Michele StuevenWagyu beef sausage pigs in a blanket with mushroom and caramelized onion puree Wellington-style, and beet pickled deviled eggs with Hollandaise mousse and smoked trout roe is just the tip of the iceberg of what’s bringing out the who’s who of the desert to the new Gigi’s Palm Springs.
Friendly and welcoming, the restaurant outside the V Palm Springs Hotel seamlessly blends the quintessential indoor/outdoor living space architecture that is the core ethos of the Coachella Valley. The staff will guide you from the outside dining space, past a cocktail fire pit, to the indoor restaurant and poolside bar near the garden. And they all seem to jump at the chance to stage and take pictures of your happy party for maximum Instagram wattage on the way. No snooty Parker attitude here.
Gigi’s Caesar salad and blood orange mimosa (Michele Stueven)
While keeping track of the desert’s changing restaurant hours and days of operation can be a dizzying experience, GiGi’s serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week, with various live performances, DJs and bands throughout peak season on weekend evenings. They also offer pingpong nights, pool movie nights, and other themed evenings during festival season, with a multi-generation mix of beautiful people.
All day and brunch offerings on the reimagined retro American food menu include an American caviar omelet with herb creme fraiche and roasted oyster mushrooms, a French onion soup frittata with Gruyere fondue, and crispy pineapple upside-down pancakes with cherry syrup and candied almonds. Gigi’s frisky take on the classic Caesar salad includes baby gem lettuce mixed with Calabrian chili-toasted breadcrumbs topped with crispy fried white anchovies. There’s also a very reasonable onion dip with caviar and waffle chips to enjoy with a towering view of the San Jacinto Mountains.
And if you’re really feeling the desert with reckless abandon, leave the chic open air layout of the V and stumble into the crusty Reef bar next door at the Caliente Tropics Resort for the ultimate retro tiki fun and a Blue Hawaiian.
Wagyu pig in a blanket (Tracy Habijanac)
Inside Gigi’s Palm Springs (Michele Stueven)
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