Great birthday dinner tonight. Anna- thank you for taking our last minute reservation ( from the lobbby of a local french place which had been extremely rude to us- wont say the name, but rhymes with Mistot!)Thank you, Madalyn and crew! Special hello and annual bon voyage to Tamara. Serve staff always great. Restaurant week crowd, but we got Wallys' usual 5-star food and service! Consistently the best overall desert fine dining experience. Thank you! read more

Unbelievable Restaurant. Best I have been to in years. Walked in to live music which was perfect to set the mood. Service very professional and courteous. Cocktails were chilled and perfectly presented. The salads were large and delicious. I had the endive which was great. The entrees were the veal chop and the short rib. Plentiful and cooked to perfection with great sauces. We topped everything off with the perfect chocolate soufflé. I live in Long Beach California and will go to this fine dinging establishment every time I go to Palm Springs. 100 stars. read more

We went to Wally's while visiting family who live in the area. Although not in the season, the restaurant was full by the time we left at 7:30 pm. The tables looked to be old friends meeting up, family parties, and a few tables of younger tourists. Be sure to listen carefully when the waiter reviews the menu with you because he's telling you what to order. Enjoy the little touches like the specialized silverware for fish dishes, the really hot mini-pots of coffee, the fresh hot rolls replenished to your individual bread plate, and of course the lovely linens. Hard not to have a great meal there. I highly recommend the mushroom soup. read more

Nothing special here. Save your money and go to Cheesecake Factory across the street. If you like mediocre service, unfriendly staff, and bland overpriced food, Wally's is the place for you. Also, who the heck thought of cranberry reduction for short ribs ?? read more

10/10 would recommend. The name sounds cheesy but the restaurant is upscale with incredible service and food quality is top notch.

We went to Wally's Desert Turtle for a date night and we were so relieved to have a night away from our three kids. We made a reservation online and were sat immediately after checking in. We started with the gnocchi was was decent. Both meals were delicious and portions were generous. My husband had the seafood tagliatelle and I had the braised short ribs. We finished with the bananas foster soufflé which was my favorite part of the whole meal. Both the appetizer and dessert were split in the kitchen was was really nice. Cons: Service was on the slower side despite seeing an abundance of staff floating through the dining room. It was difficult to get anyone's attention just to ask for salt and pepper. I think my biggest complaint of our whole experience was the overall vibe. We were easily the youngest customers there and the decor was extremely dated. It seemed like a place my grandma would like to go to if she was feeling fancy. Overall I'm glad we came because I'd been wanting to try this place for a while but I don't have a huge desire to come back. Unless I suppose if my fancy grandma is in town. read more

I can not say enough good things about this restaurant. The food and service are always on point. This place runs like a well oiled machine and management should be proud! We love having date night here and we will be back again and again! read more

Wally's Desert Turtle - Oysters on the half shell - Steakhouses Near Me - Rancho Mirage, California

Fabulous service great food innovative menu. Loved every minute. Ambiance was great. Everyone was having a great meal.

What a wonderful place! Nostalgist decor that brought me back to earlier and may I say easier times. The staff are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable but of course we could not recommend at five stars without the food being amazing and in that regard we were not diss appointed. Additionally the entertainment was wonderful again reckoning back to places past that you can't otherwise find. We call;e timely are blessed that they survived pandemic and other hardships to remain available to us today and tomorrow. read more

Outstanding as usual! Restaurant week is the best opportunity to try this nostalgic restaurant! Fantastic service and food as always! Thank you! read more

10 stars for food, service and ambience! Service is attentive and focused on the diners' experience. The owner, Maddy, is exceptional...she brings a fresh modern vibe to a well-known outstanding dining experience. The bar has a cool vibe with a singer and piano. The quality of food preparation...perfection..., wine selection and service is outstanding. Ahhh, if you are looking for an excellent dining experience. Wally's will never disappoint. Deserts are also amazing!! Ummmmhmmm soooo gooood! read more

Wally's in décor & much of its food is a throw back to the glorious fancy dining days of the 1950's & 60's. The fancy foods in those days were often called "continental cuisine". Veal Oscar, Lobster Thermidor, Chicken Cacciatore, or Kiev w/ herbed butter oozing out when cut, Steak au Poivre w/ a bordelaise sauce are some of the examples. The over-the-top sumptuousness of late 1970's is the theme for their interior design motif. The venerable, formal, pretentious Perino's on Wilshire Boulevard, & Scandia's on the Sunset Strip come to mind. For me, Wally's is not so much an exercise in partaking of sophisticated, nuanced, well thought out cuisine as much as it is an exercise in reveling in the glitzy opulence of the décor, service by numerous black vested waiters, & silver plated ice buckets table side. It seems more like a self-congratulatory toast to tell others that you have "arrived". Wally's carries on the traditions of an "all American" restaurant". Portions are super sized since in much of our American thinking, "Nothing succeeds like excess". Therefore, I did not order an appetizer since the main dish & dessert would be more than sufficient even for a big eater like me. However, just want to add that various forms of Foie Gras are back as grille, torchon, mousse which tempted me badly. 1) Skillet-Sauteed Hercules Ranch Prime New York Steak was thick, meaty, lightly beefy in taste that I requested medium rare, but was closer to medium so that the meat's texture was a bit more dense, tough & dry than expected. There was a deconstructed "steak au poivre" concept by scattering crushed black peppercorns, which seemed sautéed in a bit of olive oil, around the negative white space of the dish so that one had the option of eating the steak w/ the smoky, piquant black pepper. 1) Crispy Cannelloni stuffed w/ short ribs seemed like a great partner to the steak, but the fried Cannelloni pasta was leathery, tough, & overly chewy. However, the braised short ribs had an excellent au jus & buttery flavour. The potato puree was smooth, thick, buttery which went well w/ the steak. Kale seemed blanched & sautéed in some more butter & a bit of broth, & rubbery, mushy Porcini mushrooms without much forest flavour were a garnish. Sauce Bordelaise made from Merlot was presented as a side. All the elements presented for this dish may not have complemented each other in a finely tuned manner, but overall, this dish was hearty, robust, & would satisfy a healthy Mid Western appetite. 1a) The waiter thought that a Merlot would pair w/ the NY Steak so I chose the Swanson Cygnet Merlot, Napa Valley 2011. Black cherry, blackberry, touch of blueberries & vanilla w/ light cinnamon. Good acid to balance the slight jamminess & smooth tannins for structure. 2) I craved a retro dessert, & the Baked Alaska was visually a feast for the eyes. It was a high crested hill of white sculpted, whipped egg white Meringue slightly caramelized a light brown in parts by the high oven heat. Texture of this meringue was pleasantly gooey encasing coconut pineapple, strawberry, & vanilla ice cream. Surrounding the perimeter of the towering Baked Alaska was a decorative mélange of various fruit infused jellies of green, red, orange. Chopped strawberries, & cherries which tasted of being braised in a French tarragon infusion. Perhaps Gelati or more creamy ice cream may have made for better mouthfeel than the rather hard, stiff ice cream that was provided, but the Baked Alaska was an interesting flashback to what our parents or grandparents may have eaten on those special occasions. 2a) Coffee was served in an old-time, small, weighty, sliver plated lidded pitcher, & is rustic w/ heavy, slightly smoky, yet mellow richness. It reminded me of the Mexican Café de Olla sans the spices. It was a good foil to the sweetness of the Baked Alaska. Wally's is very generous w/ refills. Waiters here are good natured, friendly, & courteous, but they seem to lack intimate culinary knowledge associated w/ the food here. I am ever curious about food so I would ask the gracious waiters what was the sauce & its basic ingredients or ask if the cherries were braised in a sauce infused w/ Estragon. But I could not get an informed answer although he did offer to ask. It seems that the management is not into educating the staff, & that may be because the customers in general lack interest. Also, there is no one who is expertly knowledgeable in charge of suggesting wines that fit the customers' tastes & budget. This is why I am going to say that Wally's is a high-end restaurant, but not necessarily a fine dining establishment. For most people out to have a fancy meal, Wally's would rate high, but for those who are more aware of finer dining points, Wally's looks & feels great, but the food somehow lacks in sophistication, nuance, & well thought out cuisine. 3+ Yelp stars for a high end if not fine dining meal. read more

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We had a very disappointing experience on Thanksgiving. Way overbooked, resulting in 1+ hour waits. Tartlett was sweet when it should have been savory to match green beans. Soup was overly sweet as well, tasting like maple syrup. Turkey tasted like cafeteria food and side portions were very small. All of the above for a cost of $85 per head plus a 3 percent service charge. We used to come to Wally's regularly but unfortunately will not spend our time and money there again. read more

Finally tried Wally's! The COVID thing has them operating a bit differently, but they did well! It was the first night of their reopening, but the patio was very pleasant. Service was excellent as was the dinner! Had the Dover Sole... perfectly cooked! The bar manager even came over to make sure all was well and we were happy with our cocktails. We'll be back!!! read more

The food here is amazing, the patio is wonderful, the service is excellent, and everyone who works there is super friendly. I can't say enough good things about this place. Go! You won't regret it. read more

Well I Must say an amazing experience. Service food ambiance very very nice. Shrimp cocktail, burata salad , Endive , Dover's sole , salmon , whitefish and the filet were all amazing fresh ingredients . Really Nice soufflé too. Nice bottle of Duckhorn probably the best fine dinning in the Desert by far! read more

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Covid ruined my May birthday I tried harder for my anniversary. Thankful that Wallys is doing take out right now. It made our anniversary very special. The food was amazing. The fixe price meal is very generous in portions. We added Escargot and Shrimp cocktail. Pricey but worth it. You won't be disappointed. read more

Wally's Desert Turtle - Wallys Yumm - Steakhouses Near Me - Rancho Mirage, California

Took my mom here for her birthday last Saturday night. To be quite honest with you I was a little bit hesitant because the reviews and the pictures on yelp do not give this place justice. My mom ordered the halibut and the scallops and it was cooked perfectly. My cousin ordered the filet mignon and I ordered the New York strip. The New York strip in the filet mignon were extremely tender and had an excellent flavor. My aunt ordered the lamb chops. The cocktails are definitely craft and tasted delicious. The service from the wait staff was excellent and very attentive the whole evening. My mom had a wonderful birthday experience. I would highly recommend coming here again! read more

Wally's Desert Turtle - New York strip and the old fashion cocktail made with Woodford reserve in the background were fantastic. - Steakhouses Near Me - Rancho Mirage, California

A new chapter is being written by the next generation of ownership and Wally's is still as amazing as ever. I was very happy to find out they dropped their requirement of sportscoats for gentlemen which always seemed a bit ridiculous to me since the weather is so hot in the desert. The food is just as fantastic as it has been for 40+ years. Before I was seated, I was asked if I wanted to be closer to the music in the bar area or farther away. I said I wanted to be closer to the music which was a smart decision. The singer in the bar area (Tony) was amazing and even got a few of the bar patrons to get up and dance. Good times. It is high style when it comes to the decor and their classics (i.e. Dover sole) are expertly made. read more

Absolutely love Wally's Happy Hour! We visited with friends before heading out to see the 2nd installment of AVATAR! It was a bit long at 3 1/2 hours. But our tummies were full after a delightful evening at our Favorite, Wally's Desert Turtle! read more

Love this place! Madalyn is so kind hearted and is doing an amazing job with the restaurant. The service is unbelievable and the food is incredible. The atmosphere and the ambience is so unique, it just makes the experience 10x better. Also, the two ladies that are there every friday are just so sweet and so helpful! read more

Excellent food and service. Usually very consistent. Last time the liver was a little dry. Love the jazz music.

I would call this the one and only fine dinning restaurant with excellent service, food, and you never disappointed and the atmosphere is relaxing and upscale we will be back again! read more

Absolutely loved this restaurant. The Chilean Sea bass was recommended by our server and it was phenomenal. Tony is a fantastic musician and really brought life to the ambiance. Will return again! read more

Great food and very attentive service. Menu doesn't seem to change much from year to year but that is fine for us. Live music is a nice touch. It can get quite loud when it's crowded. read more

We were there tonight to celebrate my lovely daughters' visit from Portland . The traffic on Highway 111 has been horrendous with road works and we arrived much earlier than we expected. They were so gracious and they urged us to to get a seat at the bar until our table was ready . Ever single person at this restaurant is totally focused on you the customer. We had a fantastic meal- all three of our entrees were beautifully cooked and presented . Photos below. Our servers Chris and Robert were very exemplary-and the wine we chose was perfectly cellared . We will be back and thank you for being such a class restaurant . read more

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This was our first stop for Restaurant Week and I can't sing enough praises. It was a great kickoff, the food was superb and the service was exceptional. The owners, Ms. Nicole and Mr. Michael were the most welcoming people I've ever met. I was instantly at ease. I usually feel out of place when it comes to finer dining, since my palette isn't quite as refined as it can be; but they were so lovely and easy to speak too. The prefix menu had enough choices to keep you enticed and wanting to come back for more. I had the calamari; I was already drooling before I had it in my mouth. The lamb was filling and wonderful; although, I paired it with some steak sauce, oops. But the lava cake was to die for. It was the most heartfelt item. I felt so cherished just by looking at it, not to mention how it melts in your mouth. I'm not a big seafood fan myself, but that's the course my mom took and she loved it as well. Her soufflé was so light and decadent too. I don't think you can be displeased by anything on their menu. Last but not least, Ruben was so humorous and charming. No matter what my question was, he always had time, even when I asked about the purée flavors with the plated lava cake. Waldo, and another man (all in black, I didn't catch his name unfortunately) were so sweet and attentive. They truly never let a lady go without water. JB was our server, he was nice. I think I may have annoyed him a little with all my questions and requests, sorry! The hostess, Ms. Yvonne, was the most darling lady. She's the first and last person to set you on your way, and you wouldn't want it any other way. All in all it was the most wonderful setting. The ambience was familiar and accented by the live musician. It's a must, to visit and one for the books. You'll absolutely love it here. read more

The service is amazing the ambience is spot on the thing that killed me is the food is tasteless and although the presentation is wonderful it is way too expensive not to be able to enjoy the flavors of the food read more

Have been coming here for over 25 years when Michael ran the restaurant and now daughter Madalyn is in charge and doing absolutely everything to retain the five star service we have come to expect. Impeccable service by waiters anticipating your needs and the menu does not disappoint in any way. An elegant evening out enjoying the food, drink and ambiance. A third generation continues the magic of this restaurant. read more

Exceptional from start to finish. We celebrated our Anniversary at Wallys Desert Turtle. From the moment I called to request a romantic booth, the hostess assured me they would save a booth for us.. We were running early and I called again to see if they still had that booth. She said yes.. They are holding the booth for us. My Husband and I took pause because we thought, is no one there? We arrived and looked like every table was full .. except our one romantic booth. GREAT customer service. The food and service was 5 stars.They have a team of servers for your table. Lolly was our main server and helped us with our questions describing everything in detail. She is a 10 The Sommelier described the perfect french wine.We started with the Tuna Tartar. It is like a pate. I ordered the cauliflower steak with baba ganoush. without the pesto only confirming other patrons have given good reviews. My Husband ordered the rack of lamb. He ordered medium however the other sever on the Team suggested he should go medium rare which he did and was very happy he did.. I believe it was the GM who came to our table to chat and tell us thank you for choosing to celebrate our anniversary there. This is now our favorite restaurant in all of Palm Springs. Magical Evening. read more

Exquisite experience all around from the moment we walked in with gorgeous live music. All the appetizers, main courses, drinks, and desserts were lovely. The service was spectacular. Can't wait to come back! read more

Legendary restaurant gone astray High quality bland menu with ridiculous prices Service is no longer formal Old favorite is now disappointing on every level read more

Best restaurant in Palm Desert the ravioli was the bomb as well as the dovre soul. The fish was perfectly crispy and soft. The ambiance is beautiful as they have been open for 45 years and probably have always been this busy. The service was amazing as all the staff were nice as for the chefs cooked perfectly. Definitely a gem in Palm Desert. read more

Fine dining and a raucous bar don't mix well. We could scarcely hear one another at the table because the bar crowd was loudly singing along with the musician. This used to be a favorite special occasion restaurant. read more

One of the best restaurants you could ever go to in Palm Desert. They gave good service, excellent service with a lovely ambiance. Great music with Tony B. He can play any music you request. Great voice and good food. It was awesome. I had the special: lamb with shrimp and vegetables and great wine choices. They even celebrate your birthday with a nice design. Thank you for making my birthday very special. read more

Wally's Desert Turtle - Cream puff with ice cream and strawberries and blueberries with chocolate - Steakhouses Near Me - Rancho Mirage, California

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I typically enjoy Wally's but tonight's experience was marginal at best. I am at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Stadium 2. Its super freezing out so dining inside and watching tennis close to the windows is great. The ambiance and lighting and food were not the issue. It was all service related tonite! We had a player dining with us who I know so I waited to order until she arrived, although the rest of my group ordered as soon as we were seated. When I ordered, there were 3 of us left, the restaurant was not super busy but the delivery of the food was not great. I got my pasta about 15 minutes before the others so I had to eat alone. My drink sat at the bar until I asked for it and my friends were charged for food they did not get. I know the tennis garden adds an additional bit of drama but honestly, this is not what I expect from Wally's. To Michael B....we were at the large odd shaped table by the windows for the Kerber and then Thiem matches on Saturday the 10th. I don't remember the servers name but it was approx 6pm when we sat and we were there for several hours. We were a table of 8. read more

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Excellent food Service is excellent also along with the ambience. How much can you say as it explains it all the food and the service and dining is excellent. read more

My Mother turned 80 a few weeks ago and I was not able to fly in due to work. I opted to treat her like a Queen and hired a car, had flowers delivered to Wally-s and let Wallys know what a big day this was. From the moment my Mother and stepfather arrived they treated them both so warmly and made them feel so special. They greeted them at the car, walked them in with the driver, seated them at a wonderful and quiet table and spoiled them for the next three hours. A four course meal was served with plenty of time between meals to allow them to savor they wonderful Lamb and Dover Sole, shrimp, salads and of course dessert since they do not drink and I had let them know they drink sparkling water, the water was promptly served to them without a need to ask and kept full. I had flowers waiting for them and the manger had them brought over and placed the the wristlet and boutineer on them! My Mom received an experience of a lifetime and a memory that will make her smile for the rest of her life. Thank you!!!! read more

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I have been waiting 25 years to eat here and it did not disappoint. The lemon drop cocktail was perfect! I ordered a Caeser's salad and it was amazing. The dressing is made in-house and was not over powering. Then I had the Braised short ribs. Wow! I will be back soon. The atmosphere is upbeat and the patrons seemed to all enjoy their meals. Great place for couples and groups of four and six. Judy sorry I didn't make it in sooner. I come to Rancho Mirage twice or not per year and this will be my place. Prices are very reasonable. read more

We had such high expectations, based upon what we'd heard from others, for a great dinner. I think the hype set our expectations too high. We started with the French onion soup and Caesar salad, both were very good. For our entrees we had the short ribs, stuffed chicken and Dover sole. Although the presentation was very nice the actual food was bland and mediocre. We had hoped having dessert would change the course of our experience up to that point, but after the waiter dropped off the dessert menus no one came to see what we wanted for a good 15 minutes. By this time we were just over it. Bottom line is a meal not worth (including tip) $300 read more