A throw back to fine dining. Excellent food coupled with a team dedicated to ensuring you are being appropriately attended to. While sharing a desert, our server overheard that we would be celebrating our anniversary next week (after they close for the summer), a most unexpected, beautifully presented dessert appeared. After checking with our family to see who put the order in, we realized the good deed. A big draw for me is knowing that the incredibly talented Tony Bolivia plays his saxophones and woodwinds in ways you'd never thought possible. I've seen two horns played at once, but not playing different harmony lines. Having driven by Wally's Desert Turtle without stopping to have a meal, Restaurant Week's menu drew us in. The sauces that accompany the entrees, my favorite being the Braised Beef. Don't forget to order the souffle ahead of time. Looks like I'll have to wait until October to find my way back.
Barbara
The ambulance is always superb! Food always good to excellent the majority of the time. Service also great but sometimes rushed-you want a relaxing time to take in to enjoy. We got our favorite table! Great little desert on the house to celebrate our 60th wedding anniversary. This is one of our most favorite Restaurants -we always go back again and again.
Kelly
This is an extraordinary restaurant, magnificent interior, old school, perfect service, with terrific food.
Mary
We enjoy coming to Wally's whenever we are in the desert. Lovely restaurant, exceptional service. Delicious food.
Janet
Thought the food was very good although $65.00 for sole is very expensive. Fantastic service, almost too much hovering.
Alan
I was at Wally's for Palm Springs Restaurant Week, as I have twice before. For $59 (plus a little extra for a souffle) you get a great bargain on a wonderful meal. I started with tuna tartar which you only eat at a very good restaurant, which this is for sure. My main was a delicious pair of large lamb chops cooked to perfection. It came with some very nice sides. I sat in the bar area because I had enjoyed listening to and meeting their sax and flute player Tony Bolivar. His playing and singing are both delightful and his musical selections are perfect for the diners at Wally's. They close for the summer soon but will return in October. Tony performs on weekends and I plan to be sitting in the bar several times. It is much busier in the dining room so the bar area works great for hearing him play and talking to Tony.
Kassie
We had an outstanding dining experience at Wally's last night. Every staff member was courteous and polite and exceeded our expectations! We had the short rib and cod curry and both dishes were some of the best meals we've ever had. Not exaggerating. It was for restaurant week but they don't seem to have the cod curry on their regular menu, which is unfortunate. We will be returning.
thomas
The atmosphere was very hectic with the many waitstaff running around like a bunch of ants on steroids. It was obvious they were trying to move the tables as quickly as possible. Not a relaxing environment. The food was OK but not oustanding and not worth the price.
GARY
We have dined at Wally's for many years. However our experience this time was not up to Wally's standards. Yes, the food was amazing as always. However the service teams was not very disappointing. Example, when we finished our starts. No team member cleared the dishes until the food arrived. Which has never happened before. And at the end of meal no team member asked if we would like desert, after drinks or even coffee. And top it off when it came time to pay the check the team member that took the payment which were Rancho Mirage Gift Cards. Didn't listen to what I ask him to do.. To use the Bonus Card with the expiration date on first. So hats off to Madayln the owner of Wally's for straightening out the issue. Again I want to repeat with all the side issue the food was wonderful....
Georgia
We had a great dinner at Wally's last night. The food was delicious and the service was outstanding. We will definitely be back.
Wally's has and will always be one of the best restaurants in the desert. A truly wonderful experience every time we go. This time we introduced some good friends who have just moved to the desert and have traveled the world, eating at great restaurants everywhere they go...and they were equally impressed.
bruce
We had the restaurant week menu (they seat you in the bar area for this). We like the bar area and entertainment, so this was fine with us....it could be a disappointment if you didn't know this....The ahi first course was THE BEST I have ever had anywhere! Our filets were PERFECT! We are not dessert people but the creme brûlée was okay. Our server, Max was perfect for us! Attentive and entertaining but not intrusive. We will request him next time!
Lee
Four of us went to Wally's for dinner during Restaurant Week 2025, and we all enjoyed the experience very much. The meals were delicious (a choice of two different menus at different price points), the service was flawless, and we most definitely will return. A little pricey, but worth it!
CONWAY
We had seven guests in our party and we all had an amazing meal and outstanding service! The entree's might be slightly higher than other restaurants in the Palm Springs area but it's worth every penny! The staff are very friendly and the restaurant owners are always there, checking on almost every table, to ensure their guests are having a great experience and if there is anything extra they may do for you. Fantastic!
Fernando
Wally's Desert Turtle neve disappoints - The ambiance, the service and the food DIVINE We have been going to Wally's since the late '80s - even we do not go as often as we would like to, it is a restaurant that has held up as a ciliary landmark in the desert
A throw back to fine dining. Excellent food coupled with a team dedicated to ensuring you are being appropriately attended to. While sharing a desert, our server overheard that we would be celebrating our anniversary next week (after they close for the summer), a most unexpected, beautifully presented dessert appeared. After checking with our family to see who put the order in, we realized the good deed. A big draw for me is knowing that the incredibly talented Tony Bolivia plays his saxophones and woodwinds in ways you'd never thought possible. I've seen two horns played at once, but not playing different harmony lines. Having driven by Wally's Desert Turtle without stopping to have a meal, Restaurant Week's menu drew us in. The sauces that accompany the entrees, my favorite being the Braised Beef. Don't forget to order the souffle ahead of time. Looks like I'll have to wait until October to find my way back.
The ambulance is always superb! Food always good to excellent the majority of the time. Service also great but sometimes rushed-you want a relaxing time to take in to enjoy. We got our favorite table! Great little desert on the house to celebrate our 60th wedding anniversary. This is one of our most favorite Restaurants -we always go back again and again.
This is an extraordinary restaurant, magnificent interior, old school, perfect service, with terrific food.
We enjoy coming to Wally's whenever we are in the desert. Lovely restaurant, exceptional service. Delicious food.
Thought the food was very good although $65.00 for sole is very expensive. Fantastic service, almost too much hovering.
I was at Wally's for Palm Springs Restaurant Week, as I have twice before. For $59 (plus a little extra for a souffle) you get a great bargain on a wonderful meal. I started with tuna tartar which you only eat at a very good restaurant, which this is for sure. My main was a delicious pair of large lamb chops cooked to perfection. It came with some very nice sides. I sat in the bar area because I had enjoyed listening to and meeting their sax and flute player Tony Bolivar. His playing and singing are both delightful and his musical selections are perfect for the diners at Wally's. They close for the summer soon but will return in October. Tony performs on weekends and I plan to be sitting in the bar several times. It is much busier in the dining room so the bar area works great for hearing him play and talking to Tony.
We had an outstanding dining experience at Wally's last night. Every staff member was courteous and polite and exceeded our expectations! We had the short rib and cod curry and both dishes were some of the best meals we've ever had. Not exaggerating. It was for restaurant week but they don't seem to have the cod curry on their regular menu, which is unfortunate. We will be returning.
The atmosphere was very hectic with the many waitstaff running around like a bunch of ants on steroids. It was obvious they were trying to move the tables as quickly as possible. Not a relaxing environment. The food was OK but not oustanding and not worth the price.
We have dined at Wally's for many years. However our experience this time was not up to Wally's standards. Yes, the food was amazing as always. However the service teams was not very disappointing. Example, when we finished our starts. No team member cleared the dishes until the food arrived. Which has never happened before. And at the end of meal no team member asked if we would like desert, after drinks or even coffee. And top it off when it came time to pay the check the team member that took the payment which were Rancho Mirage Gift Cards. Didn't listen to what I ask him to do.. To use the Bonus Card with the expiration date on first. So hats off to Madayln the owner of Wally's for straightening out the issue. Again I want to repeat with all the side issue the food was wonderful....
We had a great dinner at Wally's last night. The food was delicious and the service was outstanding. We will definitely be back.
Restaurantji Recommends
Wally's has and will always be one of the best restaurants in the desert. A truly wonderful experience every time we go. This time we introduced some good friends who have just moved to the desert and have traveled the world, eating at great restaurants everywhere they go...and they were equally impressed.
We had the restaurant week menu (they seat you in the bar area for this). We like the bar area and entertainment, so this was fine with us....it could be a disappointment if you didn't know this....The ahi first course was THE BEST I have ever had anywhere! Our filets were PERFECT! We are not dessert people but the creme brûlée was okay. Our server, Max was perfect for us! Attentive and entertaining but not intrusive. We will request him next time!
Four of us went to Wally's for dinner during Restaurant Week 2025, and we all enjoyed the experience very much. The meals were delicious (a choice of two different menus at different price points), the service was flawless, and we most definitely will return. A little pricey, but worth it!
We had seven guests in our party and we all had an amazing meal and outstanding service! The entree's might be slightly higher than other restaurants in the Palm Springs area but it's worth every penny! The staff are very friendly and the restaurant owners are always there, checking on almost every table, to ensure their guests are having a great experience and if there is anything extra they may do for you. Fantastic!
Wally's Desert Turtle neve disappoints - The ambiance, the service and the food DIVINE We have been going to Wally's since the late '80s - even we do not go as often as we would like to, it is a restaurant that has held up as a ciliary landmark in the desert
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