3/29/2026 Returned to Mole to celebrate my 61st birthday. Had a wonderful experience at Mole Cantina, El Paseo celebrating my bride's 61st birthday. The food quality was excellent, and the service truly stood out. A special shout-out to our usual waiter, Joseph, for his attentive and friendly service--he always makes us feel well taken care of. Highly recommend for both special occasions and a great dining experience! Ed & Carla Henderson NV read more

See all

Love that Mole is thriving! Have been a regular for years and we were so pleased to see that they've become a hot spot. Karma rewarded us as we weren't aware in the popularity uptick and got the last no reservation seat for the night. P.S. they charge for chips and salsa because it's amazing chips and salsa read more

Horrible service!! I hope the owner reads this to rethink who they have working as the maître D. We had no reservation, walked in, asked for a table for two. She said she has two available locations. She unprofessionaly left us standing wondering if we should follow her or not. Then she comes back and say her manager said the booth is not available, then she pointed out with her finger and said " that one is availble " referring to the empty table. We waited for her to Have us follow Her to seat is for 2 mins. Then other people walked in and got seated at the same table by her loll! She had audacity to say that the table she was pointing at earlier wasn't the one she was refering too. She was unpleasant and definitely not polished to even have that postition. Based on reviews , seems like they nickel and dime people for chips and salsa. Another BS desert restaurant! This happened march 15, 7pm. read more

I had the most pleasant experience here! The drinks, the food, the service.. everything was amazing! So many fun twists to traditional Mexican dishes that I couldn't get enough of. read more

See all

The ambiance was nice and we loved our server Val. The appetizers were very good - especially the chips and guacamole and the cornbread. Drinks were well made and tasty. The kitchen got behind and our entrees took a really long time to arrive. Unfortunately by the time we got it, the chicken mole enchiladas that four or five of us had ordered were cold. We did not send the food back because it had taken so long to get it in the first place. Then, because the kitchen had taken so long, we were asked to make decisions about dessert within seconds after receiving our entrees. The dessert itself was tasty - the churros were my fav - the flan was good but more dense than other flans I have had. Overall a 3.5 but rounding up because of the excellent appetizers and Val's kindness. read more

See all

Not used to paying for a small basket of chips at a Mexican restaurant for starters. I had the shrimp enchiladas. There were 2, no sides. Of course I could have paid extra. They were shrimp, wrapped in a tortilla, nothing else inside, with a sauce on top. The tortilla separates from the shrimp when cut. Flavor was mediocre at best. And quite pricey, too. Bathroom was dirty. Very disappointed. Looked pretty but.... read more

Mole Mexican Kitchen - Mexican Near Me - Palm Desert, California

Monday Funday! Started the afternoon with some shopping on El Paseo and then headed over to Mole for some indigenous inspired Mexican cuisine. This restaurant has been on my list for a while now and finally got to try them today with a friend. The inside is super cozy and dimly lit which is much needed when escaping the bright hot desert sun. The interior was classy but still casual enough for us to come in without having dressed up. They have a full bar, patio seating and plenty of comfortable indoor booths. My takeaways from here were that the service was impeccable, everyone was super nice and attentive. Jenny took great care of us and was super sweet and helpful. All good vibes here. The cocktails were beautiful, so much so that I would highly recommend their Prickly Pear Margarita. For my main I had the Shrimp Enchiladas in a green tomatillo sauce which was delightful, mild for those that prefer a little less heat. My friend had the prime skirt steak tacos which looked equally as delicious. This restaurant is more sophisticated to match the downtown El Paseo vibes so the price point matches but everything was delicious and the service delightful that it was well worth it. No complaints at all. Easily a 5/5 for this area. Already eager to come back soon. read more

See all

I've been here twice now, and both times I was blown away! Everything is excellent here. The guacamole is delicious with fried tortillas that are dusted in salt and Tajín. The salsa is excellent without being super spicy. The enchiladas were so good, I had the chicken in mole and my husband had the salmon enchiladas in a chipotle sauce. Highly recommend either or both. The decor is cool and vibey, kind of a CDMX feel. Our server was Brandon and he had such a great and kind energy. Will definitely be back again when we're back in town. Highly recommend. read more

Mole Mexican Kitchen - Pollo Enchiladas en mole - Mexican Near Me - Palm Desert, California

We happened upon this place by chance and are super happy we did. The food here was delicious. The service was impeccable. And with a window seat we were able to watch the sunset over the hills and lights on the trees start to twinkle. We started with the cornbread and ceviche. I would recommend both!! They had amazing flavors, the ceviche had such a bright fresh flavor. The chips were homemade and when we ran out of ceviche the waiter brought us the salsa which was also delicious. We split the mole chicken enchilada and enjoyed every last bite. The mole was delicious- not too smoky or chocolatey. Just the right blend. If you have room be sure to get the churros. They were bomb. read more

Made a 4:45pm Saturday date night res outside table, which worked out well as the afternoon sun turned to dusk to nighttime w the beautiful Mole's lighting interior. Great service from Jesus and wait staff team, awesome cadillac margaritas in taste and presentation w shots of grand marnier on the side. We shared a guacamole dip, ceasar salad, and borracho chicken. Nothing was too mind blowing (we probably liked the ceasar the best) and wife's chicken plate had a large bone in it. Atmosphere was amazing and got super busy as night progressed but food was average. Highly recommend making a res as we saw a ton of people, from large families to couples dressed to the nines, get turned away. read more

Mole Mexican Kitchen - outdoor west-most table - Mexican Near Me - Palm Desert, California

See all

Only 4 stars? ...SACRILEGE! Tied for Best gourmet Mexican I've ever had. Sea-Galley is to sushi The way Mexican food is to Mole! That should cover it. artful/complex flavor profiles in both traditional and modern plates. I had the fancy guacamole with lobster in it. Holy Moses. A meal! And a lamb shank in mole sauce... Damn. I couldn't craft fancy enough words to do this place justice. I could bitch about the service being a little flower than average But then I'd be petty! I'll be back a third time Fourth time. Infinitum Till I've partaken in the whole menu read more

See all

Wow! What a great find while visiting Palm Desert! We were seated at a lovely booth and immediately greeted by our server Israel who was so warm and attentive to us! We started with the Cadillac margaritas and chips, guacamole and salsa! So delicious! We tried several different dishes, including the bone marrow, salmon enchiladas and beet salad! Very generous portions and wonderful flavors. Really looking forward to coming back to try something new next time read more

See all

This place was hit and miss for us. The ambiance is nice. It is upscale Mexican food, and it's got great lighting and nice decor. The outside area is cute. The service is a bit rocky. We counted 10 people working front of house and only one guy was taking orders. Seems like there might have been a few being trained but still seems like you might have someone else taking orders. The guy who was taking orders was doing a great job and was very friendly. I am usually pretty lenient on service but we ordered chips and salsa and it took 20 minutes to get. We had to ask about it, we got our drinks first and waited for quite awhile before asking. The chips and salsa were delicious so it was worth the wait! The charred Esquitas was SO GOOD! Was limey and very good! We got the skirt steak which had good flavor but the steak was a bit grisly. We also got a Caesar salad with steak and that steak was also very grisly and tough to eat. The Caesar salad was a bit light on flavor. The food besides the starters were fine but not amazing. The restaurant was packed and others seemed to be enjoying. This was just an okay spot for us. read more

See all

This restaurant has outside settings, but could use a little more shade since it's on the south side of El Paseo. However with that said the food is very good and not your usual Mexican entrées. Everything was very tasty even their guacamole sampler! I've been to the one in Sedona too, they are both very good.... Wait staff was excellent! read more

We were really looking forward to our meal here, but unfortunately, our experience was deeply disappointing from start to finish. Despite a large party being seated next to us, we noticed that nearly every other table around us received more attentive service than we did. We were barely checked on, while other guests were consistently looked after. It started with our appetizer being completely forgotten. My daughter-in-law and son both ordered tea, but when my daughter-in-law took a sip, she immediately felt something sharp in her mouth. At first, she thought it was a stem but when she pulled it out, it was a piece of glass. We immediately pulled both cups away and waited for our server, who didn't come by for another 10 minutes. I finally had to get up and inform the hostess, who was on the phone at the time. I requested a bottled drink to be safe. They did apologize and asked if she was okay, but the damage to our trust had already been done. When the food finally arrived, it was lukewarm at best. The snapper was overcooked, and the flavors didn't work together at all. I also reminded them about the forgotten appetizer and asked for it to be removed from our bill though they did bring it out to-go, it was far too late to salvage the experience. Frankly, if my daughter-in-law had swallowed the piece of glass, this review could have been about something far more serious. Disappointed doesn't even begin to cover it. read more

Mole Mexican Kitchen - Glass we found in the tea. - Mexican Near Me - Palm Desert, California

The last time I had Mole sauce this good was when my husband and I were in Puerto Vallarta. The Mole enchiladas are a must have! The bone Marrow appetizer with elote was delicious, just a little too much salt in the bone marrow. The house made tortilla chips has the same delicious spice as the elote. The service and ambiance is excellent. We sat at the bar, but the restaurant has both patio and indoor dining areas. If you like fine Mexican cuisine, then Mole Mexican Kitchen is a must! If you have never tried Mole, (shame), then this is the place to do so! read more

Walked in here on Mother's Day, thank god place was not busy since we didn't have reservations. We sat at the bar, ordered the guac-crab as an appetizer. It was sooo good! I ordered the shrimp tostada and wifey ordered the beef enchiladas. Enjoyed every bite of our dinner! Just FYI this is not a tex-mex chimichanga restaurant, these are carefully crafted authentic Mexican dishes hence the higher prices. Shout out to the staff for being so attentive and friendly! read more

See all

I loved this place! Travis, the general manager, greeted us when we arrived then seated us at a four top by the window. Galinda our server immediately approached us to bring cold water and ask if we wanted a margarita. "Ah, that would be a heck - ya!!! We ordered their "Blood Orange" Margarita which was fabulous. 5/5 (not too sweet and the perfect "happy feeling," if you know what mean) And now for the food: *Guacamole & chips $16 (5/5) freshly made granished with pomegranates. The homemade chips were round, crispy and lightly salted. *Cerviche De Camaron $20 5/5 - beautifully prepared with gulf shrimp & lump crab served on top of a tomato broth. *Prime Skirt Steak Tacos w/Black Beans & Rice on the side 4/5 - $26 very good but the steak was just a tad tough to chew The interior is beautiful and very clean. They have an outdoor patio available as well. *Street parking and a few lots in the area. read more

See all

it really (!) annoys me when restaurants put their menus on their very expensively designed websites, but leave off prices. pretentious. but also very telling about priorities in service and food. this place consistently has Health Scores of 90. that tells all you need to know. read more

The bone marrow is so flavorful. It truly tasted so rich in flavors and the elote just enhanced all the flavors. The kids quesadilla was also so delicious, added steak. The inside is super cute as well! read more

See all

It was hands down a great experience. Came here for my wife's birthday and they took us in quick. While we sat our waiter Franky/Frankie did a phenomenal job. He was very attentive to myself & my family. Same with staff! Now to get the food. For a family of 4 we all rated it a 10. 10 for food, friendliness, ambiance, and for attentiveness! Thank you guys for making this a great experience here & we'll definitely come back whenever we're in town. read more

Mole Mexican Kitchen - Inside Mole - Mexican Near Me - Palm Desert, California

See all

I enjoyed the authentic food that was delicious and beautifully presented. Jesus was an amazing server. He was patient in explaining each dish and even brought us samples of the sauces. I recommend Mole Mexican Kitchen, and hopefully you will be lucky enough to have Jesus as your server. read more

Was in Indian Wells with girlfriends for a tennis playing/watching trip and Mole was our first dinner out. The atmosphere is great - airy feeling, service is terrific, and we sat in a cozy booth. I would have given this a 5 star rating for the appetizers but the entrees merited 3/4 stars. Appetizers: - Fresh guacamole tasting - 5/5 (regular, carne asada, lump crab), all were delicious and the freshly made tortilla chips definitely get 5* - Ceviche Mixto Verde - 5*/5, I was sad I had to share this with five other people, it was so delicious and just the right amount of surprise kick with the tiny sliced peppers in it (or something). If i go back to Mole I will just order this and some tortilla chips for dinner! - Mexican street corn - 4/5, but that's just me. One of my friends couldn't stop eating it she thought it was amazing. I liked it a lot but maybe it was a little too cheese-y for my taste and although it's messy, i prefer an actual corn on the cob prepared in this way rather than corn kernels Dinner: - shrimp enchilada - 3/5. This is where things fell down IMHO. The enchilada really wasn't anything special and more memorable for not being super tasty/interesting and my friends who ordered the chicken enchilada and the beef enchilada which came with different preparations felt the same. We all wished we had ordered more apps and CHIPS! Note: we had a small reservation issue (we had a 5:30pm reservation made through OpenTable which was canceled at 5:20pm by OpenTable - but Mole accommodated us with a 1.5 hour time limit table which was fine). The restaurant host said it was an OpenTable issue where they regular overbook the restaurant. This could have been a much bigger issue if we had a peak hour reservation. At 5:30pm there were a lot of open tables for our party of 6. read more

This restaurant does not care about their customers or providing good service. Stopped on Saturday around 5ish, restaurant is completely empty maybe one table occupied and when we ask for a table we are told that they are not taking any walk ins because they are booked for the evening... genius idea to turn away a table that you guaranteed could have got in and out before your entire empty restaurant filled with guests. This is what you call bad business. Do better. You always leave at least one table available for walk ins, you don't turn away money now for the chance of money in the future. If one of your reservations doesn't show, that's fine maybe you have a fee for no shows, but I guarantee you whatever that no show fee is much less than the 300+ dollars we spent on dinner that evening at a restaurant that was smart enough to not turn away business. read more

Great Mexican Restaurant! From a Mexican.. this was really good Mexican food. I highly recommend. Great service, best chips and salsa. read more

Excellent, tasty food. Service is timely and friendly. Margaritas are fresh and pure- no premixes. Tortilla chips are deliciously fresh and seasoned. Modern decor- quiet ambiance. Definitely go back again. read more

Great friendly service. Chicken Mole Enchiladas were delicious. Black beans out of this world. And don't forget a blood orange margarita.

Delicious food and great and friendly staff! Would come back any time to have enchiladas!

This place is absolutely delicious!! From start to finish, some of the most decadent upscale Mexican food you'll find! Everything is super delicious and such a cool cozy vibe inside! Drinks are of the chain good, and super friendly and knowledgeable staff. My go to Mexican spot here in the desert! Place is a must! read more

Overpriced. Over rated. Chips and salsa were good. Everything is ala carte. Mole was to rich. Tasty. Extremely overpriced

Came here on a beautiful evening at 5:30pm for dinner. We asked to be seated inside. The service was great, very attentive. The decor of the restaurant is pretty too. It has a romantic vibe to it. All of the drinks tasted great! Not too strong but packed a punch. You can't go wrong with any of them. They looked beautiful too. We got the: - PIÑA (Dos Santos, fresh pineapple juice, fresh lime juice, agave, sugar rim) - JALAPEÑO (Dos Santos, fresh lime juice, agave, jalapeños, cilantro-lime salt rim) - TAMARINDO (Dos Santos, fresh lime juice, agave, tamarindo, tajin, tamarindo & sugar rim) - FRUTO DE CACTUS (Dos Santos, fresh lime juice, local prickly pear syrup, agave, tajin rim) For food, we got the: ROASTED BEEF BONE MARROW ELOTE (Topped with cornbread crumbles, served over tangy Mexican street corn esquites and queso fresco): Quite rich and tasty with the bone marrow. I'm both an elote and bone marrow fan, so trying them together was interesting! Eat it fast or else the bone marrow will solidify. PRIME SKIRT STEAK TACOS (Street grilled beef tacos, red salsa casera, cabbage escabeche): Good flavor on the beef. The salsa had a kick to it. The cabbage added a pop of texture. Pricey for tacos but you know what you're getting into with this upscale vibe. MOLE CON POLLO ASADO ENCHILADA (Dark mole oaxaca, maduro, grilled chicken, sesame seeds, toasted, crushed nuts and raisins): The star of the show! My friend said it was one of the best moles he's ever had. It was my first time trying it too, and I was satisfied. It wasn't too coffee-y nor chocolate-y as I expected. The sauce was spiced and went well with the meat. Overall great balance in the dish. All in all this is a solid choice of a restaurant in Palm Desert! read more

See all

This place was amazing! The seasoning on the tortilla chips is addictive so be careful. I had chicken tacos with Napa Cabbage Slaw. This was the best Slaw I have ever had. The dressing was very light, but extremely flavorful. It comes on the side and it was a nice compliment to the spiced chicken tacos. Excellent food and impeccable service e! read more

What is even going on with the fresh chips! They are a destination! The white fish ceviche was beautifully presented. Fish fresh and salsa perfect spice. The server was kind enough but a little disorganized. Lovely day on El Paseo for a lunch out! read more

Mole Mexican Kitchen - Love the pomegranate seeds on the Guacamole. - Mexican Near Me - Palm Desert, California

See all

Everything we ordered was special. different from other Mexican restaurant. chips were homemade and special !

The food at Mole was okay, not great. The cornbread had a good flavor, but it was hard to eat because it was very crumbly, even though it was reportedly fresh that day. Bread should be fresh daily. The guacamole sampler was tasty, but the servings of protein, lump crab, and steak were bite-sized, only two bites each. The snapper was overcooked, and the broth was haphazardly topped with cold, chopped green olives. Again the flavor was on point, but the excution missed the mark. I was especially surprised that the drinks were also not well-balanced and otherwise unremarkable. The atmosphere is lovely, and I really wanted to have a reason to return. While the service was excellent, the prices are steep, and the food and drinks don't hold a candle to comparable fare in close proximity. Los Primos doesn't have the contemporary décor or appreciate as much space as some other restaurants, nor do they offer a full bar. Despite these shortcomings, I would still choose them 10 out of 10 times. It's clean and quite nice. The quality of food is well above par, and the execution of every dish I've tried, from burgers to Benedicts to fish to steak, has been perfect. The family vibe is unbeatable. read more

If you ever find yourself in Palm Desert and have a desire for Mexican fine dining, you absolutely must try Mole. The vibes, staff, and cleanliness are superior. We had the pleasure of enjoying our dinner with hostest Jen. She took great care of us and made us feel the family vibe. My wife's 40th Birthday dinner was elegant and satisfying to say the least. Now, THE FOOD, was so tasteful and authentic. You will not be disappointed if you decide to take my advice. We've found a diamond in the rough and will definitely be returning. read more

See all

Had great time at Mole our waiter William absolutely genius, GM Luis Silva great communicator, explaining there menu to us Food was stunning, read more

Amazing drinks and food!! First time coming and will definately come back. We sat at the bar and Brandon was so nice and all his recommendations were a hit read more

Mole Mexican Kitchen - Mexican Near Me - Palm Desert, California

Food and ambiance were fine - great chips and salsa - but the reservation was poorly managed. They prioritized certain reservations (later than ours) while leaving us waiting for over 30 minutes. We finally gave up and took a seat at the bar, ate and left. Will not go back. read more

Honestly I wouldn't recommend this place. The food was not good at all. I had the shrimp quesadillas and it was mostly an oregano dipped quesadilla. It took 40 minutes to get the chips and sauce and another 45 for our dinner. Honestly I wouldn't recommend this place at all. read more