Most of the Coachella Valley restaurants that opened between July and the end of September aren't new names. They're second locations, reopenings, food trucks moving into storefronts, and businesses relocating. If you were away this summer and came back expecting a wave of unfamiliar newcomers, expect familiar names at new addresses instead. Most of those addresses are east of where you'd have found them a year ago.
The valley lost some long-running places too. Downtown Palm Springs mostly handed those spaces to new concepts. The real growth showed up along Highway 111 in La Quinta and Indio. Here is the map, area by area, with what's confirmed open, what closed, and what is still behind construction fencing.
Count the second locations
Start with the openings, because the pattern is in the list itself. The Coachella Valley Independent's monthly restaurant column, written by Charles Drabkin, tracked these through July, August, and September.
- Shake Shack opened at 78772 Highway 111 in La Quinta. It's the chain's second Coachella Valley location.
- Sixth Street Coffee opened a second location at 79410 Highway 111 in La Quinta, with a daily brunch menu.
- La Cocina de Mama Margarita, the Palm Desert Mexican restaurant, opened a second location at 67778 E. Palm Canyon Drive in Cathedral City. It's in the space that used to be Super Taco.
- Casa de Silvia, an award-winning tamale maker that once had an Indio location, opened a restaurant at 47875 Caleo Bay, Suite A106, in La Quinta.
- Xanti's Coffee closed at The Shops at Palm Desert earlier this year and now has a location at 45810 Fargo St. in Indio, in the former Daily Grind space. It still plans to reopen in Coachella.
- Yozu Asian Bistro on El Paseo is a second location too. Its first is in Windhoek, Namibia, as the column noted with some surprise.
A few names are entirely new to the valley. Keke's Breakfast Cafe, a Florida-based diner chain, opened at 79892 Highway 111 in La Quinta, and the column said early reviews were very good. The Pin Kitchen and Bar opened at The Lights at Indio, 83040 Avenue 42, serving sandwiches, flatbreads, and a late-night menu that includes a "fry flight." In Coachella, Tropicana Supermarket opened at 84076 Avenue 50. The building used to house a Fresh and Easy, which had been closed for at least 10 years.
Highway 111 in La Quinta now has a breakfast row
Put the La Quinta openings on a map and they bunch up. Shake Shack at 78772, Sixth Street Coffee at 79410, and Keke's at 79892 all sit within about 1,100 address numbers of each other on Highway 111. Casa de Silvia is just off the highway at Caleo Bay. Two of the four are morning spots, and Sixth Street serves brunch every day. This summer, that stretch of La Quinta gained more breakfast and coffee options than anywhere else in the valley.
Keep going east and the same thing continues in Indio, with Xanti's on Fargo Street and The Pin at The Lights at Indio. Then comes the Tropicana in Coachella, in a former Fresh and Easy building. That store had been closed for at least 10 years.
Indio also has a recovery story to follow. Burger Box, the 70-year-old roadside burger stand at 81201 Indio Blvd., was bought and reopened by a staff member in 2025. On Aug. 2, a truck crashed into the building. No one was hurt. The owner is working with the insurance company to reopen, and the restaurant has a GoFundMe set up to help with expenses.
Downtown Palm Springs swapped tenants in place
Palm Canyon Drive had a different kind of summer. The changes there mostly happened inside the same spaces, with new concepts taking over existing addresses.
After 17 years as "Where Palm Springs Eats," Trio closed its downtown restaurant. Its airport location is still open. Alice B. won't reopen after its summer break, which ends a three-year run, KESQ reported on Sept. 17. Gertie's Salon and Bar took over the space at Living Out, 1122 E. Palm Canyon Drive, during that break and is staying for good. Gertie's still serves the biscuits, and you can take them home frozen.
Saffron Restaurant and Lounge at 1107 N. Palm Canyon Drive is scheduled to close on Saturday, Oct. 3. Owner Ashley Stein plans to reopen in a larger location, not yet announced, with a new menu and covered parking.
New concepts came in close behind. Luchador Brewing Company opened a taproom at 250 S. Palm Canyon Drive. When it was reported in July, it was open Thursday through Sunday, serving beverages only, with taqueria street food planned. A few doors down at 262 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Nashville Country Kitchen and Bar reopened after a false start. The owner blamed the delay on unpermitted construction by earlier businesses in the space. Its smoked meats are served at dinner only.
The newest arrival is Bird, which opened Sept. 26 at 211 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite C, at the south end of Palm Canyon. It comes from F10 Hospitality, the group behind Mr. Lyons and Birba. For now it's a daytime café, open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and pouring Onyx Coffee Lab, with evening hours expected later. F10 founder Tara Lazar named it after her mother's nickname. You can spot it by the red bird mural facing Highway 111.
Even with all that turnover, Johnny Costa's Ristorante at 440 S. Palm Canyon Drive is celebrating 50 years in business.
El Paseo got a comeback and a newcomer
Palm Desert had a split summer. J's Deli, the Jewish deli that closed last year, announced a Sept. 19 reopening at 73655 El Paseo. Its website now says "Now Open!" Yozu Asian Bistro took over the former Shorebird space at The Shops on El Paseo, 73061 El Paseo, Suite 172. Its menu draws on Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Southeast Asian flavors, inspired by Tokyo's izakaya culture. A review published Sept. 30 confirms it's serving guests.
Two longtime places are gone. City Wok closed in early September, and the owner confirmed the closure to NBC Palm Springs on Sept. 28. The Red Lobster in Palm Desert has closed permanently.
What's still behind the fencing
The second-location trend isn't finished. Most of what's next comes from operators who already have a following in the valley. Treat these as announced, not open. The last column is the newest report found for each one.
| Business | Planned location | Last reported status |
|---|---|---|
| One More Bite Dumpling House | 73547 Highway 111, Palm Desert, and 105 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs | Construction basically complete, waiting on permits as of mid-July |
| Les Filles Café and More | Just off El Paseo, Palm Desert, its second after Cathedral City | Owners aiming for an October opening |
| Koffi | Gelson's shopping center at Bob Hope and Gerald Ford drives, Rancho Mirage | Branded construction fencing up for a sixth location |
| Con Amor, Nina y Leon | 1775 E. Palm Canyon Dr., Suite 150, Palm Springs, the former Over the Rainbow space | Micro-bakery opening a brick-and-mortar shop, no date given |
| Tacon'Todo | Vista Chino and Landau Boulevard, Cathedral City | Taco truck moving into a storefront, no date given |
| Big Juice | Thompson Palm Springs, 414 N. Palm Canyon Dr., and Cotino in Rancho Mirage | Announced, no date given |
Cotino in Rancho Mirage has announced four restaurants for 2027, and all will be open to the public. They are Asada Cantina + Kitchen from San Clemente, SottoSopra from the team behind SottoVoce Cafe, Big Juice, and La Dolce Piccola Gelateria, a family-owned gelato and coffee shop from Palm Desert. Three of the four are offshoots of businesses already in the valley.
The next six weeks, in order
Once you've tried the new spots, here's what's coming up on the calendar:
- Friday, Oct. 2. The Coachella Valley Firebirds open their fifth season at Acrisure Arena against Ontario.
- Monday, Oct. 5, 10 a.m. This is the tentative reopening for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway after its annual maintenance closure. This year's work included repainting the tramcar cabin interiors and rebuilding the carriage on cabin two. Check with the Tramway before you go.
- Oct. 15–18. Modernism Week's October edition in Palm Springs.
- Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Howl-O-Ween at The Living Desert.
- Sunday, Nov. 1, noon to 4 p.m. Scoop Palm Springs returns to the Downtown Park with more than 20 local ice cream, gelato, and paleta makers. A $38.25 ticket covers 10 two-ounce tastings, and proceeds go to the LGBTQ+ Center's Community Food Bank.
- Nov. 6–8. Greater Palm Springs Pride takes over downtown Palm Springs with a parade, vendors, and food trucks.
Every Saturday from 6 to 11 p.m., the Wanderlust Food Truck Festival sets up at Sunrise Park, 480 S. Sunrise Way, in Palm Springs. It started in July and plans to keep running year-round.
At Key Connections Real Estate, we follow these openings for the same reason you do. Knowing which corner just got a new coffee shop, or which longtime favorite finally reopened, is part of knowing a place well. If you're a Coachella Valley homeowner wondering how this summer's changes along Highway 111 or El Paseo affect your own plans, we're happy to talk it through, in English or Spanish. Book an Appointment whenever it suits you.
