Went for first time for special birthday. Owner had an attitude from the minute we walked in the door. We asked to sit on the front patio since it was a special occasion, but she proceeded to take us to the courtyard patio. She gave us a choice of 2 tables both butted up against a wall. My wife would be staring at a wall!! They had a nice empty table by the greenery, and when asked, she told us that table was already reserved! Well we had reserved an outside table as well!!! She could see we were clearly upset about our first time at the restaurant, a special birthday, and wanting a nice table. She just didn't care! I said to her, "it's obvious you don't give a shit about your customers" and we left! I have never been to a restaurant with such an uncaring, rude, owner!!! We went and had a fabulous dinner down the street, and will never return to this overpriced, rude owners place!!! There are so many wonderful options for beautiful, romantic restaurants!! Do yourself a favor, go to Lavender's or Arnold Palmers or La Spiga!!! read more

The veal was perfectly cooked. The pork chop was also excellent. Definitely going back. Service was superb

I have to say I was underwhelmed with the restaurant. Perhaps all the hyped reviews made me expect more than I received ? Started with a salad that was good but 'nothing special', bread and butter were excellent but IMO butter could have been something special liked herbed butter. Had the tenderloin which was good and nice portion but the sides of corn, risotto and vegetable were very small. Dessert was good although the ice cream was agin 'nothing to write home about'. I will say it was a good restaurant, attentive wait staff, good food but at this price point I was not impressed. I wish I could offer a higher recommendation. I suspect the people who are regulars come and eat here and have a good expectation of food and service but IMO Copleys, Spencers, Mitch's all do a better job with a more impressive menu. read more

First time at Jillians and I was I'm impressed! The food was amazing. I got salmon, and it was cooked to perfection. Staff were very attentive and nice. We even got a chance to meet Jillian and she is so sweet. Thank you for such a great experience! read more

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Food, service, ambiance are all amazing. My wife's birthday celebration was the best!

My experience at Jillians was the perfect night out! The front courtyard was beautiful ; especially when the tea lights went on. I had their version of a caprese salad which was different, but in a good way! For my meal I enjoyed the scallops over a sweet corn risotto, which was to die for! I will definitely be back on my next trip to Palm Desert! read more

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Lovely dinner al fresco on the patio. The liver and onions (yes!) was tender and flavorful. Everyone at the table was pleased with their dinners. Thank you. read more

Great service! We sat outside in the courtyard. You know it's a great spot when it's hard to get into!

We went here for my husband's Birthday. We ordered scallops off the main menu. When I got home I noticed a $75 charge. I called the next morning, and told the woman who took my call that I was overcharged $30. She said the waiter gave us the "special." We never asked for the special. She said she would have someone call me regarding error, but that never happened. read more

My gal pal and I like to try nice restaurants in the area and Jillian's was next on the list. While the setting was cozy and the ambiance right and service was good, the food was not great which is why we give it only 3 stars. Also, my friend is a bread lover and they said there were no bread rolls, when we asked again there was some other fresh bread that was finally brought out. We both had the angel hair shrimp scampi main dish and it was good, not great, but good. We probably won't come back. read more

Jillians - Potato Leek Soup and lobster salad - Wine Bars Near Me - Palm Desert, California

We celebrated our anniversary dinner at Jillian's. It was our first time. It's a beautiful restaurant with a front patio which I'd recommend as there is music. I wasn't aware of this but our table in back patio was very nice too. Our waiter John friendly & knowledgeable about selecting entrees. Attentive but not overly. Martini's excellent but the most we've ever paid, $21.00 each. The appetizer Polpette was ok. We ordered the special which was halibut. It wasn't exceptional. If we return I'd try a different entree. read more

Wow! We had no excuse for waiting so long to try Jillian's, and we are kicking ourselves for waiting so long. It was an unusually cool evening in the desert so our patio reservation got moved inside, but it was not an issue. The restaurant is beautiful! Service was impeccable, menu choices were plentiful, and the food was fantastic! The cannelloni was the best I ever had!! The entire table was there for the first time and we were all thrilled. We can't wait to go back for dinner on the beautiful patio! read more

Based on the reviews on yelp, opentable, and the fact that it is zagat rated we decided to make reservations here for our 5th year wedding anniversary!!! We came here for the steak and chose this restaurant over Mastro's and Morton's steakhouse. We ordered the following: Prime New York Steak - Grilled Prime beef, presented with a fresh Tarragon hollandaise - $49.00. Petite Filet (medium well) The most tender center cut, grilled, drizzled with cabernet demi glace topped with crisply fried onions - $40.00. Double Chocolate Layer Cake Moist dark chocolate cake layered with Belgian semi-sweet chocolate mousse and raspberries, glazed with bittersweet chocolate, in a pool of fresh raspberry coulis - $12.00. The petite filet was (cooked to perfection) tender, flavorful, good seasoning and such a well balanced dish. Everything complimented each other, the broccolini, diced red beets, corn, & potatoes. I highly recommend it. One of the best steaks I've had in a long time. The tarragon hollandaise on the NY steak had a tangy sour flavor that masked the flavor of the steak. Service was good. Staff friendly. read more

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We always love Jillian's, and our latest holiday time visit was great! Great service, Great food, Great atmosphere. Jillian's is always a 1st class experience.... We love this place. Just a beautiful place to celebrate special times. read more

A perfect dining experience from the gracious setting, well trained staff to perfectly prepared meals where each part of the dinner was carefully, tastily prepared. An effort is made to have each guest be welcomed, relaxed and unhurried. One of the best meals we have ever had in the United States. P.S. We would be regulars if our Maine home not so far! Elizabeth Glover read more

What can we say? A very disappointing meal. To spend $43 for 3 small shrimp in a pile of overcooked pasta, soaked in tomato sauce. My husband had the Pappardelle with filet, his favorite meal. This was pasta straight out of the box, nothing original. Our friends had the 6 quarter sized scallops in a bowl filling with risotto... No flavor. I will admit the waiter was terrific and so were the cocktails. We hope they can get their act together, as there are way too many better quality choices on El Paseo in Palm Desert. Thank you! read more

The food isn't bad, it's just old and tired. I can't recall the last time I had such an unimaginative dining experience. I felt like I was I a time warp..and not in a fun throw back sort of way. I can possibly understand people of a certain age really being into this place because it's predictable and safe. The corn chowder has been on the menu for 26 years!! My husband wanted to do a fine dining experience for my birthday on a weekend trip to the desert and he actually felt bad about choosing this place and having a mediocre experience. The service was just odd which accounts for the 2 stars. Our server seemed inexperienced and awkward, he got my husbands drink order wrong and allowed too much time in between coming to the table, ordering and bring extra dressing we didn't even ask for when there is one bite of salad left. When we finished dessert he asked if he could take our "date thing" referring to the dish. The date cake with ice cream was stale and masked with a lot of sauce. I think it's overpriced for what you get and unfortunately not our style at all. I feel bad that my husband feels bad for making this choice for my birthday celebration, but it's hardly the end of the world. Piano player is a nice touch. I would not go back nor recommend it. read more

Six of us locals joined up for dinning out and so we found Jillian's. Great location and easy parking. Was greeted by cheerful staff. I was so done with the liberal stupid mask nonsense. I was very pleasantly surprised that there was no longer a mask mandate and the staff could choose to wear or not. We were seated at a wonderful table with linen tablecloth and inviting setting. I brought my own rare bottle of wine but was very disappointed at the corkage of $40. Nice salad selections, adequate menu that is appeasing to all. Enjoyed 2 hours of fine food and dining. I seldom return to the same location but in this case I will. read more

Very elegant! Great food, amazing cocktails & very attentive staff. Went on a dinner function from work. I had the "Pasta Special of the Day" which is the spaghetti with lobsters read more

The spaghetti bolognese was THE BEST I HAVE EVER HAD. For appetizer, the five cheese roasted chile was very good. I will be back to see if other menu items are this good. I have heard the Scallops are very good also, but have not tried yet. My complaint is it was enough to feed me three meals, but I ate it all. Ambiance is unique and in a good way. I do not understand people giving lower ratings because they were late for a reservation.......................Self centered egocentrists. You cant make everyone happy, but this Bolognese was incredible and made me happy and I intend to have it on my list of last meals. read more

Still my favorite restaurant. Jay and June stopped by our table twice. Had a great visit. Service was exellent. The front patio addition is so nice and comfortable. This Potato Bread is to die for. My steak and my wife's short rib was delicious. Thanks for the giant eclair with ice cream. We had a great evening. Thanks so much and we will be back. read more

Where to begin? We have been to this family owned Palm Desert eatery on two other occasions, both anniversaries, driving from Scottsdale to stay a few days specifically to eat in this beautiful romantic setting. We kept coming back because of the lush front patio ambiance,food and service. None of these things were in place last night for our third visit. We made reservations for "our table" on the front patio which was confirmed by phone. Instead of belaboring the reservation and table fiasco here, suffice to say we could either be on a time limit for an outside table facing the wall or inside in a very loud setting. We chose to stay indoors, "our table" being unavailable. Our waiter was too quick with the salad which literally took less than a minute from ordering...obviously prepared ahead of time and it showed as the lettuce was wilted. I ordered Sea Bass at over $50, out in less than 10min. Hubby ordered the Halibut special. Both our fish were dry and the sauce was a dry puddle of something tasteless. Curiously we both had the same 3 veggies in piles on our plates, cafeteria style! I know the chef has changed in the past 2 years since we had been there but pre prepared meals are not acceptable at this price point in my opinion. Lastly, but not least every year they had brought out a sweet dessert to celebrate our special day...not last night! There was no recognition even though on our profile states that it was a special day for us. Sadly, this eatery has lost our business for good. read more

Not in the mood for hyperbole so I will keep this review simple. Jillian's time has past. Food is pedestrian and not to the standards that one would expect. In fact awful. If you are looking for that special restaurant in Palm Desert than I strongly recommend la spigga or cuistot. Really. Also as other reviews have mentioned the corkage policy is asinine. Only two bottles per table regardless of the number of people. 1 person, go and get smacked. 8 people, hope you enjoy splitting two bottles at $50 corkage per. If you wish to not heed my warning, caveat emptor. read more

have gone to Jillian's many times overvthe years. tonight was such a disappointment. the service was awful! had to ask twice just for the menus then was just handed a bill without asking about coffee or dessert...will never go back... food was terrible read more

My husband works in the office building around the corner and has wanted to go to Jillians for years. Well how about an epic let down. The food was not great, our scallops were a bunch of tiny ones not the larger ones you are used to, and everything felt prepared ahead of time. Also don't plan on bringing your own wine. Outrageous corkage. read more

Took friends to dinner there for the first time. Enjoyed it very much. I just wish I'd known about it sooner Food was excellent and service was on it. Good time. read more

I came here for Christmas Eve dinner with my family. It was a place that I wouldn't be returning to. The manager was as rude as can be even as much as coming up to our table and using a aggressive voice. This all happened because they had a horrible policy of you could only have 2 bottles of wine per table even when we had eight people. Then, when we got the food it looked we were in a cafeteria. My presidential whitefish was smothered in sauce that you could barely see the fish. I would recommend you never coming here. read more

Food was sub prime ordered leaf lettuce salad came nothing but really poor. We never complain but did had it changed with a poor replacement Service very uppity quick blunt and curt Ambience nice but a total local place to be seen. Really let down for the price and quality of food and service read more

Jillian's was lovely. Although it was a balmy evening, it was very nice eating outside. The inside patio was so pretty. What a great building, which used to be The Fort. Each of the rooms within the building are lovely and the outdoor dining areas around the facility are decorated nicely and very inviting. Our group of three started with an appetizer of roasted chilies with four cheeses, which was excellent. I had the special lobster salad which I split with another person in my party. The lobster was a bit tough but overall was very good. Our party had the petite filet mignon which was perfectly cooked and very delicious, the special superior whitefish which was excellent, and I had the Colorado rack of lamb which was also excellent. Each dish was appealing and nicely plated with groupings of various vegetables which were very tasty. Loved dining at this restaurant and hopefully will return someday. read more

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3.8 starts is way too high for this place. Terrible all around. Rude owners. They're classless and act like they're better than you. The mark of true low lives. They also don't know how to cook, don't know how to treat customers, and don't know how to run a restaurant. Bad all around. You go to spend money and they treat you like they're doing you a favor. They don't realize how lucky they are to not be on the streets destitute with how crappy their place is overall. read more

A very true 5 stars for this restaurant. Excellent food , great service , atmosphere and professional. I truly feel this is the best and most elegant restaurant in the entire Valley. Great job To all the wieners aka Democrats , stay home and get a life. read more

Terrible customer service. Made a reservation for a business dinner on the night of Valentine's Day, which required a $50 deposit. On the night of the reservation, I got a call that our reservation was delayed due to rain. As a result, we couldn't make the dinner so I requested to cancel our reservation, and the host said it wouldn't be a problem and assured me that they would refund the deposit, which they never did. When I called back, they refused to refund the deposit. I even spoke with the owner, who was quite rude and would not honor her employee's commitment to refund the deposit. Surprised to see this kind of customer service from the owner. Most business owners are not like this. read more

We had a family anniversaries celebration with 9 adults. We were only allowed to bring in 2 bottles of wine. It is the same for a 2 person reservation. Makes no sense, just penalizes large groups spending money to celebrate. read more

The food here is mediocre, the staff is horribly rude, and the ownership is lacking in common sense and ability. First the food - meh. If it was a bj's or cheesecake factory thats fine but this is supposed to be fine dining. They charge A LOT so don't expect to get bang for your buck. You're going to pay $60-$70 per person but the food is around $20-$30 in value. Staff - the wait staff is just plain rude. They act like they're doing you a favor when you come in and that's wrong. We had a server in his mid fiftees and he literally said f*ck under his breath when a member of our party requested their food be reheated. Like seriously? Insanely rude. Management - When we brought this issue to the attention of the manager/(maybe the owner? idk) the lady refuted it and said "impossible". As opposed to dealing and reprimanding the employee she essentially called us liars and told us if we're displeased with the service to leave. This is insane. That said, would not recommend. We are personally never going back I wouldn't recommend it to anyone either. Ownership is horrible, food horrible, chef horrible, overall experience horrible. Save your money and go elsewhere Thank you read more

Took the family there for the wife's birthday, expectation and outcome. Expected a pleasant dinner. Outcome.. a dinner that was overwhelmingly good. John was...I don't want to say a waiter, but became our best friend, so enjoyed his canter, and sense of humor, his personality plus!!! He made our birthday celebration a extra special day! The food was great, this is a place for special times and memorable moments. Thank you Jillian's We will always treasure this evening read more

My husband and my FAVE! Consistently excellent and good, exceptional ambiance and worth it! The house was converted into a restaurant. Excellent stable retrofit, courtyard, and front yard out door grounds are beautiful. Old style great service and understanding of the food preparation. We ordered salmon, I've had scallops. Love love love. Our special go to place for a special night. read more

Had an exceedingly underwhelming experience that didn't line up with the price point or reputation while dining there over the Christmas holiday. The corkage policy is restrictive, non-sensical and unfriendly to patrons. Management throws sharp elbows when explaining it to new customers. Service was friendly, but scarce and awkward in the long gaps between attending to our table. Cocktail glasses remained empty for over twenty minutes with no one checking in on us. The food accentuated assembly line vibes, all sides were the same for each distinct protein dish and the soup arrived a layered film courtesy of basking under a heat lamp. Disappointing experience through and through. Hard to justify a return. read more

The salmon was remarkable. It was cooked perfectly, Excellent environment, friendly service, great menu choices.

Went back to see if things changed but sadly no. Head to EVs for better service and food.

On December 1, my dearest friend Shirley took me out for my birthday. We sat outside Jillian's and they wanted to stick us in a corner. We checked in the courtyard and outside courtyard, and yet they didn't find us a nice table. Besides that, we saw that many couples sat at tables of four and there were extra tables they wouldn't allow us to sit at. I've been there several times and was surprised, that at this time of Covid, they would've been a little more grateful to see people like us actually dining there. It was a very special restaurant in The Past. It was so cold outside that we asked for a heater to be moved closer to us and they didn't want to. They said one other group of people MIGHT sit in that area. No one did during our whole meal. Everyone else had two heaters. THE STAFF WAS UNFRIENDLY. I believe this will be the last time I will go there. It was one of my favorites but not now. With that kind of attitude, I wouldn't be surprised if they close their doors permanently. read more