation among old friends scintillating, the food was lackluster.” Has it improved? Tell us in the comments below, please.
Opinions are likely strong when it comes to Mexican food around here, so tell us about your favorite place, and its best dish or beverage. Gracias!, y buen provecho!
Casa Mendoza in Rancho Mirage ??!! There is no restaurant by that name and there hasn't been one in at least 15 years. The only Casa Mendoza I am aware of in the whole valley is in Old Town La Quinta. Please clarify. Do you have the wrong address, or the wrong name ?