There is no question that Bar Cecil is the hardest reservation to get in Palm Springs and for very good reason. Bar Cecil was conceived as a chic Parisian-style bistro celebrating the creativity and diversity of legendary writer, photographer, designer, and bon vivant Cecil Beaton. Since opening, it has become the most sought-after dining room in the Coachella Valley if not all of Southern California.
Its accolades are as impressive as its atmosphere. Bar Cecil is MICHELIN Guide recommended, was named “Best Restaurant in Palm Springs” by Los Angeles Times food critic Bill Addison, is an AIR MAIL “Recommended” restaurant, and was recently named one of OpenTable’s “Top 100 Restaurants in America 2025.” But awards only tell part of the story.
From the moment you walk in, the experience feels special. The décor is effortlessly stylish from curated artwork and vintage celebrity photography to the perfectly tailored uniforms of the waitstaff creating a space that feels both glamorous and warmly inviting. There’s a covered, garden-like outdoor patio, an intimate interior with cozy booths and tables, and a lively bar where many guests choose to both drink and dine. The room is always buzzing, yet never chaotic only electric.
After many visits over the past few years, I’ve come to this conclusion: Bar Cecil is one of the best restaurants on the West Coast.
The food more than lives up to the reputation. Standout starters include the famous warm bread rolls with sage butter, deviled eggs, colossal shrimp cocktail, the fragrant red Thai curry mussels, and the beautifully fresh Bib lettuce salad. Entrées we return for again and again include the steak frites, the bone-in pork chop, roasted Mary’s free range chicken and the indulgent Beaton burger. Cocktails are consistently exceptional, especially the ice cold martini’s. Dessert is not to be skipped, we love the house-made chocolate chip cookies and the classic vanilla-chocolate sundae.
Beyond the food, there’s the scene. Bar Cecil is perpetually lively and somehow still intimate, the kind of place where you feel lucky to have a seat. It has become the dining room of choice for visiting celebrities, artists, and tastemakers and yet it remains warm, friendly, and unpretentious at heart.
Now, Bar Cecil has introduced a stunning new companion next door: Beaton’s at Bar Cecil, an intimate cocktail lounge and salon that expands the Bar Cecil experience into a more lounge-forward, late-night direction while sharing the same culinary DNA.
Designed as a glamorous salon and aperitivo bar, Beaton’s at Bar Cecil is richly layered and visually seductive. The space features tufted red velvet booths, an oversized gold silk sofa, leopard-print carpet, Sheila Bridges’ Harlem Toile de Jouy pillows, custom handcrafted woodwork, and a curated collection of iconic black-and-white celebrity photographs by Terry O’Neill, Arthur Elgort, and Larry Schiller. The walls are further animated by works from Robert Longo, Damien Hirst, Barbara Kruger, Alanna Airitam, and Manuel Santelices making the space feel part cocktail lounge, part living gallery.
It is a place designed for lingering for aperitivo hour, pre-dinner cocktails, and after-dinner drinks with its own menu of creative, handcrafted cocktails and an eclectic salon snacks menu developed with founding chef Gabriel Woo. Offerings include playful, elevated small plates like roasted duck bao, pigs in a blanket, bar fries, spaghetti Bolognese, and rotating seasonal bites, alongside select Bar Cecil favorites.
Outside, Bar Cecil has also expanded its footprint with additional cozy, intimate patio seating that wraps around the building, enhancing its lush, garden-like atmosphere.
“The expansion of Bar Cecil with the opening of Beaton’s and more patio seating broadens our vision of sharing creative cocktails and great salon snacks in a lounge-like environment that complements the existing restaurant,” says lead partner John Janulis, owner of Lightning Bar Collective and Villa Royale / Del Rey.
Together, Bar Cecil and Beaton’s now form a layered, dynamic destination: a world-class dining room paired with a glamorous cocktail salon, both grounded in style, warmth, creativity, and impeccable hospitality.
What was already Palm Springs’ most coveted table has now become something even more special, a complete evening, and a destination in itself.
Bar Cecil and Beaton’s at Bar Cecil are located at 1555 South Palm Canyon Drive in the Plaza de Sol in Palm Springs. Reservations and operating hours can be found on the website www.barcecil.com.
