Tennis, golf, shopping and sunbathing are favorite Palm Springs pastimes, but hobnobbing isn’t far behind. When the sun goes down, the mixing and mingling move from the country club to clubby restaurants. With so many great recommendations from our hotel concierges and the Andrew Harper Travel Office but so little time, we had to choose wisely. 

Spencer’s Restaurant

Nestled under the San Jacinto Mountains in downtown’s Historic Tennis Club District, Spencer’s invites diners to its canopied patio location on the manicured grounds of the Palm Springs Tennis Club. I’ve tried dinner here before, but never Sunday brunch, which we enjoyed amid players just off the court and snazzily dressed locals just back from church. We passed on the seven variations of eggs Benedict to try lower-calorie lobster gazpacho and crab cakes in lemon-butter sauce with capers and microgreens. But our resolve quickly cracked, and we ordered the coconut-crusted fried shrimp, covered in Hawaiian Sugarloaf pineapple dipping sauce — just as indulgent as it sounds. The alfresco setting was a perfect introduction to Palm Springs and made us wish we were members of this storied club. At least for an hour, we felt as if we were.

Spencer’s Restaurant
701 West Baristo Road. Tel. (760) 327-3446