The Uptown Tour
A 3+ hour small-group walking, shopping, and gourmet tasting experience in Palm Springs’ art-forward Uptown Design District
Experience the cool desert vibes of Palm Springs' Uptown Design District on a foodie adventure blending Mid-Century Modern style with contemporary international flavors. With our highly rated tour guide leading the way, we'll stroll along North Palm Canyon Drive, sampling elevated dishes and drinks at four distinctive culinary destinations.
The Uptown Design District lives up to its name, with an appealing mix of independent shops, design showrooms, and high-fashion boutiques. We’ll browse a few favorites along the way, with time to shop if something catches your eye.
On our journey we’ll share the celebrity history (including the juicy gossip!), meet the enterprising pioneer women who shaped the town, and explore the area’s Desert Modern architecture, with plenty of delicious discoveries and neighborhood buzz along the way.
You’ll discover what makes North Palm Canyon Drive such a distinctive destination, from its vibrant art scene and high-fashion boutiques to its diverse culinary offerings.
We’ll walk about a mile, with ample time to linger, browse, share stories and soak up the ambiance. The tour lasts a little over three hours. We’ll finish by early evening, so you can continue the party or rest up for the next day’s adventure.
Here's a taste of what your Uptown afternoon might look like: (Note that restaurant options and menu items may change)
We’ll meet mid-afternoon at our first stop, a Michelin-recommended Jalisco-style Mexican restaurant, where we sample a colorful flight of margaritas featuring exotic fruit flavors. To balance the flavors in the flight, we also include the perfect accompaniment: a crisp and savory appetizer with avocado, ranchero and salsa verde dips. The margaritas are beautifully garnished for the first Instagram moment of the tour.
Our second venue is a restaurant with fresh seafood, for a taste of Latin American and Peruvian-Japanese (yes, not a typo!) flavors. We could try their ahi tuna tower with mango relish. Another favorite is their caramelized pork blue corn taco with a spicy honey glaze finished with pickled onions. Other options, including vegetarian, are also available.
A stroll up North Palm Canyon Drive brings us to a wine shop voted the best in the country by USA Today in both 2025 and 2026. Its thoughtfully curated selection ranges from sought-after Burgundies and Bordeaux to refreshing rosés and Champagne particularly well suited to a desert afternoon. We'll have time to browse the shop's eclectic offerings, and guests are welcome to pick up a special bottle to enjoy during their stay or take home.
Uptown has another wine shop worth discovering, specializing in natural and organic wines from small artisan wineries around the world. The knowledgeable owner’s business card identifies him as the “Wine Thief”—a title that invites a question or two. His wines are delicious and surprisingly well priced. If time and the group's interests align, we'll happily make a stop here, too.
Nearby is a landmark restaurant that helped establish the reputation of the Uptown Design District. We’ll relax in the lounge and try the short rib and cheddar sliders with a choice of three side dishes. Vegetarian alternatives are available, too. Your choice of their select cocktail, wine and beer list is included. The interior pairs sleek design with bright colors against pristine white walls. The vibe is old friends: Hollywood meets Palm Springs and Beverly Hills picks up the tab.
We’ll finish our savory tour on a sweet note at a tiny artisanal ice cream shop with an outsized reputation. Salted caramel is the bestseller, but owner Jessica introduces new seasonal flavors featuring organic ingredients from the garden, including carrot, orange, and ginger in spring and cantaloupe sorbet in summer. We’re partial to the locally sourced organic date and vanilla ice cream in one of the shop’s handmade cones, particularly when paired with a scoop of espresso ice cream. The choice, naturally, is yours.
The shop’s accolades are impressive: Bon Appétit named it the best ice cream in the nation, Los Angeles magazine recognized it twice in its “Best of LA” awards, and KTLA credited Jessica as the “founder of the artisan ice cream movement.” Calling the ice cream exceptional hardly does it justice.
It's a fitting finish to an afternoon spent discovering the people, places, and flavors that make Uptown Palm Springs special.
Come Hungry. Leave Like a Local.
You'll leave with a fuller stomach, memorable stories, and perhaps a new favorite Palm Springs restaurant.
Cheers, and bon appétit!
Please note: Restaurant availability and menu items may change.
