Italica hides in plain sight next to Indio Taphouse — no sign, just a shiny silver door marking the entrance to a speakeasy-style room. Inside, Executive Chef Santos Perez, a Le Cordon Bleu graduate, builds a modern Italian menu meant for sharing: small, tapas-style plates designed to be combined across the table rather than eaten solo. The kitchen leans on imported DOP and DOC ingredients — San Marzano tomatoes, Pecorino Romano, and a wine list stocked with Italian selections — alongside produce sourced from local farms, with dishes shifting seasonally.
The fried artichokes have developed a following, and the cocktail program draws as much attention as the food itself, part of what gives the room its atmospheric, hidden-bar feel. Italica was named among Palm Springs Life's best restaurants of 2025.
The fried artichokes have developed a following, and the cocktail program draws as much attention as the food itself, part of what gives the room its atmospheric, hidden-bar feel. Italica was named among Palm Springs Life's best restaurants of 2025.