After two nights in Joshua Tree – filled with creativity, photography, and good conversation – it was time to head back to Los Angeles. I’d been planning a stop in Palm Springs for lunch, and when Alex mentioned he’d join, I went looking for somewhere worth the drive. A quick search, a reservation, and we were headed to Boozehounds.
Boozehounds is genuinely beautiful – mid-century modern meets California cool. It’s the kind of place designed for bridal showers, lazy brunches, and dogs sprawled under patio tables. The aesthetic does exactly what it promises: introduces you to the kitch 1960s vintage Palm Springs vibe – but updated and modernized.
I wanted to like it. I really, truly wanted to like it. However, my experience did not live up to my expectations.
The flies were the first problem. After two days of swatting them away in the high desert, I hadn’t expected to continue the battle indoors at a sit-down restaurant. It was relentless – and honestly, an easy fix. A small table fan at each table, not glamorous but entirely practical, would have solved it completely. It wouldn’t have been the most beautiful addition to the aesthetic, but neither is aggressively waving insects away from your plate mid-conversation.
Our Orange Juice was fine. I couldn’t quite tell if it was fresh-squeezed or from concentrate, which is, in its own quiet way, something of an answer. The water glasses were cute. Too cute. Small, aesthetically pleasing, and completely inadequate for a hot, humid afternoon in the desert. When it’s that kind of day outside, I don’t want a dainty little vessel that needs refilling every three sips. I want a tall, generous glass of water that actually commits to keeping me hydrated. Form is lovely. Function is necessary. On a day like that, function wins.
But what truly unraveled the meal was the wait. As the minutes stretched past the hour mark, I felt myself sliding into that particular and uncomfortable cocktail of heat, hunger, and mounting frustration that I rarely reach but am never happy to visit. I thought back to our server trying to push the brussels sprouts (sweet chili, mustard seed, edamame, crispy onion) on us when we ordered, as an appetizer.
Even thought I directly asked him how exactly the Brussels sprouts would go with my chicken and waffles or Alex’s gravlax toast (avocado mash, salmon gravlax, everything seasoning, tomato, radish, grated egg, micro greens), I wondered if that was his code to warn us regarding how long of a wait we were in for.
The conversation kept us afloat for a while, but there is only so much patience a person can sustain on an empty stomach in the Palm Springs heat with flies circling the table.
At one point, Alex waived down our waiter and asked for focaccia.
When the chicken & waffle (karaage chicken, hot honey maple, whipped ranch ricotta, rice cracker bits) arrived, I looked at it and quietly asked “Is this it? This is what took so long?”
The chicken was good. And the whipped ranch ricotta dots great. But the waffle? The waffle tasted almost exactly like a large Eggo waffle. Which, after an hour of waiting in the heat, felt less like a dish and more like a punchline. The focaccia arrived after we received our dishes. I was – amused.
I ate what I could, waved away a few more uninvited guests, and eventually reached the point where I had simply had enough. I asked for a to-go box, packed up what was left, and called it done.
Again, perhaps in the winter months, Boozehounds is perfect. The design is lovely. The concept is fun. The chicken, as I said, delivered. But a beautiful room can only carry so much weight when the wait is punishing, the portions feel underwhelming for the patience required, and the flies are treating your lunch like a communal dining experience.
If I revisit, I’ll pre eat before I sit to give myself more patience – and pack a small table fan.
Boozehounds - Palm Springs
2080 N Palm Canyon DrivePalm Springs, California 92262
