Greater Palm Springs Restaurants Open on Thanksgiving Day

To avoid chaos in the kitchen on Thanksgiving, take your family to one of these nine restaurants to feast on a delicious meal.

November 7, 2023
Story by Amber Juarez
King's Highway Thanksgiving dinner.
PHOTO BY PHYLLIS LANGLEY, COURTESY ACE HOTEL & SWIM CLUB

SPENCER’S RESTAURANT

Enjoy a savory three-course Thanksgiving meal at Spencer’s Restaurant in Palm Springs. Start your evening off with your choice of butternut squash soup, baby arugula and Belgian endive salad, or a shrimp cocktail with Russian horseradish sauce. Guests have six entrées to choose from, with options including traditional oven-roasted turkey with raisin-walnut stuffing, prime rib with a side of garlic mashed potatoes and green beans, rack of lamb, and chicken Dijon. Pescatarians can enjoy grilled Hawaiian mahi-mahi or a honey-mustard-glazed Scottish salmon filet. Top it off with a perfect holiday pairing: a morsel of pumpkin pie and a pecan square topped with whipped cream and strawberries. Seating times are available from noon to 8 p.m.

DESERT WILLOW

Bring your friends and family to indulge in a Thanksgiving buffet at the beautiful Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert. The experience begins with a complimentary glass of Champagne. When it comes to the buffet, the chef will present an array of soups, salads, and starters. A carving station will offer roasted turkey breast with gravy and cranberry sauce and Denver-cut ribeye. Sides include stuffing, mashed potatoes, baked yams, and other festive options. Have a sweet tooth? Make your way to the dessert station for a sweet treat — you won’t want to miss the fresh-baked pies.

SPOTLIGHT CASINO

Play slots at the casino, then feast on a Thanksgiving meal special at Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella. From 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., guests can enjoy roast turkey with sage dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, and sweet potatoes. Pumpkin pie with Chantilly cream promises a delicious finale. Prices are $24.95 per person or $19.95 with a club card.

JW MARRIOTT DESERT SPRINGS RESORT & SPA

Visit JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa for chef Eric Theiss’ Thanksgiving Day buffet from noon to 8 p.m. The carving stations include roast turkey and prime rib. There will also be a poké bar, seafood towers, healthy sides, and more than 50 holiday desserts that include a doughnut wall and warm fresh crêpes.

Doughnut wall at JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa.
PHOTO COURTESY JW MARRIOTT DEREST SPRINGS RESORT & SPA

MR. LYONS STEAKHOUSE

Feast on a three-course meal at this beloved Palm Springs steakhouse, or order yours to go. The first course includes autumnal options of sweet potato ginger bisque, smoked apple with burrata, or the wedge salad. For your main course, choose from a vegetable pot pie, Ora king salmon, slow-roasted prime rib, or the Thanksgiving dinner stalwart — Deistle Farms hand-carved turkey. All entrées come with green beans, shallot-apple-sage stuffing, and potato purée. Save room for the finishing touch: mouse au chocolat, pumpkin pie with Chantilly cream, pecan pie with caramel and candied citrus, or apple and pumpkin hand pies. Guest can dine in for $95 per person or pick up for $105 per person.

LA QUINTA CLIFFHOUSE

Enjoy stunning views while feasting on Thanksgiving dinner at La Quinta Cliffhouse. Begin with miso clam chowder, butternut squash soup, Caesar salad, or a wedge salad with blue cheese. Then choose from a savory grilled filet mignon, sugar-spiced salmon, herb-roasted turkey, blue-cheese-crusted pork chop, or sesame-crusted ahi tuna. Non-meat eaters can enjoy a cauliflower steak served with accoutrements of sage stuffing, buttermilk whipped potatoes, garlic green beans, and cranberry sauce. Dessert options include pumpkin pie, Dutch apple crumble, or key lime pie.

Mr. Lyons Steakhouse’s prime rib.

PHOTO COURTESY MR. LYON’S STEAKHOUSE

LAVENDER BISTRO

For an evening with a fabulous ambiance, secure a table on the patio at this upscale La Quinta restaurant. Choose from a wide range of appetizers: prawn salad, lobster ravioli, poached Anjou pear salad, mushroom soup, roasted beet salad, or house-smoked Scottish salmon. For a main course, entrées include oven-roasted turkey, lamb, duck, miso-glazed salmon, pinot noir short ribs, and butternut squash ravioli. The dessert menu features pumpkin pie, pecan pie, warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream, peach cobbler, and vanilla crème brulée. Dinner is $87 per person.

JILLIAN’S

Celebrate Thanksgiving on El Paseo at Jillian’s. Dine on butternut squash soup or Maine lobster bisque. Then choose from a bourbon-basted roast turkey with date stuffing, crown roast of pork with stuffed figs and apricots, Prime beef topped with fried onions, or presidential whitefish on a bed of warm mashed potatoes. Final touches include pumpkin pie, Indian pudding à la mode, or an apple dumpling with vanilla ice cream. Meals are $115 per person.

King’s Highway.
PHOTO BY PHYLLIS LANGLEY, COURTESY ACE HOTEL & SWIM CLUB

KING’S HIGHWAY

Join King’s Highway at Ace Hotel for a Thanksgiving feast. The restaurant offers a three-course traditional Thanksgiving menu and a vegan menu for non-meat eaters. Diners can start their evening with roast autumn squash soup with spiced meatballs, rice, and vegetable broth (or roast autumn squash soup with vegetable broth for a vegan option). Then for the main course, butter-basted turkey with Larder sourdough stuffing, fine herbs, and gravy (or soyrizo with Cajun rice, roasted pumpkin, and rice crisp). Sides include baked mac with four cheeses and herb crumble, fall salad blend, Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, and caramelized sage roasted vegetables. For dessert, choose from pumpkin pie with graham cracker, whipped cream, and cinnamon toast crumble; apple berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream and lemon zest; or a vegan apple almond tart. Dinner will be served from 4 to 10 p.m. Cost is $70 per person.