John Henry's Cafe

Went with my husband for my birthday and had an absolutely wonderful time. Friendly service, romantic patio setting, and reasonable prices. Hubby said their cocktails didn't skimp on the vodka. Will definitely be back.

Great hidden gem. Not in the usual cluster of restaurants, but none the less a great place to eat old favorites. Definitely a country club vibe. Besides the employees we were probably the youngest table (let's just say that the average age fell below 70 that day, lol). I had the osso bucco and it was amazing, but for me the treat was scargot (loved dipping the bread in the garlic butter from the dish). Friendly service, despite our young age, we were treaded the same as other guest. (we had our kids and they treated with great hospitality from the beginning to end). We will add this place to our rotation big restaurants in the area.

One of the best places I have ever been in Palm Springs. All the food was delicious. The Cosmopolitan was scrumptious. Our waitress was also excellent. I highly recommend!!!!!

I am so sorry that I waited years before trying J.H.'s The restaurant is as unassuming as its location. But once you step in, wow! Fantastic ambiance, good service, and amazing food. After 35 years... it set its place on my top 10. Don't make the same mistake I made. Make a reservation today!

Two delicious salads! Excellent food and wait staff! It would have been nice, though, had staff taken influence on a particularly rudely loud patron. We will nevertheless be back!

I went to visit my mother over the Christmas holiday last year. On my last night there, we ate at this Cafe. The food was great, the service was great, and the atmosphere was outstanding exclamation point I had the escargot which was the first time I ever tried it and it was very good period I would recommend this restaurant to anybody and I will try to go back when I visit Palm springs again! Thank you for a wonderful experience and thank you for a great time John Henry's cafe

Overall, it was a great experience. Since it was Valentines Day, it was packed, but the staff was in control and very helpful. We each had a vesper martini and they were excellent! We’ll be back.

The best service ever, the menu was superb. I have never eaten a better paso bucco in any place in the world. I highly recommend this place, the whole group was very pleased with all the dinners.

Wonderful menu, wonderful ambience, wonderful service! So grateful it was recommended to us for our first time in Palm Springs.

Great food, excellent service, Wonderful atmosphere. My wife and I Love this place!!!

I had the best fettuccine and clams I have ever had here! We sat outside on a beautiful evening. The experience could not be any better

John Henry’s Cafe is an absolute must-visit! From the moment we walked in, we were treated like royalty—especially thanks to Sheryl, our phenomenal server. She was warm, attentive, and made the entire experience feel personal and effortless. Now let’s talk food: the escargot was rich, buttery perfection—delicately garlicky and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. But the real star of the show? The macadamia nut-encrusted sole. It’s not just good—it’s life-changing. Perfectly cooked, delicately crisp on the outside, and bursting with flavor. This place is what fine dining with heart looks like. Can’t wait to come back!

I cannot say enough great things about this place!! From the start, making a reservation with Louie, the owner. He is so wonderful and friendly! This was my second visit, mostly for the coconut cake with coconut pineapple ice cream. Lol. This time i had the macadamia nut Sole with mango butter, possibly the best fish dish I've ever had! The staff is incredible from host to busboy to waiter! So attentive and kind. I will come visit every time I'm in Palm Springs!! They make you feel like family. ❤️❤️

Our dinner to celebrate a special occasion with friends was quite memorable between the delicious food and exceptional service.

Famous Palm Springs restaurant with deep pours, huge menu and don't dare miss desert selection

Very much a hidden gem of Palm Springs! Reasonable prices, big portions and some of the largest martinis I've seen! Recommend to all those visiting and who live here, wonderful atmosphere and service.

Fantastic, classic Italian restaurant with excellent service and wonderful food. The duck dish was great

All I can say is “wow”! This little cafe-style restaurant tucked behind a shopping center and mostly hidden from the street was an amazing find in Palm Springs! We had several recommendations from friends to get reservations here, and we were not disappointed. The menu was fantastic (although we would have preferred a few more vegetarian or vegan options…) and the service was excellent. We had a nice, relaxing dinner in their courtyard under the trees. The ambiance was great. Our appetizers and entrees were 5 star. I especially enjoyed the baked Brie, the lobster ravioli, and the Osso Bucco. The pre-dinner drinks were served quickly and were very tasty. Also, drink prices are a bit lower than most other restaurants, especially for rail drinks. They have a good selection of dinner wines, too. I will highly recommend this restaurant to all of our “local” friends and visitors, too. We will definitely be returning here!

Semi climate controlled patio dining. Lots of atmosphere. They created a magic evening. You can tell many of the customers are regulars. Dinner includes soup or salad, entree and 2 sides. The staff and owners make everyone feel like they are in their home. The food is always delicious.

Very nice restaurant that only a few know about. Open to all but exclusive to those who know how great this hidden-in-plain-site place is. Great ambiance both inside and out. Great service staff. Great chefs preparing, not exotic cuisine, but great comfort food and a lot of other things. Huge desserts. Great drinks. But, basically, great food. The only side effect is that there's a 1 month reservation required to be able to dine there. But the wait is totally worth it. Small and intimate and a place you can't wait to return to.

Excellent service and food at affordable prices. What more can I say?! Love dining on their outdoor patio. Very popular so you need to make a reservation.

A very cozy location that has fantastic food and service. Most everyone there has been there for years and years and... you get the idea. They treat you like family. We started with the shrimp cocktail, and my goodness, whoever had to put those shrimp down are heroes! They were that big! For supper I had the osso buco which was divine and my better half had the breaded pork chops. Soooo much food on those plates. I liked taking a bit of the sauce with osso buco and adding it to a spoonful of polenta. I'm not sure I actually chewed. When I looked over, the pork chops were gone. I think he was picking his teeth with the bones, he was so satisfied. In the end we did get dessert. A lovely creme bruleé chilled on the bottom and toasty on top, with a fantastic whipped cream on the side. If you haven't gathered from this review yet I will help. John Henry's is a lovely place to fill your spirit and tummy. It's up to you to find it. *wink

John Salazar

Very much a hidden gem of Palm Springs! Reasonable prices, big portions and some of the largest martinis I've seen! Recommend to all those visiting and who live here, wonderful atmosphere and service.

Rick Holshevnikoff

Fantastic, classic Italian restaurant with excellent service and wonderful food. The duck dish was great

Mark Pitts

All I can say is “wow”! This little cafe-style restaurant tucked behind a shopping center and mostly hidden from the street was an amazing find in Palm Springs! We had several recommendations from friends to get reservations here, and we were not disappointed. The menu was fantastic (although we would have preferred a few more vegetarian or vegan options…) and the service was excellent. We had a nice, relaxing dinner in their courtyard under the trees. The ambiance was great. Our appetizers and entrees were 5 star. I especially enjoyed the baked Brie, the lobster ravioli, and the Osso Bucco. The pre-dinner drinks were served quickly and were very tasty. Also, drink prices are a bit lower than most other restaurants, especially for rail drinks. They have a good selection of dinner wines, too. I will highly recommend this restaurant to all of our “local” friends and visitors, too. We will definitely be returning here!

Patti Scanlon

Semi climate controlled patio dining. Lots of atmosphere. They created a magic evening. You can tell many of the customers are regulars. Dinner includes soup or salad, entree and 2 sides. The staff and owners make everyone feel like they are in their home. The food is always delicious.

Ken Privett

Very nice restaurant that only a few know about. Open to all but exclusive to those who know how great this hidden-in-plain-site place is. Great ambiance both inside and out. Great service staff. Great chefs preparing, not exotic cuisine, but great comfort food and a lot of other things. Huge desserts. Great drinks. But, basically, great food. The only side effect is that there's a 1 month reservation required to be able to dine there. But the wait is totally worth it. Small and intimate and a place you can't wait to return to.

Tim Mathias

Excellent service and food at affordable prices. What more can I say?! Love dining on their outdoor patio. Very popular so you need to make a reservation.

Ursula Karon

A very cozy location that has fantastic food and service. Most everyone there has been there for years and years and... you get the idea. They treat you like family. We started with the shrimp cocktail, and my goodness, whoever had to put those shrimp down are heroes! They were that big! For supper I had the osso buco which was divine and my better half had the breaded pork chops. Soooo much food on those plates. I liked taking a bit of the sauce with osso buco and adding it to a spoonful of polenta. I'm not sure I actually chewed. When I looked over, the pork chops were gone. I think he was picking his teeth with the bones, he was so satisfied. In the end we did get dessert. A lovely creme bruleé chilled on the bottom and toasty on top, with a fantastic whipped cream on the side. If you haven't gathered from this review yet I will help. John Henry's is a lovely place to fill your spirit and tummy. It's up to you to find it. *wink

Hugo Macias

Great hidden gem. Not in the usual cluster of restaurants, but none the less a great place to eat old favorites. Definitely a country club vibe. Besides the employees we were probably the youngest table (let's just say that the average age fell below 70 that day, lol). I had the osso bucco and it was amazing, but for me the treat was scargot (loved dipping the bread in the garlic butter from the dish). Friendly service, despite our young age, we were treaded the same as other guest. (we had our kids and they treated with great hospitality from the beginning to end). We will add this place to our rotation big restaurants in the area.

Que Beas

One of the best PS restaurants! Great food, service, and drinkies! We had the Ceasar salads, pork chops, eggplant salad, shrimp and scallop, and the chocolate and vanilla ice cream! Delish!

Tom Watson

Went with my husband for my birthday and had an absolutely wonderful time. Friendly service, romantic patio setting, and reasonable prices. Hubby said their cocktails didn't skimp on the vodka. Will definitely be back.

Thursday evening 7 PM. Superb service. Always a server to give you more or take away dishes. Fantastic. Romantic and charming spot. Small restaurant.

A magical setting with food to go along. Macadamia nut encrusted sole and the coconut cake for the win. Don't even think about trying to eat the cake yourself. There's plenty in a serving to share for a table of 4! Yes you read that right 👍! Enjoy.

Some of the best food and service I have had in a long time. I had the pork chops..delicious.a plate full could not eat it all...coconut cake to die for...our server Cheryl was the best a 12 out of 10...highly recommend

Great dining experience, impeccable service, excellent food. Be sure to reserve early if you want to dine on the patio.

We discovered this amazing restaurant by accident. What a find! The atmosphere is beautiful and fun! The staff is top notch. And most of all the food is delicious! It has become our new favorite place and we can’t wait to return on our next trip to Palm Springs.

A charming garden setting and attentive service with traditional favorites and unique dishes. White tablecloths and a mostly male front of house staff lend a European air. The menu includes classics like oaso buco,.crab cakes,.and fettuccine alfredo, but also less common dishes like a grilled eggplant salad and kielbasa with sauerkraut. Entrees came with generous sides of vegetables plus soup or salad. The staff are efficient and solicitous. Many people come for special occasions; we saw four birthdays celebrated during our dinner (cake portions are huge!). The restaurant was busy but not noisy.

Frank Turbeville

Some of the best food and service I have had in a long time. I had the pork chops..delicious.a plate full could not eat it all...coconut cake to die for...our server Cheryl was the best a 12 out of 10...highly recommend

Clay A

Thursday evening 7 PM. Superb service. Always a server to give you more or take away dishes. Fantastic. Romantic and charming spot. Small restaurant.

Barbara Fitzgeorge

A magical setting with food to go along. Macadamia nut encrusted sole and the coconut cake for the win. Don't even think about trying to eat the cake yourself. There's plenty in a serving to share for a table of 4! Yes you read that right 👍! Enjoy.

Mary Johnson

Wonderful menu, wonderful ambience, wonderful service! So grateful it was recommended to us for our first time in Palm Springs.

Toni Miller

I had the best fettuccine and clams I have ever had here! We sat outside on a beautiful evening. The experience could not be any better

Elisabete Erlandson

The best service ever, the menu was superb. I have never eaten a better paso bucco in any place in the world. I highly recommend this place, the whole group was very pleased with all the dinners.

The food was great, our server was nice, the Ambiance was fantastic but only drawback was very loud, we could not hear ourselves, not fault of the establishment

Great food, friendly staff and an amazing outdoor patio.

Hi, I wanted to start by saying that the food at this restaurant is EXCELLENT! So is the atmosphere and also the service, except one thing: UP Charges! They charge you up charges for picking sides as well as the way they prepare the fish. Waiter says the dish comes with two sides, but they have other sides available. He doesn't mention a word that there will be up charges. Same with how to prepare the fish. This fish comes in one way, but I can prepare it the same as another fish. The owner is at fault here because the way he programmed the ordering of the dishes at the computer, the computer automatically up charge for every change. The issue here is that the waiter doesn't tell you about those extra fees, at the time of ordering. So, you except one price, and when the bill arrives, it's higher. Most restaurants allow you to choose your sides without an up charge. Same with how to prepare the dish. What do you think?

Great start! I heard friends talking about this place and haven't been able to make it until now. I was able to get a reservation on thier last night before closing for the summer. I started with the broiled artichoke. This was a great start! The artichoke with parmesan tasted on top was so flavorful. For my main, I ordered the beef stroganoff. The beef was so tender with the egg noodles cooked to perfection and the sauce topped it off, Yum!! It also came with carrots and green beans. Loved the veggies!! The ambiance was surprising, I'm not sure what to expect, but it was smaller than I thought. Interesting art on the walls. I was hoping it would have been cooler so I could enjoy the outside seating with the big tree and lights, but I'll definitely come back when they open. The service was great, so attentive and professional.

A bit cold outside in winter. Turkey rice soup was delicious. Meatloaf was great, made with tomato sauce just like my grandmother used to make. Sides were just so so. Patio is romantic.

Javier Santos

Great start! I heard friends talking about this place and haven't been able to make it until now. I was able to get a reservation on thier last night before closing for the summer. I started with the broiled artichoke. This was a great start! The artichoke with parmesan tasted on top was so flavorful. For my main, I ordered the beef stroganoff. The beef was so tender with the egg noodles cooked to perfection and the sauce topped it off, Yum!! It also came with carrots and green beans. Loved the veggies!! The ambiance was surprising, I'm not sure what to expect, but it was smaller than I thought. Interesting art on the walls. I was hoping it would have been cooler so I could enjoy the outside seating with the big tree and lights, but I'll definitely come back when they open. The service was great, so attentive and professional.

The Daily Stir TDS

A bit cold outside in winter. Turkey rice soup was delicious. Meatloaf was great, made with tomato sauce just like my grandmother used to make. Sides were just so so. Patio is romantic.

John Henry's is a nice mainstay in Palm Springs, but the whole birthday singing (which is apparently a thing that they are known to do) gets a bit distracting for those who are just trying to have a nice dinner. It's a bit too Chucky Cheese-esque for my personal taste.

mark halx

John Henry's is a nice mainstay in Palm Springs, but the whole birthday singing (which is apparently a thing that they are known to do) gets a bit distracting for those who are just trying to have a nice dinner. It's a bit too Chucky Cheese-esque for my personal taste.

A bit disappointed with our experience. Crab cakes seemed over breaded. Tenderloin was "fine" but for the price just not worth it. The chop salad to start was good. Heavy drink pours. Service was marginal. Took a crab cake home and asked to make sure the sauces were included. They were not. Boiled carrots. We will give it another try because the reviews are so positive. But our first foray was underwhelming.

Food was basic, very California meh. No flavor. An attempt at old fashioned American food that was average at best, bland at worst. The cake does live up to the hype though (only reason. It's getting a 3 and not a 2).

Last year for my birthday I had a wonderful evening and when asked were I wanted to go for my 64th I immediately said John Henry. This year was a big disappointment only because the waitress Cheryl was terrible in every way. The only saving grace was the delicious food, champagne and the waiter Hugo who took over for Cheryl who left before we were done and didn't bother to let us know. I never write bad reviews but Cheryl couldn't even open the expensive champagne amongst her many other fails. I will return because Hugo who was excellent said ask for him and he would take care of my husband and me. We were there on October 17th. I suggest people go because it's a great place, but leave if you get Cheryl, because her style was that of a diner waitress, and I'm not saying anything bad about diners or the waitresses that work there.

Alan Martin

Last year for my birthday I had a wonderful evening and when asked were I wanted to go for my 64th I immediately said John Henry. This year was a big disappointment only because the waitress Cheryl was terrible in every way. The only saving grace was the delicious food, champagne and the waiter Hugo who took over for Cheryl who left before we were done and didn't bother to let us know. I never write bad reviews but Cheryl couldn't even open the expensive champagne amongst her many other fails. I will return because Hugo who was excellent said ask for him and he would take care of my husband and me. We were there on October 17th. I suggest people go because it's a great place, but leave if you get Cheryl, because her style was that of a diner waitress, and I'm not saying anything bad about diners or the waitresses that work there.

Do not get seafood here. We tried the macadamia nut sole and the swordfish. The sole was mushy, and the swordfish was fishy. The starter salad that came with the meal was pitiful - just chopped up lettuce with a slice of tomato and stringy onions. I cannot believe this restaurant has a 4.6 stars and so many good reviews. We were not impressed. The only good thing about this restaurant was the atmosphere as the outdoor area was nice.

An overrated restaurant IMO. We hadn’t enjoyed two sips of our cocktails when our dinner salads arrived. And because our cocktails were way too vodka infused, it didn’t do the taste of the salads any favors; my dinner salad was positively soggy in a mound of onions and honey-mustard dressing. Our right-on-the-heels entrees were nothing to write home about and in fact bordered on disappointing. I suppose the outdoor patio experience makes up for a lot. Alas we were seated indoors.

One of my favorite places but last night was more flies that I ever seen in my life on the food in my face talk to other people they said the same thing happened to them last week why are they letting this happen. There are measures to take for this problem but I guess they don’t care

Hated the experience at John Henry's unfortunately. Four of us were seated in the far corner of the indoor dining room, near the kitchen, and two of us were facing a wall filled with ugly artwork (various Rubenesque figures). This is after we walked through a lively beautiful patio of people having fun & enjoying themselves. I was so upset that I was staring at a wall, that I could not order any food. My other three guests said their food was okay, but not outstanding. The best part of the meal was the coconut cake for dessert. Many say this is a hidden gem, but I won't be going back. I'm a local btw. Sorry, I really wanted to enjoy myself, but it was an awful experience. If you do go, definitely sit outside on the patio.