Dining Hall

Elizabeth TraubHarris

This was my first visit and we have booked reservations for next month to bring our out of town guests. The food, service and atmosphere were over the top. The food and company were spot on.

LaVonda Jeffrey

Five stars all around. Food was amazing. I had carbonara and my husband had the filet. Service was great. Outdoor patio area was so relaxing and beautiful.

Unbelievable dinner. Food was exceptional starting with lobster salad and a crab tower. I ordered the grilled swordfish but had it served with a buerre blanc sauce. It was amazing. The only swordfish I’ve had that even compared to this was at a Michelin starred restaurant in Paris. Service was outstanding and the piano bar entertainment was a bonus. Go as often as you can!!

One of the finest restaurants in the valley. Located in a beautiful old adobe house utilizing the inside, the courtyard, and the garden. All are wonderful locations. The food is incredible... we had bison and swordfish with corn chowder topped with lobster... all were phenomenal!

We had the most lovely evening on the patio at Julian’s. The service was just exceptional. Even the chef/owner came out more than once to talk with us. Food was amazing. Our new favorite restaurant! We will definitely be back again and again!

Absolutely the perfect evening, with friends. The food and service were excellent. Paul, was fantastic, gave us wine options, drinks were perfect. Never disappointed at Jillians.

Excellent food for fine dining. The staff is attentive and friendly.. beautiful outdoor dining experience. They were very good to us for a birthday celebration

We had an exceptionally good meal and experience at Jillian’s tonight. Every staff person was welcoming and professional. The ambiance was just right with lovely piano music. Our food was beautifully prepared and delicious: white fish and bolonese. Even the chairs were extra comfortable! Highly recommended!

Fred Coleman

One of the finest restaurants in the valley. Located in a beautiful old adobe house utilizing the inside, the courtyard, and the garden. All are wonderful locations. The food is incredible... we had bison and swordfish with corn chowder topped with lobster... all were phenomenal!

L Robinson

Absolutely the perfect evening, with friends. The food and service were excellent. Paul, was fantastic, gave us wine options, drinks were perfect. Never disappointed at Jillians.

Mary Ashley

We had an amazing dinner experience! Nantucket scallops .. incredible!

Brad Lagore

Excellent food for fine dining. The staff is attentive and friendly.. beautiful outdoor dining experience. They were very good to us for a birthday celebration

Dianne Kawamura

We had the most lovely evening on the patio at Julian’s. The service was just exceptional. Even the chef/owner came out more than once to talk with us. Food was amazing. Our new favorite restaurant! We will definitely be back again and again!

Maurice Abikzer

Great restaurant, great food, the place,the decor is just so nice, the staff is extremely professional and friendly, last but not least the owners June & Jay are just fantastic people and always around to make sure you’re happy. Love dinning there and I recommend it to anyone who wants to experience fine dinning.

Jodi Carr

We had an exceptionally good meal and experience at Jillian’s tonight. Every staff person was welcoming and professional. The ambiance was just right with lovely piano music. Our food was beautifully prepared and delicious: white fish and bolonese. Even the chairs were extra comfortable! Highly recommended!

Lettuce was not too fresh, limp, salad seasoning was bad, Lobster was a little chewy, Halibut was great , cream Brûlée was normal.

nina tehrani

Lettuce was not too fresh, limp, salad seasoning was bad, Lobster was a little chewy, Halibut was great , cream Brûlée was normal.

Bon Manhkong

Well crafted menu with delicious dishes. $30 corkage fee. The service... Great attention to detail.

The food and atmosphere deserve 5 stars at Jillian's. The food was very good and the venue was charming and inviting. Unfortunately, this is a bittersweet review because a few interactions with service took away from what should have been a relaxed, joyful night. We were celebrating a milestone birthday and our waiter, John, served the wrong entree to two guests who had pork chops but instead received tenderloin. While he acknowledged the mistake, we were told correcting it would take another 15 minutes, which was disappointing. Shortly thereafter, John came back to the table with the chef who visibly appeared irritated and insisted that the tenderloin was better than the pork chop. What followed became awkward and unnecessary including debating the order and presenting a pork chop cut in half to compare the two. Rather than feeling accommodated, our guests felt put on the spot. Other smaller moments added to the discomfort. When asked for help taking a group photo, the waiter said the angle wouldn't work and to take it outside, so we took the photo on our own. One of our guests asked if a complimentary dessert with a candle might be possible but was answered with a blunt no which left her feeling embarrassed. Despite these issues, we still left a generous 20% tip as we respect the hard work that goes into running a restaurant. Overall, the food and ambience were lovely, but the tone and handling of these moments detracted from a special occasion. We hope this feedback helps ensure future guests are met with warmer, more gracious hospitatlity.

B

The food and atmosphere deserve 5 stars at Jillian's. The food was very good and the venue was charming and inviting. Unfortunately, this is a bittersweet review because a few interactions with service took away from what should have been a relaxed, joyful night. We were celebrating a milestone birthday and our waiter, John, served the wrong entree to two guests who had pork chops but instead received tenderloin. While he acknowledged the mistake, we were told correcting it would take another 15 minutes, which was disappointing. Shortly thereafter, John came back to the table with the chef who visibly appeared irritated and insisted that the tenderloin was better than the pork chop. What followed became awkward and unnecessary including debating the order and presenting a pork chop cut in half to compare the two. Rather than feeling accommodated, our guests felt put on the spot. Other smaller moments added to the discomfort. When asked for help taking a group photo, the waiter said the angle wouldn't work and to take it outside, so we took the photo on our own. One of our guests asked if a complimentary dessert with a candle might be possible but was answered with a blunt no which left her feeling embarrassed. Despite these issues, we still left a generous 20% tip as we respect the hard work that goes into running a restaurant. Overall, the food and ambience were lovely, but the tone and handling of these moments detracted from a special occasion. We hope this feedback helps ensure future guests are met with warmer, more gracious hospitatlity.

Jeanie Lee

Decent food, wasn't blown away. Carbonara is too creamy and salty. Their bread was good!

What started out well, ended in disaster. The restaurant is lovely and charming. Service, good. Food good. We were a group of 16 seated at 2 tables in different rooms. We were told, when asked, that they couldn't split the bill for the table of 9 for the 2 couples, one group of 4 and one solo. When the bill arrived, there there were 2 charges (totaling in excess of $1,000) we didn't understand. The waiter couldn't explain them and sent the manager over. The charges were for 3 "no-shows". The table of 7 in the other room also received a bill with more than $1,000 for no-shows. Trying to charge $105/person for each person who didn't show up PLUS $135/person minimum for food they didn't eat is absurd and outrageous. There was no contract signed, and no mention of these charges prior to the bills being presented. In short (well, too late for that), a good dining experience ruined by very poor customer service skills. Outcome of these erroneous and outrageous charges are still pending.

Food was lousy. Server was unfriendly and rushed us. We were in and out of there in one hour - not what you expect for a 'fine dining' experience. Meatball appetizer was tasteless. Caprese salad didn't taste fresh. Scampi was bland. Scallop entry was uninspired. Skip this spot.

Disappointing experience overall. Not a single staff member — including the maître d’ — could confidently recommend a bottle of wine. At this price point and with a fine-dining atmosphere, you’d expect far more knowledge and guidance. Also, don’t stack chairs while patrons are still eating…(it was only 9pm). Should be much better here.

Dean Altschuler

Lamb wasn't hot. After it was microwaved, meat was no longer medium rare.

Nikolas K

Disappointing experience overall. Not a single staff member — including the maître d’ — could confidently recommend a bottle of wine. At this price point and with a fine-dining atmosphere, you’d expect far more knowledge and guidance. Also, don’t stack chairs while patrons are still eating…(it was only 9pm). Should be much better here.

Our experience at this restaurant was probably the worst we have ever encountered. Every year we Meet up in Palm Desert with 10 to 15 of our dearest and closest friends. We have been at Jillian’s once before and decided to come here again. Our reservation was for 12 people. The day of our reservation, four of our friends were flying in from Chicago and had flight delays due to weather and were not able to attend. As the evening was approaching, and we knew our friends wouldn’t make it, we let them know about it. They said oh no, that’s OK. Everything is fine. We even suggested they take four of the seats down from our table so it’s not so long. They indicated everything would be fine. At the end of our meal as we received our bill, we noticed there Were four charges for $135 each plus gratuity and the appropriate taxes. We tried to no avail to explain to them what happened to our friends and that this was totally unintentional The staff was very rude and uncompromising with no compassion to our friends situation. I mean, what would they forgive the charges for, if somebody died? Maybe not even then Our bill was well over $3000, what we don’t understand is why would you lose all of the future business from a group of professionals for the amount of money you’re going to make now on the charges for the people not present. They kept saying they sent an email with this information in it. The individual making a reservations, never received it. He had actually gone to the restaurant personally to put down the deposit and make the reservation and was never told about the restaurants, policies, and these additional charges. This should be indicated to every individual that makes a reservation And be stated upfront and very clearly when you call. We have eaten all over the world at Some of the most exclusive restaurants from Paris, London, Belgium, Italy, you name it, and we have never encountered such horrible and rude service and this type of policy. By the way, they expect you to spend at least $250 on your meal per person. we have some vegetarian friends. It was very difficult for them to get to that number. Needless to say, we will never be back. .

A Heartbreaking Valentine’s Dinner at Jillian’s in Palm Desert My husband was promised a very special Valentine’s dinner. What we experienced felt like turnover management disguised as fine dining. For $175 per person (with a $100 prepaid deposit), we expected an intimate, thoughtfully paced evening. Instead, we were seated at a small table in a hallway that served as the primary traffic corridor for guests entering, exiting, and accessing the restrooms — hardly romantic ambiance. A mandatory 20% gratuity was automatically added, yet the service felt rushed and inattentive. Courses were delivered and removed at breakneck speed, often before we had finished. The next plate arrived within minutes. Wine was splashed carelessly into glasses. Our entrées arrived barely warm and mine too rare! After a single bite, I was asked whether I wanted mine boxed. Not once did anyone ask how the meal was. The salad was wilted. Dinner and dessert were served in quick succession, and the final course — a glass of champagne — was delivered long before we had finished the bottle of wine we had ordered, leaving it sitting as we finished our wine. We deliberately took our time to enjoy the wine we had ordered, refusing to rush through it to match the pace at which the food was being pushed out. It felt as though we were being processed rather than hosted. We paid $574.20 for what amounted to a timed dining sprint, and I ultimately brought my entrée home untouched.

We had a reservation for a group of 16 and put down a $200 deposit. The owner claimed that she had sent an email with a food and beverage minimum of $250/person which we did not receive. We would have had to order multiple appetizers, dessert, and beverages in order to meet this minimum. When we arrived, we let them know that four members of our party would not be able to be there, two of which had a delayed flight. We were not informed at that time that they were going to still charge us for those four people. Had they informed us of this fact, we may have just walked out and suffered the $200 deposit loss. Mind you, we never signed a contract. We enjoyed the food, atmosphere and wait staff. We were talking about how much we enjoyed it and we’re planning on returning next year with our same group. I can guarantee you that we will not be returning there after speaking to the owner who was inflexible and seemed to not care that we would not be back.

Dawn LeVine

This was my wife’s birthday dinner with friends. Ordered the shaved Brussels sprouts salad and it was dry, hardly any dressing. Then I ordered the swordfish entree. The fish was dry and overcooked. The manager stopped by the table and asked how everything was so I explained the problem with fish and he said nothing, then walked away. My friend ordered the grandmas chicken which was very heavy cheese with little or no flavor. We also pointed this out to the manager and again no response. With so many places to eat in this area….we probably won’t be back